I think what josh is talking about is the P5 does not respond well to NA mods. You can put a lot of work to get 20WHP more than stock and a lil more if you spend the money to maybe 60WHP total. When it's all said and done to get the extra 60WHP NA you could have gotten at least 100WHP with a turbo. Though turbos require a lot of prep to make your engine and tranny last.
Though if you want to go NA he is right there are few mods that will make your car work better:
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ColdAirIntake-The intake will make your car sound better and remove restriction. I personally have a Injen styled one that goes in the fender well to truly get cold air. $240-protege garage
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UnderDrive Crank Pulley-It will reduce unsprung weight on the engine allowing it to work easier and rev better. Also besides being light it's also 15% smaller allowing you to use less HP to turn the water pump, alternator, powersteering and AC. This helps with the loss you get from using AC and helps with freeway cruising! The one I am talking about is UR UDP-$190-protege garage
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SLS Motor Mounts- I have the front & side and it does not techically add HP but adds responsiviness. Since it keep the engine from moving as much, it does not waste HP on traction. This will add slight vibration to the cabin at idle, but very light. I would only not recommend this mod if you sit in traffic all the time, as it would probably drive you up the wall after sitting in traffic for hours. This mod helps that delay you get when you stomp on the gas. $163+ shipping-SLS
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VTCS removal - The VTCS is that annoying metal fluttering you hear. They are metal valves in the intake manifold (there is a DYI). It is suppose to help swirl the air for better warm up of the prep cat when the car is cold. Though it not only heats the air, but it gets in the air flow's way in the upper range. A removal of this would help air flow and the upper power range. There should be no problem with using a stock ecu with this, most that have problems missed a vaccum line. Remember to leave the soloid and cap it off. While you have to take the intake off there is some other mods.....
~$0 I am not sure the cost of the metal proxy and caps needed should only be a couple of bucks, though you may need new gaskets
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Intake Manifold spacers- It's a fact the intake manifold and throttle body will heat up from being attached to the engine, and thus heat the air before it get to the engine. Spacers will help stop the heating of these pieces by 20 degrees and help the incoming cold air from your CAI stay cold until it reaches the engine. This helps get more air in the engine. $55- NSN motorsports
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Port and Polish of Intake Manifold- You need to becareful doing this as you can mess up and take too much material. There is a DYI if your interested in not paying someone else to do it. $0
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Port and Polish of Cylinder Head- This help the flow of air as this is another big restriction. Our heads do not flow well stock. $500 and $599 if you do not supply head.
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Flywheel- A lightened Flywheel will help the engine work better sort of like the lightened UDP. This will of course make it harder to shift, in the sense you have less time before the rpm's drop for matching. Obviously this will only work on Manuals $349.00-protege garage
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Stand Alone Engine Management- I have not looked into which one is the best, but I have heard that on a stock car alone there is more power and smooth power to be had! Now imagine you tune the car with all the mods on it! $1,199.99 microtech -protege garage
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Losing Weight- This is a very broad statement, but the less there is to move around, the better the car handles, the faster the car can move, better braking, and better mpg! This could be take as two fold. Lightening the car and losing weight your self. Obviously this will not work for everyone. Though if you got extra crap in the car, get rid of it! I know you want thoughs awesome subs, but man do they weight the car down. That battery is heavy as all get out, replace it will a dynaBatt. That hood, go carbon fiber and lose some weight. Any other panels that are able to be carbon fiber go for it! Stock spoiler, carbon fiber buddy. Wheels, go light and not thoughs chrome 20" dubs you want. Seriously, chrome wheels weigh more and larger wheels will general weigh more as well. Why do you think though older civics, crx's and lotus's race so well-----weight and the lack there of. $varies on parts
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Now all these mods will help (except maybe the CAI) if you decide to go turbo later. These next mods will have to be replaced if you go turbo.
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Header- You can get the ODX 4-1 header, but it gives power to the upper RPM ranges. Our cars and daily driving is closer to low to mid range. The other problem is the mid pipe's restrictiviness. With a 4-2-1 header on E-bay for the MX-6 or 626 2.0 you are basicly getting the rare madza racing header. Yes there is more work to make it work, but thus is the case. You need to get the EGR bung welded shut and a new one weld in the correct place. Then you need a new mid pipe welded up because the new header is longer and takes up some of the OEM mid pipe. This is to your advantage as getting a bigger mid pipe and a high flow cat will help. The header in general will help because the pre-cat is holding heat in the engine and impeding exhaust flow. I am not sure about weight, but I think this setup should weigh less too! Something will need to be done about the second O2 sensor of course. $170+misc parts+weld labor+high flow cat=~$370-Ebay and a local exhaust shop
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Catback exhaust- Well you can get one of these and it will give a few hp, but mainly it's for sound. The most popular because of sound and not droning at highway speeds is Racing Beat Catback. If you get a turbo, you will want a exhaust and it wil help alot more then. $450-protege garage
MP3 ECU- This will only work on manual cars and I am told is hard to get a hold of. This will increase timing, and require you to use 91-93 octane gas. This will give you a big increase, probably 8. Would be pointless if you got the standlone route.
Cams- A more aggressive cam will help with getting more air in the engine. You need to do research on what type of cam you want depending on the goal your looking for. $549-protege garage
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Rods and Pistons- You might notice that our compression ratio is low compared to other cars. Well in Japan besides cams they also had higher compression to yield more power. You will definitely need a stand alone engine management at this point to be able to use the higher compression. It would also be wise to make sure the air/fuel ratio is good so you do not kill your engine. Some people have bored and got slight bigger pistions to increase displacement. $599-protege garage
For all this without installation, I think your looking at ~$4,620. Now mind you they will help your car be more efficient and get better gas mileage. Also with a turbo you still need to beef up the engine with rods and pistions and tranny. So if i take out the higher compression rods and pistions, you are about $4,220. Though there are increased problems with turbos because of vaccum and oil leaks, so it's not a trouble free setup. I hope this helps and remember, some of these mods can also be used when you turbo.
Magus
