Dodge neon performance. - LotusTalk

sparky1_2007 · 02-09-2007, 09:54 PM

So, as you can tell by my sig, i have a 2000 dodge neon with a 5 speed manual transmission with a 2.0liter SOHC engine, specifically the a588 inline 4.

So, i recently ordered a Cold air intake, new high-flow catalyc converter, and a new exhaust with dual exhaust tips.

So, my question to you guys, is what else can i do to give my little car some more HP, and torque?

turbo charging and super charging is out of the question though, i'd rather not have one of them in my car, because i know that if i have one of them in there, i'd go crazy with it, and crash my car, or lose control, because i wouldn't know how to control my car.

Rydiak · 02-09-2007, 09:57 PM

Get an SRT-4.

Allan Gibbs · 02-09-2007, 10:11 PM

Some sugguestions:

1) High performance driver education
2) NOS
3) Strip interior of all seats and useless accesories like carpets, radio, and a/c
4) Lighter weight wheels
For more questions, ask: http://www.dodgeforum.com/

Bane · 02-09-2007, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rydiak

Get an SRT-4.

+1

If you want speed the best/easiest thing to do is to get the car with the platform that's already engineered for it.

I always recommended this route on the MR2 forums when people wanted to swap the turbo engine into the NA... much BETTER to just buy the original turbo.

SweetDaddyD · 02-10-2007, 04:08 AM

Save your money, put it into a fund, and maybe the exige will come up before "5 or 10 years" goes by. You can sink a ton of money (that you'll never recoup) into the car but it's still going to be slow, and if it did get fast, its still going to be a neon.

So what do you want more in 5 years? A 12 year old slow neon with lots of go fast parts on it, or a 5 year old exige?

I'm just saying I've been there and done that man. And I wish I wouldn't of wasted the money. I probably put darn near the cost of an Elise (certainly the cost of a used one) into an import that I won over 30 trophies with in shows like Nopi and HIN, was in mags, had sponsors, etc. And when I sold it to put a good down payment on the Elise, I got basically what a clean low mileage car with no mods would of got. Believe me, looking at the money I spent (and wasted) it's not nearly as cool now as it seemed to me then. Honestly I'm quite embarrased about it.

catapult · 02-10-2007, 07:56 AM

Wheels, tires, shock/struts. Adding power will do little unless you can get it to the ground.

Edit: I reread your post and noticed you were asking how to increase power not performance generally. I think you should be more focused on performance.

sparky1_2007 · 02-10-2007, 10:18 AM

yea, i was just wondering about what i could do to get better performance out of my car, cause im just interested in what is possible to do to a car in general, but more specifically, my car.

i am still saving up for an exige, it's slowly, but surely adding up in my checkings account, but im sure once i get done with college and start out on a new career, that i will have my exige in no time.

PWNAGE · 02-10-2007, 10:32 AM

You are modding the wrong car. just save your money and maybe you can own your Lotus in 4 years instead of 5. There is no point in making that car into somthing it isn't, a sports car. Drive it for what it is, a people carrier.

I dont want to sound like an A-hole, just want to save you from the embarrassment.

good luck

sparky1_2007 · 02-10-2007, 03:10 PM

yea, i think everyone has me convinced into saving my cash, and saving it for a used elise

thanks guys

Chris · 02-10-2007, 03:44 PM

+1 For saving your money, everytime you want an upgrade, put that $$$ in an account.

evomind · 02-10-2007, 07:02 PM

the srt4 is a great little car....
best 19k i ever spent on a car.
if u come up on one on the highway, and he has a mopar stage 1 on it, dont even bother trying to out accelerate him in ur little elises.
ull be emberassed.

PWNAGE · 02-11-2007, 12:20 AM

So many cars these days can out accelerate a Lotus.

cstetter · 02-11-2007, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evomind

the srt4 is a great little car....
best 19k i ever spent on a car.
if u come up on one on the highway, and he has a mopar stage 1 on it, dont even bother trying to out accelerate him in ur little elises.
ull be emberassed.

There will ALWAYS be someone faster than you.

So what?

SweetDaddyD · 02-11-2007, 04:19 AM

I don't think anyone ever claimed we had the fastest car in the world and it was unbeatable by anything in any circumstance. I think we can all agree though that performance/fun wise it's a great value for the money. Likewise to your modified neon comparison- we've seen many examples of little Lotus beating much more expensive cars around a track and being beat by much less expensive cars. Big deal. A guy can go spend a few grand on a used Hyabusa and beat cars in an acceleration contest costing several hundred thousand dollars. Their both fun, whatever floats your boat.

What I do wonder is what the heck ever happened to all the old neons. The original body style. You used to see them all over the place. The obviously sold a ton. But I can't even recall the last time I've seen one. Where did they all go. A couple years down the road when it's an oil burning slug (oh yeah, Chryslers have NEVER had THAT problem- rolls eyes) is it really going to be the best money you ever spent?

