Introducing myself

[tap'n'die]

Hey guys. New to the forum. Traded in my 2002 se-r spec v (in pretty bad shape) for a 2003 navy blue P5. It's standard with air, electric everything, cloth seats and no sunroof.

I am a recovering mod addict, i just want a reliable car to drive around but i also enjoy driving, something simple with as few creature comforts as possible; no dvd, navigation, traction control, active stupidity control, bazillion airbags all over the place... How about 4 wheels. an engine and a steering wheel that all work well together?

Fast, reliable, cheap. pick any two they say. Well, i gave up fast, heck i gave up quick! (you all know what i am saying...) But i sure as heck didn't give up fun and practical.

I had first tried the P5 when it first came out and i was surprised at how much feedback it gives the driver and how the suspension and steering generally feels for a stock, non sports car. (ok, sporty econobox hatch) It just has so much personality to it i just had to get one even if it is slow as a tortoise.

I can't put my finger on it but there's just something about driving this car that makes me happy(flash) Maybe it's the close ratio 5 speed with a really short 5th that keeps me out of cruising at "trouble" speeds. Maybe it's the super responsive steering or the somewhat firm yet gentle ride that doesn't compromise handling as much as your average grocery getting econobox, maybe it's because it's just the car i needed!


I bought the car with the intention of leaving it bone stock. Well, ok that didn't last too long, i will stay very reasonable though. I ordered a tsudo header from an ebay vendor at a ridiculously low price i couldn't resist. It's not here yet. I will most likely throw away the gasket that comes with it and buy a stock gasket instead, these econo gaskets i have seen in the past were not great. I know about the non fouler trick, i have used it on the spec v and i threw codes anyway, just not as often I relocated it behind the second cat and never threw another code, well not P0420 at least.

Is it going to be loud? i searched but could find no sound clips of stock exhaust lines with a header. I have developed a hatred for pre-cats and i think that it's important for a car's longevity to remove them even if they do have egr valves. But i want to avoid making the car louder if at all possible.

Sooo... how does a P5 with a 4:1 header sound with stock airbox and exhaust line? Loud and obnoxious? Angry bees? No noticeable difference or just minimal?

This car can't afford to scream like it's a high power NA tuned race motor, because it is not! My car is slow i don't want to give other drivers the impression that i think i drive a powerful sports car (rofl)


Other "mods" Well, i dropped in a K&N panel filter in place of the stock paper unit, does that even count? I removed the rear seats and trunk cover completely, a sleeping bag laid out on the floor doubles as a dog bed and remote controlled airplane carrier. (i almost never carry passengers in the back seat anyway, it might as well be a 2 seater with TONS of room in the back...) I replaced the 195/50R16 crappy tires that were on the car with surprisingly affordable Marangoni zeta linea 205/45WR16. So far i like them, but i can't say i fully tested them as they are hardly even scrubbed in yet. I went to the dealership and bought the front and back motor mounts. tonight i will fill them with eurethane, let them cure a couple of days and install them this weekend.

I've been looking for some bushings, i messaged this guy i know at superpro because from what i can tell none of the usual suspects have any bushings. What are you guys using?

Well, i said a mouthfull... That's me!

 

[gone_fishin]

Welcome

 

[Crazee D]

Hey guys. New to the forum. Traded in my 2002 se-r spec v (in pretty bad shape) for a 2003 navy blue P5. It's standard with air, electric everything, cloth seats and no sunroof.

I am a recovering mod addict, i just want a reliable car to drive around but i also enjoy driving, something simple with as few creature comforts as possible; no dvd, navigation, traction control, active stupidity control, bazillion airbags all over the place... How about 4 wheels. an engine and a steering wheel that all work well together?

Fast, reliable, cheap. pick any two they say. Well, i gave up fast, heck i gave up quick! (you all know what i am saying...) But i sure as heck didn't give up fun and practical.

I had first tried the P5 when it first came out and i was surprised at how much feedback it gives the driver and how the suspension and steering generally feels for a stock, non sports car. (ok, sporty econobox hatch) It just has so much personality to it i just had to get one even if it is slow as a tortoise.

