illinoised

I have a 2003 P5, laser blue mica, added the cargo tray, moonroof deflector, hood deflector, and Weather Tech window visors (4 windows), and am pleased with the every-day versatility of the vehicle, to say nothing of the great looks. The 130 HP is ok but I wish my P5 had a little more oomph.

Is adding turbo a good idea?

Will the factory AT handle the extra power?

Comments on best vendor for turbo?

What is turbo price?

I can't install myself, but have a great mechanic, so what can I expect to pay for installation (normal install time is ____?)?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Subghetto

These are turbokits you can get:

www.hiboost.com
www.essentialspeed.com
http://www.wagnermotorsports.net/
www.flyingprotege.com

I'am going to answer all of your questions.

1. Adding a turbo is a great idea but not for autos, they are better for manuals because all you have to do is upgrade to a racing heavy duty clutch.

2. The factory AT will handle the extra power depending on how much PSI of boost you plan on running. If you run more than 8 psi on a AT tranny you will blow the **** out of it. It's recommended to run 4-5 psi on an auto tranny but you can run up to 8 psi. If you plan on running higher boost you will need beefer forged internals and a stronger torque converter. I think Level 10 makes them or you send them your stock converter so they can modify it.

3. The best vendor for a turbo is www.hiboost.com their turbokit produces the most hp and is of the best quality, The turbokit produces 214hp on our cars.

4. Turbos are quite expensive my friend, the price range from $2,000-$4000 depending on what turbo and other factors that go along w/ it.

5. It takes about 5-7 hrs to install a turbo and to tune it properly maybe even more time, my guess is the cost of installation could range from $300-$550 depending on the hrs and how generous the person installing it is and the labor that is required.


I hope I answered all of your questions.

illinoised

I appreciate the thorough explanation. It gave me a lot to think about.
You mentioned "our cars." Are you speaking from experience regarding turbo install? I am not questioning your comments, just impressed with the info and wondering about your background.
Again, thanks for the great info.
Ed

Subghetto

I personally never had a turbo or installed one all the info I know is from my friends one of them who has a gst turbo eclispe and general reading of millions of car magazines that I own and this forum which is the on-line bible of information for our cars. This forum is 10000x better then this one. The website is www.protege5.com



BTW.. Are you already a member there? I don't want to feel stupid you know. Also about my background I'am currently a student at college that owns a white sleek pimped protege 5.

illinoised

I will check out the other forum. I've found a few forums for the P5 but most are not nearly as informative as this one.
I owned a Miata previously and was used to their forum, which is very, very good.
It's funny, my wife hated the Miata (she was tall), so I traded it in on the P5, and we soon after got a divorce! The P5 is much more comfortable for longer rides, plus I can now haul both of the dogs (Doberman and Rott) at once, and I'm pretty impressed with the handling (seems to have lineage from the Miata).
There are times when I still long for the Miata, which I could throw around corners, but all in all the P5 is fun to drive and I think it looks better than any small wagon, including the Mazda3.
As goofy as it may sound, the P5 helps keep me feel young. I am a staff member at a university, and between my grad students, student workers, and my P5, I feel younger than my years!

Subghetto

yeah, check out the other forum trust me it's a lot more informative than this one w/ a lot more members and more updated news and much more info. I'am personally a member of 3 forums: this one, protege5.com, and clubprotege.com but that forum is still way to new. The handling on the P5 is amazing I soon plan to autocross my car in march, since the SCCA organizes an event like 30-45 minutes from where I live. The mazda is definetly the best looking wagon out there and the most rare since production stopped at the end of 2003 . The P5 can make anyone feel younger, my dad was driving it around and he could'nt stop speeding in it like if he was 18yrs old.

Redfyre

Tha't some good info offered by Subghetto. *nods* There is actually 1 or two members of this club that have turbos in their P5.

Hope this helps also...
http://public.fotki.com/Pirana/