more power
 

I'm thinking of purchasing a 2003 Protege LX 2.0. It claims to have 130hp. What are the best mods to increase hp and torque? I currently have 1 99 Chevy Silverado with 230hp at the wheels. 130hp does't sound like much. Is it enough for the car? Thanks for your advice and opinions.

You're looking at the wrong car if you expect break-neck acceleration. Buy an MSP.

Re: more power
 

What do you plan on using the car for? Just a daily driver, or a 'fun' car? While these cars are fun, they aren't fast. With money, you can make anything fast, but if you're not willing to pluck down another $3500 for a turbo kit, you may want to look elsewhere if you're looking for speed. A nissan spec v may be more up your alley. The protege is a much more refined car overall from what i've heard/read, but the spec v it's much quicker than any protege (except the Mazdaspeed protege).

If you can get your hands on one of those puppies, THEN you'd be happy :)

another thing Jimmy....where do you live? do you live somewhere with a lot of twisty turny roads? if so.....the protege will be RIGHT AT HOME....it is without a doubt one of the absolutely best handling econo boxes out there. bar none. and to give you an example of what I mean....last summer Car and Driver put in the back of one of the summer issues, I think it was either the july or august issue, a chart that covered the last 250 vehicles that they tested.....of those 250 vehicles, regardless of cost, there were only 39 that would out handle the Mp3/P-5 in the 600 foot slolom. there were NO cars in their price range that could even hold a candle to them....and the only Vette that could hang was the C-6. Many of the cars out there that cost as much as 5 times as much couldn't hang with our little cars in the twisties.....pretty impressive in my book anyway.

SO, if handling is important to you....you got the right car.....if all out speed and acceleration are your thing.....you may want to look elsewere....

that is unless you want to lay out a few extra bucks and get the Mazdaspeed Pro, the turbo version.

I'm not looking for break neck speed and acceleration. This will be my wifes car and I just want to gain alittle more power. Just looking for a list of things that work on the car. I don't want to learn by mistakes. This will be my first import car. All my experience is making North American cars/trucks go faster.

I think Sir Nuke got it right on the money with his comments. There aren't many simple mods that will make this car much more powerful than it is from the factory. There are some turbo kits out there and they seem to be the ticket to make the car faster. Unfortunately most are fairly expensive at the moment. If I were you I'd try to buddy up with a salesperson at a Mazda dealer who will let you loose with a car for a good long test drive to get a feel for the car. The performance these cars offer is not outstanding for acceleration but it's nice not having to slow down for the twisties. Overall it is the "fun to drive" aspect that is most appealing about them.