I just wanted to thank everyone on these forums for providing an excellent source of information to anyone who wants to modify their Protege's. I just completed the first round of mods to my std. tranny '03 ES: Injen intake and Magnaflow cat-back exhaust, and I thought I'd give something back to the forums by making my first post on these boards a little review of my new upgrades.
I'll start with the exhaust system since that’s what I put on first. I was really worried about the way a new exhaust system would make my car sound, since I see so many cars with really obnoxious fart cans. Magnaflow has done an excellent job of walking the fine between making power and making noise. The sound level is hardly any louder than the stock system; it just deepened the tone. The exhaust made a noticeable difference in power especially in the upper rpm range. My stock Protege really seemed to not like it whenever I would rev it past 5000 rpm, but with the Magnaflow it revs smoothly all the way to the red-line. The power increase was noticeable and well worth the money and the effort. Aesthetically the exhaust system looks awesome; it looks almost exactly like the stock system except for the larger chrome oval exhaust tip(no rice here.)
I had to wait a week after installing the exhaust before I could install the intake because it was shipped separately, but this gave me a nice opportunity to see the difference each part made. The intake does not sound anywhere near as loud as some people here made it out to be, and it also has not decreased my low-end torque like some people said. The intake gave a noticeable power gain, but again it is most noticeable in the upper rpm range. After the intake upgrade I feel like my engine thanks me every time I hit the gas. I am very pleased with both of these upgrades and so far I would enthusiastically recommend them for anyone who wants more from their car.
Another thing I'd like to point out is that I installed both upgrades by myself, and it was the first time I'd ever worked on a car myself except for stereo stuff. Both products are excellently engineered for a perfect fit and come with very good instructions.
Thanks again for all the info you've provided on these boards and I'm a happy new member of the modded Protege family.
I'll start with the exhaust system since that’s what I put on first. I was really worried about the way a new exhaust system would make my car sound, since I see so many cars with really obnoxious fart cans. Magnaflow has done an excellent job of walking the fine between making power and making noise. The sound level is hardly any louder than the stock system; it just deepened the tone. The exhaust made a noticeable difference in power especially in the upper rpm range. My stock Protege really seemed to not like it whenever I would rev it past 5000 rpm, but with the Magnaflow it revs smoothly all the way to the red-line. The power increase was noticeable and well worth the money and the effort. Aesthetically the exhaust system looks awesome; it looks almost exactly like the stock system except for the larger chrome oval exhaust tip(no rice here.)
I had to wait a week after installing the exhaust before I could install the intake because it was shipped separately, but this gave me a nice opportunity to see the difference each part made. The intake does not sound anywhere near as loud as some people here made it out to be, and it also has not decreased my low-end torque like some people said. The intake gave a noticeable power gain, but again it is most noticeable in the upper rpm range. After the intake upgrade I feel like my engine thanks me every time I hit the gas. I am very pleased with both of these upgrades and so far I would enthusiastically recommend them for anyone who wants more from their car.
Another thing I'd like to point out is that I installed both upgrades by myself, and it was the first time I'd ever worked on a car myself except for stereo stuff. Both products are excellently engineered for a perfect fit and come with very good instructions.
Thanks again for all the info you've provided on these boards and I'm a happy new member of the modded Protege family.
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