What have you done to your P5 today?

I bought a P5 today! After 3 years with a iTouring Mazda3... **SNORE** Had an Automatic P5 from 2004 - 2017. Can't wait for it to be delivered
 
Added flares. Sorry, Won't allow to rotate pics.
20200319_160432.jpg

20200319_160503.jpg
 
Looks great. Are you keeping the guards standard under or going to cut them for more clearance? Would look better too if the standard guard lip was not visible.

Wish I could get these flares and skirts. Are they still available in the US?

ohkgjbb.jpg

mbbbnmnm,.jpg
 
I replaced the stock shifter bushings including the 3rd link bushings with Kia bushings since they are better than the Mazda ones and cheaper than the Corksport bronzeoil ones. The 3rd link bushings weren't even there so my shifter had a very large amount of side-to-side play.

The shifter feels insanely better now. The side-to-side play is so little that I wasn't sure if I went into 3rd gear or if I slipped back into 1st!

I ran into a couple of issues, like the bolt through my TWM short shifter breaking off at the nut, but I was able to find something at Home Depot to make it work. Two of the four heat shield holes stripped out as well. I'm kind of pissed about that but I was able to make it work so it doesn't rattle like an MFer.

After 200k mine are sloppy. Do you have part #'s?
 
Well, yesterday, not today...Yanked out the stock a-pillar tweets and replaced 'em with aftermarket on angled housings.

Can you provide more info on this? My car came with a full system which was horribly done. Had to replace headunit and all four speakers, but I've still got the stock tweeters and I don't notice any sound from them at all. Thanks!

Benji
 
Can you provide more info on this? My car came with a full system which was horribly done. Had to replace headunit and all four speakers, but I've still got the stock tweeters and I don't notice any sound from them at all. Thanks!

Benji

I sent an email to a longtime friend of mine who happens to be the PO. I also sent him pix. So, for your benefit and anyone else, here's the text of the email and the pix I sent him.

Just finished a very satisfying little project in the P5. I pulled the LH tweeter on the corner piece on the door, and I couldn't hear anything unless I put it right up to my ear. The cone was stiff as a board, likely from heat/age. I had bought a pair of tweets (cheap 'Boss Audio') intending to mount them there before I realized there were tweets there already. So here's a little photo essay. I took of the pieces and examined them. I was happy to see that the grilles were held in by tabs, instead of molded in. I took them out, and made up a template of the opening out of thin cardboard. I then cut and formed two pieces of 10mm rigid PVC foam. This is great stuff, as you can cut, sand, drill, rivet, glue, melt it. I trimmed and filed them to fit the opening them melted a hole in the center for the connector, and drilled two holes to mount the tweeters on their included angle mounts. A little solder work and mounted them up, and the difference is HUGE. Clean, crisp treble. Ol' Blue Eyes never sounded so good.

Any questions, give me a holler.

Scott



IMG_7427.JPG
IMG_7428.JPG
IMG_7429.JPG
IMG_7430.JPG
IMG_7431.JPG
IMG_7432.JPG
IMG_7434.JPG
IMG_7435.JPG
IMG_7436.JPG
IMG_7437.JPG
 
IMG_20200324_181138.jpg IMG_20200328_210215.jpg

I've got a build thread on a sister forum. Will either link it if allowed, or slowly copy over that thread as I'll be off work next week.

I have a list of things still to do. Rustproofing the interior panels is on that list, as well as cleaning it, as it's sat in a garage, uncovered, over the winter and it's looking filthy quite honestly.
 
Kinda diggin the pedestal tweeter action....but mostly the KL action......................


Gots my hatch panels out to drop the Illuminas and give them somethin they been waitin for for last decade, lol. Got brand spankin NIB Espelirs, MSP bumpstops all the way around and new strut bearings/bushing whatever for up front. Need to find drop chart on those and the Tein S Techs on hand to see what drops are. No name supposedly 1.5" drops have been on there about 15 years now. Probably more drop than that with how tired they must be. I'm sure the Teins are nice but Espelirs are the sheeyite IIRC, and they are new and Teins are gently used.

My poor poor little FSDE NA from headlight games the other day. Lid is off air intake box for access to the drv headlight (also cleaning filter) and the hammer prop keeps the hoodlights off. I swear I'm gonna 22v that bumper and lip this year, lol..........................

20200403_145620.jpg
20200403_145633.jpg
 
Hmmmm, test fitting, cleaning up shock body. Don't wanna go with new tires and have 205/40/17s now. May go with Espelir in back because the Tein S springs do 1.4 and Espelir 1.5" drop. Up front I may go with The Tein S because drop is 2.0 and Espelir is 1.5" I'd like a little rake with it being a bit higher in back and lower in front where wheel well gap looks same and the drop still looks right with the 205/40s. Thinkin the 1.5" progressive Espelir out back and the 2" linear Tein S up front might be the ticket to what I want. This'll keep it level with full tank of gas or people in back seat instead of that draggin ass bro lean look.


Sprung into action.....what a lovely spring day......spring sprang sprung........

20200406_212714.jpg
20200406_212637.jpg


Espelir rr on left - 1.5" progressive 157 spring rate
Tein S Tech middle - 1.4" progressive 146 spring rate
Maxspeed on rt - 15 yr old 1.5 probably 1.8" by now progressive.

Both sets of fronts are linear with Espelir being 1.5" with 179 spring rate.
Tein S Tech is 1.7" drop and spring with 179 spring rate.

Setting the dampening on 3 all the way around and will adjust from there...........Illuminas has 5 settings so 3 is mid setting.
 
Last edited:
Hmmmm, test fitting, cleaning up shock body. Don't wanna go with new tires and have 205/40/17s now. May go with Espelir in back because the Tein S springs do 1.4 and Espelir 1.5" drop. Up front I may go with The Tein S because drop is 2.0 and Espelir is 1.5" I'd like a little rake with it being a bit higher in back and lower in front where wheel well gap looks same and the drop still looks right with the 205/40s. Thinkin the 1.5" progressive Espelir out back and the 2" linear Tein S up front might be the ticket to what I want. This'll keep it level with full tank of gas or people in back seat instead of that draggin ass bro lean look.


Sprung into action.....what a lovely spring day......spring sprang sprung........

View attachment 223946View attachment 223947

Espelir rr on left - 1.5" progressive
Tein S Tech middle - 1.4" progressive
Maxspeed on rt - 15 yr old 1.5 probably 1.8" by now progressive.

Both sets of fronts are linear with Espelir being 1.5" with lower spring rate.
Tein S Tech is 2" drop but spring rate is higher.

IIRC, people didn't like the Tein compared to Espelir but that was rear stepping out wheel chatering thing.


This is all quite interesting to me as i'm on all-stock suspension and sorta kinda looking into budget, quality upgrades but also not wanting to compromise on daily drivability, since it's my only car and I drive A LOT. I love my car as-is so i'm trying to get things up to a clean, OEM status first though.

With stock suspension and 195-series tires, my car rubs with people/cargo in the back, though that's with aftermarket (trashy) lower-offset wheels. Even unloaded, the front sits higher and it bothers me.
 
Back