Need some help

[CHICO2003]

Before I get killed for this... please note that I tried multiple times throughout the day to perform a search only to be told that "the administrator will only allow one search every 15 seconds" --- WTF???? Anywayz....


I'm sick and tired of reading articles (like Motor Trend's latest) going on and on about how great our car handles... but how it always falls short to the "big bad" pee on.. I mean, neon because it doesn't have enough power. I, like many of you, want to change that. When I pull up next to a Stupid Re Tard-4 I don't want to grit my teeth... I want to flash them and at least hang with him. Races through the twisties are fun and all... but not nearly as likely as the typical drag. Will getting a new cone style air filter, magnus sport exaust and downpipe, and MBC get me to where I need to be? I guess I'll find out! For now... I want to start with the easiest, most obvious (and best looking) upgrade... the cone style air filter. I'm not sure what those pipes are called that are attached to them... but I want one of those too. I called K&N and they were clueless.... kept insisting I had a Protege.. not a Mazdaspeed Protege. Obviously I made the wrong call. My question is, to all of you out there that have these installed, where do I go? Who do I call? Can I install it myself or should I just bring it to a shop where I can buy it and get it installed all at once? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Once this bad boy is in, I'll step it up a notch... one step at a time though. L8R

 

[Striker187]

whoa slow down....don't get too worked up but anyways, with those mods, i dunno, i'd like to think you'll hang with one. i forget who is was but somebody with the magnus motorsports turboback gained 77 hp so i think you'll be some competiton for a srt-4. but as for your filter...just a filter is a bad idea. there's lots of threads on it (yeah i know they're hard to find). but here's the lowdown. if you just attach a cone filter to the maf, when the fan turns on, it blows hot air right on to the filter. result, power goes down. so, my advice, definitely get a sri or cai. your preference really. just make sure the filter is out of the way of the fan. run a search online and i'm sure you can find places that sell the injen cai. or you can wait and ion performance and other places will have cai available shortly. also, whenever memphisracer gets back on the boards, he is selling a sri for $130 which is what i'm gonna go with.

 

[CHICO2003]

LOL alright man! Thanks for the info. Maybe it's just my computer here at work that's causin the search probs... hopefully I'll be able to do it when I get home. As far as "slowin down"... NEVER!! I guess I got a little pumped when I read the latest Motor Trend. (anyone who hasn't read it yet should defintiely pick it up) Nothing we don't already know.... bu it's always nice to hear!! The one thing that stuck with me was "if only it had more power!" Without breaking the bank, I'm going to do my best to fix that problem.

 

[Striker187]

yeah money always seems to be the biggest problem.....damn capitalist society (rant)

 

[DiscreetSpeed]

*************.com
imsure you know of spools website and magnus motorsports.
goodluck man im on the same path your on
peon sr turd is the enemy (im just jealous of the power they make stock, hehe thats all).

 

[CHICO2003]

*************'s the best website I found so far. (it actually has parts that are specifically designed for the MSP!! a first as far as I'm concerned!) prices seem a BIT high but... ya gotta pay to play I guess! Anyway, thanks for the tip. In addition to all the other reasons, that's what this board is here for. Whoever started it... my hat's off.

 

[2K3 MSP]

I went to the drags last night and there was a SRT hitting consistent 14.2-14.3...You spend $1,000+ and you'll get to where they are STOCK. All they have to do is buy a MBC for $45 and you'll be eating his dust again. Seriously, all these people determined to kill an SRT need to find a new rival...Face it, they have more power and if they match you mod for mod, you'll NEVER catch one.

 

[CHICO2003]

BUT IT'S A DODGE!!!!!!

 

[2K3 MSP]

And we've got FORDS!!!!!!!