I can't put my finger on it but there's just something about driving this car that makes me happy(flash) Maybe it's the close ratio 5 speed with a really short 5th that keeps me out of cruising at "trouble" speeds. Maybe it's the super responsive steering or the somewhat firm yet gentle ride that doesn't compromise handling as much as your average grocery getting econobox, maybe it's because it's just the car i needed!


I bought the car with the intention of leaving it bone stock. Well, ok that didn't last too long, i will stay very reasonable though. I ordered a tsudo header from an ebay vendor at a ridiculously low price i couldn't resist. It's not here yet. I will most likely throw away the gasket that comes with it and buy a stock gasket instead, these econo gaskets i have seen in the past were not great. I know about the non fouler trick, i have used it on the spec v and i threw codes anyway, just not as often I relocated it behind the second cat and never threw another code, well not P0420 at least.

Is it going to be loud? i searched but could find no sound clips of stock exhaust lines with a header. I have developed a hatred for pre-cats and i think that it's important for a car's longevity to remove them even if they do have egr valves. But i want to avoid making the car louder if at all possible.

Sooo... how does a P5 with a 4:1 header sound with stock airbox and exhaust line? Loud and obnoxious? Angry bees? No noticeable difference or just minimal?

This car can't afford to scream like it's a high power NA tuned race motor, because it is not! My car is slow i don't want to give other drivers the impression that i think i drive a powerful sports car (rofl)


Other "mods" Well, i dropped in a K&N panel filter in place of the stock paper unit, does that even count? I removed the rear seats and trunk cover completely, a sleeping bag laid out on the floor doubles as a dog bed and remote controlled airplane carrier. (i almost never carry passengers in the back seat anyway, it might as well be a 2 seater with TONS of room in the back...) I replaced the 195/50R16 crappy tires that were on the car with surprisingly affordable Marangoni zeta linea 205/45WR16. So far i like them, but i can't say i fully tested them as they are hardly even scrubbed in yet. I went to the dealership and bought the front and back motor mounts. tonight i will fill them with eurethane, let them cure a couple of days and install them this weekend.

I've been looking for some bushings, i messaged this guy i know at superpro because from what i can tell none of the usual suspects have any bushings. What are you guys using?

Well, i said a mouthfull... That's me!

Welcome, YouTube Dude!

Well you wont be the last mod escapee to give in to the dark side.

Header wont do much unless accompanied by some intake and downstream help. Sound is prolly a lil louder, but if you want a nice growl the Mazdaspeed units seem to keep the volume down nicely.
I have the insane ricer/fart can.

Stick a cone filter on there somewhere.

Glad to see you aboard!
Check out your local regional sub-forum or group too...where r u at?

 

[CTt3P5]

Welcome aboard. I would also say to get a CAI or SRI and a catback to go along with the header. The Racing Beat catback is the most popular here on the forums, nice tone without being ricey. I know there are a few threads with video clips of the exhaust/header but don't think there are any of the header alone.

 

[iLisa]

welcome..
midnight blue is ftw!

 

[mickeyreategui]

Welcome to the familia!!!!

 

[altspace]

Welcome. I loved my P5 as well.

 

[ZZZOOM!]

Welcome!! What did you do to that poor se-R?? lol

 

[tap'n'die]

Welcome!! What did you do to that poor se-R?? lol

Thanks guys!

That "poor" se-r was a good idea on paper, like communism...

1st engine failed due to pre-cat failure (well known issue), replaced with header on 2nd engine.

2nd engine died during break in due to over tightened balancer shaft assembly bearing overheating and shedding metal filings all over the crank case!

