Best Bang for the Buck!

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SteelWarrior

Member
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03.5 Mazdaspeed Protege
Hey guys. Well i finally secured my summer employment, and with taxes im estimating i can drop between 2.5 and 3000 dollars into my speed this year...shes got cobalt boost timers installed, a cold air intake, a kenwood MP3/USB head unit deck, a JL 8" sub in the stock sub rack. Other then that shes stock


So what im looking for is opinions in the best overall upgrades i can afford this year. including appearence, performance, reliability etc. I would also really like to beef up the appearance of the engine bay. as well a aftermarket BOV is a must!

In the long run i would like to make my speed my summer cruiser/racer ride and crank the boost with an upgraded turbo, mainly looking to start modding towards that goal in the near future.

As its commonly said on here....Looking to mod the hell out of it and never look back lol


Im 20, pretty good at hands on stuff, i have the full factory mechanic manual, and a decently geared garage to work in....

I know there are similar posts however I would like to use this one as my on going guide
 
Dude... where to start? lol

If it's performance you're after... I'd think a CAI would be a good start. I bought my Injen a month after buying the car new and it's probably one of my favorite mods to date. Definitely a noticeable gain in power... and the sound it makes is truly awesome. Nowadays you can probably get one dirt cheap... under $200 I'm guessing.

I could list a million other things but... I'll let the others do it for me.
 
After a boost gauge (that is if you don't have one yet), I would start with a good exhaust. I think that's one of the biggest things holding this car back. The intercooler is probably the second biggest hold back. Depending how much boost you want to run would determine whether to get a FMIC or an upgraded SMIC. The stock plastic pipes are good to replace being that they are known to crack. Motor mounts should get rid of the nasty wheel hop the car has and possibly prolong the life of the LSD. If you get a turboback exhaust I would recommend changing the wastegate out to an updated version (that's what I did). Seems a little easier to change than doing it while everything is still bolted up to the car. I'm sure other people have a few better ideas but this is where I started and doing all of these things will probably cost around close to what you're looking to spend now. Hope this gives a little insight.
 
A TBE and S/FMIC are all worthy upgrades... but I'm not sure I'd say they're the best "bang for the buck" I've got em both and, while I have no regrets, they'll definitely set you back. I've got the Vibrant (highly recommend btw) and it cost about $750... installation was only $80 but still. not cheap.

As for the SMIC... I've got the CustomMSP version and bought it for about $400... Kicks ass during the summer but is pretty much useless during the winter.

Another thing to consider is theUnichip. I always forget I have it.... but it's truly amazing!! night and day really... you can probably find a used one for like $300ish... and it's definitely something you can install yourself.

Quick word on crankin up the boost. Hopefully you've heard this before but... it's worth repeating even if you have. The MSP just isn't designed to handle a lot of boost. I had mine as high as 9psi but, even though that's probably safe, I just never FELT like it was... so I've been stock 99% of my 75k miles and (knock on wood) no probs whatsoever. A blown engine isn't my idea of a good time.
 
Exhaust, MM, FMIC would be the performance order for me. Then when you have some more cash get Engine Management.
 
bang for the buck I think the midpipe is the way to go. Then maybe a unichip and a sidemount if your staying at a reasoable boost level.
 
CHICO2003 said:
Another thing to consider is theUnichip. I always forget I have it.... but it's truly amazing!! night and day really... you can probably find a used one for like $300ish... and it's definitely something you can install yourself.
Click to expand...

I completely forgot about the Unichip. Excellent mod also. I forgot I had it also otherwise I would have mentioned that.
 
if you have 3k make it 5k and you could have a fast car. build the motor run 14psi on the stock turbo, then get exhaust and a standalone, you would need a fmic and the turbolife one is going to be good for a cheep price and a intake and it would be pretty fast.
fmic-500
intake-200
standalone-1330
rods-package- 1300
pistons-package deal
exhaust-(i would just get a midpipe or run a open downpipe.)-130
front motor mount-80

Grand total-3540

thats leaves money for having it installed or having it tuned on a dyno!! that would make a bad car. you also would need a boost controller i left it out cause they are cheep

also buy your parts from www.protegegarage.com
 
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bst bang for the buck?

that would be SMIC,hardpipes.. and a catless mid pipe... the pipe IS the best bang for the buck..
 
