7.15.2006
I went to Gainesville Motorspeedway's monthly Road Course Test and Tune event this past Saturday. My friend Chris (02 Celica GT) and I both got about 15 runs in from 8am to 12pm.

I attended once before with my old setup in mid-May. I was happy with the car then, but the B-Spec setup alleviates the problems I experienced last time. I'm truly impressed with this suspension setup! Grip is most definitely higher. I feel as though I have just about reached the potential for this chass and suspension (short of going to full race coilovers) and more agressive alignment settings. The previous MSP setup was great in itself, but IMHO the limit was so much lower as far as grip was concerned. The MSP setup is very well balanced, save for some snap oversteer when one lifts off the throttle. I used to be very scared about doing the aforementioned in high speed turns, because it usually led to the tail end spinning around if you weren't extremely careful.

Initially, I set the car on 4 front/5 rear (max settings) and did a few runs. I was experiencing the same snap oversteer traits as before, so I turned the rear down to 4. After playing with the tire pressures and lowering the rear pressure more...perfection!!! The car is as neutral as can be for a FWD. Unless you are totally out of your mind and early apex a sharp corner, such as the 90 degree turns shown below, the car will go where you point it. Awesome!!!!

What's there to improve upon? Well first off, my driving skills for one. I haven't been to a track event other than the one in May in quite some time and it shows. As car as the car is concerned, I definitely need some dedicated track wheels that are lighter and smaller in diamater, some R-compounds for added traction, and better braking power.

I think I forsee some more changes coming soon.

7.14.2006
Ordered an HKS Super Mega Flow intake, AWR side mount inserts, and an Unorthodox Racing underdrive pulley. Will update again when installed.

7.12.2006
Added a "Protege Vendors" section to the Links page.

7.11.2006
Video page added. I currently have three videos of my car listed. Also, fixed the autocross section. The tables were completely messed up due to really, really bad coding and I went through and fixed all of it.

7.10.2006
Updated the car pictures section. Added pictures of interior swap and new suspension mods. Mod list updated.

6.29.2006
Goodbye my father, Horace C Morrow. May you rest in peace in Heaven. 'Till we meet again...

8.29.2005
I was bored so I put up a cheesy page for my computer I built last year. It's in the Misc section.

7.30.2005
It's been a while, but I've finally updated the site once again. A few new changes to the car. BBS CV wheels have replaced the Motegi Trak Lite wheels. I grew tired of the dark wheel look. They didn't really fit with the scheme I had for the car. The new CV's look quite classy on the Protege in my opinion.

A Racing Beat catback exhaust is also installed. Some of you may know that I removed the rather loud Mazdaspeed axleback muffler from the car a while ago. The rear cutout for a muffler tip on my rear bumper was begging for something to be installed, so I purchased this unit. It sounds great and not loud and obnoxious. Instead, it has a rather deep and mellow tone that only gets loud when you step on it.

The new engine is rather fun, to say the least. The one major shortcoming to my car before this swap was started was the fact that it was as slow as a snail. No way around it. With limited aftermarket support for the ZM-DE (Save for the $4000 HiBoost turbo kit) and my desire to have a manual transmission for a change, I went ahead with the FS-DE swap. It may have caused some heartache along the way (still need to fix some minor things, like the Air Conditioning) but it's well worth it.

3.1.2005
Well, the New Year has brought many new things to my car. First off, I bought a wrecked 02 LX 2.0 5-speed Protege for cheap. What did I do? Put that engine into my car. Now my car offically has an FS-DE 2.0 and 5-speed manual transmission. Click here for updates/pictures: http://www.clubprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13793

11.30.2004
Added OEM Protege5 fog lights and some new Motegi Trak Lite wheels for street use. Pictures will be up soon. Old wheels are sold!

10.10.2004
My Arospeed RS-11 wheels are for sale: http://www.clubprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=11494

9.9.2004
I removed some old and outdated pictures from the Pictures section and added some new ones at the bottom. Check it out.

7.27.2004
Autocross pictures are up from this past Sunday.

7.20.2004
I installed my 99/00 ES brake caliper/rotors today. Check the how-to section for a instructions and pictures.

7.7.2004
Finally got June's autocross pictures online. Sad news: we're losing the site at Bronson Field. July will be the last event there. Gulf Coast Region is looking for a new site to autocross on. Hopefully they find one in time for August's event.

6.22.2004
Updated a few links in the Links section. Also added a few more helpful sites to the Autocross section, including places to buy merchandise and helmets. In other news, the Gulf Coast Region's autocross event is this coming weekend.

