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Comments
Over the last four years here are some stats from driving the P5.
Mileage: 148,000 kms (92,500 miles)
Best and worst recorded gas mileage on the highway (I don't record city mileage as we don't drive much in the city):
Best: 6.60 L/100 or 42.2 MPG (CDN) or 35.5 MPG (US)
Worst: 10.88 L/100 or 25.64 MPG (CDN) or 21.57 MPG (US)
The fastest avg speed vs best mileage for one tank was at 130kph (80mph) returning 6.8 L/100 while I was crossing Nevada on a sun filled day.
The front brakes and clutch are still original.
I had only 3 warranty claims.
1. Return fuel line or something like that (had a pin hole in I think) - 15,000 kms
2. Rear brakes due to sticking caliper. - 50,000 kms
3. Stabilizer Links - 90,000 kms
Only one non warranty repair was a rear strut (90,000 kms) unless you count the three headlight bulbs I replaced.
I'm on my second set of tires (if you count the originals as the first) and one set of snow tires which would have been replaced this winter if we kept the car.
One cracked fog lamp and a small dent in front of the drivers door.
The interior still looks great.
Life has been great with this car but our needs have changed and we are looking forward to the new car (get it this week). But like I said before, the 6-Wagon just looks like a bigger version of the P5.
I'm still going to keep tracking/participating on this forum as I think the P5 is one of the best cars out there for its price. If it wasn't the need for an auto we would have kept this car for another 150,000 kms. We went out of town hiking this weekend and the car runs so great that I feels better than the day I picked it up. Driving on the highway at 140kph (and the roof was even open) felt so smooth and solid. I even had to do an emergency lane change at 125kph due to somebody coming into my lane and it handled very safe and controlled. I still remember a road trip with a friend and they were driving my car when a transport truck cut us off on the highway and they had to do an emergency lane change onto the inside shoulder and said, wow, this car feels really safe, after it all happened of course.
We are getting a 2005 Mazda 6-Wagon-GS with GFX, Sport Package and Auto in the Dark Grey. Looking forward to many more years of happy motoring and we already have our first road trip planned to Zion NP and other places in the area at the end of May. We did a similar trip in the P5 so it will be interesting comparing the two cars on this long drive (we live in Toronto).
Take care everybody, enjoy driving your car(s) and the great weather.
Mileage: 148,000 kms (92,500 miles)
Best and worst recorded gas mileage on the highway ...
Best: 6.60 L/100 or 42.2 MPG (CDN) or 35.5 MPG (US)
Worst: 10.88 L/100 or 25.64 MPG (CDN) or 21.57 MPG (US)
Pretty impressive numbers, cdnp5. Sounds like you really got your money's worth out of your buggy and are wearing the Mazda badge for life. Have a good time getting the new wagon to Zion National Park, how many km return would that be?
Its only 3400kms according to mapquest, one way. We try to take one big trip a year plus a few mini trips to Quebec.
Our last big trip was to Fruita CO/Moab UT for some mtn biking. Round trip = 5700 kms with 8.4L/100 avg. Before that was California making several stops on the way for 11,000 kms with 7.9L/100 avg.
Our car sits in the garage Monday - Friday since we don't drive to work so I figure why not give it a good run on weekends and holidays.
I wouldn't say that we are Mazda-Lifers but did feel the 6 gave us the most for our money, plus its still quite sporty. We did look at Subaru but the Legacy with sunroof (something we must have) is 7G+ more. The Forester was a close second but at 31G (about the same price as the 6) we didn't feel it was worth it. Don't get me wrong, its a great car but it should be priced at 25G in Canada. Putting it between the Impreza and Legacy as that is how it felt to me. The AWD would have been nice but we will be getting snow tires no matter what car we buy.
Mazda has some pretty sweet deals; did you get the 0% financing?
plus its still quite sporty
Yes, the 6 wagon looks like a stretched car and not a shrunken truck. The P5's cargo space is limited, especially considering this is a hatch; was that a factor in choosing the wagon as compared to the 6 sport hatchback?
why not give it a good run on weekends and holidays
Did you get a tune-up before each of your trips? Did the A/C do the job? Any surprises from the P5? Irregular trips to Montreal and Toronto are currently on my P5's travel log; I chickened out taking it to NYC last year but am planning a trip in the fall to Virginia or Florida (an ex-Montrealer going to the Keys, how Canadian!).
