Mazda Protegé

mdaffron

Hey friends, we have a child too. Children ride in the back seat. You boys seem to have forgotten that your Protege also has "child-safe" doorlocks for the rear doors. Open one of your back doors and stoop down behind the trailing edge of the door, and you'll find a little slide switch. Slide it over and it will be impossible to open the door from the inside no matter WHAT position the door locks are in. As long as that switch is slid to the "on" position, the only way to open that door is by the outside handle.

They help with children, yes ... but I find it much more fun to turn the child-safe door locks on before taking a group of co-workers out to lunch ...

Meade

meinrad

Put one right through my drivers side front tire this morning. All of sudden the car started pulling left, and I knew something wasn't right. Pulled into the next lot and sure enough, flat.

So right now the P5 is sitting in the driveway fitted with that stupid looking spare tire.

Oh yeah, this is the fist time I've had to pull over and change a tire since I was 16. All the others have gone flat overnight in my driveway and so I've done it in reletive comfort. People really look at you funny when you do this. I guess most people are used to calling AAA.

pat

blueguydotcom

Auto-up windows have been documented to have killed both young children and pets.

We could point to slip n slides that do that too! Or shingles falling from a roof.

I guess some folks really like this feature. I personally find its cost/benefit ratio to be too low.

For my money there isn't a downside to auto up windows. If I happen to have a child that stupid, nature will take care of my failings as a parent.

I find auto-unlock doors to be very dangerous. I've had a few kids riding in back who repeatedly pull on the inside door-lock lever. Luckily, I had them disabled most of the time. My daughter actually opened her door once while we were at a red light (I had figured she was old enough then), after I had re-enabled the rear door.

to each his own. if the kid's not smart enough to lift a button to get out.

I remember a few times from my childhood when either I or one of my brothers had opened our doors while the car was in motion. Heck, even now, I sometimes idly play with the inside door latch when riding in someone else's car and have opened the door unintentionally (I try to fiddle with other stuff now).

wow, no comment...

Lots of paranoia about out of control kids though.

gee35coupe

I'm a new parent but I'm not that paranoid. I hope my kid's smart enough not to fall out of the car. I hope.

pat

Let's give this subject a rest.

The intelligence of a child (or an adult for that matter) has nothing to do with simply making a mistake that could have grave consequences. Some like these safety features, some don't - but they are what they are in the Protege and it's not worth arguing about.

It's time to move on.

edmund2460

My 01ES manual lists trans oil replacement at 30K only in the section "Scheduld Maintenance Services (Chile)" on page 8-10. No mention of it in the other sections. Well I'm in SC. Is it recommended? What are you guys doing? Thanks

mdaffron

We saved 10 percent off our hotel in Springfield (VA) Saturday night after zooming up to DC for a weekend at the zoo and Smithsonian!

Zoom-ZOO!!!

Meade

chicagopro

I had a complete transmission flush at 30K, and I don't live in Chile.

drumm

Say is it just me or do Proteges run better when the weather is warm?

Here in Maryland, we have had some beautifully warm days lately and my 2002 ES has been as zippy and tossable as ever.

Drumm

meinrad

they love warm weather!

drumm

.. My Pro also shifts beautifully during the warmer months. I guess they are like people, happy when it's warmer.

blueguydotcom

they love warm weather!

Except for the AC part. It's a miserable 89 degrees in Carlsbad, CA right now (where my office is located), so I had to crank the AC up to full blast with it on recirculated. Still wasn't much good.

Hopefully the weather will go back to normal real soon. Nothing worse than hot weather...

fowler3

I've been driving FWD cars since 1973 and every one of them -- the left front tire looses air. Is there any scientific or engineering reason for this?

fowler3

mdaffron

BTW, you newer Protege owners will find that your Protege actually runs peppier when it's brisk outside -- in the 40- to 50-degree range. Must be something to that "cold-air intake" thing. Now, shifting may be a different thing -- but the engine is noticeably peppier in cooler weather.

Meade

mdaffron

But some of you who still own your 3rd-generation Proteges, and followed Larry's lead by installing BFG Touring T/A VR4 tires, may be interested to hear that BFG has discontinued the tire.

It's been replaced by the Traction T/A V, which has a new tread design, similar price to the Touring T/A, and a UTQG rating of 440 AA A.

My Touring T/A VR4s have about 20,000 miles on them and are wearing beautifully. I'll probably get at least another 20K out of them. Then I'll look toward the new Traction T/A in about a year, when I have 94,000 miles on Zoomster!

Meade

meinrad

Any new sizes with the new tire?

mdaffron

My plus-zero-sized 205/55-15 is still there. The new tire seems to be offered in just about the same set of sizes (if not exactly the same sizes) as the old one.

BTW, you may want to check out Yokohama's new AVID H4S and V4S. I saw an ad for them during Motorweek last night (when I also found out that the 2005 Lincoln sports sedan will use the Mazda6 chassis). There may be some plus-sizing options there.

