MSP gets crushed!!!

[Lawerence]

In the april issue of Automoblie mag they have a compare between the cooper S, SVT focus, MSP and SRT-4.
They likes the MSPs styling, interior features, brakes and radio.
But they said out of every turn the limited slip would tug hard at the wheel. A clamp also broke on thier car after a few laps.
Their quote is "Mazdaspeed Protege sounds sure sounds good on paper, but in the real world, it can feel like a cobbled together tuner car"

here were the rankings: 0-60: 1/4 mile
4. MSP 7.3 15.7@90
3. Mini Cooper S 7.3 15.6@92
2. SVT focus 7.3 15.8@90
1. SRT-4 5.7 14.2@102

I was shocked! Cant believe the foci and Mini beat us out! I was expecting the dodge to win...but they just didnt seem to like the MSP much at all compared to the others.
And has anyone else been to the dragstrip?
The 1/4 mile times i've seen varied SO much, I ran a 14.9, this mag ran a 15.8, SCC ran a 15.3, and motortrend ran a 14.8....whats the deal? is this car really inconsistent or is no one else dragging it?

 

[timrock101]

I only trust my own judgement on my own investments. I did my homework before buying my MSP and I also researched all of the other cars in its class. People that review the cars for magazines are individuals, therefore they form their own individual opinion of a car that they are testing. For example...If I didnt like Mazda in general, I obviously wouldn't like the MSP. If I didnt like Nissan, I wouldn't like the Spec V and so on... Half of the reviews I have read seem like a bunch of crap anyhow, and you have to "review" the cars for yourself.

 

[changedman]

i beat an SVT focus last sunday in my dads msp. take that focus!!

 

[Daemos]

I wouldn't say the cars are in consistant, I would more likely say the weather/track condititions are inconsistant.

like PlanoSER, supposedly got a 14.87 1/4 time with just the KS mod.

But when he went back another day, he was pulling 15.1s (everyone is saying the other times are just track and weather conditions)

Those times seem pretty close though to other mags.

But don't follow mag times. I know the best time for a SRT-4 Stock is like in the 13s. And that's scary.

I dunno though, they might not like the car just because of the torque steer :/

Personally every person will like every car diffrently. It's their opinion, not yours, and in your world yours is the only one that counts

 

[Lawerence]

But don't follow mag times. I know the best time for a SRT-4 Stock is like in the 13s. And that's scary.

I dunno though, they might not like the car just because of the torque steer :/

Personally every person will like every car diffrently. It's their opinion, not yours, and in your world yours is the only one that counts

Yes thats true, if I followed thier mag times I never would have known that the car can run 14s stock. and i dont even notive the tq steer coming from a specV

 

[Dexter]

i was afraid to click on this thread...because of the title.

thank goodness it was just a magazine review, not an accident!

 

[Daemos]

Yes thats true, if I followed thier mag times I never would have known that the car can run 14s stock. and i dont even notive the tq steer coming from a specV

(werd) I mean WHAT are all these people complaining about torque steer?

I mean I noticed it when I first drove it hard, and it wasn't all that bad really easy to control.

It just seems all automotive magazines they all have like underdeveloped arms that can't hold the steering wheel still with one arm or something.

I remember, when I went for my first test drive in the spec, I expeced like major torque steer, after every review I read said "Bad points: Torque steer Torque Steer, and more Torque Steer" IMO those automotive journalists are all weak pussies

If they wanna complain about torquesteer, they should just go work out, and gain some mucles on those bones of theirs.

 

[Heathen23]

Torque steer Torque Steer, and more Torque Steer" IMO those automotive journalists are all weak pussies

See Dick Run...See Dick Drive... I'm freakin' skinny and I agree with Daemos logic. I read the reviews and expected to be very discouraged by the torque steer and wasn't at all. I've got a pretty bad lead foot at times and it still doesn't phase me.

Torque Steer issue is blown WAY out of proportion :bs:

 

[Sazabi]

Hmm... I thought when mazda made the MSP it was for roadraces and autocross. Drag? My MSP did 14.98 @ 99mph. But, that was after five runs, putting small bags of ice by the small ass intercooler and around the engine and changing the oil after each run. I knew I could do it but in my opinion drag gets boring after a while (Where I live everyone and their momma drag races). I just stick to roadracing and autocross cause it's what I do best. I had fun though battling an SRT on the freeway once. Man we were flying! We were pushing our cars to the limit then his car made this sound like it wouldn't go no more. It was like WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. And I was about 10 to 12 cars away and still pushing it. Then my engine just cut out. I thought it was a stall or something but I still had full control of the car. Then I saw my TEMP gauge drop back to mid-way to the "C" and then my engine turned back on. I bugged my dealer mechanic about what happened and he said my car doesn't have a governer that limits it's max speed. There's a sensor that basically keeps the engine from exploding if it over heats. I gotta admit though as much as I love my MSP the stock parts that come with it are crappy (who the hell uses plastic hosing on a turbo :wtf: However I already changed out all of the crap hosing, man what an improvement!) Yeah I like the handling of my msp. Some of these journalist need to get some arm exercises.

