Help me build a track-able Protege ES

[Slash621]

I wanted to see who is tracking (not autocrossing... full circuits) their ES Sedan or P5.

I have a fully stock 2003 ES manual. I've spent a lot of time tracking other cars (RX7 GTU, 240Z, 300Z-Turbo, Honda S2000, BMW E36..etc) but all I have right now is my protege and after a couple of years the bug is biting me again to go back out.

I want to try and keep the car as stock as possible and keep expenditures to a minimum but I wanted to see what all of you would do to a stock car for around $1500. A little over or under is fine. The Tire choice will likely be Hankook RS212's (The Azenis competitor) as they have proven to be a streetable tire in the past on my protege, and on the S2000 we ran them fairly hard on the track with no issues. Assume the cost of tires is NOT in the equation. Also assume all FLUIDS are not part of the equation.

The goal is a reliable track car just to get some seat time in HPDE events in group 2 or 3 (Florida system). Oh yeah, the car will be operating in florida heat, so if some of you suggest larger radiators this is the time to put it out there....

Here are my guesses so far...

From highest Priority to lowest.

Part Type- Manuf- Vendor- Price
Brake Pads- Hawk HPS- Tire Rack- 138
Brake Rotors- Brembo- Tire Rack- 154
Brake Lines - Techna-fit- Street unit- 99
Brake Speed Bleeders- Russell- Street unit- 36
Engine Mounts- Street Unit- Street unit- 400
Clutch- Exedy- Protg Garage- 149.99
Clutch Line- Goodridge- Protg Garage- 50
Shifter Bushings- Protg Garage- Protg Garage- 38
Sway Bar Kit- Mazdaspeed- Protg Garage- 360

 

[Slash621]

This might be easier to read.

 

[Slash621]

Anybody?

 

[madhatter]

after you sort your brakes out, (i'd leave the lines out, BTW, unless your stock rubber lines are shot) i'd worry about tires, then shocks, then swaybars, then springs.

A MSP or MP3 suspension setup would be a cheap starter. A separate set of wheels and tires for track duty with some take offs after you've got the suspension sorted.

The clutch, shifter bushings, and motor mounts i'd leave off unless the existing ones are worn out. You're not putting out gross amounts of horsepower with the stock driveline, and those pieces are fine for stock power levels. put your money set aside for those things into seat time or preventive maintenance. You'll chew up a lot of rotors and pads, depending on the tracks you're going to. Front hubs, axles, and tires are all wear items too.

 

[sam1]

I'd skip the SU motor mounts, and just get some inserts. I got inserts all around for ~100 and they are quite solid. Put the other 300 towards a good set of coilovers, or even just a nice set of tokikos. I'd also get a shortshift kit(i like my kartboy personally). Skip the mazdaspeed swaybar and go with the progress 22mm...good, solid upgrade for much less. I don't think you'll need an upgraded radiator since you're not fi, just go with some redline water wetter, or royal purple equivalent. I also used rp fluid in my tranny, which made a huge difference. You can also save some money and get the exedy clutch from here... http://www.importperformanceparts.net/imports/exedyclutchkits-mazda.html

 

[khaosman]

Don't most tracks require SS lines to run?

 

[Slash621]

I'll do the SS lines regardless I think. Its cheap and it means i NEVER have to wonder if I have bubbles in the lines or if it is the line itself. Makes it easier to know if you screwed up bleeding or not.

 

[Jas00x]

It looks like you have a good plan there.
I have only autocrossed my car for the life of it (since 2000), and have yet to track it, so I'll just tell you what I know that may pertain to track stuff. Not knowing how competitive you want to be, so I'll just mention a few places to look for parts.

Be sure to sign up for the Mazdaspeed Motorsports racer support program. They sell alot of stuff - OEM parts, "Showroom Stock"/"competition" parts, and aftermarket parts like brake pads. The OEM parts are at wholesale cost, so its definately a must to sign up for that for brake rotors, wheel bearings, and other standard wear items. You can get the "Showroom Stock- Trunk Kit" which is a set of Coilovers, Bilstein Shocks, and rear Swaybar that are built by AWR (Anthony Woodford Racing).

A bunch of shops built stuff for the SPEED Touring cars back when they were racing them, so check out Tri-Point, OPM Motorsports, and AWR for some more $eriou$ trackworthy parts. Main thing with the Protege suspension parts is that you get what you pay for, and if you want serious handling performance, its not going to be cheap (like a Civic or Miata).

I would highly recommend getting some sort of motor mount inserts or Polyurathane bushings. Might not need to go as drastic as the SU set. In my opinion the stock bushings are way too soft for motorsports, and to protect your transmission/diff, stiffen those up!

The typical suspension starter part on the Protege is to get a large Rear swaybar (Progress 22mm and AWR 21.5mm are most popular).

There are some good track Protege guys on here, so you may want to search some older posts and try to find them for more specific alignment and suspension setup.