k, thx for everything guys....i thought i was gonna get laughed at for com'n in here like an idiot lol (i think im the only 1 with a stock protege on this board) thx again. peace thx for the gl wishes

 

yeah get some car mags they're fun and you'll keep updated on current trends

I suggest you dont go out and blow your money whenever you can because you'll find a better way to spend it. most people want to make their car stand out, and a good way is by making it really good looking. Just going for performance is gonna cost you money and not end up as satisfying in the end. Well thats just my opinion.

 

well i know im gonna get like a 15 percent tint, i was gonna get a system on my b-day (july 20th) but i decided to just get b-day money instead....(turned 17) Normally i'd really want sum rims...but the ones that come with it r so phat i dont have a problem with them at all...but its like stock rims u know? so thats not on my things 2 do list...so far im just tryin to get tint first, then my next guess is to put like an exhaust system on it or sumtin....i mean im gonna start researchin this **** but thats just an estimate........oooh btw i never asked this and im suprised no 1 brought it up.......whats the deal with racing chips/ how do they improve your car hp wise and stuff....

 

you can add alot of mods to your car before spending the big bucks.
1. tints
2.system
3.springs
4.intake
5.exhaust
6.strut bar
etc..etc.
For me my order is tints,system,intake,exhaust...

P.S welcome to the club!!

 

aight now hold on i dont mean 2 be a bitch lol but........exactly y does intake come before exhaust and i know i've heard this b4 but why is it so beneficial to have them ect... haha sry for the incompitence im a slow learner

 

ECU (computer) chips change the fuel maps, timing, or other such things the help better tune your car. Unfortunately on our Proteges, a chip does exist. There are very few piggy-back systems, which override the stock ECU, and I've heard problems of getting them to work properly at all times. A complete stand alone engine mangagement system is your best bet in my opinion. You would get an entire new ECU, but installing it would not be easy or fun, and you would need a dyno to fine tune your car.

 

The intake and exhaust simply let the engine breathe. Aftermarket intakes/exhausts are usually larger diameter than stock pieces, allowing more air to flow. This helps the top end (the end where us enthusiasts are most). Think of it like sucking air through a straw versus breathing without restrictions, the difference is like that in a way. Remember though, when you improve the top end, the low end is usually hurt.

 

aight im starting 2 understand, now everything in a complete exhaust system starts from the headers, then goes to the cat, and then the muffler rite? And j/w but, what are all the parts in a complete intake system? or is intake just 1 piece by itself?

 

The exhaust system has many possibilites, usually just header, piping, and muffler (sometimes high-flo cat). There may be other things like a secondary cat or a resonator, and each thing has at least 2 names so watch out I won't get into dual exhausts either.

For the intake, it's basically tubing with a cone filter (aftermarket ones at least) and on newer cars includes the MAF (mass air flow sensor). The MAF sensor reads how much air is flowing into the vehicle and how quickly so the car can adjust the fuel, etc.

 

Welcome to the forum. I'm like you, being new to this. In the past couple months I've learned so much from these guys & ladies. What I did was just follow the existing threads and throw out a question when I didn't understand things. If I needed specific info for my mods, I would do a search first for the answer, and then come to these nice people with more educated questions. And relax, we all like to poke a little fun at each other. No need to get ticked, just poke fun back. They are good people.

 

exactly...This is not the place for overly sensitve people, you will get poked fun at if you ask questions that have been asked about a million times...but it is the redundance that pisses people off, not you personally...

look into a "Cat-Back" system which refers to everything post Catalyst (Second catalytic converter in your case, your car has two...) this is a fairly simple upgrade that, as mentioned above, helps with breathing...There are a number of different aftermarket systems available, or you can have a custom one made by a muffler shop for fairly cheap...The thing to look out for is backflippers at shops telling you to get the biggest exhuast diameter possible, which is completely ignorant and incorrect...There is an excellent tech article on this board regarding exhuast sytems, but in short too large of a diameter system promotes slower moving exhuast pulses and in turn guts power at slower engine speeds...In general, the faster the exhuast pulses leave your trunk, the better the party...

Luckily most of the pre-made aftermarket systems are of decent diameter and are overall pretty good...but also the stock system, except the down-pipe, are pretty good breathing wise...So with only a cat-back system upgrade you won't see a huge power gain, just a nicer sound and some more usuable power higer in the rev-band...