Newbie Questions...

[scott s]

Hello Forum. I'm new to the Forum and a proud owner of a 2003 P5.
I've been involved in the hot-rod (Cal-Look) VW scene for a while now and still am. Thus, I'd like to add a little spice to my P5. I'm not talking major stuff. I already have a couple of hot-rods.
Besides, I'm 39 years old, fer christ's sake! I'm not into or looking for racer-boy mods!
I was thinking about a simple K&N drop in filter and the MazdaSpeed muffler (I can get the muffler brand new for ~$150 from my local dealer).
There are tons of CAI out there.....are they worth it? How much power are they worth?
Will the MazdaSpeed muffler add performance/HP?
Also, I see many, many performance boxes/computers on eBay...what's the deal with these? Are they really worth 20hp? Are there any to avoid? Any that are worth it?
To sum it up, I'm thinking a K&N filter (maybe a CAI if they're truly worth it), MazdaSpeed exhaust and "MAYBE" a perf. computer upgrade.
I want stock reliability, near stock noise levels ( I don't mind a healthy growl...NO fart can exhaust, please!) and a little added performance. What canI expect from the mods I'm talking about? Any other suggestions?
Also, if I ever ran across a set of the 17" MazdaSpeed wheels that came on the MazdaSpeed Protege', how well would they work on the P5? The car is not lowered and probably won't be....unless I come across some genuine Mazda springs someone took off.......hehe.
Thanks and I look forward to learning more on your Forums!

 

[peepsalot]

Welcome to the forums. I've been very interested in hot rod vw's lately, thinking of building one up for my second car once this one is paid off. Got a page or any info on yours?

I have some stock springs from my mazdaspeed protege that I could sell you, I think they are a slight drop of .75" compared to the other protege's, but actually I'm not sure they would work on a p5.

For the love of god don't get one of the ebay chips, it's been gone over so many times on here. They are total BS.

A CAI is probably only worth about 3hp or so on a NA protege. I think if you want one for cheap then some of the ebay ones are decent, and not nearly as pricey as a name brand AEM or Injen. You can always check the marketplace on the forums here for some good deals.

A new header will probably give you the most bang for the buck.

 

[scott s]

Check out www.Cal-Look.com . YOu can find two of my cars in the members section under "Scott Sturgis". I have pics of my Bugs but I'mnot sure if anyone here would be interested. I'm also working on a Rat-Rod style chop-top right now.
My '63 Ragtop has ~190HP and a 5 speed conversion. It's running full race 1-4th gears. This is in a car that weighs in at 1720lbs with the spare tire and half a tank of gas. I run it with the fan belt on and radials. I get 1.9XX 60' times and 13 second quarter miles. I can drive 100+ miles to the track on a 90+ degree day, run the times, drive home and get 26mpg doing it! I have a small sticker on the rear window that says "The surgeon general never said anything about smoking a V8".

 

[nealric]

Not only do the ebay chips ad 0 horsepower, they can eventually cause damage.

All they do is cause the air temp setting to read too low. You want it getting the correct reading.

Since you arent planning on turboing or going all out, then it looks like intake/headers/exhaust are the way to go for you.

 

[scott s]

Thanks guys. This is the kind of info I'm looking for. I think I'll just go for the MazdaSpeed muffler and a K&N drop in unless someone can convince me that a CAI is truly worth it. Give brand names if possible.
There's a Borla exhaust system on eBay for a reasonable price. Anyone used/heard one of those? Again, I'm not looking for sound for the sake of sound....

 

[peepsalot]

Check out www.Cal-Look.com . YOu can find two of my cars in the members section under "Scott Sturgis". I have pics of my Bugs but I'mnot sure if anyone here would be interested. I'm also working on a Rat-Rod style chop-top right now.
My '63 Ragtop has ~190HP and a 5 speed conversion. It's running full race 1-4th gears. This is in a car that weighs in at 1720lbs with the spare tire and half a tank of gas. I run it with the fan belt on and radials. I get 1.9XX 60' times and 13 second quarter miles. I can drive 100+ miles to the track on a 90+ degree day, run the times, drive home and get 26mpg doing it! I have a small sticker on the rear window that says "The surgeon general never said anything about smoking a V8".

Cool, I've seen the cal-look site before. Good stuff. That 63 is very nice man. I am trying to figure out how to do an engine build but I've never done anything like it before, did you piece it all together yourself? I don't have access to any machining tools, so I'm not sure what parts of the build I will have to leave to the pros. Still gotta find out if there even are any competent engine builders in my area.

 

[Pretzellogic]

Welcome to the site. First off, let me just say that both of your bugs are so very sweet. Second, you sound like a perfect addition to this forum. You'll find that most people here are not into the fart-can, neon, fast and furious yo bulls***.

With that out of the way, lets get down to brass tacks: If your car is a daily driver, I wouldn't personally recomend the mazdaspeed muffler. It's known to drone pretty badly at highway speeds.

