What to do 1st??
 

Hey all!!
just wondering if someone could be of some help.
I don't know what to buy first....then again i'm not sure what I wanna do with my car yet(show or go??) but anyways.....
what should i get 1st:
Rims, MP3 Frt bumper, or the Wings West 9pc body kit(that would fit on a sedan right? i know it fits the mp3)??
lemme know!

Sounds like you are more into exterior mods? If so, I will suggest starting with rims & tires (assuming you are not concerned about snow?) - good for looks & performance.

Not really sure about body kits because with the $ you will be spending on kits, paint job, etc., you can probably get a real MP3/MSP with all the performance parts.

I consider the Sparkco wires very good deal & easy-to-do. If you have manual, I would definitely recommend a short shift.

Others will probably add their 2 cents on intake & such ...

first thing we did was the intake, but we already had tint and everythign done as well tint is a great place to start...

oh and don't be shocked if this is moved not really western canada related.. :D not trying to be nit picky or anything.. not my style

ja_rho, Welcome to our happy little corner of the net, and to our Club. There are TWO BIG fridge'S in the corner with anything you can think of in them...help yourself...of course only take what you can LEGALLY have.

make yourself at home on one of the big fluffy couches, kick your shoes off, put your feet up on one of the tables, yes we are allowed to do that, mom don't care....and take it easy.

oh...btw....every once in a while a food fight breaks out...so you may not want to wear nice clothes here.

Welcome!!

What is your budget to "get started" with?

some performance mods you should consider in the long run.

1. Intake
2. Exhaust (2 1/4 cat back)
3. Wheels/tires
4 Suspension mods (swaybars, tower struts, springs, struts) just depends on how far you want to go with your suspension and handling improvement.
5. Short Shifter and new kartboy bushings

there is always the upgrade to the sound system that you can consider too.

its pretty easy to drop some serious green into a car......and quick too!

First I would get some spring and shocks, and them wheels & tires. I'd rather my car be lowered with stock wheels for a month or so than be driving a 4x4...

I saw an old-school SE-R with 17" wheels, not lowered. That 4x4 had to have been the funniest thing I have ever seen.

I would get lowering springs but wouldn't it compromise the ride condition, cuz i remembered when i lowered my '97 civic the ride was was bumpy as hell!!(then again i only put on lowering springs and nothing else.)
As for my budget i have about $2000 cad (to bad it wasn't usd!hehe)
I was reading about the Injen CAI what do you guys think of that?? is it worth it??
and i don't care too much for sound system...yet, but that would probably be one of the last upgrades i do!!

thanks for your suggestions guys!!

The reason your Civic was bumpy as hell was either your shocks weren't up to par or you lowered it too mcuh and kept hitting your bumpstops. Or both...

If done right you can keep almost the same ride quality with a lower stance and better handling. Not to mention a better looking car.

If it were me I would not get wheels and put them on before I got some springs.

well, lowering any vehicle is gonna make it bumpier....unless you go w/ coilover's then it'll be better than a shock/spring combo, but still worse than OE

if you want to make it handle better, go w/ swaybars.

as far as faster..exhaust or intake...prolly the same hp gains.

I say start with rims and/or intake.

BTW welcome to the club.

I would get rims and an intake
I think the fart exhasts look too big on the protege
so I would suggest to get the mazda speed exhast
(i've seen people with it)
Tint is a must!
maybe a spoiler?:rolleyes:
Body kit is nice, but you always run the risk of hitting it
and breaking it. I am planning just to get the side skirts

Anyway, good luck, There are plenty of stuff to choose from
Choose wisely!!

This is the order we went with the Phantom Cruiser:

1. 5% tint
2. homemade intake w/cone filter
3. Kartboy shifter/shifter bushings
3. Magnaflow exhaust

Next items up for purchase:

cams, headers, wheels & tire combo for HST and SCCA, maybe some suspension parts as well

perhaps a little P&P on the heads....it's all up in the air right now because we have a Focus to work on also!

Karen

I can't believe how much you folks are willing to spend on these cars. To me it's the best car for the money but if I was going to spend another few thousand I would wait for the mazda6 or get an RSX. I love this car but in case you haven't noticed...it's a station wagon. :p Maybe I'll understand after I drive it for a while and get sick of the lack of power. It seems like a waste when your starting point is 130 hp.

I just do what the voices in my head tell me to do...:eek:

the mp3 kit is a good idea. check out the pics of my car in the link in my sig. thats what it will look like. also consider some suspension mods, and a lightweight set of 17s or 18s. PM me if you want the mp3 conversion. i got tons of info on it and can point you in the right direction as to where to get it cheap. later