Mazda Protegé

alternator

I have absolutely no knowledge of the value of the following, but interesting reading on brake fluid changing can be found at "mightyap.com/Data/gb0500.pdf"

mdaffron

I've got 100 watts x 6, a 120-watt, 12-inch subwoofer, and five surround speakers rated at 75 watts RMS (there's another term I bet the young folks don't know) and 125 peak. But that's for my home theatre system, and I like to FEEL IT when the T-Rex sneaks up on the visitors in Jurassic Park. Hee hee.

Here in Virginia the weather is as fickle as my last girlfriend. Since you didn't have the pleasure of meeting her, I'll tell you that on any particular winter morning, it may be 40 degrees or zero. (Fahrenheit, that is.) Thinking back, I haven't really taken stock of what the temp is when my Protege's having a good time. I'll try to remember to keep an eye on this. But I can say with certainty, after having owned three of these cars, that they perform better in the cool months than in the dead heat of summer. (It might have something to do with humidity too -- we have VERY MUGGY summers in Virginia.)

Dale -- I'll admit it, I looked that one up before I typed it!!! Hey, you didn't like my bANAL form of humor?

Meade

elec3

What I meant about temperature is that the ENGINE performs better once it has warmed up. My car does seem to prefer cool weather for making power (especially here at 4000 feet) but we'll see how much of a difference there is once we hit 100 in another couple months. PS to the few people in here who have dropped in a K&N filter: Apart from better gas mileage, have you noticed any increase in power or performance?

Also, I'm 21 and know about all that stuff, but I'm also a headphone audiophile. Being a headphone audiophile, you learn to be extremely careful with your volume for two reasons. The first is that headphones pump sound directly into your ears with no room reflections or anything - just straight in. The second is that most audiophile headphones can produce ear shattering volumes with no distortion from power on the order of milliwatts. Still, it's not a bad way to go...you can get a pair of top of the line Sennheiser headphones, a good headphone amp, and a 5-disc changer for between $500-1000 and enjoy audio bliss for what you'd spend on a midrange consumer home rack system (not to mention you won't bother the neighbors this way). As an aside, my headphones are 150ohms which is sort of in the middle for cans in this class. 300-600ohms is pretty common in upper end headphones. There's even a pair made by AKG that require at least a 7 watt power amp to be driven properly. Yikes!

As for my Pro5 sound system, I found it a bit lacking in the low end so I put in an 8" 100 watt Bazooka subwoofer. Pretty modest as subs go but it gets the job done and most of the sound stays inside the car since this type of sub uses the hatch of the car as a sealed enclosure for bass amplification (meaning you get better bass inside the car than such a small, weak sub should provide). I've equalized the factory head unit to sound ok...it's not quite what I'd like but I can deal with it for now. The stock head unit and speakers in my Pro5 have somewhat of a dark but lush sound...it sounds a bit heavy or thick and slightly dull. It makes me wonder if adding some really sizzling tweeters somewhere up front would do the trick. Eventually I'll replace the factory speakers but I'd like to keep the head unit because it matches the looks of the dash and will help keep theft down (nobody wants to steal your factory double-din head unit, no matter how cool you think it is).

mdaffron

It sounds like you really have an affinity for good-sounding music. The kind of people I'm referring to just think big and loud is better -- your taste in bright treble and clear bass is more along the lines of how I feel. And yes -- keep it in the car! My back yard bumps up against the road that goes by the area high school -- you oughta HEAR (ok, FEEL TOO) the crap that goes by on that street every afternoon and after Friday night football games! Geesh! Maybe that has a wee bit to do with why I'm so passionate about this subject.

BTW, I started as a headphone lover too, but only because I lived in an apartment for 10 years and HAD RESPECT FOR MY NEIGHBORS. I still enjoy using them when my wife's watching TV or something -- but lately she's pointed out that I "breathe funny" when I'm wearing headphones. I must start breathing in rhythm with the music or something weird like that. I've never heard myself do it -- but then again I never heard myself snore either until I set up a tape recorder one night to prove to my wife that I didn't.

BOY WAS I WRONG!!!

Meade

P.S. PROTEGE! PROTEGE! PROTEGE!!!! There, I had to make this post on-topic. ;-)

vocus

only 4 bars out of 10?? Come on now, ya gotta have it louder than that in the warm summer with the windows and sunroof open, and cruising at 80 mph. That's how I lost my first head unit in the 2001. Funny, I did the same thing with the 1999 DX, and never had a problem. Oh well.