We actually lease our cars so nope. The 0% on 2005's is only for 24 mths. They do have 1.9/48mth and 2.9/60mth right now though. If you can find a 2004 somewhere its 0%/60mths and $1500 cash back (or more). We didn't find any 2004's in the colour we wanted so we went with 2005 and I have to admit, I really like saying 6 speed even if it is an auto.
Was that a factor in choosing the wagon as compared to the 6 sport hatchback?
It was the biggest factor. When we do long drive to places we put the bikes (wheels off, upside down then strapped in) in the back of the car, plus all of our camping gear, food, etc. With the hatch we wouldn't be able to stand the bikes up otherwise we would have looked at it. I think the prices are similar though unless you get the 4cyl model.
Did you get a tune-up before each of your trips? Did the A/C do the job? Any surprises from the P5?
I followed the Mazda service schedule, nothing more. Some of my oil changes were longer than 8k (not much) due to straight hwy driving. Never lost a drop of oil between changes.
My A/C did the job 99% of the time. There were a couple of days where it would 'freeze up' and it would stop blowing cold air. I would just turn the switch off for 2 minutes and then back on again and all would be working perfect again. BTW, I never have the temp to the coldest setting, usually between 9 and 11 oclock. Don't use the A/C in the city as I find no need for it.
Surprises were zero. I forgot that I had a wheel bearing go bad at 140,000kms but I don't consider that a surprise.
Now if you are talking things like, "Wow, did I ever go through those corners crazy fast and I could have still gone faster" I had lots of those surprises. Or coming back from a trip and hitting black ice at 70mph as I touched my brakes....no, that is more like scaring the [non-permissible content removed] out of me. But the car went straight and everything worked out great.
If you go to Montreal and head up towards Tremblant make sure you stop at 'Spa Le Scandinave'. Its a great place to relax.
If you head to Virginia (or anywhere in that area) there are so many fun roads down there. I went to NC for a few years in a row and there is a road that goes from Little Switzerland to Marion. Nothing but corners and hardly if any traffic. If you go here let me know and I'll look up the hwy for you.
I've never been past SC so I don't know what Florida is even like.
Montreal is a great city. My sister when to McGill and I would come down for the Jazz Festival. Manage to hit is 5 times and loved it every time. Now I have the Beaches Jazz Festival in Toronto but its not as big as Montreal. Sometimes that can be better as you can actually move around.
Ok...now I'm off topic.
Thanks for the tips, Mont Tremblant is still beautiful altho the "village" makes one feel as if you're back with the crowds in the city. Speaking of The City, Montreal is still one of the best kept secrets in North America, I think. Amazing food, back to back festivals (comedy, jazz, blues, fireworks, beer, film, anime ...) and then there are the gorgeous women.
p.s. don't forget to keep on visiting this board
Meade
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Of course, sometimes this is good and sometimes it's bad! And you have to cast aside the images of chainsaw-toting child molesters to participate!
:surprise:
Meade
No, the "core" group still gets together, but on a more personal basis. Maybe it's time to hold another get-together for folks who are adults; I'm just not sure how to accomplish this.
My family and I have become very good friends with a couple of Protege and P5-owning families in Pennsylvania whom we met through the Town Hall. More than once in the past five years, we've driven from Richmond up to Pittsburgh and Lancaster for a day or two to spend some time with them. It's amazing how buying a car has turned into a friendship builder.
If any of you live in the Mid-Atlantic states (or are planning a trip to or through here), maybe we can talk about setting something up -- er, something that keeps things mature and the cars don't sound like ba-ba-ba-bweeeee!!!!!!!! (if you know what I mean).
Meade
You've got that right, Meade. This is a great neighborhood!
Drop me an e-mail.
mdaffron@the-rma.org
Meade
Until then, lets keep up the good talk on this forum.
Meade
Will do! Had a few issues with my PC recently. Speaking of which have you all tried Mozilla's new browser, Foxfire, with all its built-in features that blow IE away? A real find.
