Mazda Protege5

toneetouch

it's a great car, better than i expected. great price, too.

SAR21102

Hi folks. I've read pretty much all the tire info on this board, but one thing I couldn't find a precise answer to. . .

Since many people are changing stock tires to the 205's because more tire choices exist at that size, are you using your stock rims? And if you're using a 16" rim that's wider than the 6" stock rim, do you ever have any problem at all with rubbing?

Thanks for your help! I'd like to get the Protege5, but I like to have good tires and decent tire replacement choices.

bluong1

Most people keep the stock rims for 205 tires.

If you go for after market rims, first, make sure the tires can be mounted with the new rim width. Second, you should keep the rim offset close to the value of the stock rims. That will keep the wheels more or less at the same place.

IMO, beside avoiding the risk of rubbing, keeping the wheels at the same place might help to preserve the steering characteristics (because the steering geometry is designed for a certain range of Ackerman's effect, which in turn depends on the front track). In addition that will maintain the same load for the whell bearings.

Bruno

boggse

Most people who "plus 0" size their tires stay with the stock rims. That said, I wouldn't go wider than 205 on a 6" wide rim.

bluong1

That said, I wouldn't go wider than 205 on a 6" wide rim.

hummm, in the spec sheet of the Michelin Pilot Exalto, the 225/50R16 fits on 6-8" wide rims!

SAR21102

No, I wouldn't go wider than 205 on a 6" rim either. Just so long as it works. Actually, while Tirerack refuses to recommend a Plus Zero for 16s, they seem to have no problem recommending 17s with a 205/45/17. Maybe THAT'S the way to go (though you probably sacrifice a little mpg).

(Yeah, the Michelin thing SAYS 6-8" rims, but they're probably optimized for 6.5 or 7 and that's how they test and rate them -- don't you think?)

(I have an Audi A4, and there are 130 tire choices in the stock 16 size alone. It seems so short-sighted on Mazda's part to so drastically limit our choices for a lousy 5 points in aspect ratio...)

Thanks again for your opinions.

bluong1

Yes, I think it's better to mount the 225 on 7" wide rim.

For someone who doesn't like to spend big $$$ on rims, I would think 215/45R16 tires, for example, would still be all right on the stock rims. That's my point.

SAR21102

Well if I don't slide off the road on the OEM Dunlops first :-o, I think I can live with Bridgestone Potenza RE750 ($108)or Yokohama AVS ES100 ($77) in the 205/50/16s. The third possibility (of the brands Tirerack carries anyway) are the Suitomo HTR Z II. Then get the Pirelli Winter 210 Snow Sports($105)on some not-too-expensive rims for winter. [Or maybe even put the winters on the stock rims and get something new for the other 9 months...]

Has anyone tried any of these tires on your Protege5?

jmcknight2

- Based on what I've been reading here, I ordered the Pirelli 210 snowtires mounted on ASA JS1 wheels from Tirerack. Tires are 205/50R-16 and wheels are 16x7. Package was ~ $900 delivered. Look real nice, but will wait till
later to try them out.

SAR21102

One last question to you folks to help me make my Pro5 purchasing decision.

ABS is not standard, and I would certainly take it as an option -- but you can't always find precisely the combination of options that you want. Is everyone here without ABS pretty satisfied with your brakes? Or are you sorry you don't have the anti-locks?

Thanks very much in advance for your opinions.

dinu01

I have discs/drums in my 01 ES and they still stop the car REALLY quickly.

I wish I spent $500 CAD to get ABS, but now it's too late.

Dinu

bluong1

Not me! In contrary, I'm going to use the money I have saved to get a good set of winter tires!

dinu01

I have them on the Maxima and they aren't bad - even the Maxima's 1991 version of ABS minus Mazda's EBFD.

The Maxima is the first car I drove with ABS and I noticed a difference in wet weather when I pushed it to see how they act.

Now as far as winter tires go, yes they are a good/great buy if you live in a snowy area.

Next car (M3 or M6) will have ABS, SAB/SAC, and all the goodies we didn't get in this PRO - like a sunroof and most importantly a 5spd tranny!!!

Dinu

meyerlevin

I have a 2002 PRO5,the first car I ever had with four wheel disc brakes. I do not have ABS and I do not miss them.In fact, I have more contol without ABS,especially in the snow. I had one car with ABS,and there were a few times in the snow when I wanted the car to stop before a certain point,but there was nothing I could do but hope and pray it would stop in time,and LUCKILY it did.ABS is not the end all and be all,and it is not for everyone.

jmcknight2

- In June, I had my choice of 2 identical P5's, 1 w/o antilock, the other w/ antilock. I gladly paid the extra because my wife and teenage daughters will occasionally drive the car, plus I get a little break on insurance. It might even help a little on resale value. This antilock system also has EBD, and I've already seen it work nicely when a semi pulled out in front of us. The braking was extremely powerful, short, and controlled.

bluong1

I think the ABS effectiveness depends pretty much on the preference of the driver. Some people like it, some don't. Even I and Martin don't like it (and we both own cars with ABS), I wouldn't discourage sar21102 to overlook such important device. If you think you might need it, then please try to find the car that equipped with. And don't forget to take the car to an empty place and practice the steering-braking.

