Protege5: Harder, not Smarter!
- Thread starter Tamn
- Start date
Ok...I just went and using my super scientific bathroom scale of awesomeness the hood now weighs 8 pounds after being coated with plasti dip. I weighed it before on a shop scale that's measures to the tenth of a pounds and it was 4.5 before.
I can't find anywhere online the weight of the STOCK P5 hood. I was trying to compare your hood's weight to the original weight to see the loss. I have a cf hood due to arrive any day now and I was curious what weight i'll shed
Mmmm guessing its 40-50sh. Oh yea fun fact if you didn't know, not trying to be mean or diss your hood or anything CF is cool. But....CF hoods that are sold for street cars are "generally" (must be politicly correct or I'll have someone come yell at me after I post this) fiberglass hoods with 1 layer of CF on the top. By using a CF layer on top you eliminated the sanding/smoothing process of making a fiberglass product while still using a "cheap" base hood for the CF to be applied too.
I've watched CF hoods being made in shops and the guys were doing 3-4 layers of fiberglass and then 1 layer of CF and that's generally what "CF" hoods being sold for street cars are made of.
"Real" CF is obscenely expensive and the only true use of it is used in formula 1 type vehicles. It has to be vacuum formed and needs special resins, from what I understand a real CF piece would cost upwards of 10 grand for a hood.
Anyways...sorry I lecture sometimes...
Time to get started with some better supplies than I used for my hood.
31N007
31N007
- :
- Mazda Protege5
Subbing for interest, I dont plan on getting near close to what you have, my moms got a Jeep GC V6 and I get that up to 13.2 sometimes, thats from 12.7 and me mashing it to speed quicker (less pull more coast I should think). As far as the underbody and burning, perhaps only cutting out where the exhaust is? Leave it as smooth as possible with only the exhaust area uncovered. That could provide decent enough results maybe without risking a toasty fire? That or keep a fire extinguisher on you? 
like the progress so far
like the progress so far Subbing for interest, I dont plan on getting near close to what you have, my moms got a Jeep GC V6 and I get that up to 13.2 sometimes, thats from 12.7 and me mashing it to speed quicker (less pull more coast I should think). As far as the underbody and burning, perhaps only cutting out where the exhaust is? Leave it as smooth as possible with only the exhaust area uncovered. That could provide decent enough results maybe without risking a toasty fire? That or keep a fire extinguisher on you?
Yea I better start carrying an extinguisher with all this fiberglass anyways. Things could get toasty real fast if something bad happens.
I understand about the CF. The Lexus LFA has a huge portion of cf parts all cut on a laser loom so advance, there are only 2 on Earth. The hood I purchased is 80% looks, 20% weight loss. I know it's not the lightest I can get, Hell, they don't mind people driving around here without a hood. It's going to be a significant change though.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/A5R-oi91bd4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/A5R-oi91bd4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Then theirs also the hinges/etc, which depending on how you mount it, another 2 pound loss or something.
I just removed my rear hatch to make the mold of and I weighed it at 48 pounds. Some nice gains to be had there!
Been starring at the back end for like 2 hours trying to decide whether or not to build a boat tail/kammback or just do it up stock like.
Boat tail would be so flipping sweet for areo but even I can't stand the look of them....so ugly xD
Last edited:
- :
- Mazda Protege 5
You dont like how it looks, but think of the gains.
iamthewheelman
Member
Civic guys run big wing extentions all the time, I dont think you should/need to go even close to that Insight though. Something like this should be more then adequate
http://www.facebook.com/CCCRacing?v=wall
check out the stuff they make, I am sure you can make a Protege one no problem
http://www.facebook.com/CCCRacing?v=wall
check out the stuff they make, I am sure you can make a Protege one no problem
Thats like...half of a kammback, sides should really be enclosed though. But yea, I was thinking something like that. I will make the hatch to stock dimensions and then mess around testing diffrent kammbacks with some diffrent angles and then glass it straight onto the hatch. Should be easy enough.
I was gonna have the mold done today, but....it started raining...imagine that. I'd get so much more stuff done if I lived in california...or had a real shop...
But I got my hatch off and stripped it of the spoiler, latches, license plate and badges. Taping all the gaps and I'll mold it up tomorrow.
Yea....a full boattail would be ungodly slippery....if I could live with the ugliness.....but.....ahhh its just too much...kammback for sure.
On a sidenote, I achieved an average of 58 mpg highway yesterday when I was running too and from the fiberglass supply shop. But I cheated and drove 55 the entire time and coasted all the hills down to 45 before re accelerating
Last edited:
Thats actually the PAC "mazda 6" 20B worlds fastest rotary. But I don't even care, that's my favorite drag car of all time!!!
They just rebuilt it after it was wrecked last year, supposedly it's even badder now!!!
where was this vid taken? i wonder if in PR
Wish I could follow the rotary RWD conversion build. Wonder why they chose the p5 as the platform. Saw a thread on another site where a guy was doing an AWD conversion on his MS3.
They did a Mazda3 as well
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bve93EyPMj0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
They did a Mazda3 as well
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bve93EyPMj0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Last edited:
http://www.pacperformance.com.au/News/article/602.aspx
The rebuilt car, I think it was like last month or something, can't wait to see what it puts down now.
This was the crash which ruined the old car. At least the driver made out very well considering.
I've actually been shadowing the car for quite a awhile now, inspires me for my body panel designs xD
I wanted to just make an entire front end like theirs but I need headlights...
Anyways, making up the mold right now as I speak...so much wait time between coats
oh yea...and I'm gonna try a single wiper mod as well I think sometime...I've always loved the single wiper on the GT race cars....so cool!
The rebuilt car, I think it was like last month or something, can't wait to see what it puts down now.
This was the crash which ruined the old car. At least the driver made out very well considering.
I've actually been shadowing the car for quite a awhile now, inspires me for my body panel designs xD
I wanted to just make an entire front end like theirs but I need headlights...
Anyways, making up the mold right now as I speak...so much wait time between coats
oh yea...and I'm gonna try a single wiper mod as well I think sometime...I've always loved the single wiper on the GT race cars....so cool!
Last edited:
