Mazda 5 Turbo

[SpcyOrngMSP]

$6k is more than enough to bulid the Mazda5 out perform the stock 170hp MSP in any areas... just the cyclinder head from cosworth will be enough to do the job. And still have $$ left for Tein SS Coilover, plus Whiteline Sway bars.

http://www.cosworth.com/uploads/1192667756.pdf

and who is Cosworth you asked?!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosworth

If you can do it, then go ahead, it would definitely be something i'd like to see... but like i said in a previous post, i would much rather spend that $$ on a WRX wagon or a MS3... those would outperform all...

 

[Captain KRM P5]

i call it a miniminivan myself.

i have added the following parts to my 5; thunder header, 2.5 inch custom exhaust with parts from a factory Mazdaspeed3 exhaust and an HKS hushpower muffler in line, Fujita intake, H&R springs and GT spec bracing. I think the HiBoost turbo kit for the Mazda3 is the best bet to turbo the 5. i do not like turbokits dot com and have had alot of poor experience with them in the past.

 

[HotRodSaint]

And with $6k the only area the 5 will outperform the MSP is in a straight line...

Again I ask, other than 300lbs, 6.5" in height, a slightly longer wheelbase and slightly more ground clearance, what is it that makes the MSP so much different from the MZ5? The MZ5 is on the same platform as the MZ3. And my guess is most of the extra weight is below the beltline.

This is like saying that the Legacy and Impreza are completley different cars. Well yeah, but that didn't prevent Subaru from producing a 260hp version of the Legacy.

 

[SpcyOrngMSP]

so why didnt mazda make a 260hp version of the 5...?
and thats a bad comparison because a legacy is not even close to being the same type of vehicle as the 5

and whether u'd like to think so or not the ground clearance, height, and extra weight would definitely make a huge difference in handling since the weight is distributed differently than in the msp...

 

[maple_leaf]

You are absolutely right. I took the time to re-read the article about ESX and their WRX's with auto tranny. The trannies they used were SERIOUSLY built. On a side note, there is no reason to down someone for wanting to turbo a 5. I'm sure the first guy who wanted to turbo his Protege5 got the same crap from the same narrow-minded kind of people. If it brings you joy, go for it! Just be prepared to shell out some serious coin as the pioneer in a new field.

I agrre with you. I remember I got one of the first P5's in my area. Alot of people laughed at me when I mentionned I wanted to mod it and all...Everyone called it a bad attempt at making a stationwagon appealling to the younger generation. Look at all the owners and what they've done today.

My 5 definitely compares to my old P5 and Protege. I'd say it even drives better. And....it's the man that makes the car, not the opposite...(pow)

 

[$chocker]

Stupid argument

I have to weigh in here...

I own an '06 Mazda 5 Sport and an '07 Mazda 3S Touring, both with the stick. I thoroughly enjoy both vehicles. That said, there are some realities we all should keep in mind here.

1. Comparing a Mazda 5 to a Mazdaspeed Protege from a performance standpoint is truly nonsense. Higher weight, higher CG, longer wheelbase, inferior power to weight ratio, etcetera. There aren't enough aftermarket products in existence to make a 5 perform like a MSP. If you think it's worth a try, you might want to have your medication levels checked.

2. All the P5, MSP and MS3 guys who wonder why anyone would want to turbo a 5 are ignorant to a couple of things. First, for those of us with kids (almost all of us with 5's, I'd guess), your performance vehicles of choice are a PITA to deal with as family haulers. Sliding doors and waist high seats ARE the s*** when it comes to kids in car seats. Do you really want my 4 year old swinging open a convensional door when I'm parked next to YOUR car?