Still awaiting your e-mail ...
Meade
On topic: I had a Pro5 back in 01 for a while and I'm thinking of maybe getting another one as an OTM (=other than Miata). Has the aftermarket grown at all in the last couple of years for these Proteges? I'm mainly thinging along the lines of header / exhaust / intake.
Wouldn't the Mazda3 save you the headache of upgrading? Or, how about the Mazdaspeed version of the same beast with over 250 hp (gasp). Mind you there is the issue of cost but you'd have an instant rocket with a warranty to boot.
I was just asking about the upgrades b/c I can shell out $1000 and get an intake, header and exhaust system for my Miata, but I don't know about the P5.
I can see your point of view. If you're into mods this can be a fun car to work on.
When you say "header" does that mean turbo or something else?
I looked into getting a turbo + intake + exhaust back in 2002 and calculated that with labour it would cost well over C$1500; if I remember correctly I estimated it at double that. I'm glad I waited because the new 3 was not far behind and now the new Mazdaspeed is on its way and that is my idea of a well-modified vehicle. When the new 3 came out it was priced slighty more than the P5 when I bought it; so Mazda delivered a great deal on the 3 with its additional 30hp.
Automanufacturers are making it easier to modify; the Scion is a great example. But it makes one wonder what does customize/personalize mean when you buy it ready-made in a box?
If you could get a turbo, exhaust and intake for ~$1500 that would be amazing...if it's Canadian $$ that would be an absolute steal!
When they were new, P5's went for about $17k fully loaded up. Around here, the 3's are more like mid-high $19k's. For that I can get a pretty decent Honda Odyssey (used of course).
I just drove a brand-new Mazda3s wagon home for less than $18K MSRP.
Meade
We've had a lot of new faces at the chats in recent weeks, and I hope tonight is no exception.
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News & Views, Wagons, & Hybrid Vehicles
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With snow tires, you should have no problems for a secure and fun ride. Without them, you will likely have more fun then you or your car can handle.
My Dunlop 195/50/16 tires are fine in the wet. M&S (Mud and Snow) does not say much about winter capabilities (or their lack). Check for the snowflake or mountaintop icons on the side to find a real snow/ice tire. Tirerack.com and tiretrends.com and 1010tires.com are excellent sources of tire and wheel information.
Does Michigan have black ice? Black ice has been the most devilish test of my BF Goodrich Winter Slalom snows; test results: the tires fared well and I'm living proof.
The only problem is the stock Dunlop tires. Once they have 20k or more miles on them, hydroplaining becomes an issue and snow traction is diminished considerably.
You do not need snow tires. Buy a good set of all season tires and the car will handle fine. If you want even better snow traction than what regular all-season tires will get you, buy a set of snow tires as autonomous mentioned.
Snow tires will improve snow handling on any car and the Protege5 is no different.
Personally, I have driven through 6 inches of snow with no problems. I have 15" aluminum rims for winter with Michelin Pilot Alpin's (205/55/15).
How did they do in the snow and rain? How long have they lasted? Would you recommend your tire to others, or try to steer us away?
Thanks!
Bridgestone Potenza RE92
Dunlop SP Sport A2
BFG Touring T/A VR4
... and the following on my wife's 2002 Protege5:
Dunlop SP 5000 (OEM)
Falken Ziex ZE-512
BFG Traction T/A VR4
I got rid of the "Poortenzas" as soon as I could. They're the reason I hydroplaned my 10-month-old '92 Protege LX and totaled it back in August 1992. Sho'nuf, the Poortenzas on my 2000 ES started to get slick on wet roads around 15K miles. Awful tires. The Dunlop SP Sport A2s were wonderfully grabby and quiet at first, but they deteriorated rapidly. They only lasted 18,000 miles, and I don't drive that hard on my tires. I then found the Touring T/A VR4s at Costco, and put them on the car at about 50,000 miles. They were quiet and did well in the rain, and they were still on my Protege when I traded it at 91,100 miles for a Mazda3 wagon a month ago.
