Well, I'm a new '05 Limited owner and I coming from a highly modded '03 Mazdaspeed Protege and had a great time creating a new turbo setup for my car. In addition, to installing and learning how to custom tune a piggyback system, upgraded brakes, suspension, GPS systems with drop down lcd-screens hooked to a Xbox 360 and ran through the custom stereo system... Along with quite a few more mod's...

Our cars were a very limited run and the end of life cycle of the model. So we had next to zero aftermarket support for quite a few years, but quite a lot of us forged ahead and through trial & error and lots of wasted time and money ended up with some really good systems. We also gained quite of bit of aftermarket support (after quite few years) from a few vendors which, brought these options to others who did not have the time, money and/or patients to peruse such ventures from scratch.

I am hoping to upgrade the following in one form or another:
brakes
suspension
engine management
supercharger or turbo with intercooler
other engine mod's where applicable
rims & tires
GPS system

I have come to understand one thing over the last four years of (learning how-to and performing) high-level automobile modding, is that you do it for the uncontrollable desire that you can make your current vehicle better and no-matter the time, cost or end-results. A person will attempt to make these visions inside their heads a reality...

We will not listen to the level-headed or "nay-sayers". whether they be correct or not. We are just that type of person. We take what we have and use the "make diamonds from coal" mentality and forge on. Not to say we started with something unworthy or that there are other cost effective and more intelligent alternatives out there. We just simply ignore the oblivious.

I will be meeting with our car club and begin the modding process by creating project management documents and teams. Once that is done we will then research about the car as much as possible and then break everything out and review or findings. We will see what is out there, what have others already done and known or perceived limitations there may be to provide us with direction which will lead the creation goal defining, which should lead to a timeline and then begin to assign teams for the different areas of the project.

If you want to look at my past then go to www.msprotege.com and do a post search for ApocMan. I have not posted much in the last year and a half, due to being laid-off from my job of 14 years, my health problems and my family and I losing everything we own.

The crossfire was to replace the mazdaspeed and represents to me the rebuilding of my families life... As the Phoenix rising from the ashes.

I will do all that is my power to mod this car as much I as I truly can and provide detailed instructed steps, how-to's with pictures and video, just like those members of my car-club have done for free the past 4 years. We believe in real grassroots efforts and hope to possibly assist in creating a truly great self-modding movement for the crossfire. There is nothing impossible or not do'able with enough drive, belief and creativity with a strong dose of analytical capabilities.

Again, I understand there are much more cost-effective and intelligent alternatives out there, but again we are the driven! to take things a part and put them back together better than it was and make it unique in it's own way to separate it from the rest in the world...

I look forward towards this endeavor and the chance of making new friends on this forum. I truly hope we are all successful and create one of the worlds most robust, detailed and effective how-to's, instructions, communities and anything else that will propel and ensure this vehicle rightful place in automotive history for years to come...

ApocMan