In the Jetta, I turn the radio up about halfway (equivalent to all the way in both Proteges), open the roof and windows, and cruise on. But my system also has SCV on it too, so it gets a little louder when you get moving.

sunbyrne

Well-said, Meade--it's amazing how the only numbers you seem to find on most consumer-grade audio equipment are wattage numbers. Great--I know several people who plowed a lot of cash into HT receivers with high wattage but crappy DACs and poor impedance handling. They sound like dog poop, but of course they must be good because they have lots of watts! Ugh.

Anyway, my impression from what I've heard on various boards and forums is that the head unit on the 2002 Pros really isn't all THAT bad, but the speakers sure do suck. I bet a set of entry-level Infinitys or BAs would improve the sound dramatically for not that much cash--which is what I plan to do this summer...

boggse

I didn't see that anyone else answered this one, so my guess is Total Harmonic Distortion. I think I have seen something like that mentioned somewhere. I am afraid I am too young or got interested too late to know what a good one would be, but I imagine it should be small.

mdaffron

boggse:

DING DING DING!!! You win the prize. A good THD rating is in the hundredths (or sometimes even thousandths) of one percent! But I've seen ratings (on some of the Wal-Mart junk) in the tenths of a percent and higher. Subwoofers can get above one percent. Muddiness, I call it.

Paul ... This is the Protege topic. But since you keep bringing up the Jetta and all its techno-marvelous features here, I must add this plea to the hosts:

Pat, you'd better get over to the Jetta sedans topic. From post 3733 to present, it's nothing but a mudslinging contest. It's even got Paul to the point of criticizing his new Jetta and wanting to get out of it before the warranty expires -- as Mr. Bill used to say, OHHHH NOOOOOO!!!!!!

FOR THE RECORD -- I'm just kidding with you Paul. You did mention that but then you retracted it. I'm still waiting to see your Jetta and I can't believe you've already got 10,000 miles on it!

(But the Jetta topic does make humorous reading right now. And guess who's in the middle of the foray? Anyone heard of teo? I'm staying out of THAT discussion!!!)

Meade

vocus

One thing I honestly do miss is the friendliness of the postings here at the Protege topic. Some of those Jetta people are downright mean. It's not the same family-like atmosphere as it is here on the Protege topic.

Also, there's nothing really wrong with my Jetta other than the little buzz in the dash that's getting to me. I was saying about getting out before the warranty expires because I called to get an oil filter the other day and Goodyear said $28! I thought that to be high, and also don't wanna have to pay for parts when the warranty expires (if anything would break). They do have extended warranties though, so we shall see.

the_big_h

a quick K&N update...

been through 2 tanks of gas with the K&N installed. 1 tank averaged 27+, another 24ish, all within 'normal' mpg range. Need to keep track for longer period of time to determine any statistically significant gains.

as for performance, the first time I drove my Protege with the K&N, it felt just a tad quicker in acceleration, and revs up a bit faster as well. Haven't noticed much lately, probably because I'm used to it

oh yeah, it's definitely louder than the paper filter!

panamaltd2

I have heard some reports on the next Pro and the car sounds great but does anyone know were I can find some pictures of it? I am dying to know what it will be like because Mazda is coming out with the new generation right when I turn my lease in. I really want to know if my next car will be a protege or a GTI.

Zoom-Zoom,
Sam

vocus

Had one in my 1999 DX for a couple weeks. Turned the car into a gas hog, and didn't give it any more power, at least it didn't feel like it did.

narenji

Well, I wanted to do the same thing- replace the head unit and all four speakers, but nobody had a kit for the 2001+ protege head units- apparently they're like a 2.25 din and have very shallow install depth. (thanks mazda for coming up with your own stereo size!) The new stereo is modular though, but who cares when the sound is so mediocre. I have changed the front speakers to some pioneers I had in my old mx6, and they sound better, but I think the stereo needs to put out more juice. The rears are still the stock speakers, which will be changed out soon, but I'd like to get a new head unit (probably Pioneer, their mosfet powered units are good IMHO), and some new rears. After that I'd change the fronts to a better brand- I'd want the best setup up front because that's where I sit, and I'd like the best speakers closest to me. Plus, like somebody said, the rears are for fill mostly. Does anyone have a installation kit for the 2001+ Proteges?

the_big_h

isn't gonna show you any real mpg changes. You need to have it on longer and accumulate more data to see any real trends. A full week where you have to turn on the A/C compressor most of the time can decrease mpg significantly, no matter what you have on.

You need at least Couple MONTHS or more to really gather up some mpg data and average it out to compare before & after effects.

