Mazda Protege Accessories and Modifications

vocus

The parts website for Mazda (http://www.mazdastuff.com) has the skirts for sale now I think. They did a couple weeks ago when I checked for my Protege (when I had it). Go to that site, then click on "2001-2 Protege Performance". They have alot of stuff there.

yooper53

Ordered a strut tower brace for my '01 ES this afternoon. $140 plus $6 S&H from mazdastuff. I saw it listed for $165 plus $25 S&H somewhere else. Not bad.

the_big_h

please post delivery, installation experience once you have it installed. Their price is very enticing, I might consider to buy a set also.

pope411

(i apologize but i posted this also in the P5 board)

what's up kids?

I am a Subaru WRX owner and have a brother in law with a new P5. Just like i'd like to recieve many WRX-related gifts for Christmas, I thought I'd get him something for his new phat ride. He's not really into doing a lot of labor intensive performance mods, and i only have a budget of $50-$75. So the question is, what would you get for your stock P5 with that much money (and where)? btw, no rice.

btw, i looked on www.mazdastuff.com and couldn't find much in my price range.

Thanks for your help!

vocus

Hey, try going to EBay Motors (http://www.ebaymotors.com) and type in "Protege" in the search engine. They have stuff like those HID healight bulbs and all for Proteges. Anything that fits the 1999-02 Protege (H4 bulbs, for instance) will fit the P5. Good luck.

mazdafun

One of these would look cool in the rear window. Beg from the dealership or try to buy on eBay.

sfrat

Why not get him, assuming he doesn't have one already, a cargo net for his P5. I just got one in my Protege sedan, and find it to be incredibly useful. Its alos right in your price range at $38.

Steve

yooper53

I won't be installing it til spring when I put the oem Dunlops back on. The reason being that there's enough difference in handling between the Michelin snows and the Dunlops that if I put it on now I'd never be able to tell what improvement there is in my ES's "summer mode".

sfrat

I found the posts about the McMaster-Carr sound dampening material, and I'm interested in giving it a try. I want to do the trunk first, will one sheet of the stuff be enough for the trunk, or do I need to get two? Also, it says its adhesive backed, did you all actually stick it on, or just lay it down.

Thanks,
Steve

chikoo

I actually stuck them on the cargo floor......big...no make it Huge reduction in cabin sound.

I also stuck them beneath the floor mats..front and rear.

The problem now is that I find the window glass to be too thin.....that is where all the road noise comes from now

maltb

I've missed ya chikoo.

sfrat

I'm going to do it right after the holidays, when I get back from vacation.

chikoo

I just got toooooo busy at work.....

I missed ya all too!

hari109

hi chikoo!
i have put some of the MC-Carr material on the cargo floor (under the trunk carpet). there is a definite improvement.

where else do i put them ? how do i put some under the front & rear carpets ? i mean, i found the carpeting material (not the mats) stuck to the floor with adhesive. do i remove that and put the MC-Carr material under ? also, do i stick some onto the trunk lid ?

thanks for the info.

yooper53

Mazda apparently felt installation of the factory mud flaps to be of sufficient complexity to include detailed instructions.

Foolish me, I felt that since the strut tower brace, a stressed member once installed, would include detailed instructions. Besides the brace there is an assortment of flange nuts, insulators, spacers and brackets. Torque values?? Zip, nada, zilch. I called Mazdastuff and was told to call Mazda which I did yesterday a.m. They said they'd get back w/i 24 hours but haven't.

For the mechanically inclined posters, no big deal. For the mechanically challenged it means a trip to the dealer who will probably charge more for labor since I didn't get the parts there.

Or return it for refund.

Any thoughts, suggestions welcomed.

Money is an "object."

the_big_h

so you recieved your strut tower bar kit from mazdastuff already, that seems reasonably quick.

if you want help from some mechanically inclined Protege owners, drop by http://groups.yahoo.com/group/protegetech/ or http://www.protegeclub.com/forum/index.php, there should be plenty of folks on those boards that can give you detailed info on how to put the bar on.

besides, you got the whole winter to figure out how to put it on...

yooper53

Thanks for the tip. I'll check it out.

speedypt

It's really not hard to do. If you can't get help online...bring it down here to Chi-town and I'll help you put it in! :-)

Regards,

Pete

chikoo

well, i just stcuk them underneath the removable floor mats...covers most of the floor area

ashutoshsm

I bought myself a switch because mine seems to have shorted out. I bought it a day before I left on my road trip from Uta to the east coast, so didn't have the time to install it then.

