MSP tuning and reliability/longevity

[CrawlinVR6]

Sup yall'? New to these forums, just had some questions concerning MSP tuning and the reliability/longevity of the motor. I was quite impressed to hear some of the #s you guys were making with proper tuning and other modifications. I was predisposed to thinking this car would be limited as a 1/4 mile car like it was when it first came out but now that there are more performance mods available I can see you guys will be turning heads.

The only thing I'm not sure is how long will MSP's be able to run tuned without running into problems down the road. So I was curious how much miles some you guys have put on your car tuned. Also have there been many incidents of detonation on these forums? If so under what conditions. The only reason I wanted to bring this up because my friend is about to buy one and I wanted to make sure this would not be an issue. I'm sure he is gonna wanna drive it hard and make it as fast as he can, so is this the right car to go with If that is the case? For some reason it just doesn't sit right with me that the msp can run those kind of #s with an mp3 motor and aftermarket turbo/tuning reliably

 

[unwrittenLaw]

mine was stock as far as powertrain, but it pinged like a jar of orville redenbaker...but its still a cool car...i think i just had one of those 'unlucky' ones..

 

[CrawlinVR6]

mine was stock as far as powertrain, but it pinged like a jar of orville redenbaker...but its still a cool car...i think i just had one of those 'unlucky' ones..

I see so you traded it in for the WRX? Nice. You didn't want to try modding the mazda though? I think you would have been a lot more satisfied with the car if you had

 

[GAspeedProtege]

I'm not tuned for s***, but I've had the same mods in my sig for about 15000 miles now. No drivetrain problems so far. Theres members pushing their cars a lot harder than I am w/out tuning also.

 

[pluto316]

If he wants a quartermile car he should get an SRT-4. I got the MSP because at the time, for the price, it was a whole lotta car. The MSP does a little of everything and does it well. It looks great, fun to drive, great performance, etc.

 

[Stormtrooper77]

Quarter mile car, it definitely is not. At least not stock. The MSP is an all-round car, good acceleration and great handling. But it is still relatively new so who's to say about longevity. As mentioned above, there are members here that are pushing this car with great results.

 

[1FASTMSP]

If he wants a quartermile car he should get an SRT-4. I got the MSP because at the time, for the price, it was a whole lotta car. The MSP does a little of everything and does it well. It looks great, fun to drive, great performance, etc.

agreed...

the best thing too about the MSP is that it will suprise you...you said it yourself, you did not expect it to be this fast...i like that fact when i am pulling away from the other guy, especially the look on his face...

 

[thunder]

Yep! It surprises you... and everybody else!!
For reliability, I've done some maths (with the help of reliable documentation) and if you do the usual mods and keep it below 10 psi as far as boost is concerned, it should be quite reliable. I you want more, you'd better know what ur doin' IMO

 

[C-Bass]

Bleah. If he's looking for a 1/4 mile car, he needs to get a Z-28 or Formula Firebird. Decent styling, lots of HP out of the box, the ONLY limit to power potential is your wallet, and cheap and plentiful mods all day long. The 350 is a tried and true drag motor, and if he blows it, he can pick up another one at any salvage yard for pocket change. If he's stuck on sport compacts, I'd agree with Pluto and say SRT-4.

I love my MSP, but a quarter mile beast it is not. Not out of the box anyway. It's a beautifully well rounded car, with decent power, excellent handling, nice (yet slightly over the top) styling, acceptable audio, and cheap paint.

JMO

By the way, Office Space rocks!

 

[RenzoMSP]

DiscreetSpeed pushed his pretty hard heres the thread.
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74632&highlight=piston+ring

 

[chillinmcmillan]

Well if he really wants a MSP and he is looking for 1/4 mile times, it can be done, it's just gonna cost a lot of $$$ There are a few on these boards that have posted 13.1's in the 1/4 and it's only a matter of time before someone hits a high 12.

 

[CrawlinVR6]

DiscreetSpeed pushed his pretty hard heres the thread.
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74632&highlight=piston+ring

Ouch that sux. Well he can only blame himself for that.

 

[GAspeedProtege]

His intentions were to push the car to the limit.

 

[TooleBox]

I am running 7.5-8psi (with a spike to 8.5) Hard pipes, HKS SSQ, front-mount and 2nd cat deleted... No additional tuning. just stock fuel/timing maps.

I just surpassed 25k miles and have had the car less than 10 months (the car had 200 when i took it off the lot)

I go through 2+ tanks of gas a week between long commutes and spirited drives.

Not a single problem w/ the drivetrain

 

[BlkZoomZoom]

13.500 @ 104.77 mph........Car has 8k miles on it. Only thing in the drivetrain that ever broke was the differential. And the only reason for that was I did a autocross with the same hp level that I run at the dragstrip. I don't think the tires ever stopped spinning when I was on the gas. I am a Mazda tech and currently have around 10-15 MSP come to me to get work done. NONE of them ever had a problem with the drivetrain.....only the bushings, radio system, and alarm system.

As you can see in my sig. I'm still running Alot of factory parts, and as soon I finish the other stuff I have been working on.....well all I can say is You guys ain't seen nothin yet.

 

[TooleBox]

As you can see in my sig. I'm still running Alot of factory parts

what boost level are you running on all those stock parts... obviously not stock... nowhere near stock

 

[BlkZoomZoom]

12-13 psi with 100 octane. Only what a stock srt-4 runs.....

 

[grcuadros]

Yep! It surprises you... and everybody else!!
if you do the usual mods and keep it below 10 psi

^ what are the "usual" mods? please elaborate.

 

[thunder]

^ what are the "usual" mods? please elaborate.

1. Make the engine-turbo combo breathe: Intake (better a CAI), Exhaust (stock it's very restrictive)
2. Cooling: a better SMIC or a full FMIC. Alternatives: water-injection and/or IC sprayer
3. Boost up

There is a very good article on Import Racer, April issue (there is a thread somewhere with scans of the article). With those "usual", or basic, mods they were able to achieve 210 Wheel HP (with a SMIC and SRI), which I think it's perfect for the MSP and doesn't require any "serious" mods (forged internals, ECU). I think the MSP will still be reliable whith such mods... a a lot of fun!!!