Mazda Protege5

protege_fan

I've been doing a lot of reading on K&N filters on this website's forum on them. Basically, it sounds like unless you have 300+HP, then installing a K&N filter will not make a noticeable difference in HP. I was in the market for one, but K&N doesn't make it for the '01 2.0L yet, and after doing that reading, I've decided not to go with one anyway. BTW, I don't think it's "bad" for the P5.

jstandefer

I was using actual tire manufacturer specs for several different tires such as the Dunlop SP Sport 5000 and 8000, Pirelli P700, Nitto NT450, and Dunlop SP Sport W10. The numbers you came up with are absolutely correct (actually 0.59" diameter increase rounded up from 0.586615), unfortunately tires are not manufactured to that accuracy. I am running 205's on my '99 ES right now with absolutely no problems. I will switch to 215/55R15's next month. Even with the 205's, there is still plenty of clearance, so the 215's will not pose a problem and are more in line with the diameter of the EOM 195/55R15's.

hondaaccessory

What are the details on the %4.9 financing? I've seen specials on the 2001 proteges but nothing on the p5's It is starting to look more hopeful on finding a yellow one, autobytel's no haggle price was MSRP and 3 week wait But still trying. And the guy at the autobytel dealer didn't even know that in order to get the abs/side air bags you have to get the sunroof... Trying carsdirect now. Any other suggestions? I know that the yellow is rare so I will likely have to pay close to if not msrp for it.

-Trevor

aardvark_mark

ala mazdausa website..

1.9% apr on p5 for 24 and 36 months
4.9% apr on p5 for 48 and 60 months

re: hondaaccessory

try www.carsdirect.com for pricing.. when i negotiated for my p5 they were $600 over invoice

bluong1

Jerry,

please tell us what is your impression when the Protege is mounting with bigger tires. I would like to switch to 205/50R16 in the future, but wonder how much it will effect the performance. I wonder if I need to bost the engine beforehand or not.

Bruno

jstandefer

Since the 205/50R16 has a slightly larger diameter and is heavier than the 195/50R16, you will lose some acceleration. The extra tire width is more of a aerodynamic drag, so expect to lose some fuel mileage. However, it shouldn't change your acceleration that much (maybe 2/10's of a second to 60mph). Your handling should improve if you put performance tires on. The 205/50 will have a slightly taller sidewall that could be more inducive of rolling. At the 205/50R16 size, you have an entire world of tires to choose from!

I have 205/50R15's, up from the stock 195/55R15's. The 205's have a slightly smaller diameter but are slightly heavier, leaving acceleration intact. Fuel mileage is down due to the extra drag and small diameter (slightly more rpm per mph) However, the extra 10mm of width at all four corners does noticeably improve your handling ability. Plus, as an added bonus, they look better as the extra width fills the wheel wells just right.

bluong1

Thanks Jerry. Actually the MP3 engine produces 142 ftxlb torque at 4500 rpm vs 135 at 4000 rpm on the P5. The weights of both cars are comparable and both use the same gearbox/final drive. But the MP3 is seated on bigger wheels. So I'm not sure the MP3 accelerates that much better. I think it's still reasonable for me to mount 205/50R16 (smaller in diameter than the MP3 wheels) without compromise the car in term of performance. I like to take corners even quicker. Accelerating on the straight road is not that fun.

deejayspinz

After 2 months of waiting, my Silver P5 5sp is now in. Just have to get it tinted, do the paperwork and zoom... I will be posting detailed info and pics of my stereo install in a few weeks.

Dave

jstandefer

Yes. The larger wheels won't have much of an effect on the acceleration. It shouldn't even be noticeable. But the handling is what improves, and this is definitely noticeable! The MP3 was just tested by Car and Driver and it didn't show much of an acceleration improvement.

2001 Mazda Protege MP3
2.0L DOHC I4
5-spd manual transmission
140 hp
142 lb-ft
0-60 mph: 8.2 seconds
Source: Car and Driver September 2001

1999 Mazda Protege ES
1.8L DOHC I4
5-spd manual transmission
122 hp
120 lb-ft
0-60 mph: 8.4 seconds
Source: Car and Driver November 1999

I am not sure what the acceleration of the 2001 Protege ES, but I speculate 8.4-8.5 seconds. I would guess the Protege5 would run 8.5-8.7 seconds with its nearly 82 pounds extra weight. The 1999 ES is the lightest at only 2537 pounds, 2001 ES is 2634 pounds, and Protege5 is 2716 pounds. The MP3 is the heaviest with its suspension upgrades, wheels, body kit, and 280 watt sound system at 2725 pounds.

