I'm brand spankin new to the club, and short on money right now. I was wondering what good mods there are out there for the '03 Protege 5 that are under $150.00 bucks. I really would like to tweak out my car. If anyone has any suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated.

 

first off, welcome to the club. sir nuke will be here shortly for an official welcome. now on to the important stuff:

you're in luck! the first performance mod i would get is an intake. with a budget of $150, you can get an AEM short ram intake (people here also refer to it as an "SRI"). go to this website... it's $130 before shipping.

http://www.adventon.com/acb/showprod...tGroup_ID=1044

you will notice right off the bat that the throttle response is improved... and if you drive in the same RPM range as you did before you got the intake, you will see a slight increase in mpg. i noticed almost 2mpg increase with my injen cold air intake. the same website also has the injen, but it's a little more expensive.

 

Are you looking for something to tweak it visually? Improve performance? Alter the sound? What is your goal?

 

If you're looking for visual mods you should paint your calipers. Gives the car a nice look and with under $50 and a few hours you can have it done.

 

In answer to nate's post, I am looking to tweak it visually as well as performance. Sound isn't really a big deal just yet. As long as it runs fast and looks good while doing so, thats all I care about.

 

At $150, that's almost enough for a good tint job. Don't skimp on quality here though. Get some price quotes, and maybe save up a few more bucks.

The intake won't do anything for looks, unless you like to park with your hood up. But it still is a worthwhile mod.

I personally think the stock muffler is pretty weak in looks and sound, so that was my first mod. $175 for a Magnaflow muffler (plus installation). There are less expensive options here, such as eBay. Figure $40-50 for installation if you don't have access to welding equipment, more if you want to run a new pipe back to the axle flange (I did this so I could easily bolt back on my old muffler should I need to.) With a free flowing muffler, you'll gain a few HP in the high RPMs, but lose some torque overall.

You could also get a set of Progress springs shipped for around $150, 1.5" drop. Installation and alignment will cost more though.

If your shifter feels to tall or the throws too long, there are several options to correct this. Look at Kartboy or B&M. Popular mod on Proteges. Either can be had for around your price range.

If you need more info on anything I mentioned, try the search feature. There's a wealth of information (and opinions) on here.

 

i have a great deal on the kartboy short shifter, bushing, and **** for $115

 

I would go with the tints. that will be my first Mod, Well second.

 

i put red neons under the front seats cost me bout 25 bucks i did he install my self and then i got some tein springs and droped my protege...but thats all ive done so far....lol so im looking for some cheap mods also...

 

make sure to check the thread dates...this thread is almost 3 years old.