Mazda Protegé

maltb

Really...who made that up?

aardvark_mark

I must be crazy.. I thought I read it in an edmunds forum but I just looked back over the ones I've read and couldn't find it.. maybe I was dreaming .. so please disregard that..

If the person who posted about the 150 yellow p5's could speak up please do so I don't have to check myself into an asylum .. must be protege5 fever.

jstandefer

What's the deal? Are we going to see a triumphant return of Mazda to the racetracks? Will we once again have to wear earplugs so we don't go deaf with the 10,000+ rpm scream of a rotary engine? Will the legendary 787B show it's tail lights to it's competitors at Le Mans?

I know Mazda has more up their sleeves than just getting their name up on the board at Laguna Seca... The Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca... And just convenient enough to see the rotary engine return to American shores.

pat

For winning the "Gold" in Edmunds.com's "Editor for a Day" contest at the NY Auto Show. Read Chris's winning review of the Mazda Protege 5 and Hyundai Elantra GLS here.

Way to go Chris, good work!

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

maltb

Based on the press release for Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca, one would think so. Although it doesn't appear that there will be much to follow anytime soon. There looks to be a bit more emphasis on the M-Zoom/Mazdaspeed/Motorsport side of things that may foster more grass roots racing, but factory sponsorship is way too far off to be visible.

hollenhorst2

I got to test drive another 2001 ES yesterday at another dealer and I am pleased to report that there was no steering vibration, so it probably was just the tires out of balance or the front end misaligned. I got to take this one out by myself and I flat wore it out! It really is a fun car to drive. Its cornering ability is amazing for a car in this price range. Now, if I can find a way to shoehorn a V-6 under the hood...

repj

I just got a postcard in the mail that is from WarrantyUSA and says REMINDER, Vehicle owner pease call 1 800 ... with vin number and mileage. I have a 99 Protege. Has anyone else received this and called? Is this just some advertising gimmick or something worthwhile? Thanks!

nikecar

I know I've gotten several like that (not sure if the same name) on my 99 Altima. I just chuck em away.

dran

. . . Lurker mode - OFF

hollenhorst2, you don't need no stinking V-6 ;-) Just go to corksport.com click on j-spec engines and buy yourself a fs-ze with 170 horses. It should drop right in, cost very little, and leave you with a brand new emergency back up engine (your old one) AND a stealthy little mustang killer of a car. People won't see you coming but they will see you going.

If you ever affect such a plan please report all results to the group. I for one do not have the intestinal fortitude (or cash) to be the first person to try such a plan.

I hope you get a protege, I'm sure you'd love it.

. . . Lurker mode - ON

lindathomp2000

Update on the factory nose cover I have for my ES 2001. My husband says it only takes 5 minutes to put on. It really adds to the looks of the car. I have a Seabreeze green mica car. SO don't hestitate to get one. The amount of bugs and stuff that we don't have to clean off the car speaks for itself.

tomciviletti

Jstandefer brings back memories from the '70's watching rx-3's making twice the noise of big block corvettes. A rotary w/o a muffler is a threat to human hearing.

protegextwo

Richard, spring time in Lancaster,... well to be diplomatic, lets say; it can smell of manure at night! However, open the moon roof, put in The Allman Brothers, "Live at the Fillmore" and crank the CD player. Now there is a full hour + of guitar jams. Nothing, like Dicky Betts and his slide guitar, the smell of the country and Zooming in a Protege!!! BTW, few people now about Rare Earth, hehe. I I give my props to you, for your knowledge of musical chops!

