subachad Posted April 2, 2005 Share Posted April 2, 2005 I guess it was just the sheer cornering force that caused the windshield to crack. I know this has happened to others as well, what can be done to keep it from happening? The car is a 2003.5 Mazdaspeed Protege with stock suspension and tires. With better tires it's going to be even worse I would think since the stock tires are not all that. Any help would be appreciated. Remember this is a street driven car so nothing extreme like a roll cage can be done. Chad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tapaule Posted April 4, 2005 Share Posted April 4, 2005 Hey Chad, Sorry to hear about the damage. I kind of doubt it was the cornering force that did it though. Is this a common occurance with the Protege? Maybe a chunk of tire hit it without you noticing? I instructed you guys and didn't notice the crack. When did it start to form? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slammed_93_hatch Posted April 4, 2005 Share Posted April 4, 2005 a corvette ZO6 that i always see at the track had the same problem happen to him on 2 occasions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subachad Posted April 4, 2005 Author Share Posted April 4, 2005 After thinking about it, maybe it wasn't at the track. There are no impact marks on the windshield though. I had a friend who would go through windows in his impreza. Also it seems to be a problem with the early new minis. Since then, they have beefed up the a-piller. It's possible it cracked just hittning a bump while it was cold outside. The suspension does not move much at all, because the car is so stiff. I.E. You jack up a front corner and 3 wheels come off the ground after about 7 inches or so. I have seen a few pictures of rolled 03 proteges and they always hold up very well. I guess the car is maybe solid everywhere but the a-pillars??? Whatever, it happens. We'll see you at Willow Springs. Chad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWieber Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 My 1996 Cobra Mustang ripped the floor pan in two spots, just behind the outer rear anchors for the front seats. A nicely installed set of Kenney Brown sub-frame braces, along with a front shock tower support fixed the problem. If the window in your Protege was under tension, or previously dammaged, the flexing of the body could easily make it crack. Your best sollutions are going to involve items that will stiffen the body. A bolt in cage, sub-frame braces, shock tower supports, etc. Of course all these items will have the added benifit of increasing the predictability of you suspension set up, and helping your car go faster:) Mark Wieber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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