I currently have roughly 8.8:1 compression in my Integra and I love it. I hget great gas mileage and my acceleration is just fine. My personal experience is that what you feel is relative to what you are accustomed to. I was driving my '93 Accord before, so my car feels great, however if you're used to driving an h22 it may feel sluggish. If you already have the pistons, go for it, if not continue to research and go with what the person tuning your car suggests.