new owner - 02 P5

[KelOne333]

I just bought an 02 Proteg5 yesterday after well over a decade of owning nothing but VW's. (5 of them to be exact).
It's only been a day but WOW...everything I've read about the handling is absolutely accurate. It's all stock with Toyo Proxes4 tires and the turns i was taking in my Passat on coilovers or my Jetta on a cup kit were nowhere near as fun as in the Proteg5.

the best way to describe the difference is (and i'm going to use the Jetta here because it's a better comparison...though it's still not exactly apples to apples):

97 Jetta Trek 2.0: The harder I would go into a corner the harder i'd have to hold the wheel and the harder it became to steer. Though I never so much as slipped or broke traction, I always felt as if my life was about to end. (and don't get me wrong, this is a fun feeling sometimes)

02 Proteg5: same corners. the initial turn-ins were effortless. and, opposite to the jetta, the harder the corner, the Easier it was to turn. like this car was MEANT for this. I haven't smiled this much while driving since my CRX wayyy back in the day. and it's a wagon!

what i'm trying to say is, i'm hooked. you guys gotta good thing going here and i look to become a part of it. i've been after the proteg5 for a few years now but when they ARE available (which is next to never), they're either beat or $8K+. I found this little 108k mile, 1-owner carfax gem for under $6k and I had to have it. And I wouldn't have been able to get it if the nice girl didn't back into my parked jetta (only car in the parking lot) after buying vodka at 10am on a thursday morning. small damage, big money. totaled. big check. mazda.

i'm usually not this long winded, but i'm happy with my new car.

here's some crappy cell phone pics, and hopefully i'll take some proper pics this week while the weather is nice.

and here's the aforementioned 96 Passat and 97 Jetta:

 

[bighoopty]

Welcome to the group, I've had mine for a couple of weeks now, and your description of the handling is right on. Its so hard to describe how much fun it is to drive these slow little station wagons!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, and I paid $5k for mine with 95k miles on it!!! Thats was after much searching on the internet, actually was driving down a road I havent been on before and came across it on the side of the road in someones yard!

 

[jdmdikk]

o wow i guess i got a sweet deal on mines.mines needed and still need a few things fixed but i paid 3k and spent about 100 so far fixing it..mines a 03..welcome bro

 

[faridk89]

o wow i guess i got a sweet deal on mines.mines needed and still need a few things fixed but i paid 3k and spent about 100 so far fixing it..mines a 03..welcome bro

yeah i dont understand the pricing on this car, some area's in the U.S they seem pretty expansive, others dirt cheap...i got mine in Toronto for 4200 with one owner 77k miles on it, but anyways congrads on the purchase looks pretty mint

 

[MazdaP55]

Welcome to the group!

I've had my 02 for about 6 months now. Love it. Bought 2 pairs of Dunlop tires for 1k... it's better haha.

I'm in the middle of slowly transforming it into a speed so I can take care of the ''slow'' part.

Cost me 7k... it only has 60k miles on it thought

 

[Lewis7789]

Welcome! And you bought the fastest colour too!

 

[Magus]

I am not sure how much research you did on the p5, (not sure if you have a manual). You can do a few mods to get the car the way it should have been from the factory, but it will never be as fast as a turbo or KL-ZE V6.

Suspensions tips:

-Get a mx-6 rear strut bar for cheap on Ebay, works wonders.

-If you get a rear sway bar, it's a mixed bag. You can get ones that are the mazdaspeed protege, but you will need to modifications for it to work properly. I personally went with a 22mm progress rear sway bar. It can get the tail to kick out in some cases. I would recommend getting a machinist to make thicker brackets then the progressive shipped ones. I have broke many brackets and wore some tires wrong. I got a guy to make some brackets that are doubly thick and no more breaking. I also have no more squeaking either! Keep the stock endlinks, I have not found a well designed everyday set and the stock work fine. Be mindful the endlinks on your car might be a pain to get off (had to cut and drill mine off).

-coil-overs are ok, but they are not designed right. The stock suspension was designed with linear springs in the front and progressive in the rear. Most coil overs are linear all around. Some spring sets are progressive all around. The best combo I have seen has been Tokico Illuminas struts (gives you damper settings to work with) and espelir springs. They are linear in the front for good handling and turn in, but progressive in the rear for a good ride. I have been told their is no need for camber adjustments with our suspension after a reasonable drop, just alignment.

Engine stuff:

-Front motor mount will get rid of wasteful engine movement or wheel hop. I got a SLS front mount because of the duro of the bushing and vibration reduction. Tip, get the two supplied bolts wield to the mount with the threads pointing downward. This will make it MUCH easier for installation like stock. Very little vibration at lights with auto.

-CAI (like injen) I got a Ebay special with an AEM bypass. The intake goes into the wheel well and works great! Mind you it's not big power, but it part of the equation.

-UR UDP eliminates AC power drain, lowers alternator output a little bit, but makes the car rev much more lively.

