In my auto x club, there is two member with "Topeka level skills". One has a type r and the other just recently bought a mazdaspeed, which is a mp3 turbo.

I wonder how this car compare to the type r, is it a fair match? As anyone tried one out? I tried a mp3 with a turbo kit and i did not like it, the steering was vague compared to my 91 hatchy. It has awesome handling but I could feel the car very well. Anyway, any opinions on this car?

PL

 

the MSP is camber limited, and that's its' downfall.

 

Entirely depends on the class one runs in. If you are in Stock, almost any car is camber limited. If you are in SP, SM or the like, camber plates are available for any strut car that alleviates that problem.

 

I think it can be very competitve. 7" wide wheels, LSD, a quick spooling turbo and some pretty thick swaybars.

Would also do pretty well in STX, IMO. I have no idea if its faster on an autox course than a hype-arr though.

 

The Mazdaspeed protege looks good on paper, it would probably just take some with skills to develop it and find out what the right combination of tires, front sway bar and struts will make competitve.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Solracer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">combination of tires, front sway bar and struts will make competitve.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Koni does not have an application for the protege's

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Koni does not have an application for the protege's </TD></TR></TABLE>


I wounder if Penske does? don't forget that some people do run penske's or at least they were as they are remote resiviur shocks and I belive they are still legal in the stock class.

 

Yeah, penske, moton, jrz, ohlins, remote resevoir $1000/corner bling.

"stock", ha! I've heard of some guys using triple adjustables to test with to get the settings right, then sending them back to have the low speed rebound setting locked in place.

SCCA is retarded sometimes.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yeah, penske, moton, jrz, ohlins, remote resevoir $1000/corner bling.

"stock", ha! I've heard of some guys using triple adjustables to test with to get the settings right, then sending them back to have the low speed rebound setting locked in place.

SCCA is retarded sometimes.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah it seems odd, however a shock is a shock I guess its replacable so I guess you should not limit it, But when you have guys that can by trible adjustables and test them, they are going to find other ways to spend money on thier cars including custom sway bars new hoosiers every event, in fact when they were talking about a outlawing remote resivour shocks on the evolution list and only allow stock from the factory shocks several people said the would just buy 10 pairs of factory shocks and find the best that peform, so when your dealing with that kinda money... its just hard to compete.
I know some guys have more money in there stock autocross car (not including the cost of the car )than it cost to by an already built compettive ITC/H4/H5 car... wierd...

 

Should toss remote reservoir shocks, and limit to one adjustment, IMO.

The difference between a moton/jrz/penske and revalved koni will become very small.

 

The two largest problems with the Mazdaspeed Protege are the lack of aftermarket shocks (supposedly, Mazda screwed with Koni and so it'll be a cold day in Michael Jackson's bedroom before they build shocks for them...) and the fact that you have to buy new rear sway bar bushings for nearly every event. The handling is evidently night and day different with fresh bushings.


Andy

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Should toss remote reservoir shocks, and limit to one adjustment, IMO.

The difference between a moton/jrz/penske and revalved koni will become very small.</TD></TR></TABLE>

ahh but the arguemtn was that you can get penske shocks for not much more than than koni's and the remote resiviovor supposidly is just for extra fluid and they would work the same as with an only an internal resivour. If you do that, some would say, you are basically saying eveying one has to run Koni's, of course there are still some applicationst that billstiens, agx's and tockico's but in my mind koni's are suerior to those. OF course this is why I don't autocross much any more and decided not to try and compete nationally

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Solracer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">ahh but the arguemtn was that you can get penske shocks for not much more than than koni's </TD></TR></TABLE>

$4000 &gt;&gt; $1200...

Not to say people still would not run the high dollar shocks for the last bit of advantage. Its just that the advantage would be smaller.

 

Actually Penkse's are around 600 each and I belive they come with one free rebuild, espically if you know Guy Ankey so they are not that much more than koni's

 

What about the hardware to put them on the car?

They wont do much for performance rolling around in the trunk

Konis (new, and revalved) - $250?/each. Thats alot less than $600 + mounting hardware.

Now overall, if you are running nationally and buying 4 sets of hooiers a year this expense is not huge I guess.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Konis (new, and revalved) - $250?/each. Thats alot less than $600 + mounting hardware.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I bought my DA inserts for $230/ea. Still have to pay someone to build/weld the strut and it doesn't include springs/bumpstops ($65/corner). FWIW.

Andy

 

for shock applications, AWR has their speed world challange cars. And Jason Minehart did some setup with them, and got them revalved later even stiff for his HS car.

non-adjustable bilsteins though.

Why you would limit it to a single adjustment is beyond me. Someone with too much money and too much time will still put on DAs, tune them, and then have his manufacturer of choice build something comproable. I realize that you cannot make them exact, but close enough. I don't see the point of making rules that you can't enforce, and that don't do anything meaningful. We need LESS rules, not more dumb rules.

Also, Koni makes universal inserts. Proteges have struts. Figure it out.

-runs Koni OTS.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Would also do pretty well in STX, IMO. I have no idea if its faster on an autox course than a hype-arr though.</TD></TR></TABLE>


I don't think it's got a shot in STX. It becomes a regular protege with more power. All the cool stuff it came with stock is now "not aggressive enough" for a prepped STX car.

It's a good car for DS, not so much anywhere else, because then you have to deal with being a 2800 lb FWD car with no huge advantage over anything else in your class.

 

Wouldn't it be fair to say you could probably get Pro Parts to build you a nice set of struts with Koni guts?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by WRXRacer111 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Wouldn't it be fair to say you could probably get Pro Parts to build you a nice set of struts with Koni guts?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Truechoice gave prices in the $550-600/corner for a similar service. Ground Control AD was similar but slightly more expensive.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by maxQ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Truechoice gave prices in the $550-600/corner for a similar service. Ground Control AD was similar but slightly more expensive.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

ok, so what's the problem? That's still less than your tire budget if you do a good sized season nationally on hoosiers. And the shocks last.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by maxQ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Ground Control AD was similar but slightly more expensive. </TD></TR></TABLE>

They told me to go fist myself when i called asking for a "custom" application with struts (saturn).

Nice products, but they have the absolute worst customer service.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PseudoRealityX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

ok, so what's the problem? That's still less than your tire budget if you do a good sized season nationally on hoosiers. And the shocks last.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I don't own a Protege. Am I a bit miffed that Koni doesn't make a strut for the Sentra? Some, but it's understandable... I'm not exactly a common customer.

And that is considerably more than MY tire budget. Falkens are cheap.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
They told me to go fist myself when i called asking for a "custom" application with struts (saturn).
</TD></TR></TABLE>

They didn't say that to me.... but just charged an extra $500.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Koni does not have an application for the protege's </TD></TR></TABLE>

Really, I hadn't noticed!

..&lt;recalls M Roadster/Busted A$$ Protege' Comparo!&gt;...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Conemasher &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">..&lt;recalls M Roadster/Busted A$$ Protege' Comparo!&gt;...</TD></TR></TABLE>

haha!