New to the Tune

[Protege_Rider]

I'm new to the tuning aspect of racing and i am wondering what is the first thing i should do to my engine to get it set up just right. As far as hp goes. I know very little but I am interested in the idea of making my car faster and better. The only thing i know i do not want to do to my engine is use spray. I won't touch the stuff.

[protetype]

rider, welcome to the board... lets start off by figuring out what engine you have. what year and trim level do you have? and there's nothing wrong with spraying!

[Protege_Rider]

i own a 2002 Protege LX 2.0L 5 spd manual

[blue LEDz]

it all depends on your budget your first upgrades, if you are on a budget is suspension upgrades. our cars handle great right from the factory, but adding sway bars and upgrading springs and struts will give you a huge difference on handling if you've got the money, get a turbo. that's the most popular way of making your car faster. trying to make your car faster without boosting it will cost way too much although you could do cams, pistons, ECU, flywheel, etc, along with intake, port and polish, and full exhaust, but you won't get anywhere near the potential of a turbo just don't forget a new clutch, and probably mazdaspeed axles if you plan on running a lot of power even a short shifter with new bushings too:p:

[Protege_Rider]

One thing im looking for in uprgrading my car is individualality. I like the idea of a turbo but with worrying about turbo lag (something i really dont know about) wouldnt it be better to go with a supercharger? As far as budget goes what type of setup can i get for my suspension with a budget of $2k?

[glyph]

best for you right now is to start scanning the boards. Read old posts in the sections. There is so much information already here, it just takes a little time to root it all out. I have been here and other boards for a couple months and have learned a LOT.

There are several threads on going N/A (naturally aspirated: no turbo or nitrous) and a few on going NA for a while and then going turbo, etc.

You also have to figure out what kind of racing you want to do: drag, rally, touring, street, autocross. From there, look at the rules of the different categories and find out what limits there are. If you make one change too many, you could end up completely outclassed.

All in all, welcome, and good luck!

[Protege_Rider]

Originally posted by glyph
best for you right now is to start scanning the boards. Read old posts in the sections. There is so much information already here, it just takes a little time to root it all out. I have been here and other boards for a couple months and have learned a LOT.

There are several threads on going N/A (naturally aspirated: no turbo or nitrous) and a few on going NA for a while and then going turbo, etc.

You also have to figure out what kind of racing you want to do: drag, rally, touring, street, autocross. From there, look at the rules of the different categories and find out what limits there are. If you make one change too many, you could end up completely outclassed.

All in all, welcome, and good luck!

Would you by any chance know where i can find info on Street racing. I want my car to be relatively fast but i want it to be able to take turns at high speeds with out much oversteer (Hey you can learn from games GT all the way j/k). Seriously though im looking for a good setup for speed but i want control as well. Any further advice will be really helpful.

[THEGOLDPRO]

if your into street racing, i would go with a turbo, and upgraded clutch, the cluth is very important, because you will smoke through your stock one very fast with street racing, if you wanna handle better, lower your car, get strut bars, ans sway bars, its all your preferance, as far as info on street racing, i have no clue what your looking for, all you need to know is you need to be faster then the other guy, what more do you need to know? lol we dont have as many options as a honda civic, so you need to read solme posts and find the setup you want.

[Protege_Rider]

Thanks for all your help. I think first thing i should do is start with tranny work that seems like a must as far as clutch goes. THen work on suspension. THe rest will follow. Thanks again and if i run into any problems or have question i know where to post them at. thanks and later.

[rlhotka]

if you find out, tells us how much it cost in labor to change the flywheel and clutch.

[silverprotege]

im lovin the lx's

[Protege_Rider]

I'm no mechanic but whatever i do to my engine i will be doing myself that way i can save on labor. If i would have to take a guess the labor side to anything down here in GA would prob. run you around $100-$150. maybe a little more depending on where you go and who you know.

[gcs118]

A lot of clutch jobs are around $500-700 from what I've heard.

[THEGOLDPRO]

i dunno i have heard of them being anywhere from 300-600 but thats maine