Honeymoon over?

[magnumP5]

I'm sorry to report I'm becoming a bit disechanted with my 2. Maybe something is wrong with mine or maybe I'm starting to notice flaws I didn't before. I think I can narrow my gripes down to two catagories: driving with the A/C on, and the throttle/clutch.

1. I bought my 2 late last September so this Summer is the first time I've ever used the A/C. Trust me, I'm the last person to turn on the A/C but we're over a week at 90 deg F or higher with high humidity. Yes, A/C robs power, but it makes my 2 damn near undriveable. It's constantly clicking on and off, which makes the car noticeably jerk about each time. Maybe that's a new car thing because my '09 Tacoma definitely has a little jerk when I kick the A/C on/off but that's it; not the constantly cycling I'm experiencing with the 2. In my previous/other vehicles turning on the A/C results only in a slightly higher idle engine speed. I also feel like I have to floor the 2 to get it moving with the A/C on. I have literally mached the pedal to the floor and it's still bogged off the line, which leads me to my second gripe...

2. Hopefully there's just something wrong with my car because the electronic throttle seems laggy as hell. I can literally blip the gas with my right foot and my foot is off the pedal before the engine speed rises. It seems to get worse each time I drive. I just can't seem to get the timing right and this is not my first (manual) vehicle with an electronic throttle; my Tacoma has one as well. Combine the wonky throttle with the ridiculously long clutch engagement travel and this experienced manual transmission operator (7/10 years driving) looks like a total n00b!

Like I said, hopefully something is wrong with my car (are there any TSB's or recalls out there?) because I really want to love it again. I love the handling, the fuel economy, and yes, even the styling. Is anyone experiencing similar woes or have any advice?

 

[skullsroad]

I agree on both points. The A/C murders power. I literally turn off the A/C when merging on the freeway, know that I'm going to have to pass someone or anything else that involves precious acceleration. My NA Miata was exactly the same way. I guess it's the pitfalls of an anemic power-plant. I know that some A/C systems are designed to not be power thieves, but I haven't looked into it very much.

The throttle response issue you described is also why I hate to heel toe in this car. It just lags. I still get cruddy standing starts when leaving a red light because of this. I feel like I have to drag the clutch and hold the gas waaaaay too much for it to launch smoothly.

I'm hoping mods like a lightweight aluminum flywheel, an intake, exhaust, pulleys and some ECU tuning will solve all these issues. I still love the car. I mean, just about every new car in this class will have the same issues I think, and I'd rather have the 2 than a fat Fiesta, a fat Rio, a fat Sonic, a squishy Fiat and an ugly, top heavy, no brakes junker like the Fit (as you can tell, I really don't like the Fit).

 

[eyeballs]

The lack of power doesn't really bother me, and is one of the reasons I wanted this car. Mine is definately slower with the a/c on, but I don't switch it on/off very often during a drive. The 2 is my first car with drive-by-wire and I am certainly not fond of it. I swapped out the factory muffler so I can hear what the car is doing, and this helped driveability immensely.

 

[2.0t03speed]

sell the 2 get another boosted p5 =D

 

[joshb003]

I've never noticed the loss of power with the A/C on... but then again I don't ever really push my car very hard lol.

 

[CorkSport]

There was a post in the Motorsports section about several conditions needed by the ECU to go WOT which might be part of the lag people feel when driving around and would be really pronounced with the A/C turned on.

-Derrick

 

[DrWebster]

I've never noticed the loss of power with the A/C on... but then again I don't ever really push my car very hard lol.

+1

I actually noticed this week how relatively minor the impact to my MPG is with the A/C on...I'm only about 1MPG down from where I usually am, and have been running the A/C all week.

As for throttle response, my only thought is this: Remember that the 2 is a small economy car. It may handle like a sports car, but it isn't one.

 

[PGTBrow]

Meh, when the A/C is on there is a noticeable difference when rolling around at low speeds, especially when it cuts on and off. But beings im 90% hwy its not really an issue.

 

[genericmoniker]

I just turn mine off when I'm at a light. Other than that, I don't find A/C makes too big of a difference, aside from from a dig.