While I was at TireRack's site for the first time in six months or so, I did a car-specific search for Protege5 tires since Tammy will probably need ANOTHER set of tires later this year. Kumho has a promising entry in the Ecsta ASX in the OEM 195/50-16 for only $69. Got nice reviews too. If we end up buying those for her P5, I may study them long and hard as a potential future replacement for my BFGs since they're also available as a $64 replacement in plus-zero size for my Protege!

Meade

meinrad

Her too. You never did respond to my tire wear e-mail I sent you. Guess we'll have to compare if I pass her in the street.

mdaffron

For everyone's benefit, here's (most of) the text of what I just e-mailed Raymond:

Tammy has about 10K on her Falkens, and the Goodyear guys did the same thing with her (said she needed new tires) when she had the car there for an oil change a few weeks ago. I took a hard look and it looks like she'll probably need new tires in another 10K or so. Oh well, I guess they're about on-par with the Dumflops (er, the SP Sport A2s I had last year).

Anyway, I'll be considering the Kumhos since the Falkens have tied the Dumflops for last-place (in my book) for longevity. Can't complain too much, I guess, since they were so cheap to begin with. But I'd like something that'll last a while!

Is it me, or does it seem tires don't last as long as they used to? Seems every six months I'm buying a new set of tires for one of our cars!

Meade

mazdafun

Seems even middling cars come with these sometimes these days.

Usually, it's due to stickier rubber (less silica, or carbon or whatever they use to extend wear).

I find that performace tires wear faster than non-performance tires, even if they don't really perform all that much better (I kind of liked those Michelin X-Ones, which are touring tires). Sometimes, they change the compound mid-way through the tread thickness to counter the fast-wearing issue, but it usually means a change in handling characteristics.

meinrad

Yeah, the Falkens are wearing as fast as the Dumflops, but their characteristics aren't changing.

By this time, the Dumflops were scary in the rain. The Falkens though are still sticking like glue. So I'm still very happy with them, rapid wear aside.

I do think that next time I may look for a longer wearing touring tire. I don't think performance will suffer much. It's not like I push the limits much anyway.

mdaffron

Their ASX tires are "ultra-high-performance" tires that, while W-speed rated, still maintain an all-season rating and manage an impressive 420 treadwear rating. Compared to their other tires this is a high treadwear rating for any Kumho tire, and even more surprising since it's a W-rated "ultra-high-performance" one.

Meade

mdaffron

Let me know if you find anything. 195/50-16s are slim pickin's.

Meade

meinrad

I think I'll stick with 205/50-16. I've grown accustomed to the way they look. So unless 195/50-16 is way cheaper or strangely it's available while 205 is not, I'll not be going back to 195.

mdaffron

195 or 205 doesn't matter to me. Let me know if you find anything.

Meade

the_big_h

i don't know if your local Costco warehouse does this, but last time I tried to install a set of H-rated Falken ZE-512 tires on my RX-7 at Costco, the dude denied me service, claiming that it is company policy that tires they install MUST be of equal or higher speed rating than the OE spec. My RX-7's OE tires had V rating, so they wouldn't do the tire swap for me. Ended up having to go to another tire shop to get it done.

do any of you people that opted out of V-rated tires for H-rated long-wear tires have any trouble getting tires installed?

mdaffron

My Costco had no problem installing the same tires on my wife's V-rated Protege5, nor do they give us any grief about regular rotations.

But what's up? Falken ZE-512s ARE V-rated tires -- for the most part. I did see maybe five of the 30 or so sizes listed as H-rated, but it was apparent you could plus-zero to a V- (or even Z-) rated 512 on the list. What size tire does your RX-7 take?

Short answer: Find another Costco!

Meade

meinrad

That is kind of weird. I don't know. I had a shop deny me putting on the 205's since OEM was 195. So I checked Costco and they didn't have any problem with it.

In the past I went from H rated tires to T rated and never encountered a problem getting them installed.

Is it true in Europe that you can get a ticket if you have less than OEM rated tires on your car. I heard it once but never knew if it was true.

mdaffron

"No, your honor, that accident wasn't my fault! I was going 145 in my Protege5, and I did not KNOW that the tires were only rated for up to 124 mph! The tire shop never told me they installed INFERIOR tires on my car! It's their fault!

"What's that? Yes, I know that the top speed of a Protege5 is only 118 mph. So I'm not guilty!"

Speed ratings. Porsches? Important. (And then maybe only on the Autobahn.) Proteges? Give me a break.

Meade

meinrad

You mean you never get to the top of a really steep hill, put it in neutral, and speed down the hill reaching speeds of 200 mph?

You're no fun.

the_big_h

for my '91 Coupe at least, is 205-60-15. This exact size is available for the ZE-512 as an H-rated tire (IIRC all the ZE-512's with 60+ profile are H-rated).

these are my street tires, so if I can I want to stick to OE size as much as possible. Plus they are RIDICULOUSLY CHEAP ($67 per tire shipped from vulcantires.com) and has a 420 treadwear rating.

