Why are the protege 5 times so slow?
 

For some reason i will not believe that the protege 5 run;'s 0-60 in 8 seconds this just cant be. the car feels so much faster . today after going to Mcdonalds my friend dropped the clutch at 3K and chirped second, hit the rev limiter in 3rd adn we were at 60 going up a hill couldnt of been much more than 7 seconds

does anyone know if they lauched the car wrong or someting i know it's stupid but it just doesnt feel that slow

Our cars aint really that fast or that slow unless you got a MSP. But it will feel fast until you get beat by someone or ride in something that is faster. I drive my Evo almost everyday and when I get into my P5 after driving my Evo it feels slow

Sorry to burst your bubble, but Car and Driver couldn't get a stock P5 (with manual trans) to 60 any quicker than 9.2 seconds. But, the engine is sweet and free revving, making the car feel much faster than it actually is. I bought my P5 because is handled so well. But trust me, it was a dog compared to the tuned Neon I traded in. With the mods I have been able to afford thus far, my car feels much faster than it did when I got it, and I am willing to bet that it will now take less than 8 seconds to hit 60. This forum is a great place to start if your friend wants a car that will go fast in a straight line. But 0-60 in under eight seconds in a stock P5? You're dreaming!

Oh, and it's not really a mystery why stock P5's tend to be that slow. 2750 pounds is a lot to haul around with only 130hp.

ok, thanks for all the answers so tehn is there any way to get teh 0-60 times at least in the low 7's?

what mods would you suggest to get it that quick i'm not experianced in modding, i cvan do simple work like oil change air filter, plugs and wires and some other more advanced work with the help of my dad but past that i wouldnt' know how to put on an intake or exhaust.

so which parts would give me the most bang for my buck? maybe get the HP up to 170?

Getting up to 170hp (at the crank) will take some hard work; an intake and an exhaust won't get you there. However, an intake ($50 for the ones on E-Bay, which a lot of people on this forum have bought and are happy with) and exhaust (many good brands to choose from, approx. $300) are a good place to start.

Later, you can add a header, take out the upper cat and substitute a downpipe, drop in a set of cams, change to a lightened underdrive pulley and lighter flywheel, or even bolt up an aftermarket turbo to get a lot of power. I know you want simple bolt-ons, but you are obviously a car enthusiast and as you grow and learn about cars, you'll want to keep tinkering.

The Protege5 will provide an excellent starting point to build a good sport compact from. You can play around with it for years. Best of all, when the car truly becomes fast, you'll be able to whoop a lot of cars in a friggin' wagon!

why not buy some FI and be happy with what you have??

FI?

thanks for the help my dad was a mechanic for about 10 years as a kid but he doesnt know as buch about a 2003 protege as he does a '69 cutlass hopefully he'll help me out if not my sister's boyffriend is very good with wrenchwork maybe he'll help em out.

i really hope my dad goes for this i love the car!

P.S. another question, i know the P5's handling is good but why is teh skidpad only .79.. that seems really low to me. does anyone know the slalom speed?

Forced Induction....turbo, nitrous, supercharger.... A little bit of cash can make a "budget car" like the protege a world class competitor.

Skidpad is only it's limits in a circle. The slalom is a much better indicator. The only time I can remember off the top of my head is the Mazdaspeed Protege (suspension pieces available from dealer) ran the cones FASTER than a porsche 911 turbo at 74.4mph. The MSP has been hailed as the best handling production FWD car EVER produced.

Like I said a little cash on these cars will go a long way....a little for some go and a little for some turn and you'll be very impressed.

the car FEELS faster because it builds peak torque at lower rpms than most other cars in its class...but as previously said its 130hp trying to haul 2700+lbs...its not a drag car...and for newbs keep in mind FI=Forced induction NA=Natural aspiration

boost that bitch or go home.

i just had the pleasure of gobbling up some noisy kid's focus, who wanted to play and 'on a 50 shot'... damn that was a sad sight watching him get yanked like a wind-up doll!!!

It's easy to confuse grip with handling, but they are not the same thing. As stated, a slalom is a better measure of handling. But also look at it this way: a Camaro Z28 has a ton of grip, but doesn't handle all that well. Why? It has a big, heavy live axle in the back (which translates to a lot of unsprung weight), a chassis that isn't all that stiff, and a lot of weight. It's hard for such a car to be nimble. A good handling car is predictable and has good transient chassis/ steering responses right up to the limit. Even though the Camaro has a higher grip potential, it is a lot harder to drive near the limits than it is to drive a Mazda Protege near the limit. The Camaro, simply put, is going to be a handful through the cones.

Speaking of handling, this may be a little off-topic but it kind of fits the last few posts. I just put some stereo equipment in my wife's P5 for her birthday. I obviously knew the extra weight had the potential for slowing the car down, but it seems as if it's affected the "turn-in" of it as well. Since I don't drive the car very often, I could simply be imagining things. Have any of you experienced this after adding a sub box in the back? If so, any thoughts about how to remedy this?

In my experience with heavy home-built sub box in the back - it helps with the 50/50 weight split that is ideal. It does sag the rear springs a wee bit...
Handling is just tremendous - i have high confidence in going at that exit ramp at speeds that put Saturns in the weeds!! ;)

The hefty weight of a speaker box is one of the biggest reasons that I have been content to live with the stock sound system. I think if I were to put in a sub, it would be a SAS Bazooka or something of that nature.