3. I'm not going to argue that the 5 is not a minivan, as some 5 owners feel compelled to do. It's got sliders....it's pretty small.....minivan. What the hell else are you gonna call it that wouldn't have everyone rolling their eyes. That said, I can't help but bristle a little bit every time some ignorant tool ends their argument about why one shouldn't bother modding their 5 with the brilliant conclusion, "it's a minivan". First of all, people will mod anything (as in "I LOVE my '99 Caravan 4 banger; I think I'll put a set of 19's on it"); it doesn't have to make sense to anyone else. Secondly, to lump the 5 in the same group with the other vehicles that we ALL call minivans is to ignore the profound differences between them. The 5 weighs approximately 20% less than a "typical" minivan, and also benefits from a lower CG and shorter wheelbase. More simply put, the 5 (especially with the 5 speed) drives much more like a P5 than it does an Entourage/Odyssey/Sienna. A good driver in a 5 on a winding downhill pass would be hard to beat by a mediocre driver in any of the cars mentioned in #1. On winding public roads, in a 5, the vast majority of drivers will run out of courage before they run out of car. If not, you're either really good, stupid, or both.

 

[SpcyOrngMSP]

I have to weigh in here...

I own an '06 Mazda 5 Sport and an '07 Mazda 3S Touring, both with the stick. I thoroughly enjoy both vehicles. That said, there are some realities we all should keep in mind here.

1. Comparing a Mazda 5 to a Mazdaspeed Protege from a performance standpoint is truly nonsense. Higher weight, higher CG, longer wheelbase, inferior power to weight ratio, etcetera. There aren't enough aftermarket products in existence to make a 5 perform like a MSP. If you think it's worth a try, you might want to have your medication levels checked.

2. All the P5, MSP and MS3 guys who wonder why anyone would want to turbo a 5 are ignorant to a couple of things. First, for those of us with kids (almost all of us with 5's, I'd guess), your performance vehicles of choice are a PITA to deal with as family haulers. Sliding doors and waist high seats ARE the s*** when it comes to kids in car seats. Do you really want my 4 year old swinging open a convensional door when I'm parked next to YOUR car?

3. I'm not going to argue that the 5 is not a minivan, as some 5 owners feel compelled to do. It's got sliders....it's pretty small.....minivan. What the hell else are you gonna call it that wouldn't have everyone rolling their eyes. That said, I can't help but bristle a little bit every time some ignorant tool ends their argument about why one shouldn't bother modding their 5 with the brilliant conclusion, "it's a minivan". First of all, people will mod anything (as in "I LOVE my '99 Caravan 4 banger; I think I'll put a set of 19's on it"); it doesn't have to make sense to anyone else. Secondly, to lump the 5 in the same group with the other vehicles that we ALL call minivans is to ignore the profound differences between them. The 5 weighs approximately 20% less than a "typical" minivan, and also benefits from a lower CG and shorter wheelbase. More simply put, the 5 (especially with the 5 speed) drives much more like a P5 than it does an Entourage/Odyssey/Sienna. A good driver in a 5 on a winding downhill pass would be hard to beat by a mediocre driver in any of the cars mentioned in #1. On winding public roads, in a 5, the vast majority of drivers will run out of courage before they run out of car. If not, you're either really good, stupid, or both.

absolutely correct in every aspect

 

[HotRodSaint]

so why didnt mazda make a 260hp version of the 5...?

Oh, I don't know. Maybe because the low volume wouldn't justify the high development costs?

and thats a bad comparison because a legacy is not even close to being the same type of vehicle as the 5

The Legacy is to the Impreza, as the Mazda5 is to the Mazda3. They are both heavier, longer and taller vehicles built on the same platform as their smaller siblings. But you'd need to look past the sliding doors and 3rd row to understand that the comparsion is valid.

and whether u'd like to think so or not the ground clearance, height, and extra weight would definitely make a huge difference in handling since the weight is distributed differently than in the msp...

What you MP3, MSP, MS3 owners are forgetting, is that A.) you drive an economy car and not a sports sedan and B.) nobody said that the Mazda5 would outperform your economy car or a sports sedan.

What is being said, by me at least, is that the Mazda5 chassis is just as capable of handling the additional horsepower as is the Mazda3 chassis, since the MZ5 chassis IS the MZ3 chassis.

