I want a Mazdaspeed . . .

NaD00D00

Member
Hey,
My name is Josh, and I drive a 2002 Nissan SE-R Spec V. I've had it for about a year now, and I really like my car. However, I just don't like it as much as I do when I first got it. I been thinking lately whether or not I should trade it in. If I were to do so, I'd really be interested in the Mazdaspeed Protoge. At first, I bashed it 'cuz of the low hp numbers with forced induction, but I looked around the boards and heard at some Sentra boards that they are really quick. I've also heard that it handles REALLY well, and I can't stand the Spec V suspension 'cuz it's hard to upgrade because of lack of aftermarket support. I really want a car with forced induction as well, because I've been told it's a much different driving experience from an N/A car. So I have a couple questions about the Mazda. Are there alot of problems with the car? Spec Vs are notorious for having a bunch of problems ranging from engine trouble, to oil consumption, etc. Is there alot of aftermarket support? Has anyone driven both cars? If so, which was funner to drive? The low end torque is really fun with the Spec V, but torque steer is a pain. There also is a lack of high end power. Is it hard/expensive to upgrade the Mazda? I have some more questions, but I'm drawing a blank. Thanx.
 
Welcome Josh!!

Well..... you arrived at a good time to talk about upgrades. Look around, and you will see some wild numbers. More boost, etc... Some of the members here are doing some really neat things.

I am just running about 9psi, with a Joe P XZ Manual Boost Controller, a HSM Axle-Back Exhaust mod, and a K&N. I am loving it!!! but; I don't go drag racing. After a new intake (sometime in the near future), I will be done.
 
Thanx man. How is the reliability of the MSP? What kinda numbers does it put out? How does it stack up against the competition? I've seen some stuff like 13 sec 1/4 times and stuff. That's so cool, cuz I know my car will never get up there without turbo, and I don't wanna pay all that extra money if I can just get the MSP with better handling for the same price, ya know?
 
NaD00D00 said:
That's so cool, cuz I know my car will never get up there without turbo, and I don't wanna pay all that extra money if I can just get the MSP with better handling for the same price, ya know?

I would reconsider that last statement. I don't know what your car is worth or how much you owe, but it's probably a safe bet to say you could in fact turbo your car for less than trading it in and paying retail on a brand new car. Depreciation hurts.


But hey, if you want an MSP, hell.. go for it!!! I wish I could afford one.
 
NaD00D00 said:
Hey,
My name is Josh, and I drive a 2002 Nissan SE-R Spec V. I've had it for about a year now, and I really like my car...<snip>...I been thinking lately whether or not I should trade it in. If I were to do so, I'd really be interested in the Mazdaspeed Protoge.
First off, welcome to the forum. Once you get past the bulls*** and egos, you'll find some really good information here. Just use common sense about who you listen to and who you don't. But back to the matter at hand..

NaD00D00 said:
However, I just don't like it as much as I do when I first got it.
So are you one of those type of people that get bored with a car easily if you can't play with it? If so, right now, the MSP may not be the car for you. There aren't that many parts out for the MSP other than some "hacks" to fix current issues like the way too rich fuel condition. There are reportedly some parts coming out like exhausts and intakes but nothing too major from what I've found. A few members here (AGR#7 and MemphisRacer, I believe) have made their own "straight exhaust" pipe which gives reportedly quite a meaner growl but with unknown performance affects.

Another issue is that the parts that are coming out are not easy on the pocket. At least not for me. I'm a 21 year old with a car payment of $519/mth and insurance of about $350/mth so I'm having to find ways to come up with extra cash just to make the payments. I only wish I could afford >$1000 exhaust system or a $290 Injen intake. That may not be an issue with you, but it is a huge one for me. And if that's not an issue for you, why don't you "donate" some of your money to my charity and write it off later so I can have some fun. :p

NaD00D00 said:
At first, I bashed it 'cuz of the low hp numbers with forced induction, but I looked around the boards and heard at some Sentra boards that they are really quick.
It's not the quickest car out there, and we all know that. If you buy this car and think you're going to be able to race anything and everything, you've made the wrong decision. Yes, the car is turbo'd, however, I believe that many people have taken this extremely out of proportion. If you want speed, get a SRT-4. If you want a complete package including suspension, interior and exterior styling and turbo, then get the MSProtege.

Example, I was beat twice by my girlfriend's V6 Pontiac "Firechicken". We then tried again after I took off the K&N cone filter and learned the car a bit more. I've since beat her everytime and even pulled on her pretty good. However, the first two times she was giving me s*** like "Your turbo charged car isn't so badass now, is it?". I then tried explaining that I didn't buy this car solely because it said "turbo" in the description. I bought the car because the interior is like no other I've seen, the spicy orange is the best factory paint color I've seen, the handling reviews were all great, and I just overall liked the car...

It's a complete package.

She didn't understand that and it seems not many people do on this forum as everyone's after HP and how to beat WRX's. Whatever. I like my car as is, I'm not about to start spending several thousands of dollars just so I can take a car at a stop light but yet have no warranty down the road in five years. There's just something about having a first generation car that keeps me from wanting to void the warranty as soon as I get it in my possesion. Then again, I'm sure that would change if I had a massive amount of money to spend on it.

To defend those that have pour a massive amount of money into the car, I've seen OrangeMSP's T3/04E turbo setup and it looks, sounds and feels bad ass. He only needs to get a FMU and he'll be kicking ass. Great job on his part and I look forward to doing the same should he sell his and give me the parts or should the warranty run out and I have a hell of a nice job which allows me to do it.

NaD00D00 said:
I've also heard that it handles REALLY well, and I can't stand the Spec V suspension 'cuz it's hard to upgrade because of lack of aftermarket support.
See my reply above about aftermarket support. Don't plan on much, IMO, as this is a more "limited edition" car and not many companies will see the demand for it as they will for Civics or Integras. Plus, I think the target age range for this car are younger 20-ish aged buyers who don't have a lot of cash but want performance. You've gotta take that into account and think as a business would and you'll wonder if all of the R&D is worth it. Will this target audience have the cash to shell out for all of your R&D, labor, parts costs since theres not as many of them out there and you'll have to up your prices because of that?

NaD00D00 said:
I really want a car with forced induction as well, because I've been told it's a much different driving experience from an N/A car.
I haven't noticed a *huge* difference since this car is boosted so low. Then again, I had a 78 Ford Fairmont immediately before this car, so that's much different anyway.

NaD00D00 said:
So I have a couple questions about the Mazda. Are there alot of problems with the car? Spec Vs are notorious for having a bunch of problems ranging from engine trouble, to oil consumption, etc.
The car is too new for us to see many major problems excluding two that are all of this board. If you search, you can find MANY posts on the "clunk" issue and the open looped ECU issue which causes the car to just dump fuel at higher RPMs.

My car is currently in the shop after two months and 10,000 miles because the clutch went out completely suddenly. It was fine at 7pm and when I left to go to Walmart at 10pm, the car would go into gear but just redline and barely move. It was towed in and now a regional manager is going by to see if it will be covered by the warranty or if it were from "abuse". This is going to be a VERY sticky issue and I don't see it going away easily. It sounds like I'm going to have to really fight Mazda to get this fixed.

NaD00D00 said:
The low end torque is really fun with the Spec V, but torque steer is a pain. There also is a lack of high end power.
The MSP, too, has torque steer. However, I've gotten used to it and it's not as bad as it's played out to be. Just pay attention when you're driving.

NaD00D00 said:
Is it hard/expensive to upgrade the Mazda?
See above about aftermarket support. Be very cautious about what you do if you're converned about your warranty. Then again, I read on here that "If you're worried about a warranty, you shouldn't be modding the car at all." It's up to you.

NaD00D00 said:
I have some more questions, but I'm drawing a blank. Thanx.
If you have any more, feel free to ask or search. Be smart about searching and don't be too specific or too generic. You'll find some good stuff if you take your time, use common sense, and research whatever you do before you do it. This is definately not the car to just mix and match parts hoping to get better performance.

Enjoy and be careful out there.
 
Re: Re: I want a Mazdaspeed . . .

t3ase said:

First off, welcome to the forum. Once you get past the bulls*** and egos, you'll find some really good information here. Just use common sense about who you listen to and who you don't. But back to the matter at hand..


