Mazda Protegé

protege_fan

Yes it was the one to Pclub.

chikoo

a Honda CRV was trying to keep up with me.
Did an excellent job, except when it came to coming off the highway ramp.
I came down the ramp at 60mph(no brakes applied).
The CRV almost went over the embankment.

poor guy!!

mdaffron

I'm baaaack! I hope everybody had a good July 4. A few things to respond to:

(1) Yep, ol' Paul stood me up. He called me on his cell phone right as I was getting ready to go to our AAA-league baseball game (Richmond Braves vs. Norfolk Tides) Friday afternoon. My employer owns the stadium, and I was working as caterer for our Board of Directors in our Skybox that day. Too bad; I would've liked to have seen the Jedduh.

(2) Larry -- Thank you for being civil and not taking the opportunity to slam my choice of tires again. Yes, 6,000 miles later the Dunlop SP Sport A2s (205/50-15) are doing very well and I'm still in love with them. Time to get 'em rotated!!!

(3) It may be 94 degrees in Richmond today, but the humidity is low -- 28 percent. I'm going home in about a half-hour to wash the Zoomster. Much needed.

(4) Relating to (1) above, I've gotta tell you guys what I managed to get into my Protege (2000 ES) last Thursday. Keep in mind I had a full-size, forward-facing child safety seat in the back seat as well, but still managed to load the following stuff into my car after a visit to Costco:

10 cases of soft drinks
1 case of bottled water
1 case of fruit juice
8 20-lb. (large) bags of ice
Two large plastic tubs to hold the ice
Two cases of potato chips
Four flats of cookies
Four flats of Cracker Jacks
Four 10-pound bags of peanuts in the shell
Six round deli platters of subs & chicken fingers etc.
Boxes of plastic forks, napkins, plates and cups

The weight really made the car ride low, but it still handled great, accelerated well and even took road bumps in style! I must've had close to a half-ton of stuff in the car too!

See you guys tomorrow,

Meade

maltb

Thanks for the reminder Pete. I forgot to post this here last Monday. I had a little fun with the MP3 late last sunday night.

I had some silly integra that wanted to play around at 90-100 late that night. I didn't take him seriously, but when a nice WRX tempted me, we went for it. I think that integra was dizzy as we passed him at 120+. The WRX was clearly faster, but I made him work for his win. I mostly took the right lane and he was doing considerable weaving on the left. There were a few times that I had to make some wide left sweepers and quick one laners but with the suspension the way it is on the MP3, I felt very much in control for as fast as we were going. After we were way clear of anyone else, he backed off and so did I. I slowly pulled up to him thinking that he may have spotted a highway patrol but he just wanted to say hello. We exchanged friendly salutes as we came back down to traffic's speed. Then again, the silly Integra came up and wanted to play. Neither one of us took the bait.

chikoo

120+
with the same ES engine?

maltb

seems to be that's where the extra 10 hp kick in.

Driving through the dessert, I topped out at around 125. I was impressed with how stable it felt.

protege_fan

Was there whipping cream and a cherry on top too? :P

chikoo

how did the engine feel?
buzzy...vibrating?
or tight and stable?

maltb

PF
Why I oughta.... Dale would have scolded me in a nice way.

Nick
It was fine...obviously working and the RPMs were up there (don't recall where exactly). It seems that whatever work they did on the flow through the engine made it much more comfy. BTW, how can a Protege engine not be buzzy? (no, it's not bad)

protege_fan

Sorry....I couldn't resist!!

Great Pro story.
Is the rev limiter different in the MP3 than in the Pro sedans? Just curious if you could go that fast in a stock Pro sedan as well.

ashutoshsm

Just caught up on messages for the weekend, and read about peoples' exploits at high speeds :-)
Sounds like fun!

My only notable driving experience was in downtown DC while looking for parking over the weekend (for the first time) - an eminently forgettable and (in future) avoidable experience!

As for top speeds and red-line - I doubt you bumped into the rev limiter at 125mph, I would imagine that would happen a while later (assuming the car could even overcome wind resistance and produce additional torque to go any faster, as the revs continue to rise at that speed)

vocus

This doesn't involve a Protege, but I am going to post it anyway at the risk of being hated.

I was on my way back from NC on Friday night, in NVA on 95 right around Alexandria. This 2000-style Maxima and this 1990-ish style Honda Civic 5-door (I mean really!) decided to play. I was up to 100mph with them, of course the Honda was passed high and dry. The Maxima wasn't having it though, he went up to about 110 on the road. Due to traffic being around, I managed to get around and get ahead of him. He was hot! So when he finally did catch me, he floored the pedal and shot up to 115mph. I kept right up with him until then, but didn't wanna go that fast on a road with traffic ahead.

