Modest increases in horsepower in the Protege5
 

Hi folks. I'm new to the board. Just bought a 2003 P5 and am in love. I traded in a 2002 Altima (most boring driving sedan on the planet) for this little slot car. I love the way it handles and was pleasantly suprised by how much quieter it is than my Altima (had read many complaints about the wind noise - but it isn't that bad). I find myself looking for winding roads to stretch her legs.

Anyway, the P5 has great road manners and decent acceleration. I have no desire to turn this car into a NOS powered, motorcycle sounding, import racer. However, I would like to know of any successful bolt ons that have helped you acheive some modest increases in horsepower. I'll probably throw a K&N filter on her, but I doubt that will ad much more than 5 hp (if that). What mods have you found to be the least intrusive but most responsive?? TAI

Welcome to the Forum.

There are a number of bolt-ons available for the Protege depending on how much you want to spend and what level of modification you want to achieve. My recommendation would be to install a Racing Beat cat-back exhaust system. This will give you a modest increase in HP and torque without increasing the noise level unacceptably. This is said to be one of the quietest aftermarket systems that actually improves performance.

Many of the aftermarket axle-back mufflers only increase noise and do nothing for performance. I wouldn't waste my money on a K&N drop in filter. The OEM paper filter should be adequate for any 2.0 liter normally aspirated Protege up to 7000 rpm (1000 rpm above peak power and 500 rpm over redline).

intake/mild cams/header/exhaust will net you enough zoom-zoom to make your day even more enjoyable! just shop around first and work the prices on those parts.

I don't want to go turbo (I don't want to break anything). I also doubt I will change the stock cam. I just want to bolt on a little extra zoom zoom. Anyone care to estimate what kind of hp you pick up with intake, header and exhaust?

Yep. intake, header and exhaust seems to be the way to go. I have a SRI in mine and have seen a noticeable difference in the performance. High end rpm seems to produce a little more kick, but you will lose some in the lower rpm ranges. This works well for me as most of my drving is on highways so it gives me a little more zoom-zoom for passing.

I think with just a SRI you will only see maybe 2-4 hp gains. Combine that with a header and exhaust you will see more, maybe around 10.

If you add a K&N panel filter, the only difference you will likely notice is in the sound. When i put in the filter, i felt little or no increase in output of power, only a marginal difference in the sound of the engine. The cheapest way to increase power of the engine power is to install the exhaust, if the car is going to remain mostly stock.

possibly 10-15...stick the cams in there and you'll see 20-30 most likely (depends on what day of the week your car was made ;) )

See my post:
http://www.protege5.com/vbb230/showt...threadid=44363

FasterP5: I read that thread and it was most helpful. I am leaning towards intake, exhaust and header. I think that is about all the kick in the pants I need. After all, I bought the car to have fun on twisty roads. If I wanted to go dragging I would have bought a used a 5.0.

You don't feel the hp increase until you put the stickers on.

Doesnt the header add a lot of extra noise?

It's good to keep the noise levels within reasonable limits
I would add a header but i'm just worried about the excessive noise i would get with it.

Am I correct in saying it adds excessive noise to the car?

Injen CAI - www.adventon.com ~$200
Ractive Header - www.mazdamp3.com(group buy) - $200
Cat-Back Exhaust - www.apexr1.com - $350-$625

these are the most common bolt-on mods you can do. combined, they can add anywhere from 20-30hp and put the 2.0L right around 120-130whp. that should be just enough to satisfy that urge for a little more giddy-up