So are you one of those type of people that get bored with a car easily if you can't play with it? If so, right now, the MSP may not be the car for you. There aren't that many parts out for the MSP other than some "hacks" to fix current issues like the way too rich fuel condition. There are reportedly some parts coming out like exhausts and intakes but nothing too major from what I've found. A few members here (AGR#7 and MemphisRacer, I believe) have made their own "straight exhaust" pipe which gives reportedly quite a meaner growl but with unknown performance affects.

Another issue is that the parts that are coming out are not easy on the pocket. At least not for me. I'm a 21 year old with a car payment of $519/mth and insurance of about $350/mth so I'm having to find ways to come up with extra cash just to make the payments. I only wish I could afford >$1000 exhaust system or a $290 Injen intake. That may not be an issue with you, but it is a huge one for me. And if that's not an issue for you, why don't you "donate" some of your money to my charity and write it off later so I can have some fun. :p


It's not the quickest car out there, and we all know that. If you buy this car and think you're going to be able to race anything and everything, you've made the wrong decision. Yes, the car is turbo'd, however, I believe that many people have taken this extremely out of proportion. If you want speed, get a SRT-4. If you want a complete package including suspension, interior and exterior styling and turbo, then get the MSProtege.

Example, I was beat twice by my girlfriend's V6 Pontiac "Firechicken". We then tried again after I took off the K&N cone filter and learned the car a bit more. I've since beat her everytime and even pulled on her pretty good. However, the first two times she was giving me s*** like "Your turbo charged car isn't so badass now, is it?". I then tried explaining that I didn't buy this car solely because it said "turbo" in the description. I bought the car because the interior is like no other I've seen, the spicy orange is the best factory paint color I've seen, the handling reviews were all great, and I just overall liked the car...

It's a complete package.

She didn't understand that and it seems not many people do on this forum as everyone's after HP and how to beat WRX's. Whatever. I like my car as is, I'm not about to start spending several thousands of dollars just so I can take a car at a stop light but yet have no warranty down the road in five years. There's just something about having a first generation car that keeps me from wanting to void the warranty as soon as I get it in my possesion. Then again, I'm sure that would change if I had a massive amount of money to spend on it.

To defend those that have pour a massive amount of money into the car, I've seen OrangeMSP's T3/04E turbo setup and it looks, sounds and feels bad ass. He only needs to get a FMU and he'll be kicking ass. Great job on his part and I look forward to doing the same should he sell his and give me the parts or should the warranty run out and I have a hell of a nice job which allows me to do it.


See my reply above about aftermarket support. Don't plan on much, IMO, as this is a more "limited edition" car and not many companies will see the demand for it as they will for Civics or Integras. Plus, I think the target age range for this car are younger 20-ish aged buyers who don't have a lot of cash but want performance. You've gotta take that into account and think as a business would and you'll wonder if all of the R&D is worth it. Will this target audience have the cash to shell out for all of your R&D, labor, parts costs since theres not as many of them out there and you'll have to up your prices because of that?


I haven't noticed a *huge* difference since this car is boosted so low. Then again, I had a 78 Ford Fairmont immediately before this car, so that's much different anyway.


The car is too new for us to see many major problems excluding two that are all of this board. If you search, you can find MANY posts on the "clunk" issue and the open looped ECU issue which causes the car to just dump fuel at higher RPMs.

My car is currently in the shop after two months and 10,000 miles because the clutch went out completely suddenly. It was fine at 7pm and when I left to go to Walmart at 10pm, the car would go into gear but just redline and barely move. It was towed in and now a regional manager is going by to see if it will be covered by the warranty or if it were from "abuse". This is going to be a VERY sticky issue and I don't see it going away easily. It sounds like I'm going to have to really fight Mazda to get this fixed.


The MSP, too, has torque steer. However, I've gotten used to it and it's not as bad as it's played out to be. Just pay attention when you're driving.


See above about aftermarket support. Be very cautious about what you do if you're converned about your warranty. Then again, I read on here that "If you're worried about a warranty, you shouldn't be modding the car at all." It's up to you.


If you have any more, feel free to ask or search. Be smart about searching and don't be too specific or too generic. You'll find some good stuff if you take your time, use common sense, and research whatever you do before you do it. This is definately not the car to just mix and match parts hoping to get better performance.

Enjoy and be careful out there.

"hacks"- ouch..
Joe
 
I knew you'd say something about that, which is why I put the quotes around it. Honestly though, it pretty much *is* a hack pretty much until Mazda acknowledges the issue. Anyway, that was not quite what I intended it to come across as.. Sorry.