MikeC · 02-11-2007, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PWNAGE

So many cars these days can out accelerate a Lotus.

Well now, I wouldn't say that.

Going through the March issue of Road&Track's Road Test Summary, which lists 127 cars tested, 31 can accellerate faster to 60 than the Elise.

Out of that 31, 24 cost more than $100,000.

Those remaining seven cars are:

Audi RS4
BMW M5
Caterham CSR
Chevy Corvette
Dodge Viper
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution RS
Porsche 911 Carrara S

I don't feel bad about the company we keep.

evomind · 02-11-2007, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cstetter

There will ALWAYS be someone faster than you.

So what?

just trying to save anyone from the possible emberassment of having a 20 year old zit faced punk out accelerating u then dogging u the rest the rest of the drive by pointing at u and laughing..

.

no, just letting everyone know the srt4 is not a slow car, especially with some few mods....

just let em go....

Jefft · 02-11-2007, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SweetDaddyD

You can sink a ton of money (that you'll never recoup) into the car but it's still going to be slow, and if it did get fast, its still going to be a neon.

+1

PhoneBoy · 02-11-2007, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evomind

the srt4 is a great little car....
best 19k i ever spent on a car.
if u come up on one on the highway, and he has a mopar stage 1 on it, dont even bother trying to out accelerate him in ur little elises.
ull be emberassed.

Love the sound of the BOV on those things

cstetter · 02-11-2007, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoneBoy

Love the sound of the BOV on those things

Yeah - sounds like a WRC car

Hope the FF turbo kit has the same sound.

Rydiak · 02-11-2007, 02:26 PM

I had an SRT-4 with Stage 3 before I traded it for my current car, the Crossfire SRT-6. For people who don't know about SRT-4s, Stage 3 is a factory kit which bumps the car to 310 whp, which is about 355 bhp. I ran a 12.51 @ 109.8 mph in the 1/4 mile with that! Fastest car in a straight line for the money. I prefer rear-wheel drive myself though, which is why I traded for the SRT-6. Not as fast in a straight line, but a world of difference in agility. I'd sell a kidney for an Elise though..

02-09-2007, 09:54 PM	#1 (permalink)
sparky1_2007 give it a few years.... Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Michigan Posts: 92	Dodge neon performance. So, as you can tell by my sig, i have a 2000 dodge neon with a 5 speed manual transmission with a 2.0liter SOHC engine, specifically the a588 inline 4. So, i recently ordered a Cold air intake, new high-flow catalyc converter, and a new exhaust with dual exhaust tips. So, my question to you guys, is what else can i do to give my little car some more HP, and torque? turbo charging and super charging is out of the question though, i'd rather not have one of them in my car, because i know that if i have one of them in there, i'd go crazy with it, and crash my car, or lose control, because i wouldn't know how to control my car. __________________ Current Car: 2000 dodge neon 5-speed Fun little car for my first car Give it 5-10 years and ill own an exige

02-09-2007, 10:11 PM	#3 (permalink)
Allan Gibbs Registered User Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Glendale, CA (formerly Gilbert, AZ) Posts: 5,461	Some sugguestions: 1) High performance driver education 2) NOS 3) Strip interior of all seats and useless accesories like carpets, radio, and a/c 4) Lighter weight wheels For more questions, ask: http://www.dodgeforum.com/ __________________ 2005 BRP Elise- SOLD 6/9/07 2006 MV Agusta F4S - SOLD 4/30/09 2008 Audi TT (MKII) 2009 Audi A4 2009 Ducati 1198

02-10-2007, 10:18 AM	#7 (permalink)
sparky1_2007 give it a few years.... Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Michigan Posts: 92	yea, i was just wondering about what i could do to get better performance out of my car, cause im just interested in what is possible to do to a car in general, but more specifically, my car. i am still saving up for an exige, it's slowly, but surely adding up in my checkings account, but im sure once i get done with college and start out on a new career, that i will have my exige in no time. __________________ Current Car: 2000 dodge neon 5-speed Fun little car for my first car Give it 5-10 years and ill own an exige

02-10-2007, 03:10 PM	#9 (permalink)
sparky1_2007 give it a few years.... Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Michigan Posts: 92	yea, i think everyone has me convinced into saving my cash, and saving it for a used elise thanks guys __________________ Current Car: 2000 dodge neon 5-speed Fun little car for my first car Give it 5-10 years and ill own an exige

02-10-2007, 03:44 PM	#10 (permalink)
Chris Registered User Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Toronto Posts: 441	+1 For saving your money, everytime you want an upgrade, put that $$$ in an account. __________________ 2006 Lotus Elise - CO, Sport/Touring, Ohlins double adjustable Coilovers, Adjustable Front Sway Bar, LSD/TC, Seamless Front Clam, StarShield, Hardtop, Stebel Horn, Tripoint Supercharger-10psi, Aquamist, ForcedFed Header, Sport CAT, Larini Exaust w/F1 Tips, ACT Clutch, Fidanza Flywheel, Porterfield R4s Pads, ULTRAdisc 2 piece rotors, Hoosier R6's on SSR Comp Rims, Carbon Fiber DoorSills/CenterConsole/AC Control Surround, Fire Extinguisher, Garmin NUVI. 1997 BMW M3 - Downgraded to Winter Beater.

