Although the cast of characters is essentially the same - Mazda, Racing Beat, RacingHart, and Kenwood - there's one new player on the team this time around. So here's the sequel, and this time the kid packs knockout power. We compared it to "an aspiring welterweight fighter with all the moves but no punch." And it prevailed despite a serious shortage of horsepower. The result was the MP3, a brilliant blend of supple ride and athletic handling that emerged as the winner of a five-car hot-compact free-for-all ( "Budget Banditos," November 2001). A little over a year ago, Mazda took its first cut at this project, enlisting the services of Racing Beat, the longtime Mazda tuning shop, to handle suspension development. However, the truth is we've seen this hot-rod-Protegé movie before, albeit at slower speed. In our most recent econobox comparison test ( "Little Cars 6.1," June 2000), a Protegé ES took home the Oscar and has since been updated: more refinement, better handling, more power. Given the foregoing, Mazda could have no more logical starting point than the Protegé, an entry-level compact sedan that also happens to be among the best in its class. It's called Mazdaspeed, and if it turns out to be a profit center, à la Toyota Racing Development, well, so much the better. It's conceived to demonstrate Mazda's commitment to fun-to-drive, and also to help establish a new performance subsidiary that will sell stuff to young owners who want their cars to stand out from the herd. If zoom-zoom is going to have credibility, some of the other Mazdas gotta get some zoom, too. It's equally clear the Miata can't sustain this image building all by itself. That's what the zoom-zoom ad campaign is all about. Without this exemption, your car will fail the test! K&N has undertaken the testing required by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and has successfully proven that this intake kit is in compliance with the emissions regulations.It's no secret that Mazda wants to be perceived as a purveyor of vehicles that stimulate the driver gratification glands a little more than competing products. If you are a resident of California (or another state that has adopted the CA emissions laws), you are required to have proof-of-compliance for any emissions sensitive aftermarket product installed on your car during the required tail-pipe emissions check. Included with this kit is a critical component that is definitely NOT found on the majority of cheap import intakes for the Protege! What is it you ask? This intake kit has been awarded an emissions exemption by the State of California and is considered to be in compliance with the emissions laws. The oversize air filter also captures more dirt increasing the service life before a cleaning is required (up to 100,000 miles). This extra surface area provides even more airflow at lower restriction than a standard K&N O/E replacement filter that is limited to the size of the factory air box. The high-flow conical air filter that is supplied with each kit is designed to provide increased surface area and dust capturing capacity. Yes, there are many cheaper import elements available, but the product quality and filtering capabilities of the K&N units are well proven - don't take a chance with a cheap filter! As an added bonus, a One-Million Mile Warranty backs every K&N Filter Element! K&N believes so strongly in the quality of their product, that they can back up their claims with this rock-solid warranty. K&N has been one of the leading pioneers in air filter element technology for many years, and produces one of the most respected filters available on the market today. K&N Filter Element and Million Mile WarrantyĮach Typhoon Air Intake kit comes supplied with a legendary K&N filter element. Designed and tested for performance and power by the K&N engineering staff, these mandrel-bent aluminum tube kits look as good as they perform - with an estimated 5HP gain at 3568 RPM! This Protege intake kit is manufactured using high quality aluminum tubing, and finished with a silver power-coat surface finish.Įach Protege intake kit is a true "bolt-on" unit, and can easily be installed by the weekend mechanic using only simple hand tools. The K&N Protege Typhoon Air Intake Kit (K&N 69-6020TS) for the 2002-2003 Mazda Protege, Protege MP3, & Protege5 2.0L (except Mazdaspeed Turbo) is a high-flow induction system designed specifically for the Protege application.
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