I'd have to disagree about the CAI being a good place to start or a best bang for the buck. While I do like the sound of all that air being sucked in the performance gain is not much at all. Why spend $200 and only get maybe 5-8 horses when you could spend a couple hundred more and get 15-20 with either a turbo back exhaust or a upgraded SMIC? Exhaust and upgrade the intercooler is what I would start with. I would also suggest the 626 intake mani which along with the mid pipe is I think the most horses for the least amount of money. Then after you get those get EMS, I suggest SS AFC since it's the cheapest and easiest to use. But think about what your end goal is before you start. You said you want to get a bigger turbo in the future so you would want to go with a FMIC and probably a full stand alone EMS. Just my .02
 
speedracer said:
Aren't you ready to go with a stand alone yet? ... I really need that unichip!LOL
Click to expand...

I guess if I knew anyone around this area that was good with tuning I probably would. Atleast the cost of selling the Unichip could help with tuning it! I'll be sure to let you know when.
 
This is what I have done and I think it's a pretty nice setup...

Boost controller - If you get the Greddy Profec B Spec 2 it has a boost gauge

Exhaust - Turbo back is worth it in the long run

SMIC w/ hard pipes - Only need a FMIC if you plan on going forged and pushing more boost

MM - At least front and rear and definitely get the 95 durometer

ECU - Unichip or MPI tuner are the most common

Intake mani - The 626 is nice but for a lil more 505zoom is in the process of making a bad ass one

Flywheel - This wil take off alot of rotational weight and you will feel a nice difference

That will be pushing $3,000 but if you do it yourself you will save alot and you will definitely have a sweet ride
 
just one question, does a cai add more whp to compared to n/a cars? cai's usually add anywhere from 5-8whp... how much power do they add to boosted cars?
 
GhostOne said:
I'd have to disagree about the CAI being a good place to start or a best bang for the buck. While I do like the sound of all that air being sucked in the performance gain is not much at all. Why spend $200 and only get maybe 5-8 horses when you could spend a couple hundred more and get 15-20 with either a turbo back exhaust or a upgraded SMIC? Exhaust and upgrade the intercooler is what I would start with. I would also suggest the 626 intake mani which along with the mid pipe is I think the most horses for the least amount of money. Then after you get those get EMS, I suggest SS AFC since it's the cheapest and easiest to use. But think about what your end goal is before you start. You said you want to get a bigger turbo in the future so you would want to go with a FMIC and probably a full stand alone EMS. Just my .02
Click to expand...

Based on my experience, the CAI felt like it offered more of a performance boost than the SMIC. As I stated, the SMIC proves its worth during the hot summer days... I'll assume there's a benefit the rest of the year but it's definitely not nearly as noticeable.

As far as a TBE costing $400... good luck! Most likely it'll be poor quality and/or used... or some custom fab job... I shopped around for the best one I could get (for the least amount of coin) and ended up getting the Vibrant for about $750... and while that easily offered the biggest performance gain to date, it's definitely a few notches above a CAI.
 
I got my Vibrant for 550 shipped. I bought it used off of a forum member on here but he only used it for a couple months so it was practicly brand new. I suggest checking out the for sale threads on a regular basis, some really great deals can be found.
 
awesome, thanks for the responses...gives me some ideas at where i want to start this all at. hehe its funny cause i used to hate working on my cars but since i got my MSP ive been finding any excuse to tweedle with whatever i can find, i was playing with my sub box today for the hell of it hehe


only main questions i got are

what the hells a CAI short for? SMIC short for? hehe


also question about exhaust

i hear stuff like hot pipe, short pipe, cat pipe, a ton of different terms tossed around, im not sure rpecisly what the difference is, someone got a link explaining it or want to give me a fast run down? also, for sound wise, was hoping you could help me out as well....id like my car to have a nice "vrOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM" haha kinda sound, i dislike coffee can mufflers or the ones that make your car sound like a F18 taking off...i just like a nice growl kind of sound when accelerating....suggestions?
 
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