-Exhaust I have not done this yet, but you have two options. Get a obx 4-1 header, or go the custom 4-2-1 ebay route. There is a header on Ebay for a mx-6 2.0 that fits our car sort of. It needs the egr connection redone, and needs a custom mid pipe (w/ cat). You can get both header and midpipe on Ebay, but need the egr thing fixed. It gives you better mid and high power than the 4-1. Catbacks give a little bit of power, but not much like the header (10hp).

-If you have a manual, Mp3 ecu. If you swap it will bump power by 10hp. The only thing is VTCS values need to be remove to get full affect. You also need premium gas then with different spark plugs.

BRAKES:

-I highly recommend steel braided lines, they get rid of the mush

-stock size drilled slotted rotors, they remove unsprung weight and release more power. Plus you have great brakes in bad weather.

-Front brake pads, i would only do aggressive fronts (Axiss Ultimate or a hawk +)


If that is not enough, your only choices are v6 or turbo. Both will be expensive because the stock 4 cylinder does not like boost above 8 psi.

 

[P-Funk!]

^ Great post.

If you have a manual, Mp3 ecu. If you swap it will bump power by 10hp. The only thing is VTCS VALVES need to be remove to get full affect. You also need premium gas then with different spark plugs.

The valves are butterflies in the intake manifold. Yep - best to remove them for performance.

 

[KelOne333]

thanks for all the tips guys. i forgot to mention, yes...it is a manual. you'll not catch me in an automatic until i'm damn near 80. i've had 5 automatics and managed to break them all.

as for the performance mods...maybe down the line, but minimal. i'll do a couple subtle cosmetic OEM+ mods, maybe let the engine breathe a little better, and a mild drop. but that'll likely be about it. i'm married 8 months now with two dogs and expecting to be expecting kids sometime in the next couple of years, so reliability is key. (hence the shift from VW's....sad to say)


questions:

MX6 rear strut bar: you weren't kidding "cheap". what years fit? how much of a PITA is it to install? will it restrict my cargo space? cuz that's my dogs new home back there.

UR UDP: ???


ps: LOVE the color wars. I had an 03 Suzuki SV1000S in silver, and it was by far faster than the other colors.

 

[jdmdikk]

lol on the color war..dammit u guys have a faster p5's then me..i guess its because mines is auto

 

[Lewis7789]

Unorthodox Racing; under drive pulley, if I remember correctly. You'll get to know all the acronyms eventually. heh-heh.

Magus does offer some great advice, but I think for your application, some of those upgrades are a little much...

As far as the rear strut tower bar, I would skip that mod. Especially with a dog in the hatch. I installed one on my civic and didn't notice a difference in cornering anyways. I would go with a rear sway bar for improved handling. But then again, there are the problems mentioned before with clunk and breaking endlinks and mounting brackets.

Some good springs, like Tein S-techs and Tokico blues are a good choice for a 1-1/2" - 2" drop while still being comfortable for street driving. Unless you plan on auto-x'ing, I don't see the need for adjustable suspension. I prefer the "Set it and forget it" route.

A lot of guys are going back to stock OEM air box with a K&N air filter. I have an AEM intake and like it but it does breath loudly with full throttle. I'm not sure if the wife will find that annoying or not. And honestly, a header and catback isn't really a great idea with a wife and kids on the way. My car is loud as hell and drones like crazy on the highway. I wouldn't want a kid in the back seat wearing earphones.

The MP3 ECU is the best mod for our P5's and well worth the money. There is a member selling re-flashed ECU's on here. You will need to run premium fuel for the best effect from the ECU but it smooths out our powerband and feels much stronger. I'm still running with VTCS (but will be removing very soon) and stock spark plugs for about a year without any problems.

P5's have great stock brakes. I would upgrade to Hawk pads and keep stock sized rotors. Slotted or drilled rotors are not necessary for street cars, unless you plan on racing and really heating up the rotors.

You certainly aren't a newb to modding cars, so I'm sure most of what i just wrote isn't anything new to you. But sometimes the obvious needs to be stated, make sure everything is running well first before modding your car. Replaces your belts, radiator hoses/flush radiator, flush trans fluid, change spark plugs, clean air filter, brake pads, etc. You know, the daily routine stuff. There's no point in modding a car that doesn't run as strong as it can to begin with.

Best of luck and you'll find TONS of great advice, tips and info on the forum. The "How To:" section is my best friend.

 

[Ride92]

welcome to the mazda family and the forums. Check out the How-to section, tons of info and project ideas in there to keep you busy for a while. Search is your friend, use it you'll find what your looking for. Now get out there and get that zoom-zoom smile, there's nothing like it!!!

 

[Magus]

Well it just depends on the application of P5 use. I just wanted to lay out what his opinions where plus my experiences. The strut bar would not be recommend if you are putting dogs in the back. They might hit it, unless you are going to pad it. The 93+ mx-6 rear strut bar, it just keeps the car from bending in the turns. If you do not need adjustable struts, go with the Tokico blues. They are like the Illuminas on the number 3 settings (in the middle). I would not put springs on the car without new struts. The oem struts will not last long with aftermarket springs.

With my mods at 70 mph or higher their is no droning, but I do not have an exhaust or header yet. The engine noise does not kick in largely till 3500 rpm, but that is normal. It is just a little more pronounced with my Intake.

