Mazda Protege Accessories and Modifications

yooper53

#1000 at the top

mazdafun

Pun intended.

I think the first ones are best. The others look like buck teeth (the ones in the second picture look like buck teeth with fillings).

the_big_h

it's that particular pic of the 1200 foglight that I used that looks like teeth w/ fillings. The actual product won't have that 'filling' in there.

So that's 3 votes for 1000 so far, anyone else?

sfrat

Another vote for the 1000's.

duh_ster

...for the 1000's too...

mdaffron

I guess I'm old-fashioned. I like the third set.

BTW, have you given any thought to mounting them in the Protege's foglight holes instead of the "classic" position you're considering? I haven't looked, but I'd assume there's some kind of mounting bracket or support up under there that might make installation easier ...

Meade

the_big_h

Thanks for your suggestion (both the fog light and the OEM holes). Actually I know from personal experience that behind those plastic covers, there's no existing fog light mounting bracket (the OEM fog light kit probably comes with a mounting bracket that screws into the holes that are holding the covers right now). I'll still have to drill and mount the brackets that come with these Hella fog lights, no matter where I put them.

The reason I don't want to try to install these fog lights in the OEM holes is because it is very difficult to remove those covers without taking off the whole bumper. I had to install those covers myself cuz someone stole the pair that was there before (don't know why but one day it's just gone), and that was a pain to do.

Keep the votes coming while I continue my own research on these fog light choices...

pjd58

I like door number 3 also:)

Pjd58

norcan

#1's seem cool, the square ones seem a bit of a contrast to lines of car, IMO.

mazdafun

I just installed my new wheels and tires. I got the Borbet H (I mis-spoke when I said they were T) and Dunlop SP Sport A2. Takes longer when you have to hobble around.

I got them from Tire Rack. They included 20 chromed lug nuts and a socket with the set, which I wasn't expecting.

I'll update on my opinion on the tires after I drive on them for a week or two (I want to check performance on wet and dry pavement). What I didn't expect was for the new wheels and tires to weigh more than my old stock steel wheels and Firestone FR680s. I didn't weigh them on a scale, just hefted them. Hmm. I guess the "H" style must be over-engineered (as in, they didn't want to bother finessing the design, so they just threw a whole bunch of aluminum at it). Oh well, at least they look good.

nikecar

Didn't like the Type E's? seems every small car with rims i see will usually have the Type h's

mazdafun

I actually prefer the look of the Type E more than the Type H, but the H looks a darn sight easier to keep clean. Lots of smoothly-blended surfaces etc. The Protege's looks allow one to use either smoothly-blended wheels or more chiseled designs.

It actually looks better on the car than it did on the screen, so I'm pretty pleased so far. I notice the clear coat is applied mostly to the outer face. Must be why they're cheaper than most makes of alloy wheels.

So far as my Dunlop SP Sport A2s go, they're better than my stock Firestone FR680s. Much quieter on smooth pavement, respond more quickly to steering inputs, hang on tighter in turns etc. They also seem to coast further (probably due to the continuous center tread).

I'm not decided yet on rough/uneven pavement. Sometimes I think they are better at absorbing bumps, sometimes not. I have yet to experience wet traction.

the_big_h

Just received them from classicgarage.com. Ordered Monday and got them today (Wed). Read through the instructions, wiring seems straightforward enough, biggest challenge will be how to run wires through firewall and down to the bumper from battery. Will make attempt to install over weekend.

Any hints/tips from folks that have installed aftermarket fog lights on their cars?

mdaffron

If you're looking for a route through the firewall, I found an OK one that I used on my 2000 ES to route my amateur radio power cable to the battery. It's a grommet for a wiring harness that's above where the passenger's left foot would be in the footwell. Reach up above where the carpeting and insulation ends and you should feel a large wiring bundle going forward. Reach in with your finger and you'll feel the rubber grommet. I used a knitting needle to poke a hole in the grommet beside the harness and feed my cable through. A word of caution though ... they're getting much better about using just the "right size" grommet. I had a cursing, bloody-fingered time getting my cable through there because of the space issue and that the grommet is pretty thick too. Do it at your own risk! I wish you luck!

Meade

the_big_h

Went out to the car and made sure that the wires that came with the fog lights are all long enough, and I think I found a nice rubber grummet to poke a wire through. Here's the new challenge: how do I remove the plastic cover that is filling out the space where the factory fog light switch would be?

oh yeah, and can someone give me the part # and approx. cost of the factory fog light switch? If it's cheap enough I might use that instead of the switch that came with the fog lights.

maltb

but I don't remember for sure.