3rd engine was having same issue but i "nipped it in the bud" (i.e. cut balancer chain before the bearing crapped out and spewed metal fillings all over the crank case)

Transmission gave in at some point (never shifted right from the start, stealerships would not do anything about it, like they allways do)

When it did fail, they blackmailed me with the header; saying my car is modded (only had header and drop in filter at that point) and that they would not replace my tranny unless i buy a new clutch from them. So i did, even though my clutch had over 90% of it's life left. (no magnusson moss act in canada, and the stealership was very subtle about positioning this "offer" so there was nothing i could do...)

after the tranny change it was getting worse and worse, bad vibrations, clutch pedal going soft, bad synchronization... name the illness it had it... Paint's clear coating was literally chipping out all over the place. Again stealership were total pricks... this is when i got rid of the car. There were other issues not really as worthy of mentioning but lets say the car was a full time hobby...



My spec v, before i stripped it down for sale had;

Brembo rotors that i had cryo treated at a local shop
superpro bushings all around
revolution autoworks engine torque damper
energy suspension motor mount inserts
apexi ws2 cat-back
obx header
safcII tuned on the dyno (twice)
replaced 17" wheels with lighter 16" and better tires
cosmo racing CAI
neutralized balancer shaft assembly (cut chain)
relocated knock sensor
timing advanced to 17 degrees.

total output on dynapac; 168.4 whp and 200lbs/ft right on the nose. weighing only 50lbs more than the P5 imagine how under powered i feel the P5 is now! (good news; i don't care!)

Before getting the CAI i had a K&N drop-in. I swear when i took it off to sell the car and put the air box and drop-in back i felt absolutely no difference except the ringing in my ears disappeared and the dirty looks i was getting from the cops all the time had gone away almost completely!

Unfortunately i never had a chance to test the cai vs drop in on the dyno but i can tell you for sure the difference had to be marginal. IF there were any gains to be had (maybe even losses) Certainly far away from the usual 4-12Hp claims you see in the adds for these kits all over the web.

a panel filter of this size would suffice for at least 200Hp NA at the crank, only if you go really insane NA build and manage to make this thing spool above 8K rpm's would there be any noticeable difference IMO (other than the noise). On the other hand, they are a really easy way to filter the air going into a turbo inlet on custom applications, and yes they will show gains on absolutely insane super high reving NA builds.


Hopefully, i will have the chance to compare this with another P5 on a dyno some day. but until then, 1-2HP IF that much does not warrant all the trouble cai's get me in with the law here. ( it would be better for my car's performance if i lost 20-40lbs myself than using a CAI)

Unless i SEE dyno pulls done before my eyes, where between the pull series the airbox with it's K&N drop in is replaced with a cai and see some actual gains i will continue to believe they are not worth it.


Someone asked where i hail from;

Montreal, (canada)


Thanks for the warm welcome guys, hope i didn't make any enemies badmouthing CAI's... Don't believe me; get a drop in, put your box back in and go do some pulls with and without CAI, then prove me wrong! By all means if you get 5WHP out of it i will buy one...

 

[MyZmZm]

as others have said, welcome! and yes, midnight mica blue is the best

as far as your question on the header with the stock exhaust, i expect you'll lose quite a bit of the performance gain you'd otherwise get from getting a wider, aftermarket exhaust. however, you will reduce the extra volume you get from the header; it will still be louder than with the stock exhaust mani, but not as much.

a lot of people on the board go with either the racing beat or magnaflow catback exhausts; these are the only two (that i know of) that do not sound ricey when mated with a header, provided you leave the second cat in. the best thing to do is to also find a larger diameter mid-pipe with a hi-flow cat to give you the best flow, but by doing that you will likely increase the volume yet again. not insanely so, but it will definitely be louder than stock. i personally have the obx header, MAM mid-pipe w/hi-flow cat, and magnaflow catback - sounds good, not too loud, but it's not quiet either.

what sort of bushings are you referring to? you might also like a short-shifter - they make a world of difference; twm, b&m, kartboy (not sure if they still do) all make them. even if you don't change out the shifter, i'd highly recommend the kartboy bushings; they make the shifts much more precise.

i do think you hit the nail on the head though: yeah the car's not fast, but it's so much fun to drive, you can't help but smile when you're behind the wheel.