I got a set of really fancy track tires for fun on the race track ;-)

the_big_h

i think it's a conspiracy by the service manager at that particular Costco to direct as many customers as he can to another tire shop down the road instead of letting Costco do it (he had directions to the other shop all printed out and had a whole stack of it at the front desk)

it's a conspiracy i tell ya!

the_big_h

i haven't rotated my ZE-512s on my Protege, ever, and it's showing up in the front tires, where it's just about reaching the tirewear warning mark, while there's still probably another 2-3/16" left in the rear.

my take on the low wear rate on these ZE-512s is this: tires will age over time no matter how many miles you put on it. 4-5 year old tires have exposed to the element long enough such that the rubber compound WILL start to deteriorate and reduce its traction, not to mention more prone to sudden complete failure. The ZE-512 V-rated tires are rated to have 30k mile tread life, which, in practice, is probably around 25k miles taken into consideration of occassional travels on rough roads. 25k miles for me is about 2-3 years worth of driving, which means I will be replacing tires while the tire composition is still in good shape, thus eliminating any concern of deterioration of tire compoound due to long exposure to elements.

plus they're cheap ($72 each shipped IIRC), and it's always good to have fresh rubber anyway :-D

blueguydotcom

30k miles tread life. dream the impossible. i'll be happy to hit 20k.

meinrad

I'll be lucky to see 20k. But I do drive on rough roads all the time. Plus, I'm almost all backroad, town driving, so I'm very hard on tires. Probably about 10% of my miles are nice smooth highway miles.

At this point, I plan to drive them till December, then buy some snow tires. In the spring I'll go for the new regular tires.

blueguydotcom

About 90% of my driving in the pro is on the freeway. But I more than make up for it once I get off the freeway. lol

I've got 10k miles on my Pro and the front tires have probably less than half their life left.

lawman1967

Well, my shiney new03 DX was rear-ended by a semi on Monday morning, and the initial estimate is $2500 in damage. I drove it for about an hour after the accident (to get it to my preferred bodyshop) and could feel no difference in the way the car handled or rode, which hopefully is a sign that there was no frame damage (the estimate is just for rear bumper, trunk lid, mild dent pulling in the rear quarter panels and paint).

It was a slow speed collission in stop and go traffic, though the truck did push me down the road a while before the driver noticed he had hit me.

I really hope my car is as good as new when it comes back. I've demanded only new Mazda parts and will also demand a diminution of value settlement, as come trade-in time any competent mechanic will know its been in a wreck.

On a different note, the Hyundai Santa Fe rental SUV I have isn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be. As a rule I dislike SUVs, but this one seems to be getting acceptable fuel economy (its a V6) and feels almost exactly llike a generic mid-size sedan, only taller.

blueguydotcom

Join the club. A soccer mom with a gaggle of brats in her car rearended my Pro at a light too. Damage was light and it's already been fixed.

gee35coupe

You guys have more accidents than any other forum I visit. Deer, socker moms, trucks...geez.

blueguydotcom

Don't have much choice when an idiot's gonna plow into your car while you're stopped at a light.

mdaffron

... are out looking for Proteges to hit.

What a nutty statement to make.

Meade

gee35coupe

All of their Proteges have taken a hit. That's what I'm saying. I visit a lot of forums and this one seems to be more prone to accients than any of them. It's just an observation.

mazdafun

Seriously now, lawman, make sure to do a "rain" check on your car to make sure they made the repairs water-tight. The body shop that fixed my '89 323 didn't, and it took me a month to figure out where the water was entering its trunk (it leaked past a gasket behind a tail-light assembly that they incorrectly installed).

blueguydotcom

I tend to attract stuff like that. My BMW was rearended in parking lot (first week I owned it). It was parked in a handicapped spot far away from any car possibly parking near it. didn't help, someone just plowed into the back and left it mashed.

anonymousposts

We had a car that was accident prone. First one we owned was totalled within 1 month of buying it. Bought another identical one to replace the totalled one and during the few months we owned it we had to replace the windshield, it rolled down our driveway and hit the mailbox, rolled again down a street into a construction area in a new subdivision, and a shopping cart hit the driver's side quarter panel the day before Thanksgiving. Had to get rid of that car .... QUICK!

oskwi

My 2001 Protege has been aggravating me as of late...there is this incessant drone in the driver's side pillar near my ear. The roads here in Buffalo are absolutely HORRIFIC so I figure the constant bumps on the highway have possibly loosened something, but what? Any thoughts?? The drone does NOT seem to be temperature related. It occurs on both cold and warm days. Besides the drone, everything else is in seemingly perfect shape!

Garth

oskwi

I think my Protege is more prone to witnessing accidents than getting in them, at least I hope. I can't tell you how many cars have spun out of control next to me or in front of me during the winter season and my car was unaffected. Even this morning, this poor woman who was driving a Ford Escape in front of me almost got side swiped three times by three seperate drivers! YIKES!

Garth

lawman1967

Actually, perhaps we have more accidents because our cars are so much fun that we DRIVE them more.

Just a thought, from a guy with 12,000 miles on a 4-month-old car.

anonymousposts

You have even me beat. I thought I was piling them on with 15,500 miles in 8 months. But we've also put 12.000 miles on our Si in 7 months with no long distance trips in either, and I've even been off of work 2 months on maternity leave.