6.20.2004
Mazda Rev it Up was a blast. I have added pictures in the Autocross/Misc sections.

5.25.2004
Added some new pictures to the Car Pictures page.

5.24.2004
May 23rd autocross pictures are online.

5.19.2004
The Mod List has been updated. I've taken off my Injen intake, swapped my AWR rear swaybar for the MSP Protege's Racing Beat front and rear set, and updated a few old links. Everything should be up to date now.

4.26.2004
April 26's autocross pictures are online.

3.29.2004
March 28's autocross pictures are online.

3.22.2004
Car's been fixed for a while. Looks good as new. In other news, I replaced my old AWR 21.5mm rear swaybar with the Mazdaspeed swaybar package from Mazdastuff.com. Check the HOW TO's section for installation photos.

2.23.2004
February Autocross pictures are up. The fire damage has been fixed. The car's in the body shop now to fix the body damage. Should be done this Wednesday if all goes well.

2.15.2004
Wow, a lot has happened to my car since the last time I updated. It's not been a good month. Right now, I'm in a rental Ford Focus because I was rear ended on January 26th by a lady tailgating in the rain. That's not the worst of it. Tuesday, January 27th, my car caught on fire. My battery shifted backwards due to my rear end collision the day before, causing an electrical short when the positive terminal came in contact with my battery tie down. Right now, the car is in the shop. Almost $2700 worth of damage, just for the fire damage. The rear end hasn't even been touched yet, because my local Mazda dealer does not have a body shop. For more information and pictures, CLICK HERE.

1.19.2004
January Autocross pictures are up.

1.17.2004
JDM Sport20 front bumper and grille are installed! Fog lights are coming in the near future. JDM fenders and headlights are planned. Lots of new pictures posted in the Pictures section.

12.15.2003
JDM Sport20 front bumper, grille ordered.

11.30.2003
Eibach Pro Kit springs are ordered and installed today. Finally, some springs that actually lower my car. Click here for pictures of the install process.

11.23.2003
The November driving school at Bronson Field pictures are up. Click autocross!

10.21.2003
I'm back from OctoberFAST. It was a blast. Once again pictures and results are up in the autox section.

9.29.2003
Autocross pictures and results from Sunday are up. I got 3rd place and a plaque!

9.16.2003
I got my Canadian-spec chrome trunk garnish installed. It replaces the body-colored piece above the license plate. Check out this thread on Club Protege for pictures.

9.02.2003
Over the weekend, some friends and I attempted to install the Technafit SS brake lines. It took a long time but we finally got them installed. We did make a slight boo-boo. We let the master cylinder run out of fluid twice, which in turn introduced air into the brake lines. Today I got the brake system flushed, tranny fluid changed, and coolant changed at Hewett Tire and Auto and now everything's fine. The SS lines make the brakes feel wonderful. For ~100 bucks, it's a worthwhile upgrade.

8.25.2003
Autocross pictures and results are up.

8.09.2003
Finally, my KVR Carbon Fiber pads are installed. Thanks Kevin and Josh. Combined w/ the cross-driled/slotted rotors, my brakes feel awesome. I cannot wait until I install the steel braided brake lines which will be sometime next week.

8.08.2003
Tires are mounted and balanced. These Kumho's ride much quieter than my old Federal's and seem to grip much better. Very good tires.

8.07.2003
I bought some Kumho Ecsta 712's from TireRack.com and they arrived today. I couldn't pass up the deal - $56/tire for 205/40/17's. Since my tires are currently almost bald from 6 autocrosses and counting, I gave in and got them. They will be mounted on the car tomorrow.

8.04.2003
MP3 side skirts are in. They are used but in decent condition. I will probably not install them anytime soon because I still need the JDM Sport20 front bumper and grille. It is expensive.

8.01.2003
Bought a set of Mazda MP3 side skirts off a fellow ProtegeClub.com member, to go along w/ my rear skirt I haven't installed yet. They should arrive on the 8th.

7.30.2003
KVR Pads from Corksport.com have arrived. I will try to get them installed this week or next.

7.29.2003
Chris, Daniel, and I decided to put on my Brembo cross-drilled/slotted rotors. About 3 hours later, we got the rotors on. They look awesome. They actually improved the braking too. The improvement probably wasn't from the cross-drilled/slotting but the fact that my stock rotors were worn down from 60,000 miles of driving. Pictures are up in the car pictures section. The steel braided brakelines and KVR pads will be going in soon.

7.28.2003
New autocross pictures are up!

7.24.2003
After almost 2 months of waiting, I cancelled my TireRack.com order for my EBC Greenstuff Pads because they were "Back Ordered". I ordered some KVR Carbon Fiber brake pads from Corksport.com. Guess what? They were shipped out TODAY. Talk about fast service. Finally, I can get my brakes put in soon.