Its much more humid here, and I think I should instll it soon. I received a quote which includes over an hour of labour - my question is- how difficult is it to instal it? Does the dash need to be dismantled? Can I just yank out the old switch and puch this in? (There are no wiring connections, just plug-in type contacts)

For those that have/had an older Protege, this switch is in the middle of the dash unit, and is about 0.75 in wide by 1.5 in high.

ashutoshsm

Available? If so where?

Any good? I have high profile 175-70 13 inch wheels, I might upgrade those too/instead. Although I have so much tread life still left on the Michelin X-Ones (13K covered, rated for 70K or 75K!), it would be a pity to hav to trash them! And on the East Coast, there's no point (or space in my apartment) to store these to use as winter tires.

Any tire/wheel combo upgrade recommendations? Size, tire type (all-season, performance etc) (design too!). Virginians - how much does it snow here? It hasn't snowed once yet, but seems to rain a lot!

Is it easy to install the strut bar/brace? I don't have a cruise control unit in my car, I remember someone (speedyPT) had to cut away a part of that to make his brace fit.

speedypt

Wheel upgrade...stay with 14 or 15" max diameter wheels. Try to find a set off a 1991-2000 Protege. They are interchangable for all of those years. 2001 and later use a different bolt pattern (5 bolt vs. 4 bolt). The strut bar was an easy install. I will try to post pics of mine again soon.

Regards,

Pete

dennisjhs

I am considering placing the Dynamat extreme in my second gen Protege, when I saw the discussion of this McMaster-Carr material. How does it work vs. the Dynamat Extreme?
Where car I purchase the McMaster-Carr material?

On the wheel upgrade, you might consider using Acura Integra alloy rims. Some years 1988-1991 use the same width wheels, same rim size 14", with the same and correct oftset (45mm). I purchased a set of Integra wheels for only 80.00 with center caps that had the Integra name removed from them. They look great on my stripped down DX Protege!

dennisjhs

mazdafun

Anyone know for sure if the one offered by Mazda fits a '99LX with cruise control? If so, I'd like to put it in.

maltb

"Where car I purchase the McMaster-Carr material?"

From McMaster-Carr: http://www.mcmaster.com/

speedypt

Yes...the P5 Strut Tower brace will fit. You have to buy the A/C brackets as well though...

Regards,

Pete

mazdafun

For the info.

the_big_h

finally have received all the right pieces from Mazda South (aka mazdastuff.com), and ready to install the bar this weekend. speedypt mentioned that there's a specific torque value when tightening the bar brackets onto the strut tower, anyone knows what that value is, or is it really important to tighten it to that exact value?

p.s. I highly recommend Mazda South for ordering parts and accessories for your Protege. They were able to send me the correct cruise control bracket for the strut bar within a week of me notifying them they sent the wrong bracket, without any delays or problems. Great service at a low price, what more can you ask for?

newcar31

I have a 2001 ES. Does anyone know the exact part # for the strut tower bar for the 2001? Do I need special brackets too?

maltb

The kit for Pros with cruise is 0000-88-C08 -KT

Retail price is around $130

newcar31

But I have to bug you again and bring up a question that someone else asked but was never answered. What are the torque specs for the nuts involved in installing the strut tower bar?

Big H- Where did you find the strut tower bar on mazdastuff.com? I looked and couldn't find em. Also, can you specify red or yellow? I can't remember which car has which color, but I know the MP3 and P5 have different color strut tower bars.

speedypt

When I installed mine I didn't have a torque wrench so I tightened them to "just about right".

Somebody please post the value if you can get it.

Regards,

Pete

the_big_h

on the mazdastuff.com website, you have to go into '2002 accessories' first, then you'll see the '2001-2 protege performance' section, that's where they are all listed.

The only color that comes with the kit is yellow, which is the same color the mp3 has. p5's have the red bar.

