1990 Eclipse GS test drive
 

Well one of my friends just recently bought a 1990 Mitsu Eclipse GS, its only front wheel drive (not AWD), and doesnt have the turbo, so its runnin about 135hp, much like my p5... also it has a 5speed of course...

so we were hangin out, and he handed me the keys, and said lets go take it for a spin.... of course i can never pass up a chance to drive someone elses car.

i back it out, rev it a bit and get a feel for the clutch, and take it up, do about 35 or 40, and come up on one of my favorite corners to test handling, well at this nice tight corner i can take it at 55 or 60 in my p5, so i take it at 45 in his car to be careful :D , and its a Y split in the road, i come around it at the speed, to notice my ass was starting to slide, so i correct it, and slow down, but needless to say, scared the fuck outta me, and him, almost spun it out there..... so quite frankly the handling was not to my likings for sure! but its not all bad.... i took it up on a decent street and pushed it hard through the first three gears and got some nice nice power, but it definately felt like my p5s engine while pushing it. got back and we both shook our heads at the handling... but hey it was fun, just dont try it at home:D

the moral of this story is, remember our proteges have above average handling, remember that when you are driving other cars....lol.

Above average only? Hahaha.

I'm not saying the Protege5 has pinnacle handling capabilities, but in North America its near the top. It is close to outslaloming (sp?) a Porsche 911 Turbo, about 0.2mph behind, or so Road and Track indicates, but then in Motor Trend the Matrix outslaloms us, hmmm..... Maybe I'm nuts but a BMW 3 series tried to chase me down a twisty road, it failed to even keep sight of my tailights. The speed limit was 50km/h and I went 120km/h, while the car asked even for more. :D

The problem is the narrow tires, which offer too little grip for such a competent suspension and chassis. That is why Protege5's do so poorly on the skidpad, 0.79Gs because primarily on the narrow tires. But we rape the majority of cars on the slalom, minus the Corvette Z06, 911 GT2 etc, but still we're close. Even a Buick LeSabre manages better skidpad numbers. Why? Because of their wider tires, but are not even close to us on the slalom.

We posted a 66.8mph on the slalom by Road and Track. But the Mini scored even higher at 67.4mph. While some of this can be attributed to testing differences, it comes to my attention that a light car even with skinny tires and tight suspension will perform better than a heavy car with fat ones and soft suspension or even a tight one. All wider tires on the Protege5, and all the better.:D

Not to be an asshole, but I believe the Mp3 is what raped almost every car ever tested minus a few that cost $50,000+ more. A stock p5 with the all season tires will not get anywhere near .2 mph behind a GT-2. I wish it would I have a P5 as well, and the handling is great. But is not quite what the MP3's is.

And as for the BMW's. The bimmer either did not have the Sport package or did not have a man driving it. My dad has been buying BMW's for years so I get to drive them a lot. He had a 328i with sport package (lowered suspension, 17's, summer tires, bigger swaybars etc.) and it would destroy my P5. The steering is better, the car is much more balanced, and I could never take turns nearly as fast in my P5 that I could the 328i. He then bought a new M3 also with the sport package that is about twice as good in the turns. I have never gotten anywhere near the limit of the car, and i have been above 30 mph faster in some of the turns where my P5 was at its absolute limit.

I love my P5. Its handling is the best in its class i think. But that does not mean it will take on cars that cost 3 times as much. With some wheels tires, struts, swaybars etc. we will be able to compete with some excellent cars.

Which issue did R/T test a P5? I only saw the test of the MP3

Installshield, I was meaning the cars stock for stock. Because it would be unfair to compare cars that have aftermarket mods or dealers mods to it. Even some Civic can outhandle Protege's because their suspension is all revised. I was talking about the cars in stock form, as it is fair to only compare it this way.

The Sport Package is an option package available for almost every bmw made when you purchase it. It is "stock" and it is rare that a BMW buyer would not spring 1k for this option. A BMW 3 series with the this package has less suspension work performed on the car than an MP3 does. I would not be suprised even if a regular 3 series base model would out handle our p5's simply becuase of its 50/50 weight distribution and its unbelievable steering

Why did you get a Protege5 when your dad has a 328i and M3? Why didn't you take just one of them?

I wish I could. I don't live at home and can't afford even a decent used BMW. I moved out and went to college. He bought a new M3, right after I moved out. With the money I had saved I could afford a decent down payment on a car, and I only work part time through school. I needed something reliable and affordable. The Protege5 was the best in my price range.

Protege Menace, Road and Track tested a GT-2 at 1.02gs around the skidpad. I think a standard carrera was closer to mid .9's but i can't remember for sure.

What about the slalom numbers?

I will have to find that article. I remember it being really close to 70 mph for the GT-2 or something. A Z0-6 got near that as well. As for a regular Carrera your guess is as good as mine.

Last night I got to drive my friends spec V for the first time. I was pretty cool but not as fast as i thought i would be. This car has gobs of torque but spins too much tire off the launch. Needless to say that it was a lot better than driving my 93dx but i would rather spend money on the mazdapeed3.

Also wheelbase, track width, balance and steering response all effect slalom times, not just weight and tire width/size

back to the eclipse. i love them, well everything except the tranny, as DSM made shitty ones for em. i have a 93 eclispe GSX with a frank2 turbo, fmic, 264/272 ccams, je 8.5:1 pistons, crower rods, titanium valve springs, 1mm over sized valves with the radius valve job done,port and polished head everything possible, all the electronic goodies you can think of, 100 shot of nitrous, and to top off i got a PMS. at 20 psi i ran a 11:78@120 mph. don't doubt that eclipse as it has the 4g63 and can be made to go fast very easily. the motor is strong and can handle a 60 shot all day long if kept completly stock. i have AWD so handleing is perfect, gotta love 4 wheel drifts, but with a little suspension upgrades that gs can be made to handle like a dream.

Through the slalom Ferrari 360 Modena's and the ZO6 were the fastest, however I read an article in Car and Driver ( I think it was Car and Driver) and the MP3 was slightly faster through the cones. The GT2 is limited production at best, and I don't believe it was faster than the 360, ZO6 or MP3.