...is the popularity of our forum waning?
 

Is it just me, or did it seem as though there were far more people tuned into this forum several months ago? Looks like our high water mark was back in March, when 214 people were logged in at once.

These days, I will log in and see just a few new threads (most of them off topic). So, I check the users online and find only two or three people on the forum. Come to think of it, it's been a while since we've had any huge topic that generated rabid enthusiasm. The WOMP SC kit was (and continues to be) a big draw. I think we need to take another project from concept to finished product to get the same kind of reaction. Or, we could expand our forum to include other models of Mazdas.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Maybe the protege people can't find us anymore :P

:withstupi and also it's summer... people tend to be out and about more. school is out, people are on vacation, and nicer weather means more time to spend with the car. i wouldn't worry about it.

I'm here EVERY day during the week for 8-12 hours b/c i'm at work - this forum has a permanent spot in my taskbar :bt:

Hahaha yeah, they're like "where did protegeclub.com go" oh yeah...we had our URL changed.

I think people read anonymously, but don't post for whatever reason. There are still the other Protege forums to go to...

yup. i spend about 25% of my time at work on here and eBay

Yup...me too..it's my HOMEPAGE believe it or not.

Maximum Ownage bitches!

It's my opinion that this forum will never be as large as the others due to a few reasons.

Mainly, maturity. It's a sad fact that those of us who are on this forum are mature. We are a true minority now-a-days. I'm on the other protege forums as well and all I see are useless off topic rantings, fighting and porn. If you filter out all of the garbage there is so little ACTUAL content it's disturbing.

We won't have those big numbers like other forums ever again. They have steamrolled on past us. And honestly, I'm fine with it. "Advanced members" like everyone in this thread have nothing to gain from any other forums. Trying to educate noobs on that forum is an uphill battle because there is so much misinformation and "hating" that everything ends in a fight.


I'm working on one other small project but after that I'm done. too much time, not enough money in it. Sad facts. Also the fact that the car isn't in production anymore really hurts future growth.

I actually think there is a lot more traffic on here than there was a while ago. I used to come here pretty often, but when I'd go two days and see like 5 new threads, I gave up on protegeclub for a while and went to msprotege. But now's it seems to be a lot more active over here.

I think a lot of ppl just can't find us. I mean, look what happened with Flyin' Hawaiian. He was out for a while and came back to find protegeclub gone.
Matty is right about how this forum will never be as large as the others, and I'm okay with that too, but I disagree that this can't be a growth forum because as the 3rd gens age they will become more affordable to younger kids, which means more n00bs who need to be educated. Like it or not.
Let the e-food fights begin.

Dat's true.

yeah, as the cars start getting out of warranty more modders will come out of the woodwork....BUT..... how long have the first and second gen cars been available and look at how many of THOSE owners we still have here....very few. It seems as though first and second gen owners are on clubprotege, third gen MSP owners are on msprotege and the people who are sick of ricer kids spamming porn are here.

lol...dat's true pt. 2

yeah thats why i like it here its more mature we dont cuss each other out just to feel better about ourselves and we actually know stuff on this forum the other forums everybody thinks NOS stickers add 25Hp.

....maybe our problem is that we do go after the hp and better handling in this forum.

Wringing out a lot more hp in these cars is no easy feat for a novice, many of whom want to believe that bolting on a fart can muffler makes them a terror on the streets. That's why I suspect a lot of the noobs out there buy the car, join the forum, surf a few threads and give up after slapping the APC decal across the top of their windshield. Our garage is FULL OF cars without a single real mod on them, posted by people who have long since bolted for the next big fad.

Hard work and dedication to our hobby is rare among those who are looking for a scene. However, hardcore commitment (financial and otherwise) are lasting qualities. Someday, nearly all of us will be driving something else I would imagine. However, I also imagine that the serious gearheads among us will never stop wrenching and congregating in places where we can swap ideas and tell stories about our cars. For me, that's a major ingredient in what I would consider a high quality-of-life.

good point. *hoists my glass*

i personally like the idea of an online community of people with the same cars and similar intrests and goals with their cars.

LOL this has turned out to be one of the longest threads in the past few days LOL. We're loossssseeerrrs! :bt:

No, just kidding. I should be getting that ecu (how long have I said that), and then the new exhaust, so I'll be hitting the questions soon.

I like it here, this will always be my protege home! I havent been on the others in months. I like the maturity and how we can all be straight foward with our opinions and not flame eachother about them. And I just got my digital camera so I will start posting pics too! Hopefully I can start getting more things for the car too and become experienced with it and help out more!

once I got my camera it opened up the interw3b to me in ways I never dreamed of. I also burned up about 40% of this forums webserver space with just pics of my stuff (like an egomaniac)

Yea but when you have the only SCed protege that you hand built ego is kind of a must! NAW what I mean.