On to my wife's Protege5: The Dunlop 5000s that came stock on her P5 were similar to the Dunlop SP Sport A2s I had put on my Protege: They were good at first, but deteriorated rapidly. By 20,000 miles her Dunlops were dangerously bald. So we took a friend's advice and bought a set of Falken Ziex ZE-512s from TireRack. They turned out to be just as bad as the Dunlops; in fact a little worse. The treadwear was uneven, the tires got really noisy, and the insides of the tires were bald after about 16,000 miles, despite our more-than-frequent rotations and alignment checks. The last straw was when her right rear Falken blew out (sidewall rupture) while she was driving 60 mph on I-95. We got rid of all four Falkens, and noting the good service I'd gotten from the Touring T/A's, we went out to get her a set.
Turns out BFG had since replaced the Touring T/A's with the Traction T/A line, a very similar tire with very similar treadwear pattern and rating. We put them on her car about 15,000 miles ago, and we're very pleased with them. They show little wear, they corner well, they're fairly quiet on the highway, and they're good in the rain even after 15,000 miles. Plus they were only about $100 apiece at Sears (cheaper at TireRack, but Sears offered a few extra pluses and no shipping of course).
I've tried a bunch of tires in my life and, as you can see, six kinds of tires on our Proteges -- and I've become quite the BFG fan. I highly recommend doing some personal research by reading the reviews and tests at www.tirerack.com.
Meade
Currently the BFG Traction T/A VR4's have about 6k miles on them and still look like new. They were great in the snow this past winter and are pretty good in the rain. The only time I have some trouble is starting out on damp paving. The previous tires stuck much better in this situation, but now I have to pay attention a little more to how much gas I'm giving it. Certainly a tradeoff of the harder rubber. Handling is not quite on par with either of the previous tires, but that hasn't been much of a problem I don't find the time that I can really push the car much anyway. And when I do want to have some fun, the tires do a good job of keeping me on the road. If the current wear rate continues, I'll be very happy with this purchase.
If you want the car to be a race car, buy something like the Poortenza's and live with other problems. If you want it to handle pretty well while still maintaining everyday drivability for a longer time, get the BFG's.
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Guess the Toyo Proxes owners weren't too happy with them, as no one said anything.
Meade
Background info: red 2002 P5, 5 speed, will have owned it for 4 years next month, 51,400 miles, OEM Dunlops SP5000's replaced at 48,000 miles with Toyo Proxes 4's upsized to 205/50-16 less than three months ago. Major repair work: none to date. Replaced windshield last week due to rock chip turning into full width crack. Watch out for defrosters set on high heat and chipped cold windshields. Gas mileage, high on long highway trip: 35, low 25, average 28-29 with a 50/50 mix highway and city.
Regarding the Toyo's. In shopping for the tires, I decided to purchase them locally instead of having them bought on-line. I did perform hours of research on the net for the 195/50-16 series, and if anyone also did this search you would find that this size is pretty rare. So, Toyo's seemed to be the only high performance tires that was available in Richmond, VA, at a price that I could afford. Well, actually, while on line, tire reviews mostly said that Toyos were great tires for the money. Kumho's too. The tire salesman highly recommended them because the P5 was specifically tuned to handle high performance tires. He said not to drop down to lesser passenger tires. That was a moot point simply because there are so few available choices in the 195 series. However, looking at the 205 series offered more alternatives. The tire guy said the weight and contact patch width (1/4" more than OEM) should not affect performance and clearance in the wheel well.
After having the tires for a couple of months, here are my observations, subjective of course. At first, the ride seemed a bit more jiggly (technical term) on wavy road surfaces than the Dunlops. I was guessing that maybe the sidewalls flexed more. After having them on now for three months, I don't notice it anymore. The degradation of the Dunlops were gradual, but towards the end, I had hydroplaning issues. Got to the point that when it rained, I took my wife's car. I have to admit, it was fun to slide into a tight turn and let the wheels squeal on dry roads. At least my son enjoyed that... wife hated it.
The new tires are a joy in wet weather, no hydroplaning and they feel composed at and above speed limits. Just as sticky or more so than OEM. The treads also look cool, very aggressive with seemingly more center grooving for wet weather traction. I don't know how they handle in snow and ice. Probably only fair, like the OEMs. Not sure whether they are actually quieter than OEM. I tend to drive with all the windows/roof open with radio blaring. Look for the idiot with a quirky smile on his face. The feel and drive of the car can still do that to me. Haven't driven the new 3's yet though.
