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Mazda Protegé

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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Did you get the problem of your droning exhaust fixed yet? Just wondering.
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    the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    seems like i've adapted to the droning and it no longer bothers me, or the feathering of the gas pedal to reduce droning is working, or I just been turning up the volume on the stereo a bit more. Not sure what but I'm not worrying about it for the time being.

    until I go on a 4 hour road trip, then I might get annoyed again :D
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    townhall9townhall9 Member Posts: 78
    In my humble opinion - don't pay any attention to the price of the tire (of course, within reason). Buy the tire(s) that you believe will do the best job of keeping you out of an accident. The few bucks spent on the more expensive tire - even one that may wear more quickly, are well spent. What is your life/limb worth?
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    shriqueshrique Member Posts: 338
    That article on the P5 in WoW finally appeared on the web. They have some information about the P5 and at the bottom the update has information about what they saw as results when they added a CAI and CAT-B exhaust

      


    http://www.wheels.ca/stories.cfm?storyID=5134

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    bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
    Thanks shirque. Let's see, lower the car doesn't improve the handling, cold air intake will run to the risk of water invasion (we have enough of them in Houston for week now). I think I'll let my car as it is for now.

    Bruno
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    the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    this is a quote from their First Drive of the Mazda 6:

    "Overall, driving the car is a blast. The Mazda 6 is more fun than most midsize sedans on the market. Plenty of the credit for this goes to its superior blend of steering, brakes, suspension and driver comfort. It's like a Protegé ES, pumped up a couple of sizes. Lots of fun, and we can't wait to sample the V6."

    Now I HAVE to test drive that car when it comes out...
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    theparallaxtheparallax Member Posts: 361
    I cannot wait to test this thing out. Looks like it's gonna be a big hit. ZOOM ZOOM.
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Hi everyone. I'm back from my 4-day weekend. Just caught up on all the messages. Lessee here ...

    Glad you had a fun trip Dale.

    Bone up on your geography Paul.

    Can't wait to drive the Mazda6, but I also like Edmunds' other quote about the Protege in the Mazda6 review: "Protegé, which is one of the finest small cars available on the planet."

    My 2000 ES will probably enter his 40s tomorrow. 39,850 trouble-free miles right now.

    Meade
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Your Protege will enter his 40s? Will that mean you all are about the same age now? :)
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    ashutoshsmashutoshsm Member Posts: 1,007
    And still going fine! Just got back from a long road trip through MD, PA and OH last weekend, and almost passed Dale on the way, too!

    I guess now's the time to decide how much longer I want to keep it, and what upgrades (wheels first) to go for!
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    dsm6dsm6 Member Posts: 813
    At my current pace, I'll hit 80k when the car is about 2.5 years old. I'm hoping to get about 200k. We shall see. It's amazing how long cars will last compared to just a few decades ago.

    But, of course, if you have the money sitting around to upgrade, what the heck!

    I'm thinking of new wheels too. I've been thinking of putting winters on the stock 16's and getting 17s with 45 series for the summer (ala MP3). But first, a strut tower brace. At $100 from MazdaStuff, I just can't pass that one up.
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    jstandeferjstandefer Member Posts: 805
    Pics from the 1st California Mazda Protege Meet are finally up! It took forever... redesigning the site during brief quiet times in my amazingly hectic life, but they are finally up. The rest of the site is still a work in progress.


    http://www.caliprotegemeet.1hwy.com


    I'd like this site to be used by California Protege and 323 enthusiasts to check for meets and gatherings in their area. Check the events page. Planning a large San Diego meet? Send me an e-mail (online form coming soon) and I'll post it for everyone to see. A small gathering at your local Starbucks? A get-together at the Autocross? Any type of event or meeting can be placed on there. I'll also set up a free membership and an e-mail listing. When a new event comes up, a mass e-mailing will occur to let everyone know!


    Let me know what you think of the site's new design and what else I should add!


    -Jerry

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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Feel free to add a link to the group I moderate. As Forrest Gump would say, that's all I have to say about that.

    ;-)

    Meade
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    meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    it's just you.........
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    chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    Great site, great pics!
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    maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    Jerry did an awesome job with the whole event. It was really a one man show and I'm surprised he still has this much enthusiasm after playing host to 30+ people.

    I'll be looking forward to the next one and as things in my personal life seem to be changing quickly, I may be showing up in a P5.
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    ... Zoomster has a doctor's appointment next Tuesday. My a/c smell, while intermittent and not too bad, is occurring while he's under warranty. So instead of doing the Lysol "quick fix" I've read about, I've decided to let the dealership take on the matter. The way I see it, I'll at least get a free a/c checkup while the car's there! Gotta take advantage of these little freebie car checkups!