phasor

Just a heads-up for you Pro5 owners, yesterday I came back to my car and she wouldn't start. Got a jump, and then the problem became apparent - the hazard lights were blinking and I couldn't shut them off. Yanked the fuse and took the car to the dealer. Turned out to be a shorted-out keyless entry module. They diagnosed it and replaced the unit quick, but it took half an hour to reprogram the remotes - I wonder why it takes so long...

bembol

I signed the contract back in June, waited over two months and found out that I won't get my Sunburst Yellow Protege5 until November?!?! So I cancelled the deal and found my new ride. 2002 Acura RSX Premium, the 5-Speed Sequential SportShift Automatic is too sweet!

aardvark_mark

I feel your pain.. the car I ordered mid-may still hasn't arrived.. mazda customer service says there was an 'accessories shortage'..

I ended up getting a different p5 with no options..

the rsx type-s is sweeeeeeeeeet.. was looking at it but out of my budget .. enjoy!

deejayspinz

I noticed that the head unit for the P5 and the 2001 Protege models look similar if not the same. Does anyone know if the mounting systems and plates are interchangable. I want to install a new DIN sized stereo in my P5, but there are not many installation kits yet available for that model.

Pickin my Silver P5 5sp tinted today...

Thx,

Dave

hondaaccessory

" feel your pain.. the car I ordered mid-may still hasn't arrived.. mazda customer service says there was an 'accessories shortage'.."

That would explain why I haven't seen many options on the ones that I've seen on the lots.

I've never been able to get through to Mazda's customer service number myself.

I'm still trying to find one but not having much luck, no luck at all with a yellow. We also like the silver but I haven't even seen one of those with ABS/side air bags. The local Mazda dealer has half a dozen P5's on the lot but none of them have those options.

Several dealers have laughed when I ask about getting a yellow one. carsdirect says 300 over msrp. Autobytel says MSRP but I'm starting even doubt that they could find us one.

-Trevor

phoenixmp5

Earnhards in Phoenix has 2 white ones with ABS and several without. Almost all the loaded ones are auto.

I don't know how far you are from Phoenix, but maybe autobytel or another organization can grab one for you.

Follow the link to view their inventory.

http://www.nobull.com/new/search.php3?page=2&cyl=&make=Mazda&model=Protege5&price=100000&sort=Sticker&per_page=15&sessid=&modelid=%

iamz

Trevor,
I was at the MN state fair today and Morrie's Mazda had a yellow P5 with Automatic and a Moonroof. I assume if it has a Moonroof it probably has ABS. I'm sure they are probably asking 1,000 over MSRP though.

Or were you looking for a Manual?

orangelebaron

I think it's pathetic that people have to pay more for yellow! Actually it's funny!!! The subaru dealer near me charged someone $1000 over sticker for the yellow WRX. Back in the 70's cars came in so many color choices. Even several years ago the color choices were more varied. Nowadays, the color choices on most cars... well... SUCK! The choices are usually a shade of mud, a shade of silver grey, sand, white, dark green, dark blue, and red. If you get one choice of an exciting color.. it's usually a way too bright shade of yellow. This is especially true of Japanese cars (Honda). The P5 is a nice looking car but it could use some more exciting colors other than give me a ticket now yellow or cliche red. Too bad Orient Green isn't offered here as it is in other countries (what's up with that?)

I guess limiting what's popular gives dealers a chance to make extra money.

jstandefer

That's a very hard decision for the manufacturer. I'm sure Mazda conducted many, many studies to determine color choices and availability. Historically, yellow only appeals to a very (and I mean tiny) percentage of the consumers. Nothing scares a manufacturer or dealer more than having a product that won't sell. My local dealership, John Hine Mazda in San Diego, only ordered a single yellow Pro5 initially. They have been plagued by unpopular yellow vehicles recently such as the yellow Pontiac Aztek and yellow Dodge Dakota. A lot of people say they want yellow, but for some reason, when they come in they don't sell. After three of four months, the dealership really drops the selling price on them and they still sit. They have to practically give the car away and beg a customer to take them. Hine's first Pro5 was a yellow automatic loaded with polished wheels. How long did it take to sell? About two weeks. A week after the yellow one got there, similarly equipped white, blue, and red Pro5's came in a sold before the yellow one did. Pricing was MSRP with no markup on all Pro5's for the first month, including the yellow one. They have ordered two or three more yellow Pro5's, but they order multitudes more of the other colors. Most of my friends say they like the yellow Pro5, but they wouldn't drive one. They would rather take another color. Personally, I would love the yellow Pro5, but I also like the red and black.