 

[Rotaryknight]

the AC compressor is really small. You do feel the hit in power with it on, but for me its livable. I tend to try and accelerate slowly rather then accelerating abruptly. Havent driven with the AC on in city traffic yet, only highway.

As for the electronic throttle body, I really hate it. I can, and probably will not be able to get used to this delay that it has.

 

[Rustbucket]

I actually spent a while contemplating a WOT switch that would turn off the A/C. The switches are easy to get, and it shouldn't be too hard to set up... Thus far, it hasn't annoyed me enough to have me out chasing a fix.

 

[Axela05]

As far as the A/C is concerned...16,000 miles into owning my Mazda2, Mazda replaced my A/C compressor and a few other components under warranty because it died on me. They said something about my high line being low and my low line being high. In reference to MPG, my A/C really does kill my mileage but whatever, you need A/C in Florida and that's all there is to it.

 

[thejeans]

the electronic throttle may benefit some from a grounding wire

i know with the 3 it cleaned up some of the messiness of the throttle/throttle body, may not do anything but for the price of a decent sized wire, and 2 connections, it may be something worth looking into... just my :2cents: and throwing an idea out there

 

[Racebrewer]

Hi,

I've had the air on full time for the last week and haven't really noticed the same issues. The car has not been as happy in the heat wave we've had up here, but I wonder if there isn't some other issue? I almost wonder if the A/C isn't properly charged causing it to kick in and out?

John

 

[genericmoniker]

Most modern A/C systems are set up to "cycle" on/off when needed to improve fuel economy, perhaps that's what you're feeling?

 

[magnumP5]

I guess it's good to know other people have noticed the same thing. I bought this car with no delusions of power, speed, etc. It's only purpose is to be my DD and get good fuel economy. The fact it's moderately fun to drive is just a perk.

the electronic throttle may benefit some from a grounding wire

i know with the 3 it cleaned up some of the messiness of the throttle/throttle body, may not do anything but for the price of a decent sized wire, and 2 connections, it may be something worth looking into... just my :2cents: and throwing an idea out there

I'll have to look into this. I'm really not familiar with the electronic throttle system but perhaps some better grounding or better signal source would help.

Hi,

I've had the air on full time for the last week and haven't really noticed the same issues. The car has not been as happy in the heat wave we've had up here, but I wonder if there isn't some other issue? I almost wonder if the A/C isn't properly charged causing it to kick in and out?

John

I fully expected the car to be more sluggish with the A/C on but I was really caught off guard. With the compressor engaged it is significantly more difficult to get it moving. If I'm lucky and the compressor isn't engaged when taking off everything is great. The jerking is the worst though. It behaves similarly to me quickly letting off the throttle and then getting right back on it every time the compressor switches on/off while the car is in motion. I suppose it can't hurt to give Mazda a little call...

 

[Red2]

the electronic throttle may benefit some from a grounding wire

i know with the 3 it cleaned up some of the messiness of the throttle/throttle body, may not do anything but for the price of a decent sized wire, and 2 connections, it may be something worth looking into... just my :2cents: and throwing an idea out there

How does one go about installing this grounding wire? Where does it need to be attached?

 

[Rockin03mp5]

the electronic throttle may benefit some from a grounding wire

i know with the 3 it cleaned up some of the messiness of the throttle/throttle body, may not do anything but for the price of a decent sized wire, and 2 connections, it may be something worth looking into... just my :2cents: and throwing an idea out there

maybe try this as well. a few mazda5 owners have done the same with good results. basically, just add another ground from the throttle body to the chassis.

my protege was pretty bad with the ac as well. i would always have to shut it off before i wanted to really go.

 

[magnumP5]

How does one go about installing this grounding wire? Where does it need to be attached?

I guess it depends if they're talking about improving the existing ground or grounded the TB itself to reduce noise. The former would require changing the ground wire in the connecter (thicker wire, dedicated chassis ground). The latter would just consist of adding a ground wire from the TB to the engine/chassis.

It might be worth supplying a clean power source as well. It likely runs off a switched +12V signal that is used to power a bunch of other things as well. Separate the + signal from everything else and perhaps the response will be improved?

 

[Red2]

Can someone post up a pic of what that would look like? I'm a bit slow when it comes to electrical and need to see it to understand it...