As for power? I feel like I'm getting as much power out of $36.50 as I can get!!!

the_big_h

check out http://www.protegeclub.com/forum and do a search on that forum. I think I've seen people there discuss this issue.

mazdafun

...I do turn the volume up past half-way when I'm driving at decent speed with all the windows open. It only happens so rarely around where I live. Perhaps 2 good months out of the year, typically.

Luckily, this last year has been most atypical. Summer was mild, the winter's been mostly mild as well (more wet than frozen stuff). Still, it's been too cold to drive with the windows open.

You can tell when I've had a rough day as I turn up the volume up a bit more as I drive for home. Shakes out the bad stuff.

protegextwo

Thanks for the info on brake fluid.
:-)

-old head

reagle

HAs anyone received a welcome package from Mazda fro their 2002 Pro?
Mine came with a bit of touch up paint and a short booklet that looks like an exctract from the user manual. That thing did mention that the air is dried when the windshield position is selected, It doesn't mention the one next to it.. I guess car design and manuals are created at the different sides of the big pond..

fowler3

...Who eliminated in your breakfast cereal this morning?

"Eliminated"? What's that? Good as any word I guess.

About magnets, speakers, and chips -- read that in Car and Driver back a few years. Probably refers to luxury cars that have all those electronic gadgets nobody really needs, muchless use. Such as those Navigation things, with the disclaimer: Your city may not be on the map. If my city isn't on the map why would I buy that thing?

Did you see the Suzuki Aerio on Edmunds' front page? Is that a baby Pro5 or what? The buyer could name it Buttercup. LOL!

Meade, for the young people buiying those super Woofers for their cars; doctors have surgery to correct hearing loss. The procedure has a 95% failure rate, and can leave patients helpless for the rest of their lives -- vegetables. But, Hey! Didn't it sound COOL while we could hear?!

I'm deaf in one ear and have 80% hearing in the other -- never turn the stock radio above three bars -- hear it fine. Testing a noisy car, set the radio to a comfortable listening volume before starting off; then see how many clicks UP in volume you have to turn it to maintain the same volume. If it takes three clicks up at 65MPH your car is NOISY!

fowler3

speedypt

K&N filters are good, didn't notice any change in overall MPG's and I keep CLOSE track of mine! I averaged 26.4 mpg before and 26.6 after installing it. Not a significant difference. Power and such? I posted WAAAAAAAAAYYYYY back in (I think....) Protege 3 the testing I did with a K&N and Bosch Platinum +4 plugs. 0-60 dropped 1/10th of a sec with both installed. Again, not much...but it was fun to install anyway!

What's with all this stereo talk? I would love to replace my stock speakers. Bass response is fine up to about 1/2 volume, then muddy and distorted after that. I like the bass heavy way the radio sounds. Midrange is okay and upper range/treble is just okay. Overall though, it's a pretty good sounding system. I've had many people comment on the quality of sound in my car. I agree with Elec3 that the Protege5 sound system lacks substance big time...I test drove 3 and they all stunk. No bass, weak midrange, no treble. The sedans sound SO much better using the trunk for a bass chamber.

Finally blew a PIAA bulb in my car out. Replaced my PIAA Platinum white 80w/80w with a PIAA Ultra white 55w/60w. Light out of the new Ultra white is a bit whiter and very close to HID look, but the output is just not as good as the 80watters. I got very used to the abundant amount of low-beam light I had with them. No problems with the higher wattage bulbs (didn't melt anything and I had them in for nearly 2 years.) BTW....I have a set of PIAA's 45W/55W that will fit a first-generation Pro if anyone wants them...free. I used them for about 3 months then sold the car. They are a bit brighter than stock and you get the cool whiter beam. You pay for shipping if you want them or come to CAPP in May and pick them up. First come, first served.

Anybody looked at the Momo GT2 rims? Check them out at www.momo.it and find the GT2 rims. If I ever replace my stock rims....these would be the ones I would choose. Silver of course!

Elec3...I'll keep you in the loop for CAPP!

BTW...I will be visiting my old stomping grounds (Phoenix) for several days and won't be on the board...but that's still over a week away.

Night all!

Regards,

Pete

sunbyrne

speedypt, you have it right. My wife drives a 99 LX and I have a P5, and the stereo in her car sounds *much* better. 6.5" speakers in the rear doors just don't measure up to 6x9's on the deck. However, I do find the ergonomics much better on mine, with the bigger knobs and buttons. We'll see how it sounds when I replace the speakers...

maltb

Yahoo weather for Irvine, CA

Currently:
53º

Hi: 88
Lo: 51

mdaffron

Maybe this will help you understand why snow is so unpredictable here in Virginia, and why we're always suffering from the flu over here.