    Several of my co-workers' vehicles have had this stinky problem surface recently, and from what I've read on the Net it's a common problem with high heat and humidity -- and goodness knows we've had our share of that recently here! Once again, it's 95 today and the dewpoint is close to 70 -- making the "feels like" temp in the 105-110 range. Dammit, this is VIRGINIA, not Arizona!!! (And the Southwest doesn't have our humidity either!)

    I'll let you all know what they do to Zoomster.

    Meade
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    chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    Remember my Favorite Turn of the Day? (Andy, Pete: entrance to southbound Lake Shore Drive at Belmont).

    Zoomed into it at my customary 40 mph this morning, only to find myself facing a giant street cleaning vehicle, in my lane, headed TOWARDS me.

    Eek!

    Cab to my right; fortunately there was enough time for me to get on the brakes, wait for the cab to move his behind, then zip around.

    Well, if I wasn't awake before, I sure am now.
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Were your windows up or down?

    Meade
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    The Town Hall is soooooooo sloooowwwww today ...

    Meade
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    chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    Well, as it happens, the windows were down.

    :)

    But you guys would be proud of me...went through the car wash last night with my windows UP for a change.
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Were your doors and trunk shut? And more importantly -- did you stay in the vehicle or walk beside it?

    Hey -- don't get mad at me, I just care about your personal hygiene! We all have surmised that your plumbing's on the fritz and this is the only way you stay clean!

    (Heck with your weather resembling mine so much of late, maybe a windows-down car wash would be a welcome refresher after work today ...)

    Meade
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    tomcivilettitomciviletti Member Posts: 207
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    boggseboggse Member Posts: 1,048
    Er... What about them?
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    There's nothing you CAN say about Kumho ...

    Meade
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    tomcivilettitomciviletti Member Posts: 207
    I don't think user survey results are useful in detecting small differences in tires. The results are too colored by expectation and, buzz, and buyer profile. Because of the kumhos low price [they are a great buy] we can expect inflated ratings. The value of the surveys is in identifying problem areas with a particular tire. Eg, if a tire has fairly high grades except for a low mark for hydroplaning, you can bet that is a real problem. I think the reviews are better indicators, as you can judge the believability by the nature of the comments.

    tirerack tests are also useful:

    www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/mi_pilot_sport_as_rd.jsp

    www.tirerack.com/tires/tests
    /testResultsModel.jsp?tireModel=Ecsta+Supra+712&tireMake=Kumho

    [you will need to repair this link; edmunds would not post it as 1 word]

    The lap times here are not comparable, as they where on different cars.
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Look at the reviews for them! Hardly anything negative ... and there's a good representation from many different makes and models from Hondas and Mazdas to BMWs and Mercedes.

    Meade
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    That turn was funny. You zoomed that car around the corner pretty hard, even with 3 people in the car. I never pictured you driving like that. :)

    Glad you remembered to shut the windows going through the car wash. I am surprised that the power windows have not gone nutty from all that water yet.

    And did you fix your dome light yet? Just wondering.
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I am surprised at your smell problem with the AC. I live not too far from you, and it's hot as hell outside right now with high humidity. I never have had that problem with any of the cars I have owned (2 Bonnevilles, 2 Proteges, the Jetta, a Dodge Aries K, and my Cavalier), nor any of the cars I had in my fleet as an asst. fleet manager about 3 years ago.

    I have always parked outside at work though, we don't have inside parking. I also park outside at home, because I don't have a garage. Maybe it makes a difference?
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    protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Doesn't make a difference whether it's parked inside or out. My friend's '96 Camry's AC smells bad too and his is parked outside 24/7.
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    boggseboggse Member Posts: 1,048
    I'm so confused. Perhaps I should just shell out the money for the Toyo Proxes T1-S. That is what I really want anyway, but I do not want to spend $600 on tires, then have to do again in 20k miles. One of the reasons I was avoiding the Dunlops was treadwear. Even though they are rated at 360, I think they do not do well on my Protege with me driving. TireRack would seem to agree:

    "The Dunlop SP Sport 5000 radial's tread compound was the fastest wearing during our days of track testing."
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    $150 a tire is a little high. I wouldn't spend that kinda money on them either.

    Do bigger tires wear out quicker? I have 225/45HR17s on my car (Michelin Pilots), and they show no discernable wear at 17,500 miles.

    The ones on the Protege didn't show wear when I traded it at 20K either. I do all highway driving though, so maybe that's why.
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    chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    Yeah, that's kind of an embarassing story, actually...although do I have any other kind?

    During the long road trip, I had plenty of time to kill when it wasn't my turn to drive...decided to pull the manual out of the glove box and peruse.

    Hey, who knew there were three different positions for the dome light switch??

    Works really well when you don't have it in "OFF."

    Learn something new every day.

    :)

    --Dale
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    gandalf17gandalf17 Member Posts: 348
    Things are now slowing down again at work...so hopefully I will have a little more time to visit and post.

