Is It Tough?

G

googoocfuts

Member
I was just looking into the Protege 5, and very interested. I'm a snowboarder and I just want to know if this car can handle the mountain? Not like off road, but like for going "up". DOes this car have enough power?? I just want to know from people who drives the car.
-Eric
 
RaiderMP5 said:
it should be fine. Takes turns like a breeze, really a fun car to drive. Where are you located?
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Southern California. BUt sometimes i travel to Mammoth Mountain or sometimes to Yosemite. I wonder if the car can handle the steep hills.
thanks - ERic
 
might have a problem going up steep grades, especially if it's an automatic...

I had this really large hill I had to climb to go to work every day, and unless I started the climb at 40 mph, the car would shift to 2nd gear and the rpm's would go up to 5-6k. And it wouldn't feel like it was pulling at all.

Now same car, but with header, intake, exhaust, and udp - no problem. :)
 
i took mine snowboarding in VT a few times this winter and it drove up fine. i have a 5-spd and i had blizzaks on for the winter, but as long as you dont try to drift any corners you should be good to go
 
I wish I had my P5 when I lived in the NC mountains. I would have had SO much fun with it. I would imagine that going up a steep grade (especially if you had a non-sport-tronic automatic and/or had more than one person in the car) would be slow going though. Having a stick would help tremendously.

I used to have an 84 Mazda GLC (auto) and going up the mountain was so annoying. Couldn't get it over 42 mph on steeper grades because of the gearing.
 
Autotragics are indeed tragic-- but if you're driving in the mountains a lot I'd even more strongly recommend a manual. If you're a good driver and aren't routinely driving through snow or ice 4WD is a huge waste of money IMO for most people. Just have a FWD and some appropriate tires. P5 would be a great ski (snowboard) bum vehicle.
 
i used mine all season, and had no problems at all. Mine is a 5 speed and it tackled mountains perfectly, and if the roads are nice, dry and empty, much fun can be had on the way down.
 
Definetly get a manual for the hills. I have never had a problem staying at or above the speed limit in colorado mountain driving going up steep grades. You may not be the fastest on they way up the passes, but Im amazed how often I get "stuck" behind wrx's and the like on the curvy downhills. This summer, I should be going turbo, so the uphills will be like that as well :D

Its a pretty decent snow driver- nowhere near as good as an outback or something, but I have never failed to get to where I needed to go no matter what the weather.

Whatever you do, get snow tires. My toyo proxes4 all seasons turn my p5 to a winter deathtrap. With my hankook w404 snow tires, its all good.
 
I have the sport-shift auto and it's fine for the hills because you can downshift when need be. The plain automatic would be awful on hills, though.
 
It's not bad but I can say I wish it had a little more power to get up the hills effectively. Nothing a turbo couldn't solve.
 
i go to tahoe, but never in my car. can't because i got summer tires only with msp rims.. haha. chains = death for my dubs, and my fuzion zri's = death. sucks for me.
 
gapeachsp5 said:
I have the sport-shift auto and it's fine for the hills because you can downshift when need be. The plain automatic would be awful on hills, though.
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the sport shift makes easy work of a hill... i should know, just of NYC is all hills...
 
The P5 does fine... I head to Tahoe every weekend,,, I do run different rims and snow tires in the winter (since Chains are not the most friendly on low profile performance tires)

Hills are fine, just drive according to the conditions.
 
^^^ W3RD.

I take mine up to Big Bear/Snow Summit every few weekends bro, it does nicely.
 
i do use my p5 as a skibum car.. it goes to vermont, massashusetts, new york mountains and wherever else. 4 new blizzaks worked for me and i had no problems (auto).
 
i just went up to big bear a few weeks ago in my car...doesnt really lack power going uphill with the mods that lord zath mentioned, but as long as u keep it on the triptronic, its still pretty damn good...if u mod the suspension, its even more fun...i had a lot of fun driving there and back home through all the twistys...
 
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