7.05.2003
Added some underbody shots of the new struts/springs installed. Click on Car Pictures.

7.03.2003
Brembo cross drilled/slotted front rotors and Technafit steel-braided brake lines are in. Still waiting for the EBC Greenstuff pads.

6.22.2003
Struts and springs put in. All I can saw is WOW. The handling is freaking awesome. What was left of the body roll after my swaybar is virtually gone. The car just GOES when you turn the wheel. It's instantaneous. One thing though - the struts/springs haven't settled yet, so the car sits HIGHER than it did stock. People on ProtegeClub.com have said it takes about 1000 miles before it hits the actual 3/4" drop so that is when I will take some pictures.

6.22.2003
The Protege is in the shop getting the Mazdaspeed struts/springs put on this very moment. WOOHOO!

6.22.2003
Just came back from yesterday's autocross. It was fun. We got rained on. Several times. Everyone was soaked. Oh well. Pictures are up in the autox section.

6.17.2003
My Mazdaspeed Tokico Blue struts, Racing Beat springs, and DaveB chrome polished gauge rings are in! Still waiting on the brakes. Check the gauge rings in the pictures section. They look great. I highly recommend DaveB on ProtegeClub.com for his work. Exellent service and a quality product. Click here if you are interested in ordering some.

6.08.2003
What can I say, I'm in a buying frenzy. I just ordered Mazda MP3 springs and Tokico Blue struts to go along with my brake upgrade. Pictures will be posted when everything is put in.

6.05.2003
I placed an order for a pair of EBC Greenstuff Pads, Brembo Cross-drilled+slotted rotors, and Technafit SS brake lines. My brakes are now at ~60,000 miles and I thought its about time for an upgrade. I will post pictures when everything is installed.

5.18.2003
Just got back from the Dixie Region autocross. Didn't do so well. The track was slightly dissappointing. Rocks, loose sand, and pebbles were everywhere making it a nightmare for paint chips and spin outs. I think I only made two clean runs. DNFed the other times. Pictures are up in the autocross section.

5.11.2003
My friend Raymond and I were bored and decided to wash our cars and attempt to take some nice pictures. I've added some of the pics we took into the Car Pictures section. Take a look. Also added the Front Bumper Removal instructions in the "How-To" section.

5.07.2003
I've added some more high school pictures in the Misc section of the site. I can't believe we're about to graduate! Today is the last day of school for seniors.

4.30.2003
The results are up! I got second place in STS class. 69.109 seconds. First place was Jason who got 65.689 in his Mazda Protege MP3. I'm happy with the results, woohoo! Also fixed the load times on the picture pages in the autox section, the server was being overloaded by the requests. Also got some high school senior pics up in the Miscellaneous section.

4.27.2003
Just got back from this month's autocross. My very first run, I ran on my old steelies and spun out BAD twice in a row towards the end of the course. My old tires/steelies had SHREDDED tires. The tread was separating from the tire and I was scared as heck trying to make it two more runs till I could change back to my 17's. Kinda ruined my mood the rest of the day. My first run, I clocked 91.XXX seconds, and my fastest time of the day was 69.1XX seconds. What an improvement. I don't know the official score but I think I did fairly decent considering I have a slow, automatic, stock struts+springs Protege.

4.14.2003
I had a chance to take a couple nice pictures of my Protege in the parking lot of SallieMae Servicing on my way to my internship in the morning. Check the pictures section and it is the last two.

4.05.2003
The Mazdaspeed exhaust was installed today. Got my car back from the body shop yesterday. They did a flawless job. If anyone needs body work done to their car in the Panama City area, go to Elliot Brothers. Excellent work and very friendly. I have pictures in the Car Pictures section.

3.30.2003
I bought the Mazdaspeed Exhaust today. I expect to get it by the end of the week. I'll post pictures when it's installed. I've considered not getting an exhaust for my Protege because I don't want the typical "fart can" sound and look. I've heard this one and it sounds great.
In other news, my Protege is going to be in the body shop tomorrow for a couple of days. I'm getting my rear bumper replaced from my accident last November when some guy rear ended me. I've kept putting it off and off because it never really was noticeable, until water started leaking into the trunk. So it's getting fixed.

3.27.2003
I've officially found a new hobby. Autocross is the most fun you can have with a car...legally. This time I went with a pretty large group of friends and ran dual driver with Christi, who has an FC RX-7. Very nice car. I think I've improved timewise over last month, but then again I still need far to go to be at the top of my class. Here's the results.

