piscorpio

Hey all, I just stumbled upon this MB during my recent research into the MP5. The reason for my new interest, is that I have another little one on the way, and my Civic coupe (a 00 EX) is not going to be the easiest to deal with, given the situation. Ive read the FAQ on this site, and it appears to me that the MP5 and 3rd gen. Proteges have very little aftermarket support. (Keep in mind what I own now, and the support for that car in comparison.) Has anyone here taken their MP5 or any 3rd gen. Protege to the next level, performance wise (turbo charging, engine work)? What kind of gains can be had with the 2.0 DOHC engine? (it seems like 130 hp is underachieving, and I have to think, or at least hope that there is some serious potential there.) Also, what kind of engine swap possibilities are there, what is this FS-ZE engine Ive heard of, which trim is it standard on?


As you can see, I have so many questions, and I am a bit lost. Ive only become familiar with the Honda/Acura world in the past 3 years, so switching to Mazda has me feeling like a newbie again. Just here to say hello to all, and to ask for any advice someone might be able to offer me.


Oh, and if it helps clarify my goals/desires. With my current SOHC Civic, I was planning to turobcharge and hopefully put close to 200hp to the wheels. I wanted usuable power that was as lag free as possible. I also did not intend on having a dragstrip monster, as I have not raced in any form (autocross seems to be more to my liking). Impressive yet streetable power, with a well balanced suspension setup, I think that sums up my goals.

Sorry for the rant, Im just a bit giddy at the prospect of a new car to tinker with.

onehawaiian

welcome to the board, and yes, there are many ppl on here who have modded their pro's. not as much aftermarket support this is true, but it's not non-existant. stuff is available, and i'm sure those ppl who have upgraded will post soon.

altho with a "little one" on the way, do you really have time for personal toyz?

again, welcome!

Makaveli

aftermarket is growing each day

just take a look in the '3rd Gen Engine/Drivetrain' section and you'll see a lot of people lately in the process of turbocharging their engines. Right now I can think of about 5 different turbo kits that will be all available for our cars within two months. All of them are aiming at 190hp give or take a few.......

There's no really easy engine swaps for our cars except for the japanese version, the FS-ZE which is basically same as our except for higher compression and better cams. (not sure about the ECU if it's the same).

Invincibleredp5

well if your looking to autocross, you've come to the right place, pros have great suspensions, with also a few aftermarket upgrades, also if u turbo the pro your looking at around 210, at the wheels?? i'd guess up to 190, around there. then u got your headers, cams, flywheel, clutch, of course its not like a civic where u can go to the dollar store to get parts, but if u look in the right places you'll find some really great stuff. plus every1 here is happy with there pro even in its stock form, best bang for the buck, and tho it seems to be lacking in power, which people sometimes complain about, look around in this price range for something as well balanced as a pro. it has a bit of everything ( a well rounded car) which is more than u can say for most.

all i can say is go test drive it, take it out around the corners and hey you'll fall in love just like me and most people here.

-Jason

Ambient

*raises hand*

I was also going NA before I went turbo. Had switched out camshafts and all.

But welcome to the board, read over it. I gauranteee you'll see more potential for the Protege as you read what some of us have done.

ZoomZoomH

welcome piscorpio. Have you test driven a Protege5 yet? On paper the car may seem to have inadequate power, but it is actually quite quick around the block.

Best to drive the car first before deciding what you want to do with the car

again welcome!

5SpeedP5

Welcome aboard....

Well of all cars ive driven, from pretty much all sport compacts that have been popular, to a Z3 anda few other various cars, I still think the protege5 is one of the most fun cars to drive in stock form. The attention to quality, look, and drive in the new proteges is especially high, and awesome!

I really recommend you look around, there have been about 4 people with some major turbo installations (spoolin, biknman, chdesign, and one other i forget)... and tons of sweet things done to these proteges. all from suspension, engine swap (linuxninja did the full fs-ze swap), body kits and apperance mods, to some boomin systems. so pretty much, sure, the aftermarket is still relatively small, that is easy to overcome because of the abondance of quality parts and such.

