Well, I had a chance to install Protege Garage's new stainless steel turbo inlet over the weekend.
First things first: the inlet is made of 304 stainless, and has a really nice polished finished. I believe they'll also be offering powdercoating options in a variety of colors.
Forgive the crappy pictures- cell phone camera sorta sucks, but you can get the idea.
The installation was fairly straightforward; I wrote up a how to here: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123744441
So, I got it thrown in and I've gotta say... I can't believe the difference this thing makes.
The fitment was perfect. My LTFT and STFT's are perfect, coupled with my Cp-e intake. My BOV recirc hose finally friggin' fits. But the best part, is how much it smooth everything out. The car is silkly smooth through the powerband... I absolutely love it.
IAT's with just my intake were between 6 and 10 degrees above ambient. After installing the inlet and driving hard around for a the evening, I was running between 2 and 4 degrees above ambient... that is a HUGE difference.
Looking at the two side-by-side, I can't believe that anyone would spend $200-300+ on an intake only to have it run to such a piece of s*** pipe. The Protege Garage piece is 2.5" all the way around, and manages to not interfere with the battery box, or anything else along the way- something that not all of the other options on the market can say. It also mounts up to the stock mounting points, which means that once its in- its in. Not going anywhere.
The difference in material is interesting- seeing as the stock piece is plastic. I've heard people say that the induction sound becomes more muted, but I disagree. I found that the induction noise is actually louder, however, the sound of the BOV into the stainless inlet became more of a "popping" sound instead of the "woosh" that it was. It's a much more endearing noise.
I never looked at an inlet as a "required" mod- just something that'd be nice to have... but for the price of the Protege Garage piece combined with the benefits of power and unbelievable driveability-- it's really something you have to have.
I'd like to thank Ken for supplying me with this awesome piece... its definitely something to check out.
First things first: the inlet is made of 304 stainless, and has a really nice polished finished. I believe they'll also be offering powdercoating options in a variety of colors.
Forgive the crappy pictures- cell phone camera sorta sucks, but you can get the idea.
The installation was fairly straightforward; I wrote up a how to here: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123744441
So, I got it thrown in and I've gotta say... I can't believe the difference this thing makes.
The fitment was perfect. My LTFT and STFT's are perfect, coupled with my Cp-e intake. My BOV recirc hose finally friggin' fits. But the best part, is how much it smooth everything out. The car is silkly smooth through the powerband... I absolutely love it.
IAT's with just my intake were between 6 and 10 degrees above ambient. After installing the inlet and driving hard around for a the evening, I was running between 2 and 4 degrees above ambient... that is a HUGE difference.
Looking at the two side-by-side, I can't believe that anyone would spend $200-300+ on an intake only to have it run to such a piece of s*** pipe. The Protege Garage piece is 2.5" all the way around, and manages to not interfere with the battery box, or anything else along the way- something that not all of the other options on the market can say. It also mounts up to the stock mounting points, which means that once its in- its in. Not going anywhere.
The difference in material is interesting- seeing as the stock piece is plastic. I've heard people say that the induction sound becomes more muted, but I disagree. I found that the induction noise is actually louder, however, the sound of the BOV into the stainless inlet became more of a "popping" sound instead of the "woosh" that it was. It's a much more endearing noise.
I never looked at an inlet as a "required" mod- just something that'd be nice to have... but for the price of the Protege Garage piece combined with the benefits of power and unbelievable driveability-- it's really something you have to have.
I'd like to thank Ken for supplying me with this awesome piece... its definitely something to check out.
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