When you order, be sure to put in the order's comment section that you want the correct cruise control bracket, BN5W-66-3AY. Seems like Mazda is packing the kit with the normal bracket, not the one from p5.

just thought of a way to figure out the torque spec for strut bar. using a torque wrench, I'll just record the torque value of the nuts before loosening them for installation, and tightening them back to their original spec after installation

boy I feel smart now...

maltb

H,
you will end up over torquing the nut using that method as it has had time to freeze up.

T,
The manual says 34-46 ft.lbs.

the_big_h

i knew somehow we could squeeze that number out of you!

newcar31

Now it's time to order a strut tower bar. How much did you pay Big-H?

Maltb-Is that the torque spec for all of the nuts involved?

the_big_h

exactly $140 from Mazda South. Saved $6 in shipping because I bought it when they were having free shipping promotion back in December.

Still a good price at $146, plus they have great service.

newcar31

I ordered it. Let me know how things go when you put yours on.

the_big_h

k&n drop-in filter I ordered online. Very good packaging (looks like directly shipped from K&N's warehouse, according to the packing slip), the filter is already pre-oiled and in a sealed plastic bag, with the warning stickers and instructions included as well.

Will put this in, along with the strut bar (snowed in last weekend) this weekend, barring any more snow (like it'll snow 2 weekends in row here in VA, yeah right!), and report on possible(?) performance improvements...

speedypt

K&N won't make a huge difference, maybe 1-3hp's. Best part is never having to buy another filter. Just backwash and reoil to clean! Put the sticker on your airbox cover. Dealer tried to dispose of mine on my last visit, I happened to see them going for the airbox and I walked out there and politely advised them not to change my air filter. The service guy said he just wanted to see the filter. I was only too happy to show off! He liked it and asked where I got it, and how much. Guess what? He's got one in his 98 Pro ES now!

Regards,

Pete

the_big_h

i didn't buy it expecting a drastic increase in power, bought it more for A) better throttle response when I step on it, reusability, and C) get a louder roar from the engine when I rev it up!

vocus

I had a K&N filter in my 1999 Pro DX when I had it. It didn't make a huge difference in power, and used a LOT more gas. I took it out and sent it back. But it did make the engine have this cool sound upon acceleration though.

newcar31

I just got my strut tower brace in the mail and I had no idea that many parts were involved. There's washers, grommets, brackets, all kinds of stuff. I consider myself fairly mechanically inclined, but I could use some directions for this job. I'm surprised they didn't send any.

newcar31

E-mail message to mazdastuff.com:

"I had just ordered a strut tower brace for my 2001 ES 2.0L Protege with cruise control and recieved the bracket for cars without cruise control. I had heard on edmunds.com Protege message board that this was being done before I ordered it. That is why I wrote a special note in the message screen of the online order form stressing the fact that my car had cruise control and that I was aware that mazdastuff.com had repetedly sent out kits with the wrong bracket. I have bracket # BJ0F-66-3BYB for cars without cruise control. I need bracket # BN5W-66-3AY. Thanks."

the_big_h

at least you didn't curse them out in the email ;-)

yooper53

I'd planned on installing it with the help of a retired fleet mechanic from Ameritech, but like you, had no idea how many parts were involved. I did assume,however, that the kit would include instructions, exploded view dwgs, as well as torque values since this is a structural component and a stressed member. Zip, nada, zilch.
I guess my assumption was based on the fact that the mudguards came with detailed instructions and pictures. When I called mazdastuff about it they said, "Call Mazda." Who in turn said ,"Well its assumed you'd have the work done at a Mazda dealer." No one was any help at all! And now tonite I learn they sent a wrong part. I'm considering returning it, and eating the restocking fee. What do you plan on doing and how?

speedypt

I'll email you my phone number. I can walk you through the install over the phone. It's not that hard. Remember the "bump" in the bar goes on the right side of the engine bay closest to the driver. I should be available Saturday to help over the phone.

Regards,

Pete

yooper53

Sounds good. Include good time to call.

newcar31

I'm still going to install it, it just might take a little longer than expected.

maltb

I posted a couple of pics on Meade's Protege site. Look in the photo section there under the strut tower folder.

Sorry Pat_host, The off site photo hosting is a nuisance.