New to me 2002 Protege5

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BrotegeCinco

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2002 Mazda Protege5
Just wanted to introduce myself. Picked up a 2002 Mazda Protege5 and so far it has been a great car! Got it at 144k miles for $2000 bucks out the door. The guy that had it before me took it from his son who had a DUI and sold it off, his loss my gain I guess. It had a laundry list done to it: EGR Valve, PCV Valve, Timing Belt, Alternator, Sparks, Starter, Oil Change, Engine mounts, Auto tranny flush/filter, and Air Filter. The only thing wrong with it was a dreaded p0421 and the p0660 and a quick search on this forum got me to the non-fouler trick (5 bucks) and the VICS Solenoid (18 bucks on fleabay). Passed smog with flying colors. I did however just recently found hairline cracks at the top of the radiator.

This car handles great. I also have a 2012 BMW M-Tech 550i and funny to say, I feel more confident throwing around this Protege5 (the BMW is 1400 lbs heaver though). I have to say that the car feels a lot faster than it actually is. Of course my wife in her CX-5 Touring AWD spanked me.

Looking forward to learning more about this car and as my daily driver she is going to stay stock. Its nice having something with the utility of a wagon, looks pretty sporty (unique), and fun to toss around in the corners!
 
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Got one a couple months ago and just joined the forum too! Love driving it around the city, always tempted to race when the light turns green.
 
Well with an auto it won't be as fast as a manual due to a significant ecu upgrade for manuals only (unfortunately).
Welcome to the forums. It's not as active as it was 2 years ago but more people are joining.
 
EddyMerckx said:
Got one a couple months ago and just joined the forum too! Love driving it around the city, always tempted to race when the light turns green.
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Definitely a fun little car! I'm interested in learning more!

NaturalFlavored said:
Well with an auto it won't be as fast as a manual due to a significant ecu upgrade for manuals only (unfortunately).
Welcome to the forums. It's not as active as it was 2 years ago but more people are joining.
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Thanks man! Didn't buy this car for the speed obviously however I was pleasantly surprised at the handling.
 
Im suprised you mention handling, I feel it's not as crisp as I would like it to be. I feel my back tires slip. Like they turn so fast I find myself peeling sometimes and I also don't feel quite as confident in the rain. I was hoping a rear sway bar upgrade would help with this as well as the aforementioned ecu flash I would like to do in the future. Also welcome. I feel you'll get lots of answers on here as well as good items that fellow members have for sale. Recently got my P5 as well like 6 months ago.
 
stormkyori said:
Im suprised you mention handling, I feel it's not as crisp as I would like it to be. I feel my back tires slip. Like they turn so fast I find myself peeling sometimes and I also don't feel quite as confident in the rain. I was hoping a rear sway bar upgrade would help with this as well as the aforementioned ecu flash I would like to do in the future. Also welcome. I feel you'll get lots of answers on here as well as good items that fellow members have for sale. Recently got my P5 as well like 6 months ago.
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Get better tires.
 
Also tire pressure. A lot of people don't keep up on it. I noticed when mine got low one time taking a turn they screeched a bit. Was 5psi low, also I went up to 205/50/16.
 
I had to get Gt Eco 205 /50 R16 87H SL BSW because my tire shop didn't have any other ones. They aren't bad but they're not great. Or the worst. I keep mine aired up at 37psi or 38psi, if they drop to 30-33psi I can feel they aren't as grippy.
 
stormkyori said:
Im suprised you mention handling, I feel it's not as crisp as I would like it to be. I feel my back tires slip. Like they turn so fast I find myself peeling sometimes and I also don't feel quite as confident in the rain. I was hoping a rear sway bar upgrade would help with this as well as the aforementioned ecu flash I would like to do in the future. Also welcome. I feel you'll get lots of answers on here as well as good items that fellow members have for sale. Recently got my P5 as well like 6 months ago.
Click to expand...

I have a 2012 BMW 550i and even with the M-Sport package the steering feels numb and also all the electronic nannies make the driving experience numb. I have to say that for a 4300lb car the acceleration is intoxicating (stock 400hp and 450tq, I'm tuned). This P5 reminds me of my e30 dropped on H&R race springs and also my e36 M3 with coil overs and sways... I'm actually driving this car more than my 550i. The 550i is my freeway cruiser and when the wifey and I need to go to special events. The passing power is awesome and not too many cars on the road (where I live anyways) can hang with it...

Like I said I am going to keep it stock with maybe a K&N filter.. for a slushbox I don't think it's going to benefit much from bolt on mods...
 
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