This past Wednesday's low and high: 44 and 70
Next Wednesday's forecast low and high: 18 and 39

Like they say, if you don't like the weather in Richmond, wait an hour!

Keeps the trees and flowers guessing, though. Last year we had a heat wave in February -- it actually got into the 80s for a few days, and all the tulips and daffodils bloomed. A week later it plummeted into the teens and 20s and everything died. We didn't have a spring!

Meade

vocus

It's pretty nice here in the Metro DC area today as well. Maybe I will get some more "sunroof time" today, if I am lucky.

newcar31

weather.com weather for Minneapolis, MN

23 degrees, "feels like" 18 degrees

next monday:

High 18
Low -2

I'm super jealous malt

shrique

Any one know where I can get specifications about my 2002 Protege5 stock stereo? I'm thinking about speakers and want to know amps etc.

Thanks

mdaffron

Maltb will never see a white Christmas!

Meade

newcar31

We barely had a white christmas here this year. I'd take a Palm Tree Christmas anyday.

mdaffron

Gimme four seasons anyday!

Maybe the problem with you and Maltb is that you live in areas that have a definite climactic feature associated with them -- sunny California and the snowy upper midwest. Living in the Mid-Atlantic is definitely more unpredictable and fun.

You're sure to get snow every winter, although the amount may vary a little. Here, we'll go two years without so much as a flake in the air, and then we'll get dumped with two feet in one day. Shuts down the city entirely. During the "Blizzard of '96" I didn't go to work for a week. I couldn't even leave the house! We don't have snow removal equipment for those "once-in-a-decade" storms!

Other times of year we get killer summer thunderstorms, hail, sometimes a tornado every now and then -- but the best is when a hurricane roars inland across the NC or SC coast, tracking right up through central VA. Even though it's weaker by the time it gets here, we get some cool effects. The James River (main river thru Richmond) floods -- a few years ago they installed a mult-multi-million-dollar floodwall downtown because they were tired of our business district turning into Venice every few years -- and the winds are wild. We had sustained winds at 60 mph overnight the night the remnants of Hurricane Floyd came through a couple years ago. By the sound of it, I thought I would awaken the next morning to find all of my vinyl siding spread across my neighbors' yards. (No damage, thank goodness. Just sounded like hell.)

Yeah, Richmond is definitely a place to live if you're a weather junkie. It's so hard to predict the weather here -- I really feel for our meteorologists. They'll predict a foot of snow, make everyone panic (which a foot of snow will do here) and then we won't get anything! Or they'll predict a cloudy night with a chance of a flurry, and we'll wake up to find six inches on the ground! Heck, they were so gun-shy a month ago, all three networks' weather guys here predicted one to two inches for our last "storm." We got 8 at the airport and unofficial accounts of as much as a foot here and there.

Meade

chikoo

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/preview/articles/49543/article.html

looks like the protege's dash upside down!!

But the speedo sure is something new.

chikoo

I believe that you should NEVER EVER top off the brake fluid.
If you experience that the level of brake fluid is going down, but the brake pad thickness is still the same, U got a leak in the brake lines. GO TO the dealer ASAP.

If you experience that the level of brake fluid is going down and the brake pads are also wearing down at the same time, SIMPLY change the brake pads and the fluid.
Brake fluid level goes down as the brake pads wear out since it is self adjusting. It just pushed itself towards the brake pads to keep the distance between the pads and the disc the same.

Hope this helps

chikoo

>>>>If it takes three clicks up at 65MPH your car is NOISY! <<<< by fowler3

since I need to keep it to 3 bars at 60+ mph.
After that I am too busy controlling the car to even listen to anything on the radio/player.

maltb

our little secret is that we have local mountains that get snow in the winter. It is said that this is the only place that you can surf in the morning and ski in the afternoon.

Truthfully, I've never tried the water in winter (I'm not that stupid).

mdaffron

One of the things that attracts people to Richmond isn't what it has, but what it's near. Drive 90 minutes east and you're at the beach. Drive 90 minutes west and you're in the mountains. Drive 90 minutes north and you're in the nation's capital (as long as there isn't the usual plethora of wrecks on I-95 and the Capital Beltway, that is!!!).

Meade

mazdafun

The 5-door version, that is. Much better looking than the Matrix/Vibe, but not as nicely-proportioned as the P5 (or 6 wagon). The 4-door is ho-hum.

The upper central stack does look like they took a Pro stack and inverted it. Maybe they want to blow air up your sleeve as you adjust the stereo to cool your armpits.