EDIT: By the way, you wanna send me a FPR "hack" kit for testing in Texas' 100+ degree weather? :D
 
Last edited:
t3ase said:
I knew you'd say something about that, hence the quotes around it.. It is a hack pretty much until Mazda acknowledges the issue.

Anyway, that was not quite what I intended it to come across as.. Sorry.

Hehe, no problem :).. I thought the quotes were to enforce that it was a hack :).. Between that and the "ego" comments, I was starting to get a bit paranoid (nervous) ..

Well anyway- welcome to the board. There is some good info here- just heed t3ease's advice and be careful who you listen to and what you chose to believe. I have seen a lot of misinformation and false claims here. The MSP overall is a hell of a car- system, suspension, brakes, etc. It is a bit low in the power dept stock, but that can be tweaked easily. If you really want to push the envelope- that can be done to :). Being a turbo car, the upgrades are pretty much limitless (well any car is, but you know what I mean). There are pistons and rods available for this motor and any reputable turbo shop could hook you up with a 500 hp turbo setup if you "really" want to *build* it :).
Joe
 
ive had mine for like 4 days and i cant get enough of this car, as for the hp numbers, i personally feel the car is great, spec v's dont even stand a chance against it as well as the new civic si's, its not even close IMO.
haha i know from experience.
 
my buddy's transmission on his Spec V SER just inexplicably failed in his driveway practically a few weeks back. i have read that there are tranny issues on that vehicle, not severe, but moreso than normal.
 
Thanx for all the info/replies/welcomes everyone. I haven't had any of the big problems that people hear about of the Spec V, but hearing about them makes me stop and wonder, you know? But I guess it's kinda expected from any new car, right? As far as the hp numbers, I'm not sure what the MSP puts to the wheels, but the V puts out around 140 something? People have been getting different numbers. But I saw some posts where people have been getting like low 14s and high/mid 13s after modding their MSPs. I haven't seen or heard of a 13 sec Spec V at all. Someone just turboed it, but it's not under warranty. The MSP comes turbo, so if anything goes wrong, it's still able to take to the dealer. Now, I'm not saying I would dog the heck outta the MSP. Quite the opposite, if I were to get one, I'd prolly save my money and research a set plan for modding. Maybe wait for the warranty to run out, depending on how long I can hold out. :p I guess the reason why I don't wanna hold onto the V, is cuz they've already changed it for the 2004 model, and after seeing dynos with mods and waiting for parts, the future of it doesn't look too promising. I don't want to have to custom fabricate everything, like alot of people are starting to do. But I really want to go test drive a MSP, and see what it's all about. :D
 
get hot shot header, balance shaft removal, aem cold air, brm exhaust, jwt cams and ur se-r is puttin 176 hp to the wheels? do some research before you say your car has no aftermarket.
 
the mazdaspeed offers a complete package for less over the spec v. nothing really special about the spec v imo cuz its just the altima 4 cyl engine stuffed in a lighter sentra chassis with an helical LSD. suspension sucks compared to the mazdaspeed. stereo package is optional. stylings is ok.
the msp is faster than a spec v not by a lot but .3 to .5 seconds in the 1/4 mile.

the main prob is the stock header in the spec v the cat's ceramic core disintegrating and pieces get sucked back in the engine cuz the lack of EGR valve and scoreing the wall of the cylinders. also oversensitive knock sensor and break-in treatment takes up to 6000 miles to break the hard piston rings. this info from july issue of SCC
 
JDM Sam said:
get hot shot header, balance shaft removal, aem cold air, brm exhaust, jwt cams and ur se-r is puttin 176 hp to the wheels? do some research before you say your car has no aftermarket.

Dude, I know about all those parts. I won't do the balance shaft, cuz once you do that mod, you can never change it back if you wanted to or screwed something up. I have an Injen CAI and I want a Stromung exhast, but it's like $600+ which i think is ridiculous when they have the Greddy for like $400. The JWT Cams aren't out yet, but I was def considering the Hot Shot. The mags get higher numbers than the actual people do, cuz most people with full bolt ons still only put down around 160 to the wheels. Like I said, no one has really got into the 13s yet, even with all of that minus the cams. Trust me, I do my homework.
 
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