Check it out, do some reading.... and go test drive the damn car, oh just remember, get a stick damnit!

nightowl

make sure you test drive the P5 and the Sedan...there are slight diferences....P5 is slightly heavier in the back due to the hatch...but it has strut bars, which the 3rd gen does not

do you know about the mazda speed protege?....it has a small turbo with 175HP...but its a limited edition model like the MP3

piscorpio

Wow, thanks for the warm welcome guys.

I will have to do some reading around the posts in this forum and learn some more, I just wanted to get my foot in the door so to speak.

Now, as far as the MP5 goes, I am the last person who will complain about power, after all my current car has 3hp less than the P5. My main concern was with the potential of the car in the future, like how much boost can the stock internals handle? (and yes, I think I can make time for my toys After all, I did with the first one ) Ill be sure to browse some more, I may find the answers like you guys said.

I have not test driven one as of yet (I did sit in one at the Auto Show in Chicago), and Im still not committed to buying one yet, but Im pretty convinced that if I did buy a new car, this would be it.

I had heard about the Mazdaspeed MP3, sounds very cool and it was actually one of the things I though showed promise for the MP5. Since it is essentially the same engine, or is it? I have been wondering if the Mazdaspeed pro has stronger internals?

Well, thanks guys, we shall see if I join your ranks. Maybe Ill stick around even if I dont buy the 5, just cuz you never know when you might need to know a thing or two about Proteges

piscorpio

Well, if anyone cares, it looks like Ill be sticking with my Honda for a while. I may consider getting the MP5 in the future, but for now it just does not seem like the way to go for me. I will be lurking this board now and then, just because Im always up to learn a thing or two about modding cars, whatever they may be. Thanks again guys for the great responses and warm welcome, I now know where to turn if I ever enter the world of Mazda tuning!

Patio

bleh, turbos


if you were racing back in the days when no one made an intake for a civic, then you know how to get 50-75 extra horses, lol, lack of market support? never!

The Mazdasped Protege has the same exact motor as a regular Protege, just a turbo, i thinnnk, i could be wrong, i know it has an LSD some other shieet too

Sondra S2k

Piscorpio, I am also a tried and true Honda fan, but I do love my P5. I wouldn't give up my S2000 for it, but I haven't found much yet that I would give it up for

I really loved the P5 because it is sensible and hauls dogs/groceries/bar buddies, but it is sporty and fun to drive too! My P5 replaced a 94 Accord that was luxurious and refined but BOOOORING! Since I got the P5 6 weeks ago, I've only taken the S2000 out 3 times!

On the other hand... The P5 is really versatile, but don't get too attached to the roof rack idea. It's loud, really loud! If I ever get off my duff to do it, that mother is coming OFF. I am looking forward to the potential benefits of some sway bars and an intake, but other than that, I am really happy with it!

Now, if I can get the dealership who dented my car a month after delivery to step up to the plate and be responsible enough to handle the situation like mature adults, I'll be a fully happy camper!

piscorpio

S2000 or MP5? I wish I had that problem! Someday Id like to buy an S2000, maybe I should sell my Civic, buy the MP5 and plunge headfirst into major debt by buying an S2000!

Thanks patio for the info on the Mazdaspeed engine, I was wondering if they were identical internally. Anyone know the rule of thumb for how much boost these engines can handle stock? (I know for my EX the widely accepted limit was about 5-7psi.)

Patio

samething internally, same compression ratio too

enormiss

Yea, I waited too. Trust me, you'll be back. Once the little one comes along and you put on some miles on with 2 car seats you'll be begging for more room. The P5's got plenty of that. I actually drug both car seats and both little ones to the dealer showroom plopped them in and checked out the fit I came from a base model Jetta. Took me about a month after the 2nd baby. You will not find more bang for the buck. Only thing I miss on the Jetta was the much nicer 5speed.