And since the MZ5 suspension is also the same as the MZ3 (with different springs rates to handle the additional weight), the suspension can be modified to greatly improve it's handling characteristics. You are welcome to drive mine that is equipped Japanese MZ5 Mazdaspeed springs and US Mazdaspeed MZ3 Dampers.

The additional weight of the MZ5 could be a disadvantage on the track. But on the road, where most of us actually drive our cars, the additional HP would be very welcome and completely useable.

And finally, their will always be haters who think they know more than anyone else. But there will also be mavericks who don't want to follow but who want to lead.

And without mavericks, there would never be a 260hp FWD economy car. Because everyone knows that FWD sucks and RWD is much better for performance.

 

[Captain KRM P5]

you can't rely on a turbo Mazda 5 to pick ur kids up and why would u turbo a mazda 5 in the first place its a minivan... ya the thought is neat but come on

you can rely on any turbo car for just about any purpose if its done right from day one.

i guess toyota was stupid for supercharging its much larger vans a few years back and chrysler was stupid for turbocharging caravans and voyagers. alot of things get turbochargers - bikes, cars, vans, trucks. pretty much any heavy load semi gets a turbocharger. forced induction is about the most fuel efficient and economical way to add horsepower to an engine regardless of what kind of vehicle it goes into.

i don't want to read over all the arguments but here are a few short takes;

1) people who use mazdaspeed proteges to pick up women are lame. everyone knows you use BMWs, Jaguars and Mercedes for that. (flame)
2) the mazda3 and mazda5 ride on identical chassis. i-d-e-n-t-i-c-a-l. brakes, suspension, transmissions, shocks, springs, axles, control arms, etc etc. if a mazda3 can 'handle a turbo kit', then there is nothing stopping a mazda5 from doing so.
3) guess what - people are entitled to do whatever the **** they please to their cars without flaming from the peanut gallery. but hey, this is the internet, the magical system of tubes and words where keyboard kommandos are self empowered to impose their opinions on those who choose to do things differently.

if people want to turbo thier car so be it. hell if you have a pocket bike you want to slap a turbo from a cummins diesel on, by all means do it. how boring would the mazda5 section be if people weren't playing around with these cars? we'd have nothing but threads about bike racks, roof racks, DVD systems, all weather floor mats and if you're really lucky - window tint! all things we're "supposed" to be doing with these vehicles.

 

[maple_leaf]

(bowdown)

Oh, I don't know. Maybe because the low volume wouldn't justify the high development costs?



The Legacy is to the Impreza, as the Mazda5 is to the Mazda3. They are both heavier, longer and taller vehicles built on the same platform as their smaller siblings. But you'd need to look past the sliding doors and 3rd row to understand that the comparsion is valid.



What you MP3, MSP, MS3 owners are forgetting, is that A.) you drive an economy car and not a sports sedan and B.) nobody said that the Mazda5 would outperform your economy car or a sports sedan.

What is being said, by me at least, is that the Mazda5 chassis is just as capable of handling the additional horsepower as is the Mazda3 chassis, since the MZ5 chassis IS the MZ3 chassis.

And since the MZ5 suspension is also the same as the MZ3 (with different springs rates to handle the additional weight), the suspension can be modified to greatly improve it's handling characteristics. You are welcome to drive mine that is equipped Japanese MZ5 Mazdaspeed springs and US Mazdaspeed MZ3 Dampers.

The additional weight of the MZ5 could be a disadvantage on the track. But on the road, where most of us actually drive our cars, the additional HP would be very welcome and completely useable.

And finally, their will always be haters who think they know more than anyone else. But there will also be mavericks who don't want to follow but who want to lead.

And without mavericks, there would never be a 260hp FWD economy car. Because everyone knows that FWD sucks and RWD is much better for performance.