 

[mazda_pro5_2nr]

Lol, mod addict? You purchased the wrong car to recover with.....soon you will find yourself trying to buy things to make this sexy ass wagon quicker....I'm telling you cuz this is what happened to me....and let me tell you....it feels awesome, lol.

I have a sound clip of my car if you want to hear it. I have the GReddy SP2, Injen CAI and OBX headers. Not sure if that might help you any......

Congrats on the purchase.

 

[tap'n'die]

Thanks MyZmZm and mazda_pro5_2nr

I only got this header because it was ridiculously cheap to do and i have the place to do the job myself (including relocating the 2nd 02 sensor behind the 2nd cat) i am not really all that interested in getting every little bit of power out of this car, mostly because even if you go to extreme lengths that's still not a lot of power. i put a couple of coats of high temp paint over the already rusty exhaust, i am in no hurry to replace it (if it ain't broke). You can be sure that when the time comes to replace it i will go see my buddy at a local tuning shop and have him make me a custom exhaust system. I am likely to ask for higher flow than stock (larger diameter tubing, mandrel bent) but with a focus on keeping the Db's down.

I replaced just the front mount today, had filled it with polyurethane a couple of days ago, it's not completely cured but since it is not runny at all to begin with and has already formed a thick skin i decided to mount it. The rear mount would have taken too much time i will do it next time i go work on the car. The new front mount filled with PU made a huge difference, after 95 000 KM (almost 60 000 miles) the stock one was really sloppy. very little engine rock now, much more drivable. Can't wait to do the other, just ran out of time is all. I also changed the plugs for ngk iridium, then slapped on oem mazda oil filter and switched to mobil1 10w30. While i was there, i got a little disgusted at the location where this car scavenges it's air; that big rectangular box over the rad and not that far from the exhaust manifold should be called an "interwarmer" Even if plastic is a poor conductor it's large inner surface must really warm intake air temperatures. I just removed the whole thing leaving only the airbox. I will make some ducting for it so it gets air somwhere in the front bumper some other time. This added a very small amount of sound much less than a CAI It should be further muffled by the ducting i will fabricate. ( i put a drop in K&N in there, i have no intention of ever going CAI on this car)

I had some water in the trunk. so we took out the pressure washer and started spraying. The culprit was one of the seals from one of the two torx bumper screws that you can see when you open the rear hatch was bent out of shape somehow. I cleaned that up and put a gob of shoe goo right on the threaded hole before putting the bumper and screws back on (buddy hapenned to have it in his hands at the time) While taking the bumper off we found a lot of rust forming where the bumper meets the side panels. I sanded the rust out, cleaned the metal and sprayed it with rust inhibiting primer.

with the car still on the lift i took my time looking for rusty spots under the car and applied a coat of the same rust inhibiting primer everywhere rust was developing. Once all this was dry i went over all the primer and many other locations with high build undercoating. (messy stuff, beware...)

The shift bushings were more than tight enough, not going to mess with them, i did take some of the shift linkages apart and lubed them. Shifts super smooth now.

The bushings i really want are SUSPENSION bushings, not shift linkages and exhaust hangers! LOL Can't believe no one is running bushings on these cars in america it's pretty disturbing when you consider all the suspension upgrades available and being used out there!

check this out, had my P5 for a week and i am in the process of ordering a set... Gotta love those Aussies!

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3220844&postcount=7


these bushings are for front A arms on the Australian version of protege's i explain each bushing in that other thread. i am pretty confident these will fit.

I really love this little car, my drive back from the garage was the best time i had in it yet and it will get better too. With the 2nd engine mount, the header and the bushings, maybe a rear sway bar, it will be even more pleasant to drive. the shocks and springs will only be replaced when the ones currently on the car are shot.


Still have a lot of work to do. the front bumper has to be taken off and so do the side skirts in order to attack the rust that is building up under there. intend to keep this car a while so i am going to try and take good care of it.

 

[Speed_Racer]

canadians type alot. did't read a word but welcome none the less!

my best friend has a SE-R specV, went throw the typical problems you listed in the beginning but its pretty mellow now. hasn't broken anything in a while.

