Mazda Protege LX

[RailGun88]

Can I make the front end in my Protege a posi with an lsd?

 

[njaremka]

you can take some lsd and make your lx posi-lucinitory.

 

[RailGun88]

Haha, nice. I'm just wondering if I could put a Limited slip diff in the front to make the front end a posi. Or is that not possible?

Hey you live near me. I live in Chester, CT. Ha, small world.

 

[njaremka]

there are limited slip differentials for the protege transmissions. they are somewhat different from the traditional muscle car "posi" diff, however. the protege available diffs will provide for increased traction.

chester is closer than california

 

[RailGun88]

Yah thats true. And where could I find those, and how would I go about installing one?

 

[njaremka]

Yah thats true. And where could I find those, and how would I go about installing one?

CorkSport sells them -
http://www.corksport.com/quaife-atb-differential-lsd-2.0l.html

So does AWR Racing -
http://store.awrracing.com/products/Differential-%2d-Limited-Slip-%2d-Quaife-%2d-G-Type.html

So does Protege Garage -
http://protegegarage.com/488-product-488.html
http://protegegarage.com/1701-quaife-limited-slip-differential-protege-mazda3-mx3-mx6-626-probe.html

you WILL need to have a transmission shop do the work of the installation, if you have never performed any transmission work. if you are comfortable with the prospect of rebuilding your tranny, at least be sure to get the factory transmission rebuild manual for your local dealer.

 

[RailGun88]

Thank you. And my father has been a mechanic all his life so he can help me if needed. Also, any idea on how I could get a little more horsepower without too much stress on the engine. I don't really want a turbo or something like that. Right now I'm pushing about 165HP, and would like about 170-75HP. Also without spending over $250.

 

[njaremka]

what do you have on the car to get 165hp?!?!

 

[RailGun88]

Interesting. I just double checked, and the last I heard it was 165HP stock. It is actually 130HP. Damn that sucks. So how about getting it to 140-150HP? And no more than $350. Really hoping for 160HP if possible.
Edit: I just found headers with a 10HP/16Torque increase for $88. What about a cold air intake?

 

[njaremka]

honestly, you wont get more than 145-ish unless you rebuild your motor, or go with a cheap turbo kit. header+exhaust and an intake, and you are realistically looking at 140 or so at the crank. if you can get an mp3 ecu, that will get you to 135hp with no other mods. of course, all these numbers assume that your engine is still running at peak factory efficiencies.

i currently have an injen intake ($130), a magnaflow exhaust ($375), a header ($125), and the MP3 ecu ($250) and, according to my iphone, i'm pushing 145-150hp. thats probably on the high side, too. all that for at least $700. considering you could build a turbo kit from used parts for ~$1200 or so, the way i went is not really the cheapest way to add power.

 

[RailGun88]

Now I also just found the MP3 ECU for an auto. Do I need to worry about the wiring harness or no? And I think that and the header will give me the little boost I'm looking for. Also I have to order a Cold air intake, because my old air intake is shot from mice, and the tube from the box to the throttle body is dry rotted. I'm looking at a AEM Short Ram Air Intake. Also, how do you get the readout on your iPhone?

 

[njaremka]

if you have an auto, you cannot use the mp3 ecu - its a manual tranny only. the lsd might be manual-only, too, come to think of it...

Dynolicious will give you hp readouts.

 

[RailGun88]

Nevermind, it came up with a Protege 5 ECU instead.

 

[RailGun88]

Well besides headers and a cold air intake, what is there on a list of small things I can do to up the performance of my car. I can't really do anything with lowering ride height cause of my driveway. But other than that, what are some small things I can do?

 

[njaremka]

tune up - plugs and wires, make sure the pcv valve is good. you can remove the VTCS valves from the intake manifold - that will make sure the engine is breathing well at all rpm's. there really isnt much cheap things that helps with the performance on these engines.

 

[RailGun88]

OK, that, and the headers and cold air intake should give me a noticeable boost, right? Also is there any ECU's that I could use that would give me a boost, or am I stuck with the one I have?

 

[njaremka]

OK, that, and the headers and cold air intake should give me a noticeable boost, right? Also is there any ECU's that I could use that would give me a boost, or am I stuck with the one I have?

do you have an auto or manual? if you have an auto, only a piggy-back ecu will give you any hp benefit. a piggy-back ecu will exceed your budget.

with a header and intake, you will definitely feel a change, but it won't be earth shattering.

 

[RailGun88]

Auto, and I can honestly say I've never heard of a piggy-back ECU.

 

[njaremka]

Auto, and I can honestly say I've never heard of a piggy-back ECU.

they run parallel to the stock ecu, and take over the control for fuel and ignition, letting the stock ecu take care of everything else.

 

[RailGun88]

Do you have a guess on how much that could cost? Also what would be good spark plug wires and spark plugs? And how would I remove the PTCS valves?