LSD ... upgrade?

[north42g]

Hello All:

My question is...Does anyone know of a Limited Slip Differential Upgrade?
I am looking for a gear reduction or increase that will allow the final drive assembly to produce more power, torque...speed.
Is there such a thing available for the 2002 Protege5?

Thanks.

[goldstar]

The MSP transmission comes OEM equipped with a Tochigi Fuji limited slip differential. It will fit in your transmission. Additionally, Quaife makes an excellent LSD but at considerably more cost.

Happy Motoring!

[monoxidechild]

quaife, mfactory, guru, mazdaspeed. there's tons of them. all it takes is a very basic search.

[therieldeal]

MFactory = win

[SgtRauksauff]

Are you looking for an LSD upgrade, or are you looking for a Final Drive change?

LSD = easy enough to do. Final Drive change = need a new gearset in the transmission as well, since the diff is turned by a gear integral to the output shaft.

Easiest way to change gearing that way is to reduce the size of your tires for quicker acceleration at expense of top speed, or bigger diameter tires for higher top speed, but longer time getting there....

--sarge

[north42g]

Ahhhh..good point on tire size. I guess I am just looking to find the "one time" upgrade that will boost my engines performance over all. However, it seems that there is no one big thing. Rather, a combination of little things that will enhance my engine.

[SgtRauksauff]

Are you trying to get better drag racing times, or autocrossing, or roadrace/track days?

[north42g]

Are you trying to get better drag racing times, or autocrossing, or roadrace/track days?

I am just a very "spirited" driver!
I want my car to respond when I ask it to.
(Had I been born wealthy, I may have bought a Ferrari F40.)
sure there are alot faster cars on the road, but I bumped in to this one, half way done, at an Auction for short money.
18 in chrome rims w/ 205/35zr18 Nankane Tires(new)
All windows tinted 15% w/ mild windshield tint.
Chrome covered side view mirrors.
3 in Cat back Stainless Exhaust.
Premium sound:
Sony Xplode w/ 1800 watt amp (MA-Audio)
8 in speakers in all four doors w/ tweeters in front top corners of front doors.
A MA-Audio Capacitor. and three other MA-Audio components that are have digital screens w/ blue LED lights( I don't even know what they are. I've been told they are for voice enhancement).
All the Audio equipment is mounted on a false back directly behind the rear seats.
Overall its "looks" really good, but I want to finish the performance aspect of the car. Maybe get some headers, and a modified air intake. I may even go so far as to change up the CAM Shafts. I want more out- put. When I drive it it feels like it is being held back.
I want fast!
But I want it to be able to handle to speed. I want to grip the road during a hair-pin corner with out sliding into the rocks.
stick & move , stick & move....I guess I better save my mula for a GT40 right?!

[SgtRauksauff]

Just a couple quick observations that WILL net you a quicker car, from personal experience.

Wheels. How much do they weigh? 18's are HEAVY! I'd recommend selling them and moving towards some 205/50-15 tires on some 15x7" rims will give you a LOT more response. Each pound a wheel/tire is, the drivetrain sees at about 5-8 lbs. 18" wheels tend to not be very light, say about 25 lbs. a 15" rim weighs about 15 lbs for one on the heavy side. That's ten pounds different per corner, a total of forty, which only using the 5lb rotating mass conversion, nets you TWO HUNDRED POUNDS less. If you shop right, you might be able to find some good rims that are 12 or 13 lbs or less. I have a set of 9.5 lb SSR rims, it completely changed the car's launching from running 13lb rims. With the 13 lb rims, I could accelerate pretty quickly. With the 9.5lb rims, running the same tires, I had to modulate the throttle because I could actually light'em up through first and second, and even get a bit going in third. SSR's tend to be expensive, and I got them more for racing, but you get the point. Lighter rotating mass WILL give you better response.

3" exhaust is also WAY WAY WAY too big for a naturally aspirated 1.8 DOHC motor. I highly recommend going with a 2.25" at MOST. The engine is a giant air pump, and it flows best when balanced. Exhaust gas flow is affected a LOT by temperature, and it moves faster when it's hotter. Jumping from 2" cat to 3" back, will make it expand right there, and cause a sort of 'plug' in the system that it has to do more work to continue pushing out. Think of it as a big slimy hairball in a drain pipe. Moving to a 2.25" system front to back will keep things moving at a rate that the valves can keep up with.

Sound systems add a lot of weight. You'll have to compromise.

Right now, With the sound system, and the wheels, it's like you're driving the car with four FAT passengers ALL the time.

If you want to keep the heavy bits, and still have power, you really aren't going to do it N/A unless you go with a KLZE V6 swap. Or go the even easier, forced induction route, with the BPT swap.

As your car sits now, the only way you're going to get more zing is to have less bling.

--sarge

[north42g]

"Less BLING equals more ZING!" That's funny. I like that.

Not that it makes much of a difference..... but my engine is a 2.0L. Not the 1.8L you suggested.

This car came with everything previously mentioned. It is obvious to me that all the after market add-ons were done with little performance enhancement in mind. Clearly the wide-eyed teenager who put it together was only interested in the BLING aspect.

I agree with your comments about the exhaust. The engine is probably working harder to push exhaust air out then it was fitted with stock components. (not to mention, I personally think it sounds horrible!)

-I have some decisions to make.

[SgtRauksauff]

ah, duh.. I must've glossed over the '2002 P5' part.

I think you might need to go w/ 16" wheels then, I don't remember if the P5 can fit 15's. And I dunno 'bout the KLZE either, but the Mazdaspeed Protege 2.0 should bolt right in...

--sarge

[goldstar]

About Proper Exhaust Pipe Diameter

In a normally aspirated engine, the exhaust pipe diameter must be sufficiently large to reduce backpressure to a minimal level yet small enough to create enough exhaust gas velocity to promote maximum possible exhaust gas scavenging. Not that backpressure is desirable but in a high performance exhaust system there will always be a certain amount of unavoidable backpressure due to the need to maintain the velocity required for maximum scavenging.

Racing Beat (RB) has determined that the optimal pipe diameter for the FS-DE engine is 2.375" (60 mm). When I installed my RB exhaust system, for purposes of comparison I measured the i.d. of the pipe that is part of the engine side of the OEM muffler and found it to be ~ 2" (~ 50.8 mm).

Happy Motoring!