The funniest part of this story was to get 3 miles from the Wilson bridge and see him sitting on the side of the road in front of a cop! LMAO!

protege_fan

So I just got home and found a lovely photo radar ticket in my mailbox. Ah CRAP!!!!!!

I got busted for doing 114 km/h in a 100 km/h road that people regularly travel 120 km/h + on. 14 km/h is only 8 mph. WTF????? Not a cash cow?? Whatever.

BTW, that's worth $75 CDN.

the_big_h

what is that, $3.50 US?

pat

ahem - we need to be careful that our acronyms do not imply those kinds of words that cannot be used here.

'kay?

Pat
Sedans Host

chicagopro

desert

anonymousposts

I'll loan you the $.25 US dollars to pay that $75 Canadian ticket.

protege_fan

Sorry bout that...I forgot exactly which forum I was in...oops :O

I actually thought before writing my post that I was going to tone this post down, but once I got writing, the frustration came out.

BTW, in that particular instance, wtf meant "What's That For"??? How's that?

speedypt

Topping my Pro out I didn't hit the Rev-limiter, I hit the electronic speed limiter. It cuts the fuel (possibly the ignition?) Until you drop below 114 mph and then it comes back on. Sort of a RRRRRRRR-UNNNNnnnnn-RRRRRRRRR-UNNNNNnnnn-RRRRRR kinda of a thing.

Sorry I've been absent from here lately but the job is kicking my behind. I am still trying to find a lower stress job in my company but no luck so far. If and when that happens, I'll be a regular again I 'spect.

WARNING! SHAMELESS PLUG TO FOLLOW:

We are having another Protege meet in Chicago on July 21st. We will be meeting somewhere in the near north suburbs, possibly in Skokie. The time and date are set but the location is still being nailed down. See the protegeclub site for more details. This one will be more of a wrenching and tweaking session. But we will still plan on eating!!!

Take care all.

Regards,

Pete

protegextwo

I understand you like the Dunlop SP Sport A2s as a replacement for the Bridgestones. However, what do you think of the fitment 0f the new 205/50-15 tire size versus the OEM 195/55-15's?

-love train

mdaffron

Some good Mazda news!

http://www.auto.com/reuters/2002-07-08T003324Z_01_T8239.htm

Meade

protegextwo

Is to late to call my broker?

-love handles

protegextwo

I predict the 15,000 post mark will be broke on Monday, July 15th at aprox. 12:31 pm by ......?

BTW, I can understand 18,074 posts in a BMW 3-Series discussion, however 18,871 posts at the Chrysler 300M board leaves me a tad confused?

-larry

mdaffron

The fitment, Larry? Well, since they're "plus zero," the fitment is basically unchanged. The tires are roughly the same diameter as the originals since I increased the tread width but lowered the aspect ratio by an equivalent amount. What I really like, though, is that the new tires are approximately 1/2-inch wider than the OEMs and appear to "fill" the wheel well better, and they really look better on the alloys. Personal thing, I guess, but I like the sidewall design. They certainly look aggressive when you're behind the car! And did I mention they stick to the road like you're on rails, even in a downpour at 70 mph? And after 6,000 miles and no rotation (I know, I know ... gotta do it soon) they're still quiet, quiet, quiet! Like I'm in a Lincoln instead of a Protege (God forbid).

Meade

P.S. "Love handles?" Well, at least now you're getting honest ... ;-)

protegextwo

YESSSS!!!

mazdafun

Go Mazda go!

boggse

Does anyone know if Mazda is selling any Mazdaspeed products other than the muffler? I really like my Mazda dealer, but their parts department is clueless.

the_big_h

most of them are, even mine....

the_big_h

in an effort to reduce the droning from muffler, I have noticed myself being much lighter on the gas pedal when cruising down the highway. Now, once I've reached my cruising speed, I basically let off on the gas and only tap it lightly to keep it from slowing down too much.

Seems like with this method, in addition to reducing the drone, it's also improving my gas mileage!

vocus

If you got the muffler to improve the car's exhaust sound and then are lying off the gas to STOP the noise you paid $220 to get, why have the damn thing on the car in the first place?

the_big_h

because I DO like the sound, and I'm sticking to my decision. I'm just trying to find a way to keep it down so that when I want to do so, I can. Always good to have choices you know. Besides going full throttle ALL THE TIME isn't too much fun either....

meinrad

Why don't you put both mufflers on with a diverter valve and a switch. When you want the noise you switch the diverter to the Mazdaspeed muffler, when you don't the diverter goes to the original muffler. Seems like an easy solution to me!

the_big_h

a dual exhaust Protege??? should I also slap on some 3 ft aluminum wing, cut my springs, throw on some ugly body kit, and put on a V6 logo somewhere???

man you guys are nutty

I'll keep my droning, vrooom-vrrrooooming, loud as hell Mazdaspeed muffler, thank you very much

vocus

Even though you called my car a "Jedduh" (post #14553), I will still be nice and support you.