The switch that comes with the factory fog lamp kit is 0000-88-6268-SF and depending on your dealer's mood should be around $17. Definitely special order.

yooper53

Pro performance goodies...
1) strut tower bar
2) retuned spring and strut kit
3) stabilizer bar kit
Have to call a dealer and get the specifics on these. They seem to have forgot the hp kit though.
)

mdaffron

Yeah, I liked how they took the time to do a story on a half-dozen Miata owners meeting, while they ignored a meeting of more than twice that many Protege owners back in October.

Meade

sfrat

Meade, they put those things together well in advance. Our meeting if it shows up will probably be in the next issue. The Miata meeting probably happened earlier than ours (Don't know, haven't gotten the magazine yet) or it was planned to be in there from the beginning. Don't give up hope yet.

vocus

I wanna see the magazine too! I hope they send it to me, at least the last issue...

protegextwo

I wanna see the magazine too! I hope they send it to me, at least the last issue...

Well, Paul I'm sorry; I reported you to MazdaUSA. You are now considered a traitor. You will never EVER get a Mazda Zoom Zoom Magazine, again. Furthermore if you ever visit a Mazda Auto Show Room, the sales manager will appear and ask you & your German vehicle to leave the property, less your V-Dub starts leaking that high priced Syn oil all over the parking lot!

NOT, just kidding Paul!!! :-)

-Larry

protege_fan

Actually knowing that large corporations take a huge amount of time to make changes, especially regarding lowly customers, I would think that Paul will be getting the Mazda magazine for the rest of his life!

protegextwo

Yea, what you said! How in the heck would they know if you sold your Mazda vehicle! BTW, after reading this issue, I WANT A MIATA! Looks like a great car and a fun time hitting the club events.

-Larry

vocus

That was too funny! I only got one Mazda magazine since I owned the 2001 Protege (Feb. 2001) anyway. Maybe I am not on the list or something, I don't know.

I could never get a Miata, and don't think you could either. I plainly can't fit in the car, and you aren't alot smaller than I am. Also, I couldn't be cramped up in a car that size. It would make me go nuts after awhile.

protegextwo

Your right. However, I can dream! LOL!!!
;-)

-Larry

mdaffron

I don't see how they can ever do an article on MAPP II, considering they never responded to my e-mail to find out anything else about it.

Meade

sfrat

In protest then, I will throw the magazine away without even reading it. How dare they. :-)

timhonda

I just got '00 LX. I would like to know if there are any aftermarket items specifically for Mazda Protege '99 and '00. I will need to add things like contour mud flaps. Thanks very much.

the_big_h

just a quick update. Last weekend I was finally able to install those Optilux 1000 fog lights on my '00 ES. Works pretty well, really puts quite a bit of light on the road. Looks nice too!

And Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

protege_fan

How was the install? Easy? How about some real pics now? Would love to see how they look.

PF

the_big_h

Well, it actually took me the whole Saturday afternoon AND part of Sunday afternoon to get everything done, but you have to take into account that I have never done anything like this, so I was taking things very slowly, making sure I don't drill holes on the car in wrong places. It was actually pretty hard for me, hardest parts being drilling holes in the bumper, mounting the fog lights using nuts & bolts instead of self-tapping screws, finding a rubber grommet in the firewall to run a wire through, and fabricate a fog light switch that would mount onto the switch panel where the OEM switch would've been. I was also being careful that after all the wires are hooked up, they are all tightly wire-tied up so nothing moves around when the car is in motion. The wiring schematic was pretty simple, it's the implementation of the schematics that were troublesome.

I will try to take some pics later to show how it looks both in daylight and in dark.

the_big_h

here's a daytime shot of my new fog lights...



will try to take a night shot of the car tonight...

theparallax

Looks great!

the_big_h

is my car in the evening with all lights on



my headlights look whiter than the fog lights because I have Nokya Arctic White bulbs installed in the headlights, it's actually whiter in person than the pic shows.

theparallax

Nice! That pic really shows off the front end of the 99-00's...I've always liked it better than the new 01 redesign.