Sporin

I could hear a tiny bit of wind noise from my roof rack with the windows down, so I took the advise written here and turned my front bar around to put the smooth, rounded edge forward. The result? An ear piercing howl at highway speeds! :-)

I'm just going to remove the bars and put the caps on.

iamz

I had the exact same experience as you did. The noise was far worse. I actually use my racks to hall lumber and the like, so I was reluctant to take them off and on again and again. So my compromise was to just remove the front rack. The rear rack doesn't seem to contribute much to noise.

pittdp

I feel in love with this car and bought a silver one with the polished aluminum rims of the showroom floor. The car only had 4 miles on it. Yahoo!!!!
I really feel this car has been put together very well and think that I will have many years of enjoyment out of her. As to the descusion of the focus motor being in this car, I doubt it. If you look at the specs the focas has a diffent tourqe curve and has it max HP at a different RPM P5 is 6000, while focus is 6500. The only thing I am waiting on is the locks for my wheels that are on order and the elecronic re-view mirror that auto dims and had the temp and compass on it.

alana3

Hi,

Yesterday I took a Protege5, automatic, with ABS out on a test drive. Overall I really liked the car. I thought it was kind of fun to drive. However their is one issue that is really bothering me.

When accelerating the engine would momentarily make a really loud noise. I think it happened when the gears were switching. For example I was
driving on Burnet, a nice flat road, accelerating from a stop to 45mph. At about 30mph the engine made this loud sound like it was reving, the car
lurched a bit, and the RPM meter went way up for a split second. Then it quieted back down.

Both my Tercel and my Mom's Corolla exhibit
similar behavior. The hum of the engine
changes a bit when the gears shift and the car
lurches a bit. But overall they are very quiet
in the process.

I am not sure if this loud sound in the P5 was a result of my driving habits, a bad car or something common to the Proteges?
Have y'all noticed anything similar?

Thanks,
Alana

pittdp

I havent finnished my breakin but I have not heard any noise yet. If there was any like you describe it sounds like the passing gear. Almost all small automatics sound really load if you get on the gas and let off.

elec3

Don't worry, mine does this too and I know exactly what you mean. If you are in the 15-30mph or so range and RPMs are low, when you really hit the gas the automatic downshifts, the RPMs fly up towards the redline, the engine snarls, you lurch a bit, but you don't really go anywhere. This is simply the price you pay for driving an automatic. It takes a bit of practice to get swift and smooth acceleration with the automatic - in the first couple gears you have to keep a close eye on the revs because if they're low and you ask for a lot of throttle, the transmission will downshift instead of working with the gear it's in. The higher the RPMs get, the more gas you can give it because it's less likely to want to downshift on you. Picture your gas pedal pressure proportional to your RPMs, both increase. It only does what you described when you're not moving fast and really punch it. Then in the upper gears I've found it helps to gas heavily as you approach a shift, let off briefly as the car shifts, then get back on the gas hard so the the RPMs don't drop too far. If you aren't horrified yet, you're a brave soul, because this can all be avoided with a manual (assuming of course that you can find one)

The positive side is every once in a while you hit a really sweet spot and get loads of power you never knew you had available. Today I was driving along and the person in front of me slowed down to turn so I signaled into the other lane and hit the gas - and zoomed from about 32 to 45 much faster than I had intended

iamz

A lot of people don't realize that driving an automatic can be fun and sometimes more challenging than a manual. I have fun doing exactly what you are doing. Tachometers in cars with automatics do serve a real purpose.

ZOOM ZOOM

bluong1

Terry,

I agree. I don't think driving a manual car is more challenging than an automatic. I even think the manual is easier, since the conductor is the one who controls the car, and can always know exactly how it should behave. In addition, a deceleration can be assisted by the "engine break" (therefore limit the locking of the wheel). Driving on a snow, heavy rain, on a steep and meanders mountain road with a automatic is certainly more hazardous.