 

[CHICO2003]

HEY MAN!! WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON ANYWAY!!! TRAITOR!!! HAHAHA!!! Look, Ford might be Mazda's parent company but let's get real. Sit in a Ford... ANY FORD and then sit in a Mazda... ANY MAZDA and tell me if there is a difference. I think you'll find a HUGE difference in terms of level of quality. Now I'm only talking about the interior. If you subscribe to consumer reports like I do, you'll find that Mazda products have a tremendously high reliability rating overall whereas Ford... well, let's just say you better have AAA!! Bottom line: sometimes the whole "parent company" thing is an accurate representation. For example, GM is renown for sharing parts between it's various brands. We should all be thanking God for not allowing Ford and Mazda to do the same thing. According to my research, aside from joint ventures like the Escape/Tribute, Mazda and Ford are two very different companies. Just like Mercedes and Chrysler (to an extent) I don't think anyone would confuse one for the other. Perhaps the best example is Nissan. They're owned by Renault just like Mazda is "owned" by Ford. Renault's a French car with hideous reliabilty. (the French just can't seem to do anything right these days!) Whereas Nissan, as we all know, kicks ass. (except for their wannabe MSP the SE-R of course)

So... in conclusion... DODGE SUCKS (their reliabilty is in the toilette) Whereas Mazda is pretty solid. They might not be Honda but not many cars can live up to that reliabilty. Bottom line: The SRT-4 kicks serious ass. I test drove one and was thouroughly impressed. But how fast will it be when the engine blows? Or the tranny falls apart? For those of you shaking your heads, bear in mind that I've owned 3 dodge/chrysler's in my day and have had a multitude of problems. Like Ford, they might be on the right track... but they're not even close to where they'd need to be for me to even consider buying anything they make. (even if it IS fast as hell) Sometimes you need to weigh the pros and cons. If an MSP owner has to spend an additional grand (which, if you're a good negotiator really means you'll end up spending the same amount an SRT-4 owner paid if he paid sticker) in order to get their MSP up to the same level as the dodge... it's worth it. Not only do you get a better handling car, but you also get the better looks, better reliability, better stereo, better interior... the list goes on and on. For me, it's worth it. Sure, and SRT-4 owner can invest a grand into their car as well which, undoubtedly, would put them into a level few cars can even get to.... But really, HOW FAST CAN ONE POSSIBLY GO???? Ask any MSP owner on this board if they'd be SATISFIED with SRT-4 performance numbers and they'd all should in unison "HELL YEAH!!" If you dig the receptionist at the local Dodge dealership get the Neon... you'll have plenty of time to hit on her while you're waiting for your car to be fixed... over and over and over again. (which is about how many times you better bang her in order to make it worth your while) Otherwise, stick with something that gives you more peace of mind... and still gives you the OPPORTUNITY to at least get your car up to around the level of a POS American car injected with steroids...

Did I mention the SRT-4's were all on back order when I went to the dealership? That's why I had to settle for a MSP!! hahaha!! JUST KIDDING!!

 

[murdock_]

www.tomanysrt4threads.com/cuttheshititisannoying

 

[t3ase]

www.tomanysrt4threads.com/cuttheshititisannoying

Agreed.

 

[t3ase]

For now... I want to start with the easiest, most obvious (and best looking) upgrade... the cone style air filter. I'm not sure what those pipes are called that are attached to them... but I want one of those too. I called K&N and they were clueless.... kept insisting I had a Protege.. not a Mazdaspeed Protege. Obviously I made the wrong call. My question is, to all of you out there that have these installed, where do I go? Who do I call? Can I install it myself or should I just bring it to a shop where I can buy it and get it installed all at once? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Once this bad boy is in, I'll step it up a notch... one step at a time though. L8R

I can only wait for the day when you blow your engine up.

Sorry to say it that way, but you don't even know what the part is or what it does, yet you're all about getting it. You say K&N was clueless... Maybe it was the person on the other end.

This car is not a typical Acura Integra, Honda Civic or even Protege LX. This car has been (somewhat) precisely tuned in all areas from the engine to the suspension. Do you realize all of the work that your car has done to it?

So you're going to start adding a bunch of crap to your car just so you can beat another. Great, I don't have a problem with that. However, I do have a problem with clueless people coming on to this board asking how to beat a SRT-4 and they know absolutely nothing about the car.