I didnt read forums ever until about a month ago, when I registered here. I didnt make an informed decision in choosing a forum, I just picked the first one that popped up after a search for protege club. I have since checked out other forums (as a guest) and realize my choice was the best one. Instead of being referred to an faq for every question, everyone here pitches in. Ive been welcomed by everone. Ive been helped and have help as much as possible. Mazda has an amazing future ahead, as long as thats around I will be too.

I joined another forum when I first got my P5 (July 02), and didn't find this one until Dec 02. As you can see, I have spent more of my time over here than over there! I like the atmosphere, even when it's quiet.

On another note, we took our cars to the gas station to get some 93 last night and the Asian family that owns the place (always goo-goo ga-ga over the fOCUS) all came out to see the P5. They said they love it, love Mazda, love yellow, love it, love it, "Is it new??" LOL No, it's not new...it's 3 years old!!! Still looks darn good though, despite the dent in the back ;)

yeah, when I go out in the p5 I get a lot of compliments. I had a police officer pull my over in my MSP and "warn" me that it was illegal to modify my car. I told him it wasn't automatically illegal and he said, "yeah, I just wanted to see what all you'd done". I told him the car was bone stock and he couldn't believe it. Then he issued me a warning for going 9mph over the speed limit in a school zone. Some people...

I haven't even posted a pic in the garage section...yet...soon though.
:evilgrin:

honestly i like most of the people in these forms b/c you guys know your stuff and dont bullshit like some other forms. since i started modding my protege in december, i've learned alot of things about cars...right matt!! anyways keep up with the good advice and try to be patient with the noob's like me...i said "TRY". lol...i cant believe i said a flywheel adds horsepower..wow smart guy huh???

hey we all learn from our mistakes like dont drive in the rain on the interstate with heavily worn tires

Actually, a flywheel does add horsepower to the wheels. Not at the crank, but who cares about the crank?

How? Wheel HP is a function of BHP (crank HP) mnus friction losses in the drivetrain which in turn is a function of indicated HP minus the power consumed by internal engine friction, known as friction HP ( IHP - friction HP = BHP.

Now, there are only three ways to increase the BHP of an engine: increase its thermal efficiency, increase its volumetric efficiency or decrease power consumed by internal engine friction. Since a lightened flywheel accomplishes none of these aims, it cannot possibly add HP to the mix, whether IHP, BHP or WHP.

A lightened flywheel will enable faster acceleration since less HP is required to overcome the rotational inertia of a lighter flywheel. But this is not the same thing as saying that you have added HP anywhere along the line.

Who cares about crank HP? Obviously, no increase in WHP will occur without first obtaining an increase in BHP.

Well that's odd, because I've seen dyno's where the only mod was a flywheel and clutch and the power increased over baseline. Doesn't it make sense that since less bhp is used to turn the transmission assembly, more of the initial power makes it all the way to the wheels?

BTW, when I said who cares about crank hp, I meant as a statistic, not as an actual measurement. And there's no need to try and make yourself feel superior and be a jackass about it either. just fyi.

i think what we have here is a breakdown in communication.

Flywheels do not GIVE horsepower they better use what is being wasted... HOWEVER...any time you make a modification that results in a gain you've "added" horsepower.

I think what everyone is hung up on is the use of the word "add". Going from a 18lb flywheel to a 8lb flywheel will show a whp gain. No, it does not add to the vE of the engine but simply reduces parasitic loss. So yes and no....

That's exactly what I was trying to say.

how did this thread get SO off topic so quickly?

[QUOTE=BTW, when I said who cares about crank hp, I meant as a statistic, not as an actual measurement. And there's no need to try and make yourself feel superior and be a jackass about it either. just fyi.[/QUOTE]

No need to make myself feel superior and I don't accept your interpretation of my motives. I was simply correcting what I considered to be wrong information for the sake of other Forum members who may not know as much as we do about this particular topic.

alright guys, lets hug and kiss and swap VD now.

Do we have to? :stickpoke

I would just like to say that I changed my own oil for the first time in..ohh..say 31 years and only managed to get a little on my shoulder. Not bad for a girl :cool: I also swapped out my own ecu. Yes, it's the little things that keep me going. I just want to have a nice place to come to where I can share my car experiences (fOCUS runs 11s wow!) with you guys without everyone going, "show us your boobs" or "babe, you're HOTTT" or "why don't you have a carbon fiber hood" or whatever. Hahahahah :dunce:

I refuse to change my own oil in the protege. Just wont do it. Now I have a friend who runs the local Express Oil who lets me use his pit when I do my exhaust work and stuff but thats about it.

p.s. picz of b00bz plz!!

i would chang my oil if i had access to a lift or something cause the oil filter is in the dumbest spot ever.
P.S. show us your boobs(J/K)

Yeah...hence the oil on my shoulder bit. However, I wanted to learn so I did!


mmmm....b00bi3s! :winkyum:

hmm.. changed my oil (Mobil 1 :) ) - no oil on me. and i can reach the filter from the top pretty easily.