justanotheradikt said:
?
2001-2003...thats 3 in my book....there are plenty of aftermarket parts out there. not as many as a civic or fox body but a good amount considering there were only 3 years it was made
I think he was referring to the fact that the Protege 5 itself was only built as 2002 and 2003 models. Engine-wise, the Pro5 has the same engine as a 2001, 2002, 2003 Protege, however. The P5 differs in exhausts (shorter than the sedan), suspension, and certain body components. So both are right...engine in production for 3 years, but body and other P5-exclusive aspects were only in production for 2 years.
I also agree with justanotherdikt in that for a 2-3 year production car there is a pretty decent aftermarket. Most of our parts are made by people we can actually speak to and ask questions because they personally designed, manufactured, and sold you the part (AWR, Kartboy, DGMotorsports, etc). While with a Honda, you can buy from parts from virtually anyone and you can't rely 100% on the retailer to be able to answer any questions you have about the part. Also with Hondas, Nissans, and other icon tuners, you have to worry about knock-off parts. We have a better chance of getting a quality part. Sorry for the rant, just my $0.02.
To address the topic at hand, Thunder also makes a 4-1 header (I'm waiting for mine arrive). Just like the OBX and Tsudo, it removes the first cat and a CEL eliminator is required. If I had the cash flow, I would have opted for the AWR because it is a 4-2-1 design which is better for more mid-range gains. If anyone is interested in the Thunder header for the FS-DE 2.0L or for the Mazda 3, get in touch with Gary (Protephile is his screenname) and he can hook you up. He is a great vendor and an awesome guy and he is the only source for Thunder right now (they also make exhaust systems for our cars).