 

[maple_leaf]

(flame2) lol....

you can rely on any turbo car for just about any purpose if its done right from day one.

i guess toyota was stupid for supercharging its much larger vans a few years back and chrysler was stupid for turbocharging caravans and voyagers. alot of things get turbochargers - bikes, cars, vans, trucks. pretty much any heavy load semi gets a turbocharger. forced induction is about the most fuel efficient and economical way to add horsepower to an engine regardless of what kind of vehicle it goes into.

i don't want to read over all the arguments but here are a few short takes;

1) people who use mazdaspeed proteges to pick up women are lame. everyone knows you use BMWs, Jaguars and Mercedes for that. (flame)
2) the mazda3 and mazda5 ride on identical chassis. i-d-e-n-t-i-c-a-l. brakes, suspension, transmissions, shocks, springs, axles, control arms, etc etc. if a mazda3 can 'handle a turbo kit', then there is nothing stopping a mazda5 from doing so.
3) guess what - people are entitled to do whatever the **** they please to their cars without flaming from the peanut gallery. but hey, this is the internet, the magical system of tubes and words where keyboard kommandos are self empowered to impose their opinions on those who choose to do things differently.

if people want to turbo thier car so be it. hell if you have a pocket bike you want to slap a turbo from a cummins diesel on, by all means do it. how boring would the mazda5 section be if people weren't playing around with these cars? we'd have nothing but threads about bike racks, roof racks, DVD systems, all weather floor mats and if you're really lucky - window tint! all things we're "supposed" to be doing with these vehicles.

 

[m2cupcar]

...The Legacy is to the Impreza, as the Mazda5 is to the Mazda3. ...

I think it would be more appropriate to say the Forrester is to the Impreza as the Mazda5 is to the Mazda3. I know of more than one 300hp Forrester, and IMO those are the same kind of people that would want a turbo Mazda5. If you're having to tote around a family on a regular basis then the 5 is great practical car that's fun to drive (relatively speaking). It would only make sense that a power increase would raise the fun quotient, if power is your kind of thing.

 

[slvrsleeper]

My wife has an 04 Forester 2.5x and it is a wonderful car in its own way. The thought of her car with 300 hp scares the crap out of me! Methinks that suspension upgrades would be the first order of business after adding more power to the Forester. Unless of course first person roll-over testing was your goal all along.... LOL

 

[Vinnyfast]

Well, after viewing all the posts, it appears there's quite a few that make sense. It's difficult to make any judgement given that even an 8 year old could be posing as a car enthusiast and spread whatever kind of info he/she pleases. I'm not ashamed to say that I'll be approaching 47 soon, although I still like to think (and sometimes act) like I'm 20 years younger. I guess part of the entire 'power' necessity is to recapture part of that youth. Call it mid life crisis if you wish, but life is short, and whatever makes you happy, then I say go for it. However, even though I make a good living, i still need to think about the future education of my almost teenage boys (2). I also don't want to set a bad example of bragging that their 'cool' dad has driven at 190kph in a 'minivan'. Personally, I hate it when people call it that, and that might be one of the reasons for the mods, to dispell that 'myth'.

I really like my M5, especially with the upgrades, and would like to keep it for awhile (7-10years?). I can't afford to drop $40k on a new car every couple of years, and I don't like leasing. The only drawback about it is the power. Brakes are great, handlling is ok (it's NOT a sports car), and it's proven to be quite functional. Just last month I hauled 1200lbs of laminate flooring, plus me and my wife, and that was on my 40 series tires!! I thought I was going to do some damage, and was even parinoid to bring it to my mechanic to check it out, but everything turned out ok. I"ll never carry that much weight again though, but it's great when you have to carry 8 or even 10 foot 2X4's, with the hatch closed!!

I bought my 5 for many reasons, looked cool, carrying things, and comfort. I must say that after driving it for one year (I've had it for just over 2 now), that I honestly thought about getting rid of it (pre-mods). I was looking at an Infinit FX35, which I test drove about 5 times. The first time, I loved it, especially with the power it had, and the luxury features. By the fifth time, the power was insufficient, and I felt like I couldn't breath when I climbed in. To this day, I couldn't be happier with my 5! Even though it doesn't have leather, it's probably the most comfortable vehicle I've ever driven. My past cars include an 86 Firebird, 86 Safari (minivan), 88 Grand Prix SE, 89 Corsica...all brand new, and a 93 Villager, 02 Odyssey, and my wife's 95 Accord EXR V6 - she hates it when I drive it...haha....I only wish I could swap engines! (she won't let me even I could)