Respectfully;
Larry

lindathomp2000

Meade,
If Tammy wants a yellow car--get the yellow car. A new mother needs certain things. As a mother of three boys (who are now young men), believe me.

fowler3

There’s a photo of the California Squeegee on sportcompactsedan.com, scroll down to Sponsors Products Review.

fowler3

rnd2

larry, i know how you feel ! but i wouldn't have it any other way, i live on 10 acres with cows just across the street from my driveway."Live at the Fillmore" is as good as it gets .

fowler3

for information on tire replacement, fuel economy,and maintenance tips.

http://www.rideanddrive.com/guide/guide.html

fowler3

fowler3

here is a super URL for seeing the best international designers and their models and sketches.

http://www.cardesignnews.com

Beautifully designed web site with a lot to offer about cars in general.

fowler3

maltb

I know this isn't exactly a kiddie forum, but if you have kids ages 4-8, Mazda dealers are giving away vouchers for free booster seats.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010430/lam050b.html

rnd2

maltb,you have all the mazda info. my little one is 15 so this doesn't do me any good but it will help someone, thanks

maltb

It's all public knowledge my freind!

unmarkedcar

Hey guys. I posted this question a few days ago, and got no solid response. What do you recommend for gas 87 or 89 octaine gas. I do not know the benefits or negatives. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

chikoo

of the Booster seat program. Why?

nikecar

hmmm wonder if I can stock up now for the day I doo have a little one...

jstandefer

I finally got pics of my '99 ES up in the Photo area of the Owner's Club forum...

unmarkedcar- The owner's manual for all Protege's with the 1.6L, 1.8L, and 2.0L call for 87 octane gas. I have been using 87 octane in my ES for two and a half years now without any problems. Occassionaly, I will run 91 octane to see if there's much of a difference. With the 91, the engine idles just a hair smoother, but other than that, I don't notice any difference. Therefore, I will not spend $2.15/gal for the 91... I will pay the already outrageous $1.89/gal for the 87! Stick with 87 unless your car starts "pinging" (you will know if it does, but the engine computer shouldn't allow it anyways).

bpi

unmarkedcar,
What do you mean by "solid response". I counted three responses within four hours of your original post. What more information do you need? No one can tell whether your particular Protege will ping running on 87.

Your original post:
87?
Hey guys....I am currently using 89 octaine gas i my 2001 protege LX 2.0. With gas prices going higher and higher, I do not know if I should start to use 87. I do not know if I will get more engine knock (using lower octaine). Or if higher ocatine is acutually harming more than it is helping. I am getting 27mpg (hwy. will this improve with a lower grade of gas?

The responses:
From hkchan:
Re: Octane
1. Why have been using 89 in the first place?
2. You won't know for sure if your engine will knock on 87 unless you try it. Chances are your won't because most don't.

From vocus:
87 vs. 89...
I have a 2001 ES 2.0 with 4100 miles. I use 89 octane about every 5th tank init, just to make sure the engine is cleaned out inside. But 87 works fine, with no knocking at all. Also, you shouldn't constantly use a higher octane than recommended, because I hear it causes carbon build-up on the internal parts of the engine. And that is not good for the car. Also, why pay extra for 89 when the car only requires 87? BTW, I usually average 24-26 mpg, no matter what kinda gas I use. Drive mostly highway, 70-80 mph.

From maltb:
87 - Always
Never had a problem... The only times I use something different is when I decide to run advanced timing on an older vehicle.

Most new vehicles use a knock sensor to retard the timing when necessary.

maltb

I was wondering if my response was heard...not that it matters much to me.

maltb

My wife got the same response from our local dealer's service manager. His comment was: "It wouldn't be the first time Mazda has done this to us".

Go Figure....

unmarkedcar

jstandefer

Here's an article from BlueOvalNews.com regarding the next generation 323. Check it out:

http://www.blueovalnews.com/mazda_02323.htm

lgb

Be aware that when the guage says "E" there may be quite a few miles left- so log mileage at start/ end and then record gallons to fill up till the pump clicks off. With a 00 ES, I notice that mileage drops when RPMs are above 3400 (just shy of 70 mph). I use 87 octane Arco, or Mobil whichever is less expensive (last paid 1.749 and happy to find it). Still zooming (with an occasional squeak)at over 15,000 miles.

fowler3

lbg: I took a drive on an expressway yesterday and my LX 2.0 did great, smooth and quiet at 65mph. It had only 412 miles on it. I use BP 87 at $1.549.

In accelerating the tach goes up to 2900rpm and it upshifts, again up to 2900rpm and it upshifts to D3 or D4. At 65mph in D4 the tach shows 2750rpm.

