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Mazdaspeed Vehicle Specifications

1/11/2012

2003 Mazdaspeed Protege
Production: 600 Spicy Orange, 1150 Black Mica

2003 Mazdaspeed Technical Specifications
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2003.5 Mazdaspeed Protege
Production: 1100 Titanium Gray Metallic, 500 Blazing Yellow Mica, 500 Sunlight Silver Metallic

2003 / 2003.5 Mazdaspeed Protege Specifications
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2004 Mazdaspeed MX-5 Miata
Available colors: Velocity Red Mica, Titanium Gray Metallic

2004 Mazdaspeed MX-5 Miata Specifications
File Size:	320 kb
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2005 Mazdaspeed MX-5 Miata
Available colors: Velocity Red Mica, Titanium Gray Metallic, Black Mica, Lava Orange Mica

2005 Mazdaspeed MX-5 Miata Specifications
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2006 Mazdaspeed6

2006 Mazdaspeed6 Specifications
File Size:	138 kb
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2009 Mazdaspeed3

2009 Mazdaspeed3 Specifications
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Enhancing the Performance of the Mazdaspeed Protege

1/10/2012

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The Mazdaspeed Protege has a lot of performance potential. The drive train in stock form is adequate, but is restricted by it's surroundings. Here are a few enhancements that will help the Mazdaspeed Protege perform better (please note that your dealer warranty coverage may be affected if you enhance your car):

1. K&N Air Filter or Cold Air Intake (CAI)
The stock air box sufficiently supplies cool air to the engine. When using the stock air box, install a K&N drop in air filter. You can also use some hose (from a hardware store) that extends to the front of the car for a "ram air" like intake. This new hose will take the place of the stock elbow at the end of the air box. If the stock air box is not cool enough for you, try an aftermarket cold air induction system. If you prefer to use an cold air induction system, make sure it is routed so that the filter cone is in the best location to get cold air. There is not that much room under the hood, so fabricating a shield to protect the filter cone from the hot engine is a good idea.

2. Turbo-Back Exhaust
The stock exhaust on the Mazdaspeed Protege is quite restrictive. It is somewhat small in diameter, has two catalytic converters (one positioned right after the turbo), and the muffler. The best setup would be a nicely flowing 2.5" diameter pipe with one performance catalytic converter (or no converter if you desire) and a performance muffler. There are plenty of exhaust kits available for the Protege in both 2.5" and 3" diameters.

3. Larger Intercooler
The stock intercooler is quite small and poorly constructed. Luckily, there are plenty of intercoolers available for the Mazdaspeed Protege. Upgrading to a large intercooler will help keep the turbo cool and increase cold air into the engine, making more power. While upgrading the intercooler, it is also recommended that the hoses are replaced. The stock plastic piping can get hot and are prone to leaking. Get a nice aluminum piping kit along with your new intercooler and you will be happy.

4. Increasing Boost
The stock boost is set at about 6psi. This is adequate for the car in stock form, but too low after performance enhancements are made. Only after you have freed up the exhaust and added a larger intercooler, should you consider increasing the boost. Increasing to around 9psi should grant sufficient power gains and still be fairly safe. There are both mechanical and electronic boost controllers available. You can also purchase computer modules that piggy back on your stock ECU. It would also be a good idea to get a boost gauge installed!

Here are some aftermarket part sites to check out:

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Winter Driving in a Mazdaspeed

1/10/2012

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Anyone who has driven a Mazdaspeed in the snow knows that it can be a hazardous experience. The stock Potenza performance tires are sticky on dry pavement, but in the snow they get little if any traction. This is due to the lack of sidewall, tread and tread depth on the performance tires. The tires need an aggressive tread pattern with plenty of sipes to grip the snow. The stock tires are great for dry conditions, allowing for a greater patch of rubber to grab the pavement, but are extremely dangerous for winter conditions. The stock tires are NOT all season tires!

Do not get stuck in the snow or risk having an accident. Please do yourself a favor and get snow tires or drive a different vehicle (if possible) during snow days. The Mazdaspeed vehicles actually handle pretty good in the snow with a set of snow tires, partly due to it's limited slip differential. Some Mazdaspeed owners have purchased a cheap set of rims and snow tires for the winter. Others have the luxury of having a second car to drive on snow days and garage their "baby" for the winter. Still others replace their performance tires and mount all season performance tires on their rims.

The stock tires can handle clean winter roads, but when the snow flies, do yourself a favor and get a set of snow tires!

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FWD Handling: Benefits and Characteristics

1/10/2012

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Benefits of FWD

There are many reasons listed for why the OEM companies are using FWD. They include costs, size, assembly, interchangeability, etc., which may be considered but certainly aren't the main cause. Looking at just the pieces involved in the drive train will lead to the answer. The FWD cars don't have a 5 foot long driveshaft and have a 12-18 inch shorter transmission (i.e., output shaft). Both pieces rotate with the engine. Drag racers learned years ago that lighter rotating pieces (in the engine or the transmission) make the car go faster at the track. It isn't found on the dyno but can be easily proven in the car at the track. Having no driveshaft and only half the transmission shaft saves 15-20 pounds of rotating weight. Drag racers spend thousands of dollars to get 5 pounds out of the rotating mass of the engine.

A related consideration that may be more important in handling is unsprung weight. The 5 ft. driveshaft was unsprung weight. All FWD cars use an independent suspension while 99 percent of the RWD cars (front engine) use a solid axle. Weigh the solid axle and realize that it's all unsprung weight. We think that every handling "expert" knows that less unsprung weight help handling!

FWD Handling Characteristics

A vehicle's handling characteristics are not always the same. A FWD car at extremely low speed will tend to understeer. Strangely enough, a front-engine RWD car understeers at low speed also. Both are caused by the front weight bias. At higher speeds, typical of minimum speeds at a road race track, the springs and sway bars come into play and the car reverts to its designed characteristics. In production cars, the design choice is slightly understeering.

It is obvious that the FWD cars use the front tires for acceleration, braking and cornering. This demands a lot of the tire. However, in two cars, one FWD, one RWD, both in the same class, the FWD car is somewhat faster in lap times but it uses up the tires faster.

In summary we think that the examples listed above show what's going on in racing and why the FWD cars are so popular. The at-the-track evidence shows that the FWD cars do go faster and handle better even though they work the tires very hard. They may not make the greatest drag cars but we're talking handling and road racing and that seems to be where the FWD cars do best. They also seem to handle better in traffic which makes close racing easier. The at-the-track evidence speaks for itself.

Selected text from Mopar 2.2/2.5 FWD, 1995

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Mazdaspeed Vehicle Specifications

Enhancing the Performance of the Mazdaspeed Protege

Winter Driving in a Mazdaspeed

FWD Handling: Benefits and Characteristics

MSC Tech

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