If I had it to do over again, I would get the short gears w/o the 4.55 R&P. The really big problem with the early tranny is the absurd 1-2 shift that drops you completely out of VTEC range. The short gears change that. I miss the easy 80mph cruise I had before the R&P.
Part of the problem with my car, though, is that it has a lot more torque than a stock one, so the R&P is really overkill.
ChopsJazz is right in that there are other R&P options. I believe the type R piece is also a drop-in swap and it is not quite as agressive.