The tires do look good on the car, looks a bit wider, but not taller.
Meade, would 17's affect the performance... I never considered it, but if you go to 17's, would you have to go to the next lower profile series to get the same overall tire height, and would you have to get new rims?
Sorry for the rambling, but the Toyos so far are great. They also have a wear rating of 300, better than that of OEM, but how that translates into real mileage, I guess a lot of that would have to do with your driving style.
Lee
PS took a nail in the sidewall a couple of days ago. Another downside to specialty tires, the tire is not normally kept in stock (at least at the store where they were purchased) so they had to be shipped from Arizona. A few tears were shed for replacing a virtually brand new old tire. Don't even mention the cost of one tire! Did not have, or was not offered road hazard insurance.
I've got my new 3 on my mind. :shades:
Meade
Do the new 3's use the 205 series?
Lee
The Mazda3i 4-door uses 195/65-15s.
The Mazda3s 4-door uses 205/55-16s.
The Mazda3s 5-door (which I have) uses 205/50-17s.
Meade
I scanned the P5 forum back over the last couple of years for the problem areas and it appears the overwhelming number of messages report issues with brake wear and tire wear. I'm keeping an eye on these but so far my P5 has fared well in both. Some reporters have cited clogged EGR and CEL problems detected by sensors (ABS, O2, MAF) but these appear to be rare.
It would be interesting to hear the experience of others.
Sounds great (except for the last part)!
Toyo Proxes TPT is one of my top three choices; the others being BFG Traction T/A and Kumho 712. Did you stay with the current size (195/50/16) or upgrade (205/50/16 ...). It appears they are slightly cheaper than the original Dunlop 5000s.
I replaced my stock dunlops on my 2002.5 Protege5 at 20K miles with Bridgestone Potenza RE750's (upsized to 205/50/16's). I'm at almost 55K miles...and with normal 7500 mile rotation/balance, everything has been great.
traction has not decreased, noise is minimal, and treadwear is great...I've probably got more than 1/2 tread left.
I drive fairly aggressively whenever possible (in Southern California, it's usually NEVER possible)...but I do take several corners close to home and work with reckless abandon...and the tires are still holding up fine.
granted, I did get a couple of flats (replaced free of charge thanks to Discount Tire's free replacement warranty)...and the new tires were not mounted on the same axle, so I got some 'pull' for a little bit, at least until the tires wore down...
the tires are so good, I talked a couple of my coworkers into purchasing them for their own cars.
unfortunately...Bridgestone Potenza RE750's in 205/50/16 are on nationwide backorder right now.
My Dunlop 5000M 195/50/16 87 "V" still have tread left. Figuring that they could get another 5,000 km (3,000 miles) that would mean they have lasted 40,000 km. (25,000 miles).They survived 4 years in part due to my use of winter tires; as a performance tire I did not expect them to last forever, but 25,000 miles seems a bit quick. I was very pleased with their handling, low noise and appearance. Unfortunately, they do not last long, are quite pricey (I estimate about $200 more) and difficult to find and as a result difficult to comparison shop, so I decided to switch.
The BF Goodrich Traction T/A are rated for 100,000 km (60,000 miles). I expect to get much more mileage out of them; I'll be very pleased if they last six years or more, by then I may be in another car. They also have a wider footprint which should make for a better ride.
Apart from the Traction T/A the other contenders being considered were
- Toyo Proxes TPT: comparable in price to Dunlops, 100,000 km like the Traction T/A
- Kumho Ecsta 711 or 712 : great value, limited distribution network, I decided the risk of trying out a new tire company (Kumho) was not worth the savings.
Final note, when replacing your tires be careful about the size especially the aspect ratio. The "50" is the aspect ratio in the 195/50/16. Unless you buy the same size tire (195/50/16) ask your tire specialist to confirm that they will work on the Pro5. For example, I thought I could switch from 195/50/16 to 205/50/16 or 205/55/16; according to a tire expert the last combination (205/55/16) would not work because "the tire is too big by about an inch".