B.

zzhung

Congrats on your new P5. I was quoted $14520 on a P5 manual silver by the same dealership using the free quote here. That was 3 weeks ago, and I had not a chance to follow through. I think I may try for one at your out-the-door price from this or other dealership. Were any other optional items included in the purchase? Thanks.

revka

To bballa- Congratulations! Glad to hear you finally made the purchase. We look forward to hearing all about your Protege5 experience!

To SAR21102 & zzhung - Good luck, and please keep us posted on your purchases!

To Everyone - You'll now find a direct access to our Mazda Protege Prices Paid & Buying Experience discussion on the left side of the page (Helpful Links). Also, feel free to copy/paste any messages you post there, regarding the P5, into this discussion.

Thanks for your participation! ;-)

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards

bballa

It did take me awhile to pull the trigger, almost two years. Reading this forum from time to time kept my interest high! ZZ, there are no options on my P5. $17415 was the MSRP. When we looked at the dealers inventory on line they did not have many P5s, only one base 5 spd in silver. The next day when we drove into the dealership there was a truck full of new P5s. Some were base models. If you would like the name of my salesman( he is their internet guy) e-mail me. He was great, very easy to work with.

meinrad

P5 plowing the snow looks pretty cool.

toneetouch

Does anyone have any opinions on how the stock tires perform in the snow? I live in Boston, in an apartment. Storage space is limited, but I realize I may need to buy some snow tires (which are pricier than I'd have imagined). Thanks.

Ant

meinrad

of stock tires in snow is they are terrible.

I slid my way through last winter on them. I wouldn't want to do it again.

tetonman

Living in Chicago area, I can tell you that you will slide all over on the stocks. They are summer tires not equiped for slippery road surfaces.

By the way, my family was driving out on I-80 and passed the Tire Rack building and test track a couple of weeks ago. They were putting some small cars and hatchs through their paces on the test track including wet pavement and hard stops. Pretty cool. We actually got off the interstate and doubled back to watch for a while.

Back to P5 tires, there is a wealth of experience on there poor performance in snow if you go back and search this forum.

Tetonman

toneetouch

Thanks for the advice. As much as I hate the idea, it seems like I may have to find a corner in my apartment to squeeze the stock tires into over the winter. But why new wheels?

boggse

If you get a second set of wheels, then you don't have to mount/unmount tires twice a year. The OEM Dunlops are actually all-season, not summer tires, but that doesn't mean much.

cbmorton

Adequate is how I'd describe them. Went all last winter, a cold and snowy one, on the stock tires, and had no complaints. Of course they're not winter tires by a long shot, but they did the job. This was with less than 8000 miles on them, however, and other owners have reported that winter performance goes down dramatically as the mileage goes up. If, unlike myself, you plan to drive the car through more than a couple of winters I would definitely heed the advice above and invest in a set of snow tires mounted on steel wheels. Another reason to do so: my stock alloys started to corrode last winter. The dealer had them refinished under warranty but they're not as nice as they were.

Sporin

I STRONGLY suggest a set of winter wheels and tires for the P5... the margin of safety goes up DRAMATICALLY with them.

I run a set of 15" steelies with 195/55-15 Michelin Arctic Alpins for the winter here in VT and I wouldn't have it any other way. Cost was around $500 total shipped to me from TireRack. I've got 2 winters on mine and will get 2 more no problem.

Anyone driving the stock Dunlops through a **REAL** winter is pushing their luck IMO.

toneetouch

so yesterday my wife takes the p5 to the supermarket and gets back to the car to find a shopping cart resting comfortably on the p5's left side, with a twenty inch long scratch to show how the cart... settled... into it's position. (it's not too deep, so hopefully i'll be able to buff it out). my wife then get's home and proceeds to lovingly rub the street curb with the front right rim of the p5, leaving many little nicks and scratches on the rim of the rim as proof of her efforts. sucks, right?... i'm not done. this morning, on my way to a quick stop at the office, i decide to take the lazy mans route to having a clean car: a drive-thru car wash. as i pull out of the drive-thru i immediately zoom-zoom to work, hoping to get out by noon (i realize now it's not gonna happen). i park at the office, proceed to inspect my car, and realize that the drive thru did a poor job of removing the dead bug guts on the car, but did a terrific job of removing a thumb-sized portion of top layer off one of the spokes of the already victimized front right rim.

my p5, immaculate on friday morning is, on saturday morning, just a car. (sigh).

can i buy 1 rim off of any one here?

cogs25

Today, I asked my dealer for an installed price to add the 6-CD changer. $600!!!?
I'm sure I've heard better than that. Would it be worth trying to find one in a junkyard? I know I could get an aftermarket cheaper, but I'd prefer the factory item. Can anyone enlighten me here?

