FYI:

Rice Rocket - Any non domestic car modified to look fast. Mostly non-performance mods that would be excessive. Need not to elaborate more bc it's just a given.

MP3 isn't rice since all those 'aftermarket' stuffs in it comes 'stock' if you know what I mean. Yes it has an aftermarket stuffs yet you it from your dealer as is.

Simple as is.

 

All I was replying to was that I think the mp3 is at least as factory riced/modded/whatever as the svt.

And I don't understand why a manufacturer can put whatever the heck they want (pedals, front fascia, spoiler) and it isn't rice, but if i was to buy the same parts and put them on my car, it would be rice: the definition just seems kinda flawed and hypocritical.

 

No. Actually the term 'rice rocket' is from the mid-80s early-90s and referred to cars that hopped up from the factory to look fast. The term 'rice' applies to non-domestic cars as you mentioned above. I don't agree with the belief that if a car is prettied-up from the factory it isn't. That being said, it sort depends on what your view of 'rice' is. I think the MP3 is sorta ricey because of the spoiler and stereo (not so great, stock). Just my $0.02.

 

That's your view of Rice. Mine's different. Let's just leave it like that, this is a broad debate. I'll respect your opinion.

 

Originally posted by KillahPro

Agreed.



Likewise

It's always nice when two guys can agree to disagree... Don't you think?

 

When your co-worker's Focus is at the dealer for warranty work (you KNOW it will happen), you can give him a ride through an autocross course and show him how it handles. As for power, put on a turbo and smoke him.

 

If you want to beat a Focus SVT, just add a little NOS to the Protege. I crushed some guys ego one night when I beat his driving my boys Pro with a 55 shot of NOS.

As far as the Focus compared to the Golf?? It truely depends on the model you get. The VR6 will kick a SVT's butt any day, and the 1.8T is chipped is suppost to be about as quick as the VR6.

 

Up here in Canada the SVT focus is $27,000 the GTI is $30,000. The focus is built in Mexico, the GTI in Brazil. Tyhe focus reliabililty is really questionable, the GTI has a beam rear suspension! The protege5 is $22,000, has an excellent track record and and is built in Japan. Stop comparing apples to oranges. If you like your car who cares if it beats the next guy. Speed costs money, how fast do you want to go?

 

Exactly.

Sometimes I wonder about the people here who insist on comparing our Proteges to every other car on the planet (SiRs, WRXs, etc.) Here's a newsflash: WE DRIVE ECONOBOXES! If you're looking for the modability of a Honda, buy a Honda. If you want a fast car, get ready to drop some $$$.

 

I agree with dru and sjdmp5, I'm 16 and to tell you the truth, my brother is getting a spec-v (2003) a nice econo sport car, and i know what he'll be doing with it, racing, cross x and so forth. What is the deal with speed, The protege5 are not SPORT CARS, if i wanted to race my brother i wouldn't buy a P5, i would prpbably get a spec-v aswell. But since im not a speed freak like my brother ill be happy with the P5.

Point being, P5 are not sport cars, they do not compete with econosport / sport hatchback cars.

 

The SVT stroke us will out handle a stock P5, but not an MP3 or Mazdaspeed. Wheels, tires, springs, shocks, and swaybars from an mp3 and you could feed him taillights all day long in the twisties. As far as 1/4 mile times, the SVT comes in around mid 15 i believe. Turbo is not the only way to go. I have seen some 2.0L probes, which have our engines, run low 15's with basic bolt ons and some ECU work (also they make 15hp less to begin with)

 

HS8; You don't like speed?? Man if i had the 3k id have a turbo in this baby so fast. I understand we have econoboxes, but its the things we do after the factory that make us different and unique.

I'm still holding my breathe for my Z06 though, but for now i need more than 75whp.

 

I have a 99 ES and my mom has a 02.5 P5. I have a friend who just bought an SVT Focus and he let me drive it about 60 miles to the "run what u drung" in Bradenton, FL. There's a long sweeping right curve coming off the interstate that says 40MPH. I need to do about that in my 99 ES and i can do about 60 max in my mom's P5. But man lemme tell you.. I was pushin 70 - 75 coming off there. That SVT Focus is no slouch. It also burnt my moderately tuned ES and my mom's sorta tuned P5. Personally, Mazda's playing catch up.. That Mazdaspeed Pro better be good!

 

Econobox to me would be the baseline protege at 13,000, my mp5 was over 20K....that's not very "econo" to me. Even though it's cheaper than some of the useless expensive cars on the market, you should respect yourself with the car you picked rather than bash it over some Fix Or Repair Daily (FORD) That's a rice rocket

 

i never thought my first po st on the Protege forum I would be defending the reputation of my trusty Focus.

Granted i've had the focus for 8 months and the P5 for less than a week. I'm still not too familiar with the P5's handling (although it is Absolutely great so far) but at this point i wouldn't trust it to take me through the twisties at the speeds i would trust my Focus ZX3 to do.

From reading the Focus message boards for a while it seems that much of this is dependent upon which wheel/tire combo you have on there. the stock 16" are generally awesome, but the 15" are usually derided for being terrible in the snow and simply having poor grip all around. My ZX3 has the 16" and it is great. While the focus does exhibit a good deal more body roll than the P5, (doesn't come with the sway bars from the factory) it never has come close to actually losing grip or anything like that. It absolutely stays glued to the road.

That said, because of my personal experience driving both of these cars (which some, probably most of you don't have) i think these two cars are close enough that any edge to one or the other would be due to driver skill. The SVT (different beast altogether) would still probably beat anything but a turbo'ed P5 or MP3 in the twisties. The handling is all there, but its got the extra horses. This is assuming equal driver skill of course.

Saying "MP3 would beat it with upgraded sway bars, blablabla..." is silly because guess what? You can get the exact same things for the focus (SVT and Non-SVT alike) and then you are right back where you started. In fact with the focus you have many many more options because of the absolutely HUGE aftermarket there is for it already. Not quite as big as honda, but there is quite a bit more than for our Mazda's.