Anyhoo, I don't mind NOT having seasons. You can keep the same wardrobe all year and drive to the weather you want...and drive away from it.

edmund2460

Saw your q. about ins. several posts ago while catching up. I'm with Geico now. I had AIG for 6 months. They went up almost 50% from my first quoted rate at the next renewal. Something about all SC rates going up. Geico's price was the same as AIG's but I thought I'd show AIG my displeasure. Geico seems to be more customer friendly. Also AIG's marketing never seems to know that you have already purchased insurance from them. They'll send you reminders for months after you get their quote. On another subject, I read your post about the meticulous salesman who sold you your car. Isn't that in Highpoint NC? I believe we both bought our cars from the same place. I drove 100 miles from Rock Hill. If I buy another Mazda I'll got there again.

boggse

Read back up about 100 posts, there is some discussion about stereos. No one seems to know for sure the specs on the stereo, but Crutchfield guessed 10-15 watts x 4 channels.

vocus

I wanna test drive one, I love the way they look. Like nothing else on the road. I saw one at a Toyota dealership and it looks pretty neat. I might test drive it this weekend, for the heck of it.

Also, I told my friend (the one from the MAPP III, for those of you who were there) that a Protege turbo is coming out. She asked me if I was going to get one (it would be my 3rd one if I did). I told her no. She said, "well too bad, I kinda liked that little picnic thing we went to". Maybe I can talk her into getting a Protege as her first car..

tomciviletti

I'm going to risk upsetting all the rrr....customizers on the list. I don't like the now popular whiter headlights, whether the expensive HID's or the cheaper emulations. They make vision more difficult for oncoming vehicles [personal experience] and run counter to wise use of the physics of light. Shorter wavelength light [blue] is scattered much more by the atmosphere than long wavelegths [red and yellow]. That's why the sky is blue; it's scattered light. That's why real foglights are yellow.

shrique

You've probably made this clear but what is your next car choice going to be?

alternator

The "Haynes Repair Manual" (for the Protege thru 2001) has just been released (according to Haynes), although it is not listed yet on their web site.

The $120 or whatever Mazda Shop Manual is so, so fat, but assumes way too much prior knowledge to be of much use to most "do-it-yourselfers" ---- so I think this will be a welcome alternative.

the_big_h

I wouldn't argue with you about the 'emulated' white halogen bulbs, as those are purely for looks and often don't put as much light on the road as regular halogens (I know, I have them :P). But I disagree with you on the real HIDs found on high-end cars, I think they're a huge improvement in driving safety. The HIDs put more than 3 times the light on the road than the halogens, and when well aimed, is no more distracting to oncoming traffic than regular halogens. Oh yeah, real HIDs put out PURE WHITE lights, not blue like the poseur halogens.

I'm wishing they'll eventually come up with a retrofit HID kit for my protege so I can see the road better at night.

maltb

I find it to be quite the opposite. While Haynes is one of the best(second to Bently), I find that they tend to skip important steps. Factory manuals give much more detailed instructions, especially when it comes to interior and electrical.

mdaffron

Been to a Pontiac dealer lately?

Meade

vocus

Meade: I meant nothing else on the road looks like those two vehicles.

Shrique: I have not decided what my next car is going to be. I just bought the Jetta 4 months ago, so that is not a decision I plan to be making anytime soon.

shrique

Sorry I forgot about that. I didn't realize that your were "that Jetta guy" (grin)

newcar31

Speaking of directions, I just got a copy of the directions for the strut tower bar install. I didn't think I was going to need directions, until I looked at the directions. They sure are complete.

I had PIAA super whites and one bulb burnt out in about 7 months. I know I installed them right, and I even took the extra precaution of cleaning the bulbs with rubbing alcohol before installation. They are too expensive to be burning out that often. I swapped the regular bulbs back in and will never buy those PIAAs again.

the_big_h

do you mind posting scanned pictures of the directions onto our yahoo mazdaprotege forum? It'll be a nice resource for others that want to install it.

thanks!

the_big_h

headlight bulbs are still going strong. Installed in August so it's been just about 6 months, we'll see if these hold up better...

theparallax

...but I took them out. After several rainy nights here and driving on freshly paved roads, all I could see at night were the reflectors. I kept double-checking my light switch to make sure it was on and just not in the parking lamp mode!!! I did like the blue look, but I'm waiting for something that's whiter. I was also afraid of frying the wiring harness because of the 90/100 wattage. For the 2-3 months I had them in, there was no damage though.

If I ever see those Philips SilverStars in the store in H4 size, I'll be grabbing one, but they never have them in H4. I've heard they are very good.