    I've noticed that there is a recent discussion concerning tires. I just wanted to add that after doing some research of my own, I took Meade's advice and put 4 new Dunlop SP Sport A2 tires on my wife's Pro. They are sized as 205/60/r16.

    Anyway, Meade, thanks for the suggestion and input! Both my wife and I are incredibly impressed by these tires. They are definately quieter than the stock RE92 Poortenza's, handle comparably well in the dry and much smoother, are remarkable tires in wet weather and they do not seem to wear as quickly as the poortenza's. So far, we've put about 5,500km on the new tires and they've been everything i would have expected.

    Anyway, that's my 2 cents worth. Nice to see all the familiar names in here still and many more that aren't. :)
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    protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    I'm not gonna touch this one....too easy :D
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    protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Good to see you back!!! Hope all has been well!

    Thanks again for those wheel covers! They look MUCH better than the ones I mucked up.
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    chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    Tim: Welcome back! Yeah, as you can see, everything is pretty much the same.

    Mike: Now, how did I know that you would be the first to respond to my little dome light story? So predictable :P
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    That's just too HOMERous, Dale.

    Geesh. I really can't find anything to say about that other than, "Mama always said, stupid is as stupid does."

    Funny how Forrest had a line for all occasions!

    Meade
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    protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    At least you know I'm not lying :P

    You on the other hand....muwhhahahahaah!

    Besides....I'm only predictable until I'm unpredictable. Think about that one ;)
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    ashutoshsmashutoshsm Member Posts: 1,007
    Usually, when there are switches around something that doesn't seem to work - just play with them! Odds are, it'll start working again, eh?
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    ... Dale didn't know the switch has a third position. It wasn't the switch that wasn't working properly ...

    Meade
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    boggseboggse Member Posts: 1,048
    Wider tires on the same car should wear longer. If the car weighs more, like a Jetta, then it is hard to compare.

    I probably get a little more than half of my mileage locally. I am sure this added to the quick demise of my tread. The Goodyear Eagle RS-As that I had on my Jetta were about half gone when I traded it in at ~18k+.
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Sorry for the delay replying -- I had to slam Dale first. ;-)

    Hey my friend -- thank you for the kind words, support and dittos about the SP Sports. I too have truly enjoyed these tires. Tell me, did you buy them from TireRack? If so, did you write a review?

    Now, with taking my advice comes some responsibility, my friend. The next time the ol' "Love Train" (aka protegextwo, aka Larry) shows up dissing my tires, you gotta step up to the firing line and return fire against his barrage of inane drivel too, eh?

    ;-)

    Meade
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    protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Nail
    ----
    Head
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    ;-)

    Meade (cradling head in hands, dropping hammer)
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    chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    Mike: How in the world could I make up something like that? That's the wondrous thing about being me...I don't have to make up stuff to amuse myself and others. It just comes naturally!

    Meade: B*** me.

    :)

    --Dale
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    gandalf17gandalf17 Member Posts: 348
    Thanks, it's nice to be back. Things are great, but have been a little hectic with both work and personal life. On the positive side, my wife and I have bought a new house and will be moving in on August 23rd. We're really looking forward to it. Especially since she has been off-work convalescing from some major surgery she had back in May. All's well though.
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    protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Congrats on the house! Doesn't look like I'll be moving into mine until the 28th of August now :(

    Oh well...Wish I had a garage for the Pro...the black mica paint is so much work!!! Oh well....If I get a garage, I'd get a black car again...but never again without a garage!!!
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    gandalf17gandalf17 Member Posts: 348
    Since we now share the same rubber....hmmmmmm, really bad image..... anyway... I will certainly step up to bat and protect your good name against anyone who dares to defame the Dunlop SP Sport A2's!

    I did not buy them at Tirerack, but rather, from Canadian Tire, eh. They had an introductory buy one, get the 2nd for half price sale and I just had to snap that up since I had been researching new tires for quite some time. I simply could not find anything really negative regarding these tires. They are certainly comparable to far more expensive touring/performance tires and as I said, far smoother in both driving and handling than the RE92's.

    All in all, the tires here in Canada, sized 205/60/R16 are $129.00 each, and are only $64.50 at half-price. In total, i paid $387.00 for the 4 tires and $10.00 a tire for balancing and installation. I'm pretty pleased.

    P.S.- Mike, you are still most certainly welcome. I'm glad the rims found a home and use on your Pro!
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    gandalf17gandalf17 Member Posts: 348
    The new house has a nice sized one car garage...that's my dilemna. As much as I love the little Pro, I'm afraid the garage will be strictly reserved for the REX. It's basically been turned into a summer vehicle and bad winter, snowy day vehicle now anyway. My wife has been off-work so I have been driving the Pro quite a bit and we both work in the same building anyway, so sometimes we will drive in together.

    Congrats on your new house as well. Better build a garage. :)
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