Bruno

mazdadude1

Find myself grinning often as I drive my protege5. There is this lake drive that curves around for about 5 miles here in town and I find I am going out of my way to drive it on my way home from campus. Sunroof lets the dappled light in on my head and I take those curves with ease.

dzng

Just got my silver Protege5 auto abs moonroof on Labor day. Dealers are willing to lower price if you bargain hard. Just need to know invoice and TMV for the car (available on Edmunds)and watch for any extra fees they might want to add on top. Somebody posted that Freeman Mazda has $1500 discount off msrp. I got mine at Big Billy Barrett with a better deal than that, using Freeman's deal as bargaining tool. Love the car very much, only has 24 miles on it up to now. Beautiful interior. Wind noise is loud with moonroof open, otherwise not noticeable. Haven't seen by myself another protege5 out on the street yet but heard that people have seen them around. Hope this help for you guys interested in buying one in this area.

p5grrl

I've been zipping around in my shiny red P5 for about a month now, and haven't stopped smiling.

Stumbled onto the lot out of sheer boredom, test drove both the auto and 5-spd, and drove off in the auto, as the clutch pedal on the 5-spd was set too high for me (didn't think my foot was *that* dainty). Fully loaded, except for one thing -- an alarm. Has anyone fitted an aftermarket alarm to this? Any recommendations?

protege_fan

Does the Club count? Just kidding, but really, that's all I have on my Pro. It's the people with the Civics that really need all the anti-theft here in Caglary!

Pro_fan

pocahontas

In addition to the feedback here, you may also want to check out our Protege Owner's club Accessories & Modifications discussion for information on after market alarms. Use your copy/paste so you don't have to re-write your message. Good luck. ;-)

Pocahontas
Host
Hatchbacks / Station Wagons / Women's Auto Center Boards

cureme

I got a Viper 500 alarm put on mine about a week after I got it a few months ago. The alarm works well and integrates easily with the existing keyless entry system. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but it took me forever to find a loaded yellow P5 and I'm not about to have it broken into or stolen.

boopoppa

i'm getting stir crazy here reading about all the people with their new P5's. I'm still waiting for mine that I placed an order for the end of June. Is anyone else still waiting that ordered around that time? I'm about to give up.

:-(
no zoom

Sporin

The only minor "complaint" I have about my new P5 is that the throttle is VERY touchy. After 1000 miles, I'm still lurching around like I *haven't* been driving stick for 15 years. :-(

It seems like there is no "distance" between coasting and power... once you're into the power (accellerating) I'm fine. But when I'm just tooling through town, coasting and applying very light throttle off and on.. it's ugly.

Anyone else find this?

Other than that, the car is FLAWLESS! I love it! :-)

p5grrl

I guess I was smiling too much and not watching where that dead tree branch was hanging over the side of the road. Ran over it with my front tire and now I have a nasty scratch right along my rear door. Right down to the metal. Took it in to the dealer's body shop this morning. I'm now zoomless for the weekend.

Boo hoo. Anyone know where I can get an aftermarket force field????

Sporin

Had anyone decided how to protect the top of the rear bumper yet? I'm sure that loading and unloading of cargo will cause scratches before long.

I'm considering applying some of that clear 3M tape there, and on the front door sills, to prevent scuffs. Anyone used that before?

Griot's Garage sells it in various widths, by the foot, pretty cheaply.

Any other ideas?

mazdadude1

Has anyone bought and had installed the mirror with the ambient temperature and compass indicator? Wondered how difficult to install and if wires are used for temp. reading and if so how that worked???

protege_fan

I personally load/unload my trunk. I am super careful doing so and don't trust anybody else to! Maybe it's just anal, but it's my car.

mp5freak

I just had 4 new Infinity Kappa speakers installed in my blue P5. They sound much better than the stock speakers, but the factory CD player is not nearly powerful enough for these speakers. The Kappa speakers are rated to handle 7-70 RMS, and judging by the low volume put out now, I'm guessing that the factory deck only barely puts out 7 RMS, if it even does.

So its time for a new CD player - Pioneer DEH3300. Nice 22 RMS with a set of preouts incase I want to add a sub. But HERES THE PROBLEM. No installation place has the proper wiring harness for the P5! The wiring has been changed since the 01 Protege, so anything designed for the 01 models will not work with the 02 P5! Until these installation places start to carry stock for 2002 cars, I'm stuck with a new deck I can't use unless I want to cut the factory wires and hardwire it. And I don't want to do that! So keep this in mind before upgrading your CD player!