3.18.2003
The next autocross is on Sunday the 23rd. I cannot wait to compete again. Hopefully I will do better. Right now, my car is riding on ugly, rusted steelies. Last month the autox really ate up my tires. I'm not quite ready to spend $400 every 3 or 4 months for new tires, so I'm gonna scrub the crap out of my old stock tires. Here are the results from last months autocross.

2.23.2003
Autocross is fun. I attended my very first SCCA Solo II "Autocross" today. I was the only car in STS class, so I didn't get to compete against anyone else. That wasn't the point, though. It was a blast. Click on the AutoX link to the left for pictures.

1.14.2003
Woohoo, my reverse indiglo gauges are installed! They look just like VW gauge lighting at night. This is what I've always wanted in the first place, short of buying a VW. Click the pictures section to see pics.

1.06.2003
Happy New Year everyone. Not much has been going on with my Protege. Did a couple minor mods that some would consider "rice" but oh well, it's all in good fun. Painted my oil cap silver, and my fuse box lid metallic red. Also got some "Protegeclub.com" stickers for my rear quarter windows. Pictures were added in the car pics section. In other news, I ordered the new Reverse Indiglo Gauges for my car. The text itself lights up blue, like Volkswagen cars. I can't wait for these to get installed. They don't require the needles to be removed, or the faces to be cut like my old ones.

11.20.2002
Well, after fooling around with taking my intake on and off several times for going back to the dealer for warranty work, I realized how much of a PITA it is to take this intake off this car. Me and a friend took a pipe cutter and cut the intake just before the bend that takes it down into the fender wall. Technically, it's not a "Cold Air" intake anymore, but I doubt that this even added any more horsepower. Now I don't have to worry about having water sucked up into my engine like so many people have on ProtegeClub.com. Pictures are in the pictures section.

11.16.2002
Well, the inevitable happened. I was sitting at a stop light, and the guy behind me wasn't paying attention and rear ended me in his old Toyota Camry. The damage is not too bad, but I'm slightly upset about the whole situation. I wish my baby wasn't damaged. For pictures and a more detailed explanation of what happened, click HERE.

10.28.2002
AWR swaybar pictures are now up. Check the car pictures section.

10.27.2002
AWR swaybar arrived yesterday and was installed today. Boy, does this thing make a difference. The car doesn't lean AT ALL through the corners, and now it just begs for more. This is exactly what zoom-zoom is all about.

10.23.2002
I finally gave in and ordered the AWR 21.5mm Rear Sway Bar. It's expected to me at my house by Saturday. I can't wait to put it on. The stock rear sway bar is only 14mm; this will make a huge difference. It's even thicker than the Mazda MP3 rear sway bar which is only 20mm. Expect pictures and installation instructions to be up when it is installed.

9.29.2002
It's been a while since an update, but I finally added some pics of my amp and subwoofer install to the site. It's actually been in the car since 8/25, but I've been too lazy to update the site. The car pictures/mod list pages have more info on the sub and amp.

8.29.2002
Clear Corners installed! Also, mesh grille was added to the lower center grille opening which I did not do the first time around. Check everything out in the Car Pictures section.

8.8.2002
An update on my clear corners: They will not be in for another 2-3 weeks because ProCarParts.com is out of stock. I was bored and added more pics of my Protege off my hard drive to the site, check out the Car Pictures section. Newest photos are at the bottom.

7.28.2002
I've added a short "How-To" section to the site that should help a lot of people interested in adding a few of the mods I've done to my car. I also added a guestbook a couple of days ago. Please sign it when you get the chance! I've ordered some diamond clear corners, which are expected to arrive on the 31st.

7.11.2002
My strut tower bar was installed today. It actually arrived on the 9th, but MazdaStuff.com sent me the wrong cruise control bracket. I overnighted a bracket from the local dealer and had it installed today. After installation, turn-in is a little crisper, and you can feel it want to pull back to the center more.

7.02.2002
I went to Home Depot and bought some mesh grille for the Protege. To gain access to the front grille, you have to take off the bumper. Also went to Pep Boys and bought better sounding horn. The "meep-meep" sound the stock horn made was extremely dinky. Click the photo gallery for pictures of the grille.

6.25.2002
Injen Intake is installed! Installation was pretty straightforward. The front bumper cover had to be removed to gain access to the lower part of the intake so we could install the air filter. Click the Car Pictures link for pictures.

6.24.2002
Injen Intake is being installed tomorrow. Cannot wait until then! Check back soon for more pictures and updates.

5.31.2002
Arospeed RS-11 wheels were shipped and installed today. Absolutely love the way they look. Reminds me of the Audi S4 wheels. ZOOM-ZOOM!