 

[tap'n'die]

canadians type alot. did't read a word but welcome none the less!

my best friend has a SE-R specV, went throw the typical problems you listed in the beginning but its pretty mellow now. hasn't broken anything in a while.

If i had to recommend reading only one of my posts i think it should probably be this one.
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3220844&postcount=7

let me know what you think

Knock on wood for your buddy's spec!

 

[mazda_pro5_2nr]

canadians type alot. did't read a word but welcome none the less!

my best friend has a SE-R specV, went throw the typical problems you listed in the beginning but its pretty mellow now. hasn't broken anything in a while.

Lol, great way to make yourself seem ign'ant, lol.

And the non fouler idea works the best.....still holding strong for me.

 

[tap'n'die]

i know it works. but sooner or later you will encounter running conditions where the fouler no longer works and it will inevitably throw a code as per Murphy's stupid law.

With the 2nd o2 sensor behind the second cat, the ecm can still use the data from the sensor to adjust (very approximately) the A/F should the primary sensor fail. This added "safety" (more convenience) factor makes it worth while IMO.

Another advantage of doing this for you power addicts; it frees up one of the bungs on the header for wideband tuning on the dyno or for a permanent install wideband with A/F gauge and or data logging in the car.

Kinda makes you wonder, if the non fouler works so well why didn't they just put a longer bung on the header in the first place so you wouldn't need a separate part. (ps my non fowler looked like crap after only a few months. It is not designed to withstand such high temperatures and becomes a big lump of crusty rust in no time flat escpecially for those in the snow belt)

 

[Speed_Racer]

Lol, great way to make yourself seem ign'ant, lol.

And the non fouler idea works the best.....still holding strong for me.

Yea i realized that the minute the the thought hit me. just stating an observation. negative rep for me. its all love tho.

If i had to recommend reading only one of my posts i think it should probably be this one.
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3220844&postcount=7

you obviously know what your talking about. glad you took no serious offense.

oh just in case you care my best friends spec has been turbo (by me) since 03. finially blew up in 06 and we just threw another stock motor (altima) in and where still boosting. last dyno on new motor 280hp@7-8psi (still tuning adjusting new setup)

 

[tap'n'die]

Yea i realized that the minute the the thought hit me. just stating an observation. negative rep for me. its all love tho.



you obviously know what your talking about. glad you took no serious offense.

oh just in case you care my best friends spec has been turbo (by me) since 03. finially blew up in 06 and we just threw another stock motor (altima) in and where still boosting. last dyno on new motor 280hp@7-8psi (still tuning adjusting new setup)

Don't worry, no offense taken I know that was quite a bit of talk on my part... guess i have a lot to say about this little car!

Some spec v's seem to do allright, i hope your friend has better luck with his new short block. The main issue was the pre-cat. I got one with something bad in the tranny or between the driver and the tranny. (master or slave clutch cylinder or both) Plus bad bearings... yeah not too lucky! They do like a bit of boost these qr's too bad they didn't come like that from the factory... I was thinking of supercharging mine (rev autoworks makes a nice little kit) but in retrospect i am glad i didn't spend that much money on the car.

 

[MyZmZm]

thus far the non-fouler is working great for me as well - been in since August '05, and no CEL, even through the cold winters and hot summers (Edmonton here). i haven't noticed any rust build-up on it either, but i should probably pull it apart next oil change and check for any carbon build-up. never even thought of that, so thanks!

 

[tap'n'die]

thus far the non-fouler is working great for me as well - been in since August '05, and no CEL, even through the cold winters and hot summers (Edmonton here). i haven't noticed any rust build-up on it either, but i should probably pull it apart next oil change and check for any carbon build-up. never even thought of that, so thanks!

Hmm, actually, if it looks good on the outside i would leave it alone if i were you. Parts bolted into a header are subject to extreme heat, they tend to fuse together and break or at least have their threads weaken considerably when you undo them, best just leave it there if it's not giving you trouble.