Just got a P5 what now?

First of all, the "chips" on ebay are resistors that will do more harm than good. Do not waste your time.

Here is advice I have given new P5ers in the past. Most has been touched upon already, but here you go!

"Right after I got my P5, I got the intake. You have the short ram intake (SRI), which is what I have. Others have cold air intakes (CAI) They are about the same on ebay, but you may also opt for name brand. I have the ebay...

The next thing I did was get rid of those god forsaken Dunflop piece of s*** stock tires. I hydroplaned within the first week or so I owned the P5. I ended up with the Yokohama AVS ES 100's. 205-50-16's on the stock rims. There are a bazillion threads about tires. These I highly recommend for rainy climates. (Bottom line, get out of the stock tires before you have a problem!)

I just got (after 2.5 years of owning my car) a Racing Beat exhaust. I got an insanely good deal on it. It is on the higher end of the pricing range, but you can score one used at a good rate if you are on the forum within the .245 seconds someone posts it for sale used. They run in the high $400 range new. There is a Mazda Sport (Mazdaspeed) exhaust which is also popular, but people have complained of droning, or an annoying sound at freeway speeds. The Racing Beat does not do that. But there are a bazillion threads about the exhaust subject too, look them up.

Then there is the tinting of windows, a stereo, springs/shocks/body kit, carbon fiber everything, etc you will see around here for sale.

Short shifter is next on my list. Kartboy makes a great one, I have seen it in person. The shifter bushings are a must. Get them no matter what. More than one vender here sell them.


One more thing you should consider when you mod is a header. OBX and Ractive are the most common. I just installed the Ractive, and love the HP gains.

Well, good luck, and check out the for sale section, and work with the Authorized Venders and sellers! Oh, search for threads about a question you might have. Most likely, it has been covered."
 
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Congrads on the P5 purchase.
As for mods it really depends on what you are looking for.If you are looking for all out power, then you might want to go with a turbo kit.If you want alittle extra punch, then pickup full exhaust and an intake.You won't see huge gains from these items, but you'll see some.
 
Protege52003 said:
^^^

what are you going to be driving saturday bill? where ever we go?

I'm bringing the P5. Hopefully it will be nice out so I can wash her real good.
 
My Opinion on "Must do"

Tires and motor mounts. AWR makes very nice mounts and or inserts. Tires, well that's been discussed many times. Spend a few hours searching and browsing the forums, everything has been done before.

The other stuff I've done:
PART BRAND/Comments
CAI (I got the Injen, the Ebay one is just as good)
Axleback exhaust (HKS Hiper)
Springs (Racing Beat- least amount of drop)
Struts (Tokico adjustables)
Rear Swaybar (21.5mm AWR)
Brakes (Hawk HPS pads F&R)
Short shifter (B&M)

Spend a few hours searching and browsing the forums, everything has been done before.
 
Welcome to the forums! Realize before you start doing anything that once you start, you will NOT be able to stop. Set your goals, meet or exceed them, then set your next goals.

Where do you want to go? Performance? Appearance? Sound?

Intake/Header/Exhaust combo is always good. Midpipes are nice, but they'll add to the exhaust droning.

I'd also recommend an underdrive pulley. They help free up horsepower, especially in the lower RPM ranges.

That's if you're going N/A and want to do bolt-on's that will yield decent power.

For tons of power, FI is the only way to go - either turbo or supercharger. Stay away from nitrous oxide (nawwwwzzzzzz).

Good luck, ask TONS of questions, and keep us updated!
 
Hey guys...Thanks for all the great advise. I am thinking of getting the cai and some nicer wheels first(some nice black 17's?). Then maybe the full exhaust and some suspension.
What about some hid bulbs for the head lights and or fog lights easy to do on my own???
I have one more questions though. What should I look out for? Are there any common mistakes? Things that go out right away? Should be replaced?

Thanks again!
 
Well, for starters, their feedback is pretty lousy. Read all feedback before you bid. Actually, all of the sellers I saw had pretty bad feedback. So go post a WTB thread, and you might get a good deal on a used one from a forum member!

If it does not say P5, then do not waste your time. It should be fine if it is for a protege, msp to P5, but it might be a crappy one, and then you gotta deal with it.

Also, the filters on the ebay intakes are s***. Get a K&N. I ended up doing that with my ebay intake. Someone in the FS section has a used Ebay SRI with K&N for 40 shipped. The filter alone was 45 new!

Also, there is NO CHIP FOR the P5! They are only resisters that are 30 cents at Radio Shack, and will only do harm, no real benefit from it.
 
Doing mods on my MP5 is making me broke.... or maybe I just have too many expensive hobbies...

How can I go about finding a MP3 ECU?
 
Post a WTB (want to buy) thread in the FS Non-Vendor/ WTB section. I am sure you will get a response.
 

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