And if anyone knows where I can get a P5 wiring harness in Canada (or what company even makes one), please let me know!

kortenka

I've got a 2 week old Pro5 (automatic) with about 1500 miles. Over the Labor day weekend we took a 8 hour trip to Knoxville and experienced A/C trouble. Basically the A/C shut down after an hour or so, with the temperature of the air blowing out getting steadily warmer and the force of the blowing air weakening. Eventually no air was blowing at all even on the number 4 blower setting. I know from experience with my Ford Ranger truck that this is a symptom of the A/C evaporator core freezing. In the Ranger I bypassed a faulty pressure cycling switch and have to manually kill the A/C and wait a few minutes (at highway speed) for the core to thaw and the air to start blowing cold again. The last thing I expected was to have to do this in a new car. Have any of you out there taken an extended trip with the A/C on, say for a couple hours or so?

aardvark_mark

Can you add an amplifier to the existing in-dash receiver to push more RMS to your new speakers?

I like the stock cd player, the red matches the rest of the dash at night, controls are pretty simple to use, and it fills up the whole double din slot..

Thanks for the info!, Mark

mustang87

Hi everybody,
does anybody know if there is a bra available for a PR5. Actually I just want to get the piece that covers up the front of the hood. Driving on I-95 in South Florida everyday will kill my paint job. Do the dealers have them or any sites on the web will be appreciated.

Thanks,
Dima F.

mustang87

Good question, aardvark_mark.
This was going to be my second one. I am sure you can but how hard is it. I have a JENSEN amp in my '87 mustang that I installed myself last december. It was pretty easy. Now i want to move it to the PR5 but I don't really want to mess with the new car. BTW, since the PR5 is a hatchback and JENSEN amps have that cool blue glow from the logo on top of the amp it'll look very sweet in the back of the hatch.

pittdp

I want to get the mirror thing too and would also like some info.

mp5freak

Thanks for the suggestion of adding an amp. I thought about it instead of adding a new CD deck, but the new deck adds a whole bunch of "sound enhancing" stuff like equalizers and stuff, and is much easier (read inexpensive) to install. Not to mention that decent CD deck is cheaper than a decent 4 channel amp in the first place. So I opted for the CD deck figuring it would be no problem to install!

But thanks for the suggestion! If you have any more, please fire them my way! I'm taking my car in tomorrow morning to see whether this other place has any wiring harnesses that will work, or any other work-arounds. Thanks again!

smostorm

it's been two weeks since i hit a deer going 60 mph in my new p5. i've got another two week minimum wait to get it it back, with damage of over $4,000. i feel like i never even owned the thing...heck, i can barely remember what driving it felt like since i only had it two weeks before my good ole deer pal ran out in front of me. i ended up getting it towed back to the dealership for repair. they have a good reputation and i didn't really trust anyone else to match the blue paint color.

i've seen three more deer run across the road in front of me since (in my plush oldsmobile achieva/boat of a loaner no less)- one of them in broad daylight! i'm seriously thinking about taking up hunting...

boopoppa

is anyone still waiting like me that ordered end of June?

audia8q

Did you order a 5 speed??

if so, this may explain your delay. When Mazda did focus groups on the P5 they said Auto tranny...when the car actually hit the market the 5 speed was in higher demand than projected. Thus causing a shortage of manual trans....it's a national problem. But rest assured your car is on it's way from Japan. It just takes a little longer to get here...

Rich

dreante

Just pasted the 4,000-mile mark on my Pro5. I Called my local dealer to ask when they recommended oil changes. The guy said between 3,000-4,000 miles. I checked my manual and it seems that every 5,000 miles should be okay.

My general driving pattern is to accelerate to about 4,000-5,000 rpm between shifts. Is 5,000 miles a good interval, or can I go longer? I don't want to sound cheap, but time and money are factors for me.

unclebud

looking at the P5 to replace my awful 626 4cyl automatic - boy what a mistake that was...

loved my old 323 before it got all crunched up with another car..

I've been telling myself I'd never buy another 4 cylinder again though as I hate to be struggling to keep up with freeway speeds... especially out here in LA where people drive like maniacs, so I'm wondering what it's actually like in the somewhat underpowered P5...

from folks who have surpassed a short break-in period, what's it like at 70-80 - up moderate climbs... is the car straining or can it tackle this without feeling like you're overpushing the car?? What about with a few passengers??

my local dealer had a silver, 5sp, 6CD changer, ABS, Moonroof, Wind Deflector, Alloy Wheels and was asking just over $21,000 - that's with a $1000 Dealer Markup!!!!!!!!

I'm sure I could bargain that down a bit, but Edmunds puts vehicle with these options at 17,827 Invoice, 19,390 MSRP, and 18,849 TMV... their price was $2000 more than MSRP - doesn't that sound high?

I'll be looking for one with 5sp, ABS, Moon & Deflector, CD Player (standard), and Alloy wheels... is 18-19,000 realistic in this market??

thanks for any help, advise...

unclebud