Tinting works - there are lots of examples on this site of what you could do. Some people put red film over the turn signals and others use niight shades (I think) to tint them like windows. But because you have a yellow car IMO, I wouldn't tint the taillights though because they will really stand out. As for replacing them I would stay away from the Ebay 'Carbon Fibre' 'Altezza' taillights - to me none of them look good. The only other option are the JDM taillights which look very similar to the Protege sedan taillights but are a different shape. I personally like these best and is what I have on my car right now. Unfortunately these are the most expensive and you can get them from places like www.corksport.com or occasionally they pop up in the for sale section. I have a pic of them on my car somewhere...
New girl from SoCAl here
- Thread starter RaiderH8r89
- Start date
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- 2003 Black Mica MazdaSpeed Protege
If you can find some JDM tail lights for the P5, those always look great. Some of the folks here have smoked the stockers - didn't come out too bad.
For real though... It's not hard... Don't be scared... I didn't even sand mine down... and they turned out great...
Just take them off... Do one at a time... follow the how to... and take your time... did both of mine plus installed xenon dde kit and got it all done in less than and hour from start to finish...
I was scared at first but "frenz" never really like help... so i said f@#k it im going to do it... I used a blow dryer to heat the headlight up (not recommended)... but it still worked... took the second one to a friends house and the oven was way faster... just put it in there for a few minutes and it comes apart super easy...
Don't be scared...
Just take them off... Do one at a time... follow the how to... and take your time... did both of mine plus installed xenon dde kit and got it all done in less than and hour from start to finish...
I was scared at first but "frenz" never really like help... so i said f@#k it im going to do it... I used a blow dryer to heat the headlight up (not recommended)... but it still worked... took the second one to a friends house and the oven was way faster... just put it in there for a few minutes and it comes apart super easy...
Don't be scared...
RaiderH8r89
Member
- :
- Mazda Protege5
different shape? what do u mean by that?
RaiderH8r89
Member
- :
- Mazda Protege5
i'm still sacred... of the oven... lol
Sorry, misleading. The JDM taillights have the same layout as the Protege sedans but are a different shape so they fit the P5.
RaiderH8r89
Member
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- Mazda Protege5
This is the best pic I could find on my work computer. Sorry for the size... But these are the JDM taillights.
oohhhh, i really like those!! they look really clean... great job... i think i just might have to get me a pair of those...
Great! One person averted from altezzas - I may have found a purpose in life, LOL. That's my car BTW
RaiderH8r89
Member
- :
- Mazda Protege5
Great! One person averted from altezzas - I may have found a purpose in life, LOL. That's my car BTW
very nice... i'm jealous. i also want to get rims and tires for the obvious reason... but i have no idea where to start on those as far as color, size, etc...
Mr. 4500 RPM
Member
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- Black P5
The JDM tail lights are a direct swap for your current tail lights. The key thing though is that you will have to be prepared to strip out the whole hatch to get to replace them. Very tight places to unhook the lights, also beware when you unhook them you need to get into the side plastic things to really get to them or else the tail lights will hang and can scrape your rear bumpr.
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- 2003 Black Mica MazdaSpeed Protege
Tirerack.com has a great function where you can "try on" different wheels on your car online.
Size is pretty easy. Stockers are 16x6 I believe with a +50 mm offset. You can run a 16x7 wheel with as low as a +45 mm offset and 225/45 tires (with the right suspension). Most people end up with 17x7 or 17x7.5 and offsets of +45 mm and +48 mm respectively are generally considered the standard. Most people opt for 215/40R17 tires as well because they are the closest to stock. Tirerack is good but their tire suggestion is off. There should be a stickied thread in the rims/tires/suspension forum with all you'd ever need to know about what will and will not fit.
RaiderH8r89
Member
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- Mazda Protege5
u know, i bought my eibach springs from tirerack.com, but i never knew they had that feature for wheels... thanks
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- 2003 Black Mica MazdaSpeed Protege
I was thinking more about her using that to figure out what wheels would look good on her car - she said she didn't know where to start on that...
RaiderH8r89
Member
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- Mazda Protege5
alright, thanks a bunch... i will have to check it out. man, i cant believe i woke up so damn late today... i feel like the day is wasted lol. its 11:15, and i feel like a total bum...
Oh yeah definitely agree! I was just helping further
I've been in a helpful mood lately. BTW, I wish Tirerack had an option where you could raise/lower your car's ride height - that would help a lot I think. I mean, the little stock red car that represents mine isn't even close anymore, LOL. I remember when I got some new wheels and tires for my truck the shop I bought them from had this little program that did just that.5:30 AM FTL! LOL, it was 2:30 AM where you are when I woke up, were you even asleep?!
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- 2001 Pro 2.0 LX
holy fcukin testosterone batman!! this thread is a day old and has over 300 replies. all because the magical word "girl" in the title. holy leghumpers. there are new people here who started new threads that didn't even get 300 views let alone replies.
with that being said, welcome to the forums
hehehe
with that being said, welcome to the forums
hehehe
RaiderH8r89
Member
- :
- Mazda Protege5
actually, i was! i swear, i can sleep forever... i used to be able to sleep for 14+ hours and not feel a damn thing... haha(yes)