 

[Newf]

tq steer is nothing in this car compared to some I've driven

I remember driving a 93 Ford Probe GT, V6.....man, drive that hard and that thing just ripped the steering wheel right away from ya.

The Speed also has a TSB for correcting some of the tq steer, I'm not surprised that these mags don't look into these things.

Nerd wimpy drivers...come on, it's front wheel drive !

 

[Daemos]

tq steer is nothing in this car compared to some I've driven

I remember driving a 93 Ford Probe GT, V6.....man, drive that hard and that thing just ripped the steering wheel right away from ya.

The Speed also has a TSB for correcting some of the tq steer, I'm not surprised that these mags don't look into these things.

Nerd wimpy drivers...come on, it's front wheel drive !

What is a TSB? heh...I have absolutly no idea what that abbreviation means.

Yea...magazines are really bad to show how good a car really is. But too bad the average person will read the magazine believe what they read and go "Hah your car sucks" When infact it doesn't.

But if you think about it...the more mags that say your car sucks, the more people that will think it, and then the more people you will surprise when you show em what your car is made of.

for example. The Spec V...it gets like far too much bad press, alot of automotive mags say the car's handling sucks beyond reconigation, and hell alot of mags don't even concider it a compeitor to the RSX/Celica/SVT Focus/Mini Cooper S.

I emailed these magazines and they were like "We don't concider the Spec V to be a competitor, because it can't do anything well"

which is Bs. Any person who knows alot about cars KNOWS the Spec is a perfect compeitor, it handles as well as an ITR (yes this IS true) which I'm pretty sure makes it handle better than those 4 cars, and for dragging it'll also easily beat the SVT Focus and Mini Cooper S. The Celica and the RSX are diffrent...

So don't get too discouraged. Look it from a brighter side

 

[yashooa]

Crack

Perhaps massive doses of da chronic, da rock and da the mystical white powder of luv are being consumed before the tests...

I feel pretty confident that most of the MSP's will turn high 14's.
Obviously altitude, temperature, air density etc will play a roll but damn some of these chodes are pulling a second slower times that is just way ****** up. And the one car that was tested without ABS?
WTF? Can you say ,"Mule?"
Mazda is like a poor little feather weight fighter that has a lot better moves, stamina, and power than most people realize and I think this preconceived notion plays in to their attitudes and quite possibly translates onto the pages of these magazines via an almost self fulfilling prophesy of a negative review.

 

[perfworks]

can you say $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
thats what influences mags to do the majority of there write ups

they are salespeople!
they sell a magazine
mazda has never shelled out the big bucks to anyone to get results
they relly on us!!

 

[AGR]

Yeah! Take what most magazines say, with a grain of salt.

 

[Lawerence]

Hmm... I thought when mazda made the MSP it was for roadraces and autocross. Drag? My MSP did 14.98 @ 99mph. But, that was after five runs, putting small bags of ice by the small ass intercooler and around the engine and changing the oil after each run.

I think you are mistaken about the 99mph trap speed

 

[turboge]

Could be wheelspin lol

I ran a 13.73 @ 101 mph in my old protege. Lawerence did you run your car with all the mods yet? Dyno?

 

[Grimace]

I only trust my own judgement on my own investments. I did my homework before buying my MSP and I also researched all of the other cars in its class. People that review the cars for magazines are individuals, therefore they form their own individual opinion of a car that they are testing. For example...If I didnt like Mazda in general, I obviously wouldn't like the MSP. If I didnt like Nissan, I wouldn't like the Spec V and so on... Half of the reviews I have read seem like a bunch of crap anyhow, and you have to "review" the cars for yourself.

Well said.

 

[Sazabi]

Oops,(mybad) I lost my time slip so I tried to remember what it was exactly. I think it was 98 though. (2thumbs) All I cared about was breaking 14.

 

[Lawerence]

Could be wheelspin lol

I ran a 13.73 @ 101 mph in my old protege. Lawerence did you run your car with all the mods yet? Dyno?

Check out the sig
I have yet to dyno.

Also in that 1/4 mile run my 60' was pretty bad, im pretty sure I can nail low 14s.

 

[turboge]

Not bad, picking up some good trap speeds there as well.. You really need to get to a dyno! What boost are you running?