I have some GE Super Blue Halogen 9003SB bulbs in mine. They give off a slightly whiter light than the stock bulbs but don't really look too different outside of the car. I've heard some good things about PIAA bulbs but they're on the expensive side. What is the wattage of your Nokya bulbs? I might be interested in buying some but I don't want to melt my electrical system/harness.

the_big_h

the Nokyas are standard wattage bulbs (60/55w), so no worry about melting the stock wiring harness. They do advertise as to 'look' like higher wattage bulbs, which just mean the light has been filtered to look white.

if you are interested, www.importpartsplus.com are having a sale on Nokya Arctic White series bulbs for 18.95, and on top of that, they are offering FREE shipping until Saturday evening. I just ordered a set of H3's to replace the bulbs in the fog lights, which will give me the 'pure white' lighting I've always wanted

theparallax

I think I'll order myself a pair. Our headlights (99-00) use the H4 bulb type right? I think that's the same as the 9003's...

the_big_h

theparallax

I just placed an order...can't wait to get them!

speedypt

I'm not sure the H3's are the same bulb as the stock foglight bulb (GE896). If I am wrong and it's an exact fit, please let me know....

Regards,

Pete

yooper53

Got a quote from Roger Beasley Mazda in Austin TX of $165.00 plus $25 ups ground which seems kinda steep for shipping. Tomorrow I'll check the dealer I bought it from.

the_big_h

Installed Nokya Arctic White H3's that I just received on Saturday into my Hella Optilux 1000's. Light is whiter than stock, but not as white as my headlight's Nokyas. Took a while to figure out how to remove and replace the bulbs in the fog lights, and had to fudge with the connectors to make it work, other than that everything went smoothly. Good purchase and upgrade for 18.95 I say.

Might take some pics to show difference...

Sporin

What is the stock foglight size? I'd like to change them out to an "all weather" bulb with more yelow in it. (Yellow light reflects less off of fog/snow/rain/etc.)

mazdafun

Talk about being careful what you wish for...

I had been hoping it'd rain enough for me to get a feel for this tire's resistance to hydroplaning. Well, we got 4 straight days of rain last week. The good news is this tire's very good at resisting hydroplaning, especially for an "all-season performance" type.

Comparing it to my Michelin X-Ones, it rides as smoothly, has about as good wet traction, resists hydroplaning about as well, has better dry traction and response, but doesn't absorb impacts as quietly and the compound's tread rating is less (420 v. 680). Another plus: traction/temp ratings are AA/A v. A/B. The temp rating bears out in how long I can "coast" on the tires, their responsiveness and the somewhat harsher impacts (indicating stiffer sidewalls.)

So far, I'm very pleased with them. They also don't tend to accumulate little pieces of rock and gravel in the tread as the X-Ones do. Both are good tires though. Much better than the stock Firestone FR680s.

theparallax

I just recieved the Nokya Arctic White bulbs in the mail today. I like them! They're definitely the HID look, with a blueish tint. I wasn't expecting any blue, just white light, but oh well. They light up the road quite well, but the blue light is hard to see in certain light conditions. Overall, not a bad deal, especially with free shipping.

mazdafun

Has anyone tried cutting holes in the plugs and mounting aftermarket fogs in them?

Also, for those who've gone through this ordeal, would you mind describing/showing how & where you routed the wires to the switch? How did you remove the dash?

the_big_h

please elaborate what you mean by 'cutting holes in the plugs.'

As for routing wires into the cabin and connect to switch, no need to remove dash since there's already a removable 'plug' on lower left of the dash where the OEM switch would be installed. Once I ran the wire in from the engine compartment, I popped out one of the plugs, cut out a hole using dremel tool, and the switch that came with the kit snaps right in. Perfect flush mount.

Let me know if you would like to see a pic of the mounted switch.

mazdafun

I mean the plastic plugs that fill the sockets where the Mazda-OEM fogs would go. I have a '99LX and the fog lights weren't standard then. They put black plastic plugs to dress up the holes.

I would like to see a pic of your switch. Sounds pretty easy. Thanks!

the_big_h

here's a catalog of performance kits offered by Mazda USA

protege_performance.pdf

Is it me, or are these just parts from the MP3 sold as kits?

I wonder how much are they chargin' these....

Dear Santa, I would like the strut tower bar and the side/rear skirt kit please...

maltb

Unfortunately, Mazda hasn't made these available to me yet but their dealers can order them. the brace is $165, the side skirts are $200 and the rear skirt is $250.

However if you behave, I'll be sending you that blow up doll you've you been begging for.

Regards,
Santa