So now I have my tunes (I always had the loud systems), only now I don't have it blasting, unless it's a nice day and there's a song I like. Back to the power though, there's some really good points that were made. Number one: I don't care what anyone thinks about my car, because I'm the one driving it, and who paid for it! Everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, there was a good point about the tranny not lasting....I bought my car to enjoy it, not to pay constant repair bills - that's why I stopped buying GM and went with the Japanese. Number 2: I'm not trying to impress anyone (or pick up chicks - I think my wife might have an issue with that, haha) by modifying my car. If it's not apealling to me, I don't car who appoves or disapproves of what I do, or don't do to it.

So far, I have researched and contacted a number of places that can add a quality turbo (Garrett), but not without modifying some other areas necessary for it to run effiecently. So far, here's the feedback I've recieved.

Ok to add a turbo, but would require additional mods, such as upgraded fuel lines, injectors, manifold, and serious tuning of the ECM. Quotes are all around $4k to $6k for the parts, and an additional $1k to $2k for the install, setup, tuning, dyno, etc.

I would really hate myself if the setup backfired and it wasn't what I wanted, or if something went wrong later because of it, not to mention voiding my warranty - 3 years left on powertrain.

My final thoughts - if someone could offer an ECM programer to boost the power using software, that might be enough to sustain my desire for extra power. Or, a few years down the road I decide to swap the car for the new Skyline (yeah right, in my dreams!), or something simliar to the 5, but with a little more kick! As for now, I think I don't want to be the first guinea pig, and would rather wait to hear of another M5 owner to take the leap of faith!

 

[m2cupcar]

My guess you'll love the power of a new turbo and in month you'll want more. That's the downside of power adding- it will eventually seem no fast enough. If you have a lust for speed, buy a project car or even a motorcycle. Enjoy your 5 for what it is- a good looking, sporty, practical car.

 

[crashkelly]

if you want to have a car that doesnt require much maintenance...DO NOT TURBO it...

As far as the quotes you are getting for turbo-ing it...Id bet with the labor you are going to spend way more than what the power is going to be worth...invest in a faster car if speed is your perrogative...but turbo-ing a small minivan like that is only going to make it fast for awhile...then you are going to realize you dumped a bunch of money on making it lose gas mileage, it will be unreliable because turbos make enough power to break and wear down other s***, plus local kids will laugh at you...

 

[shane02pro5]

Any car can be turbo'ed! I have seen several little Scion Xa'a running around that are turbo'ed! Half of the guys making negative comments are ones that have never had the feeling of shocking an Evo Sti or other fast car in a little family wagon. P5 had 100whp stock and I have 250whp now and soon will be over 300whp. It's all about being different and over the top for me! I have probably $10k in go fast mods including my $3700 hiboost kit.

When I first turbo'ed my P5 70k miles ago I was very nervous about spending the money and still having a reliable car. There were only less than a handfull of turbo proteges. Pirana had the Hiboost kit on his P5 auto and ran I think 13psi with a tranny cooler. I know the 3 tranny and motor is stronger.

Like Captain said though I have read alot of bad posts about turbokits.com fitment issues. I will certainly vouge for Hiboost's quality products but highly recommend not going directly to them to order products but going though someone with excellent customer service like
protegegarage
speedcircuit
tbkperformance
*************

 

[AIMWO4]

What turbo do you have?

 

[shane02pro5]

Ihi Vf22

 

[Kojack]

I would do it if I had the money to.

just keep your boost low, put a tranny cooler on it, and don't abuse it....it will be fine. My frined had a civic with a volvo turbo on it and we destroyed the motor with a 15psi spike one night...he is a honda technician, he knows what he is doing, however when the boost controller hiccuped then booom. when it was at 8psi, she was pulling on mustangs and stuff and 100 percent reliable. the little rods in the 1.5 motor could not take the abuse of 15psi tho
ha ha

I say go for it and take it easy on it and it will be totally fun!