I told the receptionist that I had a couple of technical questions about the car and she told me to call Mazda. I told her that Mazda would not be able to answer my questions so she put me through to an engineer's voicemail and he actually called me back!
I think he thought I was a little crazy at first. I wanted to ask him about how much more modification the engine could take. He was obviously hestitant to discuss anything with me, but he did offer this:
- He first made it clear to me that nothing has been agreeded upon with Mazda yet regardless of what is being said.
- Mazda was very concerned about reliability and Callaway is positive that it will not give any problems within the first 3 years and they tuned it down b/c they know this is going to be driven really hard.
- I asked him about FS-ZE cams and other mods and he said that he was positive that the computer in the car will be programmed to detect changes in boost and timing etc. and it will be programmed to SHUTDOWN if it sees anything outside its chosen ranges. Of course he could be just talking off the cuff, but he probably is right. That doesn't mean we can't get our ECU's reprogrammed...
- His reaction to my questions about modding was the most interesting part. He said that I just need to sit in the drivers seat to realize that this is a very good performing car. He feels like they have brought the Protege to perfection.
-I then asked him about the numbers quoted in the Autonews article. Is it true about the 0-60 being under 7? His reply indicated that most people will not achieve those numbers. His reply was this: with the right traction and the right driver it IS possible to reach 60 in under 7. He said that what makes it difficult is the the gearbox requires a shift to 3rd right before 60 and if you don't do it jsut right then you don't pull it off in under 7. I'm glad that Mazda didn't buy in to the 0-60 rhetoric. Personally, its better that it shifts like that b/c the powerband will be broader.
I think he thought I was a little crazy at first. I wanted to ask him about how much more modification the engine could take. He was obviously hestitant to discuss anything with me, but he did offer this:
- He first made it clear to me that nothing has been agreeded upon with Mazda yet regardless of what is being said.
- Mazda was very concerned about reliability and Callaway is positive that it will not give any problems within the first 3 years and they tuned it down b/c they know this is going to be driven really hard.
- I asked him about FS-ZE cams and other mods and he said that he was positive that the computer in the car will be programmed to detect changes in boost and timing etc. and it will be programmed to SHUTDOWN if it sees anything outside its chosen ranges. Of course he could be just talking off the cuff, but he probably is right. That doesn't mean we can't get our ECU's reprogrammed...
- His reaction to my questions about modding was the most interesting part. He said that I just need to sit in the drivers seat to realize that this is a very good performing car. He feels like they have brought the Protege to perfection.
-I then asked him about the numbers quoted in the Autonews article. Is it true about the 0-60 being under 7? His reply indicated that most people will not achieve those numbers. His reply was this: with the right traction and the right driver it IS possible to reach 60 in under 7. He said that what makes it difficult is the the gearbox requires a shift to 3rd right before 60 and if you don't do it jsut right then you don't pull it off in under 7. I'm glad that Mazda didn't buy in to the 0-60 rhetoric. Personally, its better that it shifts like that b/c the powerband will be broader.