If you're looking for a decent exhaust for an NA protege, get yourself a Racing Beat Cat-back. I have received many compliments on mine. It's nice and deep, not ricey fart-can (no drone, either), and you'll see an improvement in power. If you plan on staying NA, get yourself a header and you'll see decent improvements in power.

As far as the intake side, they help a little with HP. They also help with gas milage, so there's a bonus. You won't see much of anything from a drop-in. Also, the ebay intakes are decent, but you'll have to get yourself a K&N filter to cap it off. The filters they are sold with are crap. Mine came with a cockroach in it (back when I had just an intake). The intake will also improve the sound greatly.

As handling is the key to a good protege, I would highly reccomend you invest in a springs/struts combo. I have an eibach pro kit over tokico blues, and it's heaven. Many also praise the Tein springs, and they are a little easier on the tailbone when going over train tracks. You mentioned that you wouldn't be lowering it. You may be able to find someone who lowered their mazdaspeed, and would be willing to sell you their springs cheap. The springs I just reccomended will drop about 1.5 inches, but the stock mazdaspeed springs with only drop .75.

I would also reccomend, if your car is a manual, that you invest in a set of Kartboy shifter bushings. They are only $35 (I think), and they are the best mod when considering the price/enjoyment ratio.

Again, welcome to the site, and enjoy it here. Be careful, though: it can kinda suck you in. Remember that ebay intake I told you about? That was supposed to be my only mod.

 

[Brian MP5T]

Welcome.

 

[DeadGeneration]

I would also reccomend, if your car is a manual, that you invest in a set of Kartboy shifter bushings. They are only $35 (I think), and they are the best mod when considering the price/enjoyment ratio.

I am going to test this claim out very soon. They are sitting on my dresser.

 

[RaiderMS3]

I came from the VW world in CA. I last owned a VW show bus in 1994. It was an all original 1977 VW camper, and my 1st car was a 71 Super Beetle. I still am hooked on them. I got about 400 or so die cast vws still.

Anyway, I got this car as a daily driver to be normal, nothing fancy. Then I found this website. It has been very expensive since then, as you will not stop modding once you start. And at 39, that is not too old, I am 31.

Here is information I tell newbies when they come one the board here. The only thing I do not think I touched upon is mazdaspeed wheels by Racing Hart. They will fit fine.
Right after I got my P5, I got the intake. You can get a 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, then Kumho Ecsta 711's on my aftermarket wheels, when they wore out after 23K miles. 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.

I found by moving to synthetic engine and transmission fluids, I get better mileage, and it shifts smoother too. So easy to do, it is worth it.

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. Be sure to look up the Spark Plug non-fouler trick for the 2nd o2 sensor. It prevents the CEL from coming on.

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.


If you want to see what I have done, click here and check out some pics of my car.

 

[Cellerator]

If you plan to go do exhaust, it may not be the best idea to get the Mazdaspeed cat back. I've heard it first hand and my car is the first car I've ever modded but my friend yellomp5 had the mazdaspeed exhaust and it droned around 4k rpms. If you don't mind that on the highway, that's cool but in my opinion, it was a bit louder and dronier than I would really like.

By the way, Welcome and hope you like your car as much as I like mine.

 

[Pro5Monkey]

Hey, welcome to the forums! I too am an old bastard at 35 and a fan of old air cooled Vdub's. I once owned a '65 Single Cab for about 6 months. I was living in an old farm house that was converted into apartments and one day I was milling around the barn waiting for the delivery truck to bring my new washer/dryer combo. I happened to look in the barn and saw this truck and had to have it! I talked to the 85 year old landlord, but he was not willing to part with it even though it had not been driven in over 15 years. A year later, after I had moved out and bought my house, I ran into the guy and asked him about the truck. Well, now he was ready to sell, for $600! Long story short, I got it running, but it turned out to be way more rust repair than I could deal with, so I had to let her go for $1,200.
Anyway, welcome and enjoy. You will find the info you are looking for here. All you have to do is ask. (hi)

 

[SkinnyJoint]

SUP search is your friend

 

[rjmhotrod]

If you are going to do an intake, it seems that the ebay CAI and SRI are the two to choose from. They're cheap and do the job. You won't get any more than a couple of HP with either type (regardless of brand, ebay or otherwise). To get more gains, get a header (OBX and Ractive are popular) and an exhaust. From what I've read and heard, Racing Beat cat-backs are very nice sounding and with little drone though they can be a bit pricey. You need to be careful with combinations of header and exhaust. The wrong combo and you will definately not be near stock noise levels. The way I see it, you're not going to get a lot of gains going NA. The car will feel sportier and may have a little extra HP but not much. I think the intake/header/exhaust mod (the most popular) yields maybe 5-8 extra horses (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). So I would get mods that enhance the experience. I definitely plan on getting the Kartboy short shifter and bushings. I just haven't decided which shift knob to go with yet. One non-performance mod I just discovered (and ordered from Mazdastuff.com) this weekend is that you can switch out the wiper stalk of an '03 MPV and get variable speed interval wipers.