Am I the only ******* person that researched this car for months before they bought it? Jesus Christ. Get a ******* clue about how the car works. Learn to drive it correctly. Learn to read it's handling; it's engine noises; it's revving sound. There's more to this car than most others and I'm very disappointed many of you don't realize that.

 

[jdgti]

I'll throw two cents in with the last post as well, even though it's against my better judgement. I REALLY wanted an SRT-4. I test drove one, and I work a block from a Dodge dealer, so I see them every day, twice a day, and just had to have one. But I got a real wake up call - it's called resale value. Now I know some people keep cars for a long time, but honestly, there are a lot of cars out there I wouldn't want to own with 100,000 miles on them, and sadly enough, a Neon is one of them. Here's a few numbers to ponder next time you're sitting at a light next to an SRT-4.

The SRT-4 has been out for about six months, so figure a used one would have about 6,000 miles on it. Go to KBB and look up a private party value for an SRT-4 with that kind of mileage. It's $14,030. The MSRP on this car is $20k! That's a SIX THOUSAND DOLLAR LOSS over six months. Now, there has been some debate on the SRT-4 forums over the Blue Book numbers being correct, and while I think they're low, it does represent the overall poor resale value of some Dodge products, and neon models in particular.

Just for fun, the blue book for a 2001 MP3 with 24,000 miles on it is $12,675, and that's a car that according to cars.com sold new for $18,020. I know MSP owners love their cars, but there will come a day for most of you when you want to sell your ride, probably just to buy another one of the cars Mazdaspeed is going to bring us over the next few years, of course! For the SRT-4 owners though, they seem to have two choices. Either sell the car in a couple years and take a HUGE loss on it, or keep it long term and deal with reliability issues that come with a high mileage neon.

Now, most of this is not directed specifically at you CHICO2003, but next time you pull up next to a "Stupid Re Tard-4" let the light turn green and let him go. Let the SRT-4 owner be the one to get a speeding ticket, or at least look like an idiot. Maybe I'm just getting older, but I let a lot more cars take off on me than I used to. I really don't care anymore, seriously, what is it going to prove if you do smoke an SRT-4 off a stoplight? Is he going to go and tell all his SRT-4 owning buddies to watch out if they pull up next to an MSP? Even if he did, that just makes you a bigger target, because they'll all certainly want to try. Your car is for you, hopefully you didn't buy it to prove to strangers that you are faster than them. And if you do want to have fun driving, go hit up an autocross event. It doesn't matter if you're the fastest car out there, or the slowest, at least you'll have fun.

I'm very close to making a decision on what car is going to replace my GTI, and right now the MSP is definitely the front runner. And when I pull up next to an SRT-4, I know he's faster than me - so if he wants to smoke me to make himself feel better about his car he won't even have to try, because I certainly won't.

 

[CHICO2003]

Wow! I must say, I'm rather surprised at what I can only label as "bitter sentiment" coming from a lot of members on the board. Perhaps they have misunderstood me... perhaps they're just jumping on the "bash the guy who wants to make his car faster" bandwaggon. Either way, grow up people!! The reason I want to mod my car isn't simply to beat an SRT-4!!! Some of the things I said about that car were MEANT TO BE TAKEN AS A JOKE!!! SO LIGHTEN UP ALREADY!!! God damn... I mean, they're JUST CARS!!! If I jokingly make fun of it who really cares???? The fact of the matter is, it's faster... so that gives guy like me a good goal. Can we get just as much performance (SAFELY) out of our cars as Dodge got out of theirs? I don't know! Should one man be assaulted and criticized for his attempt to? HELL NO!!

As far as blowing up my engine... this was just utterly absurd. Since when does adding an air filter, different (better) exaust and turning up the boost ever so slightly (to freakin 10 people!) cause such a concern? I've read countless posts stating that 10 is around the limit yet people have safely went higher. I'm not even going to touch the other two mods because there's NO WAY either of them can BLOW MY ENGINE!!! HAHAHAHA!!!! TOO FUNNY!!! Anywayz...

