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Mazda Protege5
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Comments
You're right: the 205/55/16 are H rated (210 km/h); they're about 10% cheaper than the 205/55/16 V rated (240km/h). So, your H tires are not only great performers but also a great value.
your steering probably is not as 'crisp' as before either...oh, and your speedometer is going to be off by more than 15%.
http://www.paspeedo.com/calculator.htm
Meade
Can you check the sidewalls to see which model and size of Kumho tires you have? If the ones on your prospective car are 195/50/16 with a rating of V (150mph) then they match the original Dunlops. The Kumho Ecsta ASX or Ecsta Supra are two examples of excellent models. I have noticed that Walmart sells some very inexpensive Kumhoes.
The real reason I went with the 55 series was so that visually the tire fills out the wheel well more fully. And as a bonus the car sits off the ground just a bit more, which can't hurt here in the snowbelt.
sorry about the 15% mistake. it was just my personal approximation.
either way, your speedo is off 7.2%...and that's a lot.
Cool tool! Thanks Meade.
The speedometer error is easy enough to live with. As a motorcyclist, I'm used to dealing with speedometer error of that magnitude. Only on bikes, the speedometers are always optimistic by 6% or more.
On the car, I just keep a few conversions in my head. So for instance, if I want to drive 62, I keep the speedo at 58. If I want to keep the car at just under 70, I drive 64 to 65.
I do know of people who have had their vehicles clearly run like crap after putting in aftermarket performance plugs.
No, this is not normal. How many miles on your P5? What kind of maintenance has been done on the car to date?
When you say tight driving I'm not sure what you mean.
Do you mean the feeling of the car is stiff, and it reacts to road bumps more than your former Camry? With the P5's tight suspension bumps get transmitted readily and one "feels" the road. Personally, I love that feeling. If you're used to a soft floating ride, then driving the P5 may be quite a shock.
Or do you mean, that the acceleration is very abrupt? This "quick off the mark" feeling for some drivers is disorienting, the car feels as if it's rocketing from a stop before it calms down. As above, I love this about the P5.
If neither of these describes your situation, then the car may or may not be having a problem which can likely be determined by visiting a Mazda dealership. Did you have a mechanic check the car before you bought it?
First, I skipped mechanic check when buying this car because I liked it very mcuh and felt very good in the test drive. The seller is also honest to me.
Second, the tight driving means my P5 decelerates somewhat fast on a flat road without pressing brake padels. For example, it does not slide for a long distance on a flat and smooth (not bumpy) road without pressing the gas pedal after reaching certain speed such as 40 mph.
I also likes the tight suspension system. But I am concerned about this slow-down phenomenon. If this is related to the P5 tire? I want to get some clue before bothering any dealer. That's why I want to check out fuel efficiency.
I've never driven the automatic transmission, but this sounds like it may be a transmission issue, since there shouldn't be anything that will slow the car down on a flat surface other than brakes and drag...and if you're not stepping on the brakes, then the transmission or something in the drivetrain (flywheel?) may be to blame.
Underinflated tires may also be culprit.
Again, I'm not sure. Definitely have it checked out by a professional.
Did you ask the seller about the deceleration?
my P5 decelerates somewhat fast on a flat road without pressing brake padels. For example, it does not slide for a long distance on a flat and smooth (not bumpy) road without pressing the gas pedal after reaching certain speed such as 40 mph.
This may be due to a locked brake caliper. Basically, one or more of your disc brakes may have frozen into a position where it's constantly rubbing against the brake rotor. My understanding is this could happen, for example, if you did not drive the car for a while and the brakes get rusty and don't move properly. Check to see if any of your brakes look different than the other three. A simple fix would be to drive somewhere where you can test your brakes and apply them very hard a few times to see if you can unlock them. If that does not work, you may want to have all your brakes cleaned and the calipers lubricated. Here's another idea: go to a Mazda dealership and see if you can test drive another P5; if the other P5 handles the same as your car likely there is no problem with your P5.
Then I tried the dealer service department. I have no idea of the reputation of the service, so I asked for a regular oil change. But I am very disappointed with their service because they did not perform whole circle inspection and brake inspection on the checklist. They anyway checked my brake by vision after my complaint, and seemed nothing wrong with the brake system.
The fix is to spray some lubricant in there and make sure the boots are working (or if they're even installed). If you look at the way they curve upwards, you can see how some grit and water can get stuck in the parking brake cable conduit.
p.s. careful not to grease up your rotors when you spray lubricant; that will make braking very dangerous.
I checked last weekend... they are Kumho Exta Supra P195/50/16 84H tires. Will these be ok for winter driving? Or are these strictly summer tires?
According to the Kumho site the Ecsta Supra P195/50/16 84 are a W rated tire.
Maximum Speed
H= 210 kmh / 130 mph
V = 240 kmh / 149 mph (the stock tires for the Protege5)
W= 270 kmh / 168 mph
All of these can be considered in the perfomance category, which is another way of saying, not for snow or slush. If there is more than a sprinking of snow, I would be careful driving any performance tire. You might be able to get away with them if they are brand new but after a while they may get iffy. I liken performance tires to track shoes and winter tires to boots; which would you rather wear in January?
Timely! We had a one day blast in eastern Ontario when you posted this; it's all melted by now but give it a couple of weeks and we'll all be in the thick of it.
p.s. last month you were asking about winter tires and rims also, did you decide against them?
If you don't subscribe, you can find the issue at your local library.
Happy reading.
Actually, I have 2- 2002 Protege5's one is mine and the other is my wife/daughters car. I found a used set of winter tires and rims for my car since it had true performance tires (Nexen 2000 I believe) that were horrible in the rain, let alone the snow. I am debating on buying them for my wife's car, as they are brand new and I want to see how they perform in the snow. If they are not very good, then I will look at getting some tires for it. I am keen on using my stock rims with winter tires and then buying some new rims in the spring from www.tiretrends.com . We are getting snow right now on the lake Huron coast, supposed to really drop tomorrow.
Agreed, they sound like excellent tires. My brother has had them on his Camry. Rated for 100K km / 60K miles by Toyo. May be pricier than the BFG Traction T/A. Option to go to 205/50/16V or continue with 195/50/16V.
Meade
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After driving several different cars between these 2 P5's, I have to say that this is the most like a Miata of all the cars I've had, which is why I bought it after smashing my 90 Miata.
Can someone share the correct size for Protege 5?
> dimensions. I'm not sure where those could be found.
1. Tirerack.com
2. Parts Dept of the local Mazda dealer. They can look it up.
3. Letter to Mazda.
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