Cams or Zex???
 

After reading the discussions on Zex nitrous over at the Probetalk forums and here also...I am now seriously considering the Zex kit. If I get it I am not planning to run more than 55-shot which according to everyone is well withing safe specs for the FS engine. Before the topic of nitrous came up...I was going to go for the J-spec/Mazdaspeed cams...but now, I am somewhat torn between the two...obviously, the Zex will yield better HP gains than the Cams (only when squeezing though). The cams will give me more top-end power that is readily available at any time...
If I get the cams I plan on having the dealer install them so it is covered in the warranty :doh: ...with that in mind the costs will be very near each other...
What would you all suggest I do...I am at wits end!:dunno:

How about both :bt:
I would go with the cams probably if your dealer says that your warranty will stay valid.
Nitrous will definalty negate your warranty. I know some honda dealers now test engines if they suspect that the owner has used Nitrous. Kinda like a drug test.

I like my ZEX Kit but it doesn't last as long as I would like, it is good however for a nice Burst of speed. I went through my first bottle in about a week or so. This stuff is addictaive :)

I will probably get the cams down the road myself. Whether you want a little power all the time or alot of power for a short amount of time, thats the call you have to make.
Good Luck Choosing :bt:

how much does it cost to get the bottle refiled and where did you get it refiled?

Here we go with the warranties again. First off, I'm pretty certain the MazdaSpeed cam doesn't come with a warranty when you buy it. You can't buy one through a Mazda dealer, so I highly doubt you are going to find a dealer to install the cam for you. Whether a dealer installs the cam or not, doesn't affect your warranty unless they can prove the cam caused a problem. The same goes for the ZEX N2O kit. However, if your not careful with N2O, it may be easier to damage the engine to such an extent that it's much easier for the dealer to prove that some modification was made that caused the problem. N2O is the correct symbol for Nitrous Oxide, NOS is a company and I don't think they would appreciate being called expendable. I'd really like to know what test Honda dealers are supposedly performing to check for nitrous use. It would much easier to determine if nitrous was being abused in the engine by the melted pistons or exhaust valves.

an N2O kit will cost the same as the 2 cams (J-Spec intake and Mazdaspeed exhaust camshaft) ?! really?

My Local Mazda dealer here will do the cam install...I talked it over with the guys in the service department and they all said that it wouldnt be a problem. The intake cam is MAZDA Motorsports...NOT Mazdaspeed only the exhaust cam is Mazdaspeed...regardless, installing these cams at my dealership is absouloutley possible.

Yes...if the cams are installed by a Mazda Tech then labor (in CA) will be about $350-400 :eek: Thats borderline criminal.

I think I may just say screw it and do the cams myself :D ...then I could probably afford BOTH...Hmmmmmm....:blue:

Actually, the intake cam upgrade available for US Proteges is the stock Mazda intake cam from the FS-ZE engine available in the Sport 20 (similar to the Protege 5) in Japan. It can be ordered through Mazda Motorsports. The MazdaSpeed exhaust cam was developed for a special edition model of the Sport 20 in Japan, along with the slightly higher compression pistons and lighter flywheel. That special edition engine in the Sport 20 only made about 5 more HP though, so the exhaust cam probably won't add much power. That's surprising that a Mazda dealer would install the cams, but I still don't believe the cam comes with a warranty.

How in the world can you "test" for nitrous use? I've seen totally stock engines send the rods through the oil pan, so that can't be the case. You can burn pistons and valves from running too lean also.

Sorry folks, but nitrous cannot be detected with engine teardown. But the only way is for something to be discolored from the extra heat produced, but like I said a lean condition from wrongly tuning a Super AFC or a locked closed injector can be the cause.

That also depends on the dealer ship you working with. I know many performance-orinted(sp?) dealers that will replace your engine if you remove the "serious" hardware.

The key with any form of serious performance mod is TUNING. I've seen way too many badly tuned turbo, superchared and nitrous powered cars. In just about every case I can beat those cars with a well-tuned and thought-out nitrous system..

In Aus the dealers are more than happy to install aftermarket cams...as far as warranty goes..they come with the dealership warranty (not manufacturer)...eg warranty on the work carried out while installing the cams...and like you said eric the manufacturers warranty is only voided if they can trace the problem back to the cams...now if there are any problems you can either sue the dealership who did the fitting..or the makers of the cams (if they are found to be a faulty product)


so i guess my 2c's is go for the cams!;)

That also depends on the dealer ship you working with. I know many performance-orinted(sp?) dealers that will replace your engine if you remove the "serious" hardware.

I saw a Nissan dealer in Florida replace the motor in a Sentra SE that had a roll cage and full paint for SCCA racing. That dealer has a lot of loyal customers now.

A good dealer will put the work into a warranty claim for a customer, even if it's a hard claim to sell, because the factory pays the parts and labor. So, it’s no skin off his ass - if you're a 'good' customer.

If the warranty is an issue for someone then I don't think they should be pushing the tuning envelope - unless they're a 'real good' customer.

Go all out dump a turbo in there!!!!:D

This is an old thread, but lately I've come across an opportunity to drop a full laughing gas kit in my P5 at very reasonable cost. Unlike other mods, it's "pay as you play", so over time it could be quite expensive. Especially if I forget to use high octane fuel while using N2O! If any of you guys have since played around with N2O in your Protege, please continue to share your experiences with it. How many of you think it was a good bang for the buck, and would do it all over again in a heartbeat? Anybody have any time slips running N2O, and which setup did you use? Any of you take the bottle out of the car for good, and think it was a big waste?

<~~~N20 p5. Well it will be as of this weekend. I decided to throw it on the car after an old fart in a turbo miata started talking crap to me.

ZEX is my brand of choice. Very safe for a street car but the performance is not ujp to par with other models. I would also recommend a WET kit as they produce more power than dry.

My friends ranger with a 100hp shot dry kit made 74whp over stock. The wet kit was used next and a 75hp shot made 71hp at the wheels.

Nitrous usually costs about $3.25/lb. Or $33 a bottle.

Hey, Roddimus. Good luck this weekend; let us know how you ran with your ZEX setup. Are you doing a 30 shot to begin with?

Its like 30-45 bucks where I live..