Also, standing someone up implies a no call, no show situation.

mazdafun

Probably the only one with such a set-up that's not up on cinder blocks with weeds growing out from under the hood.

Nutbars, all of you.

I mean that in an affectionate way.

snagy1

any one else have this radio problem, the indicators for the volume (the bars) don't light up any more. even when i adjust the bass, treble, etc. they don;t light up any more? i have the stock unit with cd built in on my lx 2.0

mdaffron

And how is everyone today? Is everyone in their places with bright, smiling faces?

Oh boy, I just love my Protege. It is a great car. And I love everyone who drives Proteges. But it's OK if you drive another kind of car; I love you too for that. Actually I love all cars and everyone who drives them. That's why I love Edmunds. It is such a great place to talk about cars.

I hope all of you have a great, great morning! I'm off now to sprinkle love around the Town Hall!

Hugs and kisses,

Meade

protegenic

They've assimilated Meade!

boggse

mazdafun

mazdafun

Or Keroppi. |:B

meinrad

protegextwo

Snagy, my guess is some internal LED or light bulb has crapped out inside your radio. Your local Mazda Service Dept. needs to look at it. I had the CD/Radio unit in my 2000 PRO-ES replaced under warranty (CD was sticking). No fuss at all, they looked at the problem, ordered a new CD/Radio and replaced the original unit within a week. Good luck, my friend!

-love train

boggse

Firstly, I would like to say I love my Protege. However, it is not without failings, albeit small. Of primary concern to me is the cup holder situation. I have a very difficult time finding drinks that will actually fit correctly into the stock cup holders without falling out when cornering. I have been able to get a bottle coozy so that a regular 12 or 16 oz. water bottle will not fall over when in the cup holder. That I should have to do so is ridiculous. If the cup holders were just a little deeper or narrower, it would not be a problem. That said, I would like to move on to the back seat where there are no cup holders. Why make a small car with a back seat that is actually comfortable to sit in and not put cup holders back there for the passengers. I know there is a Japanese market Mazda OEM accessory cup holder that can be added. I have seen pictures of one. My question is this, does anyone know where I can find one? TIA

rbrooks3

Anyone else see a pod in their basement that looked like the one in Meade's? Don't go to sleep!

vocus

I never had problems with the cup holders in either one of my Proteges (1999 and 2001). I am surprised at all the posts about cup holder problems. I know the "refresh" models have updated cup holders, maybe you will be able to retrofit them.

vocus

I didn't know you had your radio replaced. In the 1999 I had, the CD would stick sometimes. But I never left it in long enough to show the dealer. I traded it for the 2001 before I worried about it. Then in the 2001, the radio died like 3 times on me, replaced once. It was ready for a second replacement, but I replaced the car instead.

protegextwo

Paul, just the one car, that one time. They didn't even tinker with it. They verified the problem, called Mazda North America and replaced it with a new unit.

One thing, I have learned since becoming a regular at Edmunds Town Hall 2 and 1/2 years ago,....the value of an extended warranty. In the future, if I can't afford to finance the extra $1,000 or so for an extended warranty, I won't buy the car. BTW, that includes a Honda or Toyota vehicle. The piece of mind is invaluable to me.

-love train

mazdafun

I suspect some connections to the LCD from the PCB have gone bad. Probably the easiest thing to do is replace the entire unit. Otherwise, it's "hunt and peck" until you find the issue (probably a bad ribbon connector or a broken connection to one of the conductors in the connector). It's probably harder to replace just the one broken component than the entire head unit (just like vcrs).

And I find that 24 ounce water bottles fit just fine in my '99 cupholders. The small ones tip over at the slightest provocation though. Shame there isn't a cupholder in the rear (looks like the squarish plate in the back of the central console could house a cupholder, but it'd intrude into the footspace of the center passenger...right, as if I'd try to squeeze a third person back there).

protege_fan

I'd tend to agree with boggse. For the "spirited" driving that the Pro demands you to do, the cup holders don't really hold well. When I do have a drink in there (which is rare in itself), I always hold onto the drink...kinda takes the fun out of driving when you have to do that.

I believe I saw a post somewhere (not here) about retrofitting cup holders, but I'm not 100% sure about that.