interior and exterior mods?
 

Hi guys,

I own a 02 protege 5. And i thought maybe i like to tweak some interior and exterior mods to make it look and feel more fun i suppose.

I'm a newbie at cars, perhaps some of you can give me some tips on what you guys added when you started out on your mp5's.

one thing I do want to get those is some super white xeon HID lights. Any tips on which ones are good. I see a lot on ebay, but their lifetime warranties and cheap prices kinda have me a bit skeptical. Also is it easy to install? I read the article on removing the head light to repaint it, i hope i don't have to remove the head light just to install the new bulbs.

thanks :)

Head light bulbs are easy, they just clip in the back of the head light (in the engine compartment). They take about 5 min each. I have silverstars, and I like them, but the next set will be PIAA. I personally would stay away from ebay headlights, after shipping they wouldn't be much cheaper then they would be at an auto store.

cool! Thanks for the tip.

anyone else there for tips for a newbie for some mods?

p.s: i know this is a newb question, but I read a lot of description of 1st gen, 2nd gen, etc..

is a 02 protege 5 a 3rd gen or 2nd gen?

3rd

a few popular websites:

www.mazdastuff.com

www.protegegarage.com

These should help, but I'm sure there are others -- I have really spent much on cosmetics yet.

Are you looking for a body kit, or just smaller exterior mods? Also, I don't know if you've converted your stock shifter to a short-throw yet, but it's a good free mod that takes about 10 minutes.

I haven't done anything to my car yet. Its just stock right now.

I plan to do upgrades slowly, as I don't have heap loads of money to dish out at one time.

I guess i just wanna see how you guys started out with yours. Like what steps did you guys take, which parts did you replace first.

kinda like a newbies guide to moding if you will.

Body kit would probably be later. Maybe some smaller addons.

I was thinking,

maybe an intake change first,

then exhaust for interior wise.

exterior wise, i was thinking of replacing the grill with one that doesn't the mazda logo on it.

change the lights to HID super whites.


Wheels i'm looking into, but i don't think i have money for new rubber as of yet.

Do you know if 17" rims will fit a mp5 without cutting the wheel well larger or needed to get different shocks? I was thinking maybe i can use my stock tires on 17 rims, but i guess thats not possible.

so far all i have done to mine is an EBay RAI and the acc beep to go off. my next step would be a header then cams, motor mounts, then MSP suspension package.

Yes, you can put 17s on your P5...but you need to have 17" tires that fit! Usually somewhere in the 205/40/17 size range...

Wheels
 

If you're looking for 17's, I couldn't really find anywhere cheaper than Wheelmax.com, or Wheelsnext.com. There's always something on clearance. At wheelmax, you can get a nice, light set of 17's with lo-pro tires for around $500. I don't know anything about Nankang tires, but I can tell you this: racing down some of these twisties through all of these bluffs in central Texas, after lowering my '03 lx about 2in, and stuffing 18inchers on there, I was taking 15mph, 90* turns at about 40mph, with no slipping. I think the Nankang tires are pretty good. Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure you can fit 18x7.5's without cutting your fender wells. Even with the drop, I didn't have to cut anything, and they tuck nicely with about a finger's width to spare, when you corner hard. If you're thinking about racing, though, I would go with lighter 17's. I just wanted the 18's to fill out the fenders(aesthetics). Also, Wheelmax has free shipping, and with some packages, free springs. Sorry to be so long-winded, just love my car. :crook: