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Comments
Paul, I agree to a certain extent. Sure, I'm happy if my car is working, but I do have a certain pride knowing that the company that made my Pro looks after its customers' best interests as well.
Last time, waited 4 days when it seemed the normal wait was 2-3 weeks.
http://www.mikesart.net/giantglossarycom/ref/almanac/usa/usa.php
Oh yeah, the Protege's Mobil 1 is going on 4K now.
I want a baseball team in Washington!!!
New York, LA, Chicago aren't surprising. They've held that order for a long time now. What is surprising is that New York is so much bigger than LA. I always thought they were pretty close in population. 21 million in the NY/NJ/CT area. That is OUT OF HAND. Phoenix and Atlanta are booming like crazy.
In other news, the rally of Monte Carlo is underway. Check the SPEED channel at 11PM EST on Fri, Sat and Sun for coverage.
http://www.wrc.com/en_GB/default.htm
Dinu
I have a '00 ES (not the '01) and had the Kumho Ecsta Supra 712 195/55/VR15 mounted on my stock rims (15 x 6"), ~$85 apiece installed, currently available at tirerack for $63 apiece in that size.
I put 9000 miles on them and compared to the OE Poortenzas they have much better wet traction and about equivalent dry traction. I'm not sure how they would compare to the Dunlop SP 5000, but driving in the rain has never been a problem ever since I switched. Mine are 340 treadwear rating and they look barely worn so far.
Keep in mind that this tire is not M+S (mud and snow) rated so if you live in an area where it snows more than a few times a year you cannot use them in the winter. These tires cannot handle any amount of snow greater than a dusting (your car WILL spin out).
In general it is a good all around tire and a good value, it will perform similarly to more expensive tires but certainly not better.
Dinu01 and Protege_fan: We southerners aren't use to arctic weather most of the year. Spring comes early and winter usually comes late, but not always. It can snow in October. Our houses have adequate insolation for most temps, extremes tax the electric grid.
Last night, I had to tape up the glass doors and vents in the fireplace to cut the cold air coming in. On the hearth it was 36F degrees.
People in Florida are use to it being in the 50'sF when it is freezing (0C) in North Carolina. A big freeze in Florida is how MinuteMaid makes frozen orange juice -- on the trees. LOL! jk.
fowler3
Too bad Mazda doesn't use the same lubricant.
I also had a 1954 Plymouth (in 1956) that was a 3-speed manual and there was no clutch pedal. It combined the clutchless automatic system with manual shifting. Maybe they ought to revive it and make it a 5-speed.
When you are use to a MT car and get into a car with AT, do you catch yourself jabbing the floorboard with your left foot? Haha.
The most dangerous driving I have ever done was in the Bahamas, I rented a British car with Brit setup, steering on the right. The pedals and gear pattern are the same as on export models, but shifting with your left hand is strange. The dangerous part is going around a curve and reminding yourself to NOT swing into the right lane coming out of the curve. 'Keep left!' Keep left!" goes through your mind. I almost hit a Rolls head-on when I swung right on the first curve.
fowler3
Honda does use a lighter manual transmission lube, but if you put synthetic Redline MT90 in your Protege, you won't be able to tell the difference (between your old Civic and your Protege). I had an Integra and I know exactly what you are talking about.
Oh yes I can, my Protegé has an AT.
I gave up MT's, in 1997, after 23 years shifting for myself.
fowler3
Just out of curiousity, I checked the resale value on my car and the resale value of a comparable Civic. I used a 2001 Civic LX 5sp sedan with no options, because that car had a comparable sticker price to my 2001 Protege ES 5sp with no options. 25,000 miles, Minnesota zip code, silver, exceptional condition for both cars.
2001 Civic LX sedan-
Private party: $10,033
Dealer retail: $11,181
2001 Protege ES-
Private party: $9,881
Dealer retail: $11,320
That's a $152 dollar difference for private party and it's not even taking into account the fact that I did 0% for 48 months and paid $15,300. I'm actually doing better than I would be doing with a Civic LX.
Dinu
-----------------------------------------------
Component Description:
8.STRUCTURE:DOOR ASSEMBLY:LATCHES AND LOCKS NHTSA Number: 634382
Bulletin Number: 0900702
Bulletin Date: MAR 2002
Vehicle: 2001 Mazda Protege
Summary:
SUBJECT REGARDING TRUNK KEY DIFFICULT TO INSERT OR UNABLE TO TURN KEY OR CYLINDER FLAP BROKEN. *SLC
-------------------------------------------------
Could this be the problem you're experiencing with the door locks?
Dinu
-larry
The original plastic flaps would break eventually. They replace them with metal ones if you complain (they replaced both of mine when my driver-side one broke). I think current Pros come with metal flaps stock. My '89 323 still has a plastic flap on the driver side as the driver side lock is lit from the inside (when you lift the handle) so you can find it in the dark. Little touches like that made my 323 quite different from its contemporary competitors.
Dinu
Anybody know how much it costs to replace the windshield? I don't think I'll have to do it yet, but eventually I'd like to.
My windshield in my 99 DX was $305.
Maybe I should trade my Pro in too...Hahahahah!!
I run 5-W-30 all year round.
I have an auto glass shop really close to my house and when I had the Civic I had a minor chip in the windshield and they fixed it for free b/c they could not guarantee it will not come back and crack the whole windshield. So you might as well try and see what they say.
Dinu
This glass place came out to my work and charged me $305 USD for the replacement. The truck who threw the rock and cracked my windshield paid for it anyway, so cost wasn't an object to me. They just wanted something lower than $522 because they wanted to pay out and not claim it on their insurance. Never a leak from 9K miles to 38K miles (a year or so) with the replacement. And no wind noise either.
Also, you should know that dealers outsource their glass work, they do here anyway. So you basically are paying the dealer to drive your car to and from the glass shop, when you could pay less and go directly to the glass shop.
Quick Summary: improved throttle response makes it worth the time and money
Installation: My car is a '00 ES auto w/ NLEV 120 peak hp, no modifications. AEM SRS purchased from www.adventon.com for $131 + shipping. The Short Ram replaces the stock tubing and air filter while retaining the stock MAF and intake air temp. sensor. Installation is very easy, instructions are good, took about an hour total (most of the time is spent removing the stock intake). The intake looks good but has quite a few couplers (rubber rings used for joining tubes) that detract from its appearance.
Performance:
Here is the dyno of before and after from the AEM website: http://www.aempower.com/pdf/results/22-480%20Mazda%20Protege%201.- 8L%20SRS.pdf
After testing it out I believe it to be correct in every regard. The largest hp gain is 4.1 hp (at the wheels) at 3250 RPM but the average gain across the board is more like 2-3 hp. The most important benefit from the AEM intake is improved throttle response. When you hit the throttle, the engine responds more quickly. This can be felt in the car's acceleration and the movement of the tachometer needle. Therefore, while the hp gain is almost negligible, the car feels more responsive and more lively. The improved throttle response makes the car more drivable (and more fun to drive) because you can reach the magic 4000+ RPM (peak torque) mark faster than with the stock intake.
Sound/noise/vibrations: At idle, you can feel the vibration from the intake creeping into the cabin of the car. I believe this is largely due to removing the resonance chamber (one of the installation steps). This was noticeable but not annoying. Below 3000 RPM the sound of the intake is not significantly changed. After 3000 RPM you hear a growl (not terribly loud, but noticeably louder than stock) that gets louder up to redline. During acceleration this sound is very pleasing but during cruising it adds to the backgroud noise (road and wind noise). Since my protege often cruises at around 3000-3500 RPM on the highway, this will be noticeable.
I haven't tested the fuel economy change yet. Overall I am very pleased with the product. The improved throttle response changes the car's driving dynamics, but the price you pay is having a little more noise and vibration.
* Try not to use the spare on the front of the car, you could damage the differential.
* Let the turbo cool down when stopping, for at least 90 seconds. This will prevent damage to your engine.
* Never use anything but premium fuel in the car
I am surprised that Mazda calls for turbo cool down though. It's better if you do cool the engine down though when running hard.
What doesn't it mean "* Try not to use the spare on the front of the car, you could damage the differential."? How can you chose where is the flat tire???
I was driving the 6i MT the same day. Feels very solid. I couldn't push the handling to its limit (the sale lady seat next to me and the route we took is not appropriate for that). Still I think my P5 gives me more fun, especially since the engine now nicely break out. I won't trade my P5 for the 6 as I don't need the extra space.
Bruno
Also, this MSP was $20,500 with no mark-up.
They also had a P5, yellow with custom leather seats. The seats were black leather with yellow seating surfaces. It said $1260 for them on the window, the dealer had them put in.