I'm averageing 26mpg around town. No hard and fast starts, no hard braking on stops. I just don't drive that way. This should be a comfortable car on trips.

ibg: I'm not a Pro-ZOOMER, I'm a Pro-MOOZER

fowler3

digidave

with the windows down, anyone else get the severe "buffet" effect when driving with just the rear windows down half way (and no, I don't mean Jimmy, that's another story :-)

('01 Pro ES)

digidave

My '01 ES produces an unusual road vibration (like a rumble from the tires) during the first few minutes in the morning, but it seems to "go away". Have no idea what it is (tires, disk pads, rotors) but it's definitely noticable. No impact on performance or handling, just another attribute of the vehicle one gets to know after owning it.

Dave

digidave

I got to ask - did you say you're sqealing on take offs in your ES AT?! I've got a lead foot and have yet to do that in my auto (but then, it barely has 2000 miles and I've yet to push it).

Dave

browntrout1

...may be something to due with the clutch. Does it do it only when you accelerating and it what gears. I had a similar problem about for 2 weeks last month. When I would accelerate in first and second gear for the first 3 or 4 minutes, the clutch would chatter. Personally, I think it was some minor imperfection on the clutch that requires the clutch to "warm" up once you drive around a bit. I did have one incident before this problem when I was at a light going up a very steep hill (gotta love this Westmount hill in MOntreal). Anyways, i didn't roll back much but I think I didn't give it enough gas for long enough becuase to me, it sounded like the clutch slapped hard when it engaged. My RPM's dropped very fast. The whole chattering problem is gone now, it just worked itself of. I'm pretty sure I made a little groove or something in the clutch plate that had to be worn off eventually. I guess I'll ride the clutch a little more on hills from now on.

Oh yeah, and about gas. I heard that Protege's do not have knock sensors so using higher octane fuel will not do anything for gas mileage. I was using 91 octane since I bought the car, I'm trying 87 octane to see if there is a difference in fuel economy. I am not the bigest car brain but I'm not sure how a knock sensor is related to fuel economy, I thought is was used to retard timing. I though the oxygen sensor was what determined fuel/air mixtures. Again, I am not a car wiz here.

vocus

Buffeting: You will hear that in any car with the back windows (and no others) down when driving at 45 mph or more. It's just an airflow thing.

Squealing: I have floored my ES AT many times from takeoff, and only spun once, and that was because I was on loose gravel. Of course, I have 4600 miles already, so well broken in.

Octane: Why use more than 87? It's just a waste of money IMO. I have used 87 in this and the last Protege (a DX) since new with no problems. I admit, occasionally I do run a tank of 89 to clean the car out, but only like once a month or something.

nikecar

more info on the booster seat giveaway... only good for purchasers of 2001-2002 model year buyers...

http://boostamerica.org/fordgive.htm

rnd2

use 87 octane

protegenic

That's interesting that it is unusual to squeal the tires when accelerating hard from a standstill with the automatic. I have a have a hard time to not chirp 'em with the manual transmission. I guess I'll have to replace those Protenzas faster than others!

jstandefer

Careful with the squealing of the tires. I, too, have a very hard time keeping the tires from chirping or squealing on take-off (well, they totally lost traction yesterday while racing a Mustang, but that's another story!). Those OEM Potenza's don't last very long. My Potenza's barely lasted me 18,000 miles before they were pretty much bald. I replaced them with Nitto NT450 205/50R15's, and 21,000 miles later, I still have 50% tread left on them.

I do wish the Protege was offered with traction control. I don't know about the automatics, but when the road is wet I have the hardest time trying to get a smooth, gradual take-off from first. Most of the time, I'll start from second gear to keep the front wheels from spinning. Of course, here in Southern California, when it does rain (very seldom), all of the oil comes up to the surface and stays for quite a while.

However, just to give you an idea what a Protege ES 5-spd can do in terms of spinning the tires, here's an experience from racing an Integra from a light. Dropping the clutch at 4,000rpm from a stand-still produces about 3 seconds of tire spin before they catch. A quick upshift to second at redline produces about a half-second of wheel spin... Upshifting to third gear produces a nice audible chirp. I don't know about the upshift to fourth... the Integra gave up when I was still pulling away from him at 70mph... Zoom Zoom!

mdaffron

... yesterday morning with a young guy in a '99 Civic EX. He had the thing all decked out with ground effects, a spoiler, etc., but all that stuff couldn't make up for the lack of engine in that car! We wound up next to each other at FOUR traffic lights and in each case, I left him in the dust of my Emerald Mica 2000 ES 5-speed!

Zoom ZOOOOMMMMMM!!!

Meade

nikecar

just like typical rice... all show no go. He swore the spoiler and stickers added 50 hp to the car... Saw a Kia Spectra trying to be decked out, but the size of the tires made it look like it was a 4x4 with so much ground clearance and wheel well gap..

vonnyvonce

As far as I can tell true experts will tell you use what the manufactuer calls for with regard to octane. If your car pings there is probably something wrong, combustion chamber may need cleaning, coolant sensor, who knows what. Doubt thereis an advantage to using higher octane to keep the engine clean. Octane is not about detergents or keeping anything clean as far as I know.

hkchan

I doubt any oil company is claiming higher octane=cleaner engine or their receipe of cleaning agents is different among different grades. Exxon had a "Drive Down the Maintenence Cost" ad campaign, no more.

fritz1224

Chevron advertises that their 91 octane has more techron(cleaning agent) than their 87 or 89. Don't know if it's true or not but their 87 suits my 2k pro just fine.

hkchan

Haha. Maybe I was wrong. What format is the ad? I want to read it. There're no Chevron stations where I live.

fritz1224

I think it's on their pumps, and I talked to a Chevron owner who told me the same thing.

rfasani

Greetings. It's my first time here, and in good form I just managed to work my way through all 1800 posts. What a huge supply of information! The timing couldn't be better -- I'm preparing to make my first car purchase, and have decided that the 2001 Protege is for me. However, I have run into a snag.

I live in the VA/DC area, and after much research, decided on the 2001 Pro ES, 5 speed, with premium package (either emerald or silver). Last weekend, I went back to the dealership where I had test driven, and learned (of course) that they didn't have what I wanted. (They only had one ES, sand, no options. I'm somewhat flexible, but it wasn't for me.) I wasn't prepared for them to tell me that no cars in that configuration were available anywhere on the East coast. Indeed, they claimed the car is so popular, few dealers would trade them if they had them.

I expanded my search on Monday, using online tools to send requests to dealers all over the area. Another area dealership confirmed the claim of the first: none were available in the area. I was told that I could "factory order" one and have it in 6 to 8 weeks.

So, here I am trying to decide how flexible I am, how long I can wait, and what to do next.

Questions:

1. Can anyone else confirm the experience? It appears ES premium packages are rare on the 5 speed and/or in high demand.

2. Should I be wary of the claim that none (or at least very, very few) are available within a thousand miles? I'm willing to expand the search, but don't want to head out on a fool's errand. (I do understand that dealers are interested in selling what's on the lot.)

3. Is there any drawback to making a "special order", other than the wait? I've waited a while to get a car, and a few more weeks won't kill me.

4. Are there any general suggestions on how to proceed or words of encouragement? (I'm not completely inflexible. It's just that I did my homework and figured out what I wanted/needed.)

5. On a side note, I've been out of school for 3 years, one more than the two maximum for the college grad rebate. However, it *is* my first car purchase after college (I've been walking to work) and a local (blue oval) Ford dealership said they might be able to get it for me (back when I was looking at a Focus ). Any thoughts or experiences on the topic? Can the rules be bent a bit? Will dealers be willing?

I do know that some posts way back around #1006 touched on some of the topics, but I thought I would get some fresh perspectives.

Thanks.

Zoom. Zoom. Soon?

maltb

Send me an e-mail... maltbarley@yahoo.com

newcar31

I was just at a Chevron station and it says right on the 92 premium pump: "FOR CARS THAT BENEFIT FROM HIGHER OCTANE" That means you, the Protoge owner, doesn't need it. Speaking of octane, I just got 33 MPG! in my 01 ES 5sp with about 90% highway driving, the air conditioning cranked, going about 75-80 mph on 87 octane. No kidding.