adamS

Im looking for ideas on how to get my 97 protege fixed for more horsepower, and i have found that you have to get most everything custom made.

I would like to have some suggestions on what to do, becasue i really dont know alot about this stuff yet, all i know is that i am looking into getting a custom cold air intake made, but im not sure as to what i really need to do right now for that. Any help is appricated!

BTW, it is the 1.5L.

jaymersh19

You can make a custom intake yourself if you wanted to. Bruce95fmla has all the directions on his site. http://protosportracing.tripod.com/

Hope that helps.

Jason

ibluevirus

assuming time or money is not an issue. Also assume you will have the proper suspension and braking system to match your power.

First question, do you want Force Induction or Natually Aspirated?

If Force Induction:
1. Turbo
2. Supercharge

Natually Aspirated:
1. Intake
2. headers
3. Highflow cat
4. Mid pipe
5. exhaust
6. Pully
6. Cylinder Head
7. Cam
And on and on and on....

adamS

I'll have to get most of those things custom made though, right?

ibluevirus

keep in mind, I don't own a protege this is just from what I know. Custom or not, you will be surprise how close the cost would be. For example, midpipe and exhaust could be realy cheap when custom made. BUT there is no R&D into. And that's what you would pay for in a known brand.
From what I can see, either way you will have some custom stuff. I guess it also depends on how much power we are talking about here. good luck!

for force induction:
1. with any aftermarket turbo kit you might need
- up/down pipe
- FMIC (mod your front bumper)
- intake
2. with any aftermarket supercharger kit you might need
- secure mount for the turbo charger
- mod your hood
- intake

for NA
1. head
2. cam
3. header

jaymersh19

Well take it from a protege owner. Most of youre stuff will be custom made. If you want a header it will have to be custom made. Custom exhaust piping wouldnt be a problem because any muffler shop can do that. If you want to go turbo, you might as well invest in finding and dropping in a 1.8 liter engine from the ES model. It will be a whole lot cheaper. You can do so much more with that engine, and the power gains will be more satisfying. As for the supercharger.... Good luck finding one. Lets see, what else.... Oh, If you want more power from cams the only thing you can do right now that i know of is send your current cams to crower cams and get them regrinded.

But remember, if you are willing to spend the cheeze then ANYTHING can be done.

Jason

adamS

how much does swapping your engine cost?

The_Oz

Planning is very key. You have to have a good plan and stick with it. That's probably the best advice I can give you. Research is also important - which you are doing right now. I strongly suggest visiting local speed shops in your area and talk to them. And I also STRONGLY SUGGEST that you deal with someone competent. It may be good to talk to the other low-quality garage shops just to get the feel for things. But, when it comes time to do it, go with someone reputable/knowledgeable. Expect to pay a hefty price, but in the end, you'll come home with the confidence that your car has been modded right.

As for your 1.5L, I suggest you swap. This is probably the most cost-effective way...UNLESS you find a way to put a turbo in there or do some major engine work - again, talk to some mechanics. A direct drop-in right now is our 1.8L engines that normally comes with the ES model (US) / ES, LX model (Canadian).

I've heard the newer 2.0L can also be dropped in with some engine mount fabrication, BUT this statement should only be taken as RUMOUR only. A local speed shop told me this, and he is not a Mazda specialist (he is in fact, a Honda specialist).

Another good option is the Mazda KL-ZE V6. This swap can be applied to at least the 95 Protege models. 96-98 models are currently unknown. For more info, visit http://a-spec.ca/ $4300CDN for a nice V6 swap. I suggest you call them and ask them if it is applicable at all. Don't worry, they are Mazda specalists and are highly regarded as such.

Regards,

Oz

jaymersh19

A V6 engine will not drop in our 2nd gen engine bay without some serious mods. The engine is way to big to fit. Unless you have some serious dough to spend, i wouldnt suggest even trying this swap. Us 2nd gen people aleady have enough problems trying to find a way to squeeze in a 1.8 liter turbo. I cant imagine trying to get a V6 in there.

Jason

Bruce95fmla

also make sure you have some light wheels to , I am looking into a set of black spoon rims ,, or some like them ,,, something really light .... with grippy tires as I am also looking into a stage 2 ACT clutch ,
You can also add NOS, or you can go custom with turbo , wich will run some bucks $$$$$... Ractive makes a intake , wich you can get from www.autotoys.com . You can reverse a civic intake if you want , but you will chopping a lot of that suca, but they do sound sweet..... as for mufflers , I say keep the factory resonator on the car and then get a nice pan muffler with the tip already welded on from the manufacturer , then look for a short shifter, I love the pacesetter.. from www.carparts.com ..,,, then from there you really have to decide on what to do motor wise, If you want a 1.8 it is better to find one from your local yard than to have someone ship it to ya , cause you pay an arm and a leg in shipping ... then you need the harness and other tid bits, but this is all options ,,, ... you have to factor it all out bro ,,, just make sure you have light wheels on the car as that really help ,,,
Bruce

adamS

so what would the 1.8l engine cost me to get?

The_Oz

Jason, you have no faith at all. Visit the site http://a-spec.ca Read it $4300CDN with a KL-ZE 200HP installed (yes, you pay $4300CDN and you walk out with a V6 Protege) plus some other frame strengthening mods for a 95 Protege (which you have). This costs just the same as an ITR (engine, tranny, ecu only - no labour), or custom turbo. In fact, I'm calling them tomorrow about 96-98 Proteges to confirm. They posted 90-95 Proteges, which means they have done this mod on your chassis before.

Also, if a V6 is too big, then how in the world were they able to fit a KL V6 in a smaller MX-3?

Regards,

Oz

protegeboy78

If that isn't too far into Canada I might do that. I would love to put a V6 in my car. That would cost less than 3000 for me in american. did you say that included installation? or was that just the engine?

jaymersh19

That has to be a typo. If it can fit 90-95, then is should fit a 96 because nothing changed in the pros between 95 and 96. And the size of the car has a lot to do with what engine can be fit in it, but the size of the engine bay is the biggest factor.

Jason

adamS

well, does it fit in a 97?