To all of you out there who can appreciate (safely) getting the most performance out of our cars for the least amount of money (like myself) my hat's off. For those of you who, not only are satisfied with keeping it stock but also like to criticize anyone for having the ballz to modify theirs a bit, I can only salute you with my middle finger. : ) -just kidding. Bottom line: This forum is supposed to unite people, not turn them against one another. We all have oppinions. Some might be better off than others... but the last thing anyone should do here is put down another FELLOW MSP OWNER!!! Lastly... I'm reminded of a line from one of my favorite movies "American Psycho".

Bateman: "It's not that I want you to get drunk, Kristi, but that's a VERY fine chardonay you're not drinking."

What's the relevance? Hopefully to most it'll be quite obvious. Why buy a fast car if you're not going to drive it fast??? (Why buy a fine chardonay if you're not going to drink it?) That doesn't mean we should all go out and get speeding tickets!!! That's why drag's are so fun/popular. There's virtually no risk involved because the last time I checked, you only get busted for going OVER the speed limit. If you're getting onto a 65mph highway and you're at a light... you've got a pretty good race on your hands with someone to 60. Hopefully the race only lasts a few seconds... but what a few seconds they will be!! In the end, you'll have the feeling of exhilaration coupled with the idea that there was virtually no risk involved (unless of course you go crazy and push it up to like 80 or 90) What's better than that???? L8R

 

[XavierMSP]

Like it has been said before, if you wanted a drag car, why the hell did you buy an MSP? You are missing the point of the car. Every review of the MP3 was all handling, handling and more handling...the only beef that had with it, was that it was underpowered entering and exiting turns (thats right..TURNS). So they decided to drop a turbo in an MP3 so give it some better acceleration not to turn it into a drag car.

Did you guys not research anything about the car, just because magazines compare the srt-4 and the MSP doesn't mean that it is an apple to apple comparison...the srt-4 was created for a totally different purpose than the MSP. Save some money, buy some track time, or hell, just go and work at the track to start earning credits and then see the real reason and benefit of owning an MSP.

 

[CHICO2003]

I understand where your coming from... But your logic suggest one can only have one or the other!! Why can't one have the best of both worlds??? SUPERB HANDLING WITH BLAZING STRAIGHT AWAY SPEED!!! Come on, if you don't think that's possible you're kidding yourself. (at least, on a relative level) I'm not talking about Viper speed but... geez!!! It's not THAT unrealistic to think we can get our cars up to SRT-4/WRX territory!!! With $1500 or so worth or parts, according to the REAL EXPERTS at places like Ion and Magnus, we most certainly can reach the HP level of those cars. I'd be surprised f that doesn't equate to relatively the same performance numbers.

 

[YuYuRena]

What's the relevance? Hopefully to most it'll be quite obvious. Why buy a fast car if you're not going to drive it fast??? (Why buy a fine chardonay if you're not going to drink it?) That doesn't mean we should all go out and get speeding tickets!!! That's why drag's are so fun/popular. There's virtually no risk involved because the last time I checked, you only get busted for going OVER the speed limit. If you're getting onto a 65mph highway and you're at a light... you've got a pretty good race on your hands with someone to 60. Hopefully the race only lasts a few seconds... but what a few seconds they will be!! In the end, you'll have the feeling of exhilaration coupled with the idea that there was virtually no risk involved (unless of course you go crazy and push it up to like 80 or 90) What's better than that???? L8R

Drive it fast thru a turn and see the other guy's face in disbelieve as you pull away from him. Now that takes skill to do it right than pure reaction time and tuning(drag racing).

 

[CHICO2003]

Going fast through a turn is fun... don't get me wrong!! But let's get real!! Being pushed into the back of your seat by the sheer force of your engine is... almost as good as sex!! (and usually leads to it!) Since the girls dig it too!!

 

[t3ase]

Going fast through a turn is fun... don't get me wrong!! But let's get real!! Being pushed into the back of your seat by the sheer force of your engine is... almost as good as sex!! (and usually leads to it!) Since the girls dig it too!!

Here's what you do then... Go out to your MSP, and drive it to my house. Leave it unlocked with the keys in it, call a cab and go get a SRT-4.

You have totally missed the point.