Woot might be picking up my 2002 Protege5 tomorrow what should be my first ups

chopperman

Member
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Mazda Protege 5
Hopfully I will be picking up my 2002 Mazda Protege5. I want to know if there are any things I should replace when I get it to make it look better. I am definatly gonna put some nice wheelz on it, but how big can I go before I rub? What do you recommend for suspension. What kind of shocks, springs. Should I just get a coilover system. Should I change anything under the hood. Thanks guys Im so damn excited.
 
lol that is alot of questions. jic a2 coilovers are great but pricey(1200 ish)eibach ground control is about 300! i run 215/35/18's and have no rubbing issues!! the engine is all up to you! depends on what you want i.e. turbo,na.
not talking s*** but the search function will soon become your best friend!!

rob
 
you wanna sit phat or roll fast? you can never go wrong with some quality lowering springs/ coil overs. depending on how much cash you got and what kinda of ride you want. the search function is your best friend.
 
Welcome to your new addiction! This is the advice I have given for new P5 owners.

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. After 23000 miles, they were through, so I got aftermarket wheels, and Kumho Ecsta 711 205-40-17’s. 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, Underdrive Pulleys, 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. Huge difference in shifting!

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.

Most important, is the greeting by the great Sir Nuke



Originally Posted by Sir Nuke

Welcome to our happy little corner of the net, and to our Club. There are TWO BIG fridge'S in the corner with anything you can think of in them...help yourself...of course only take what you can LEGALLY have.

make yourself at home on one of the big fluffy couches, kick your shoes off, put your feet up on one of the tables, yes we are allowed to do that, mom don't care....and take it easy.

oh...btw....every once in a while a food fight breaks out...so you may not want to wear nice clothes here.

Welcome!!
 
Thanks for the replys. I do want to put some nice springs in it so I can get a nice stance. Im thinking about getting 17's. I dont really see a thread just for P5 owner pictures. One main reason I want to get this car is because it looks ausome and gets great gas milage. Have you guys with an intake noticed any better or worse gas milage. What kind of filter do you use? And for exhaust, since the car is a 4 cylinder how do it sound. I dont like it when it sounds like kids screaming. I like it really low and deep.
 
If it is for the Protege5, yes.

Protege5exhaust.jpg


I am a rep here for www.**********.com You can get that exhaust from Street Unit for $403 new shipped. PM me if interested. Take a look at the site, and if interested in multiple items, let me know, and I can see what we can do. For the money, it is simply thebest. LOTS of threads about exhausts here, and Racing Beat is on top of almost all. Mainly, the droning sound on the freeway will make you go insane.

And just to clarify, the MSP exhaust is different than ours. The Mazdasport exhaust from Mazda is also a droning monster, too.
 
17s are a good choice, 18s are overkill on the protege and you have to run rubberband tires. Make sure the width, offset and tire size are correct before buying! If you need help with that, post up and we'll help you out. This is a good place to start: http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9129

Coilovers are probably not necessary, there are plenty of simple springs that provide a nice stance.

Kartboy short shifter & bushings, love them.

I would also do header & exhuast. Intake, maybe, although you probably won't notice much other than the slight change in sound.
 
Ok ausome. I just got the car, paid 7104.65 with all taxes included. Ausome deal. Its got a ijen intake and a front swaybar. AUSOME I gotta wait till tommorroow to pick it up cuz I cant drive stick and my dad is the only one.
 
Not bad of a deal. The first I would do is exhaust and suspension. But before buying performance parts ask your self if you will stay NA or go turbo. Don't waste your money buying NA parts and then have to sell everything.
 
Ok, Im not gonna do anything really with engine performance mods. Only thing Im gonna do is add an exhaust. The car has 75k miles
 
i did the exaust first, but now i dont like it. Its the silly magnaflow "Watermelon Launcher" type and it looks goofy. Next i did the K&N CAI, love it! Tint was a must since i cant stand the sun (and i live in cali, go figure) and next on the plate is the suspension. Pretty much do what you want to the car.......just post pictures once things get done
 
Welcome to the board. Enjoy your new spending addiction ;]
 
I cant drive stick. Anybody here would like to go pick it up for me. Ill fill your gas tank and give you 20 buxs. The car is in NJ and Im on longisland. It is exactly 35 miles from my hhouse. I want to get it today cuz I want to learn to drive. Call me at 5165817864 Please people help me here. Ill meet you there or sumtin.
 
props for wanting to learn stick, you won't regret it!

and the protege is easy to learn on, the clutch is pretty forgiving

did you test drive it? or did you buy it on ebay or something?
 
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