Come on in and watch the transformation of my "new" car!

Just make sure not to use too much solution when cleaning the headliner. I hope it works out as well for you as it did for me.

__________________

Thanks, Ill use exactly what you wrote on here :) im so jealous!!
 
Astral said:
don't cut the springs... you are reducing travel w/o compensating with extra stiffness.



maybe check with a vendor like autornd for some cheap springs?
Click to expand...



If you get a wheel package from Wheelsnext, you can order FREE springs. I've never gotten them when I've bought rims, but I've always thought it is an amazing offer for those bugdet-minded.
 
Well the Protege went on its first road trip, over 5500 miles in 11 days. The California/Oregon mountain roads were a ton of fun, and it shows! I rotated my tires again before I left on the trip, and good thing I did. I have my snow tires/wheels on now while I wait for my new tires to arrive (debating the Fuzion ZRi vs BFGoodrich G-Force Sports). The tires that were on the rear still have a tiny bit of tread above the wear bars, but I'm not willing to drive at all on those "slicks", so I'll just be waiting for my new tires.



SPT2.JPG




SPT.JPG




It appears that I actually wore off the top nylon cord in that spot, and took it down to a steel layer! :eek:

I stopped in Minneapolis at a rest stop and noticed the lack of any tread, so I drove home at 50-55mph on the freeway out of paranoia that I was going to have a tire fail on the way home. Luckily I got home without any problems.



I got a little buggy on the way back too. I washed the car twice during the trip, and this pic is when I returned home. Only 3 days worth of bugs!
 
How many miles do you have on those tires that are bald? Seems like a pretty short life and I'm thinking there are some alignment issues.
 
SpoiledMan said:
How many miles do you have on those tires that are bald? Seems like a pretty short life and I'm thinking there are some alignment issues.
Click to expand...



I don't know if it's a Protege thing. I have a Protege5, and the original owner didn't take too much time rotating the tires I don't think. My rear tires, formerly the front tires, are almost worn to the wear indicators. The front tires, formerly on the rear, have almost 85% tread left. I also notice that White95 has Ecsta tires which are what I have. Perhaps the rubber is soft. FWD phenomenon?
 
The tires have about 19000 miles on them at this point. I had an alignment done last spring, and the car doesn't pull either way when I let off the wheel.



4 Fuzion ZRi 205/50/15 have been ordered. :)



BTW, I bought the tires last August, and rotated them when I put them back on this spring. I rotated them again before leaving on my trip 2 weeks ago.
 
No offense intended but that's a short amount of time/mileage for a FWD car with little HP to go through a set of tires. I'd have the alignment checked somewhere else as it doesn't have to pull to be out of line. I learned that the hard way.:(
 
Well when I had the Mazdaspeed springs/struts installed, they did an alignment. When I took the car in for a wheel bearing replacement a couple months later, they checked the alignment and said it didn't need to be adjusted.

This was at two different repair shops, 100 miles from each other.
 
Some vehicles are just hard on tires. Our MPV sure isn't a powerhouse, and it's properly aligned, yet it goes through tires quickly too. So do some Audis and the Acura NXT is notorious for wearing out its tires.



I *do* see benefits to more frequent rotation though...at least they'd all wear out at the same time.
 
Well being in alignment is subjective as that merely mean being within the manufacturers specifications. Perhaps to get the cars to handle better, Mazda has some "aggressive" specs. I know that was the issue with the first couple years of the NSX which was of course paired with the super soft tires. I believe that was changed after that because of so many complaints. People were coming in for tire changes more often than oil changes!
 
truzoom- Heh heh, gee, I guess I'm spending too much time on these detailing forums :o



SpoiledMan- Yeah, I'd heard they fixed the NSX thing too.



Audi A6 4.2s are in the "almost more often than oil change" ballpark too. I myself would rather have good handling than long tire life ;)



Actually White95Max's tires looked pretty evenly worn, or at least no worst than most IMO. I'd just rotate 'em a bit more often and not worry about it.



Something that initially surprised me was that many of our vehicles handle better when alignment/inflation is such that the tires *don't* wear evenly. I quit thinking about it and now I just use what works for me.
 
Well after 20,000 miles of ownership, I took a couple pics after a little detailing work. I did:

Wash

Clay horizontal surfaces with Sonus Ultra-Fine

Polish with FourStar Body Shop SMR + green P2

Klasse AIO

FourStar UPP



ProtegeOct061.jpg




ProtegeOct06.JPG




Full sun:



ProtegeOct1-.jpg






My *NEW* tires are wearing way too fast, much like my Kumho SPTs that I just replaced 6 weeks ago. The new tires are down to about 5/16 already...unbelievable. I don't know what the hell the problem is, but I really don't feel like buying a new set of tires every 6 months. Right now I'm thinking about looking into a different car for several reasons:

1. I want to move to Oregon/Washington in less than 2 years. I took the Protege out there this summer, and the mountains quickly made me realize how weak the little 1.6L really is. I need something with more power.

2. Light colors are too easy. :) I've always wanted a blue car, and I think it's time for me to insist on having one.

3. I want AWD.

4. I want a kayak rack for the car, but since I know I want a different car, I can't justify spending the money on a rack for the Protege. And I almost hesitate to go kayaking because the roof seems to get another scar every time. :(

5. It's eating tires at a disgusting rate!



So I'm thinking about a 5-spd Subaru 2.5RS or WRX. Blue if at all possible. I'm not sure about their lug pattern but it'd sure be convenient if my wheels fit on either of those vehicles. My plan is to drive the Protege until these Fuzions are about bald, and then put the factory wheels back on with the Dunlop Winter Sports, and put it up for sale. Then I can sell the alloys if they don't fit the new car.



Opinions/comments?
 
Paul,



Your car looks great! My Protege has what I consider normal tire wear, so I'm not sure excessive tire wear is a Protege thing. The fronts wear quickly, but it is front wheel drive and at the limits understeers a bunch. I hope if you decide to trade in you find something nice and sporty.



I fully understand your desire to leave Mazda silver. It is hard to see where all the hard work has gone sometimes.



Good to see your car again,



Gordon
 
Sludge said:
I fully understand your desire to leave Mazda silver. It is hard to see where all the hard work has gone sometimes.
Click to expand...



Ah, it is a nice silver, but I guess I'm just tired of light colors. I've had three cars in my lifetime--tan, white, and silver. I need a dark color now. Light colors are too forgiving. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top