Personally, I would watch handling mods. I killed an engine autoxing and decided to get a awr oil pan to keep from oil starving the new engine. Power mods will be helpful in hauling stuff, but it depends on the wife. My wife likes Top Gear, and thus loves what I have done to the car. My dog does not hang out in the trunk. I do not have kids yet, but they should be fine.

There is a good tip on here about using insulating foam sheets to quiet down the P5, that might be good for wife and kid.

Opps, Yes i meant butterfies, not valves.

 

[KelOne333]

thanks for all the tips guys. i know my way around forums so i won't be posting any new threads about roof racks or the canadian headlight swap/mod (see? i've been using search!)

though even with search i've not found any concrete info on how to quiet the roof racks without removing them. but i'll keep looking. i swear i think my crossbars are on backwards. shouldn't the smooth, rounded side face forward?

today's project is tint for the cargo area (keep the doggies cool), yellow bulbs for the fogs, custom cargo mat (unless i find a decent one for around $50), and take it to the dealer. there seems to be some vibration coming through the steering wheel at 80mph+

thanks again guys

petey and sox thank you too

 

[Magus]

Unfortunately, I do not think any one has bothered to sort that out. There appears to be a design fault that causes the whistling noise. If you remove the racks and put only the front caps on you eliminate the noise, but of course the parts are $50 for the front set. There must be something with the design of the bars that cause it.

I just looked at my bars and here is my observation:

-front and rear brackets covers are smooth in the front and gradually slope upwards. The rear of the bracket are smooth but are steeper slope downwards.

-The bars appear to be smooth with a rubber strip on top. The difference I see that might cause the whistle is a metal strip in the front on the front bar, and the rear on the rear bar. The strip does not go all the way across and sharply stops before reaching the bracket covers. I would flip the front bar if possible, but there is a weight warning sticker on the back of the bar that would be more visible if swapped around. I do not have time this week, but is it even possible to swap the brackets on the bar to flip the front bar?

-There are holes on the covers for the cover holding screws.


There appears to be one of two things causing the noise; the screw holes (like blowing on a bottle) or the bar metal strips.


The vibration at 80mph is either your wheels are out of balance/bent or you need an aliment.

 

[KelOne333]

well, the shaking was fixed yesterday. simple wheels out of balance. and i found a couple of things that need to be addressed:

drivers seat height. i'm 6'2" and i'm damn near scraping the ceiling. the rear view mirror is directly in front of my eyes, meaning I have to duck to see past it.

i've searched the forums and though there are threads about this problem...they all go off in typical forum fashion providing much agreement, some "my friends brothers roomate" stories, and flaming....with no concrete resolution. maybe i'll just make some jetta seats fit. anyone have any tips?

gearbox: notchy as hell. i've nearly went from 5th to reverse, oh...i don't know...every time i try to get into 4th. (i'm used to reverse being next to 1st) and shifting under "heavy" acceleration can snag the shifter in the gate often. does a short shifter fix this. i had one in my passat and noticed no real difference. but it was butter smooth to begin with.

i'm not crazy about shelling out premium gas prices just for 10 more HP. will a simple cat-back and air filter liven it up a bit? i'm finding that this is definitely the slowest car i've ever owned. which is ok...but more is always better right?

roofracks, i'll take a picture of what i mean later. but i think you get me Magus. i have that same warning sticker facing the rear of the car on the front bar. does the headliner really need to be removed to remove the roof racks? and if so, can the overhead lighting be relocated to between the visors while this is done? they're useless in the middle of the car.

 

[Tzar177]

I would replace your tranny fluid with some synthetic stuff. I have Redline MT-90 in my protege. I would do that and yes get a short shifter. I bought a kit from TWM

 

[Lewis7789]

I'm 6-1 and don't have any problems with my head hitting the ceiling, but I've got a sunroof so the cutout helps. Maybe some different seats would help, though might be expensive unless you find something cheap on craigslist and make your own brackets. Or if you just take out the slider and mount it directly to the floor?

The first mod I did to my P5 was a short shifter. IIRC, Volkswagons short shifters are more of a bracket assembly in the engine bay, Mazdas have simply a different shift lever with different dimensions that make the shift throw shorter, like Hondas. It's a very easy install and well worht the money, even for just tooling around town.

A lot of people say intakes and exhaust don't really help our motors, they just make them louder. I put my intake and exhaust on at the same time and honestly, my butt dyno didn't feel a whole lot of a difference, especially for the almost $800 I spent for it. But I'm still trying to make it faster anyway. heh-heh. The MP3 ECU is still worth every penny in my book, but I always ran premium fuel in all my cars anyway.

 

[KelOne333]

i don't so much hit the ceiling as i hafta duck several inches to see under the rear view mirror. i guess i'm used to being lowered 2-3" and having the seat pan on the floor. i feel like i'm in an SUV.

i've been thinking about installing the seat directly to the floor. but i'll likely only have this car for a year. so it would have to be reversible. and in an emergency if my wife has to drive it...well...she's 5'5" with shoes.