02-09-2007, 09:57 PM	#2 (permalink)
Rydiak Powered by AMG Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Prospect Heights, IL Posts: 123	Get an SRT-4.

02-10-2007, 04:08 AM	#5 (permalink)
SweetDaddyD BANNED Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: ATL, GA Posts: 7,646 Images: 2	Save your money, put it into a fund, and maybe the exige will come up before "5 or 10 years" goes by. You can sink a ton of money (that you'll never recoup) into the car but it's still going to be slow, and if it did get fast, its still going to be a neon. So what do you want more in 5 years? A 12 year old slow neon with lots of go fast parts on it, or a 5 year old exige? I'm just saying I've been there and done that man. And I wish I wouldn't of wasted the money. I probably put darn near the cost of an Elise (certainly the cost of a used one) into an import that I won over 30 trophies with in shows like Nopi and HIN, was in mags, had sponsors, etc. And when I sold it to put a good down payment on the Elise, I got basically what a clean low mileage car with no mods would of got. Believe me, looking at the money I spent (and wasted) it's not nearly as cool now as it seemed to me then. Honestly I'm quite embarrased about it.

02-10-2007, 07:56 AM	#6 (permalink)
catapult Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Toronto Posts: 1,569	Wheels, tires, shock/struts. Adding power will do little unless you can get it to the ground. Edit: I reread your post and noticed you were asking how to increase power not performance generally. I think you should be more focused on performance.

02-10-2007, 10:32 AM	#8 (permalink)
PWNAGE Registered User Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 102	You are modding the wrong car. just save your money and maybe you can own your Lotus in 4 years instead of 5. There is no point in making that car into somthing it isn't, a sports car. Drive it for what it is, a people carrier. I dont want to sound like an A-hole, just want to save you from the embarrassment. good luck

02-10-2007, 07:02 PM	#11 (permalink)
evomind J. Caesar Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: chicagoland Posts: 5,481	the srt4 is a great little car.... best 19k i ever spent on a car. if u come up on one on the highway, and he has a mopar stage 1 on it, dont even bother trying to out accelerate him in ur little elises. ull be emberassed. __________________ Vati. C6 ZO6. THE OBITS, YO! KEEP CRYIN! WHAA! REDNECK = PERSON WHO LIVES IN A DUMP BUT DRIVES AN ELISE! I never played by the rules, and I never really cared My nasty reputation takes me everywhere It is admitted by all that he was much addicted to women, as well as very expensive in his intrigues with them, and that he debauched many ladies of the highest quality; among whom were Posthumia, the wife of Servius Sulpicius; and Lollia, the wife of Aulus Gabinius.

02-11-2007, 12:20 AM	#12 (permalink)
PWNAGE Registered User Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 102	So many cars these days can out accelerate a Lotus.

02-11-2007, 04:19 AM	#14 (permalink)
SweetDaddyD BANNED Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: ATL, GA Posts: 7,646 Images: 2	I don't think anyone ever claimed we had the fastest car in the world and it was unbeatable by anything in any circumstance. I think we can all agree though that performance/fun wise it's a great value for the money. Likewise to your modified neon comparison- we've seen many examples of little Lotus beating much more expensive cars around a track and being beat by much less expensive cars. Big deal. A guy can go spend a few grand on a used Hyabusa and beat cars in an acceleration contest costing several hundred thousand dollars. Their both fun, whatever floats your boat. What I do wonder is what the heck ever happened to all the old neons. The original body style. You used to see them all over the place. The obviously sold a ton. But I can't even recall the last time I've seen one. Where did they all go. A couple years down the road when it's an oil burning slug (oh yeah, Chryslers have NEVER had THAT problem- rolls eyes) is it really going to be the best money you ever spent?

02-11-2007, 02:26 PM	#20 (permalink)
Rydiak Powered by AMG Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Prospect Heights, IL Posts: 123	I had an SRT-4 with Stage 3 before I traded it for my current car, the Crossfire SRT-6. For people who don't know about SRT-4s, Stage 3 is a factory kit which bumps the car to 310 whp, which is about 355 bhp. I ran a 12.51 @ 109.8 mph in the 1/4 mile with that! Fastest car in a straight line for the money. I prefer rear-wheel drive myself though, which is why I traded for the SRT-6. Not as fast in a straight line, but a world of difference in agility. I'd sell a kidney for an Elise though..

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