Thanks

jadams6

...in a shiny silver and I'm lovin' it (though it was sad to leave my trusty '99 Protege sedan behind at the dealership). Quick question though, is the odometer supposed to be "on" even when the key is not in the ignition? With my old Pro, you had to put the key in the ignition to see the KMs (mileage) on the car...with the new one, the KMs are displayed even without the key...is this okay?

dinu01

The odo will display when you open the door (I think) and will shut-off if you don't turn the car on after a few minutes.

Dinu

pciskowski

Do you have pre or post refresh rims?

bluong1

personally I don't see any reason why you should spend your money on the factory one. Go to Best Buy!

bluong1

that must hurt! Losing a piece, your wheel is probably off-balanced already. And if I was you I would ask the dealer to check the alignment.

bluong1

The family of P5 owners gets bigger and bigger! You'll love the convenience of the hatch.

boggse

Considering the list price for the 6 disc changer is $567, then $600 installed isn't too bad. If I were you, I would get the changer from Mazdastuff.com for $432 (plus shipping), and install it yourself. Removal tools should cost about $10 from Mazda, or less from a generic parts store. If it doesn't come with installation instructions, post here and I will provide them. The hardest part is removing the head unit so you can switch out the CD player.

reitrof

Hi Cogs25,

I got mine used for $100 from a guy on one of the other mazda chat boards and changed it myself. You can also chcek eBay. It is a straight swap with the tools boggsee mentioned.

md_rocks

Depending what car I get locked into )can't get polished rims without 6-CD!), I may have a 6CD changer to spare (plan on putting in either my old Kenwood mp3-Cd or a DVD/mp3 unit anyways).

If you need it real soon, disregard this because I always sit on my laurels for major purchases. Been in the boards for over a year and no purchase yet :-)

cogs25

Thanks for all the info. I'm not in a big hurry, and will check alternative sources as mentioned in several messages. At this time a new one (even $432) is out of my price range.

Thanks again.

jerrmorn

Can someone please email me the supplemental manual for the subwoofer? Please email to NOSPAMedmunds@bradhastings.com (remove the NOSPAM).

Thanks in adavance!

cogs25

Boggse - I would like to get the install info(and necessary tools list)when you can. It will be useful info. sometime in the future.

md_rocks - We can talk if you do pull the trigger. I too read the board for over a year before I made the purchase.

boggse

I will post the instructions tonight when I get home.

boggse

I didn't forget. I was just too busy. I'll try again tonight. Sorry for the delay.

boggse

From the service manual:

1. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
2. Remove the hole covers by inserting a small tape wrapped screwdriver in the slot and carefully pry them off without scratching the center panel. Pry up and pull off the hole covers carefully to prevent the posts from breaking off. (this refers to the trim pieces on the side of the radio)
3. With the beveled parts of the SST (DIN removal tool) facing inward, insert them into the unit.
4. Pull the SST outward and forward to slide out the unit.
5. Disconnect the connectors and the antenna jack.

This is the SST (DIN tool) that they refer to:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-GlY3rWpea4O/cgi-bin/prodview.asp?i=1- 50DINTOOL&s=0&cc=01

pciskowski

Worth every penny. Some people have made them out of coat hangers, but I'm too lazy. I bought mine at Wal-Mart for around $7. You will need two sets (four total). I had my radio out in less than a minute. If you can wait a few days I will mail you mine.

cogs25

Boggse: Thanks for the procedure!
Arrghh, I had 1 pr. of those DIN tools for my Ranger, but gave them away when I sold it. I didn't know it was a universal tool.

Pciskowski: Thanks. I'm not in a big hurry. We can discuss when you're ready. Just out of curiosity, what did you replace it with?

boggse

There are different sizes. The Ranger tools you had may not have fit, although I think Mazda and Ford use the same size most of the time.

pciskowski

I bought a Pioneer DEH-P5500MP. It is a really good unit.

Email me at pc1sk0wsk1 at runbox dot com and I will mail the tools to you.

bluong1

I usually get around 29-30 mph around town or 75-80 mph. I'm now getting 24.6 mph at 90 mph. ;-(

boggse

I set up my profile on myMazda and added my vehicles (03 Miata SV, and 03 Protege5). After inputting the VIN, it listed my Protege5 as having a trim level of "5SA." Anyone know what 5SA refers to?

Here is the URL for myMazda:

http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayMyMazdaHome.action