Dodge NEON Srt-4!

[mlambert890]

Fact is if you label it with 260+hp the insurance cost will be much higher and possibly put it out of reach for affordable ownership.

Also, how cars are marketed in the lineup is also a concern. For instance in 1999 the Honda Prelude Upped it's hp rating from 195 to 200. Fact is no changes were made to gain that power,

These are two good points that didn't occur to me at all. Insurance is a good one. I forgot that the insurance companies base rates at least partially on HP.

The "free" model upgrade thing is a great one as well. Basically, keep the exact same platform, but a few new pieces of window dressing, and label it as 5-10hp higher calling it a refresh. That's actually a clever idea.

I stand corrected and apologies to Dodge

 

[KulSecHskY]

Also, how cars are marketed in the lineup is also a concern. For instance in 1999 the Honda Prelude Upped it's hp rating from 195 to 200. Fact is no changes were made to gain that power,

Actually the exhaust system was chanced. the 2000+ header, or the exhaust is a lot smoother. Of course you can't really prove that it made a difference considering the change of 5hp is so small.

 

[satan_srv]

Actually the exhaust system was chanced. the 2000+ header, or the exhaust is a lot smoother. Of course you can't really prove that it made a difference considering the change of 5hp is so small.

Actually it's not, we've physically compared this and proven there is no difference whatsoever. That's just what honda said. Dynos tell the story, no consistent difference in output for stock motors from 1993-2001 at all and the hp rating has gone from 190-200...that would have been noticeable.

In Japan the prelude has always been rated at 200ps (197hp) for all years as well (91-01), supporting the no power change argument. They run 10.6:1 CR so it's 197 but even with the model changes output was rated the same.

 

[KulSecHskY]

Actually it's not, we've physically compared this and proven there is no difference whatsoever. That's just what honda said. Dynos tell the story, no consistent difference in output for stock motors from 1993-2001 at all and the hp rating has gone from 190-200...that would have been noticeable.

In Japan the prelude has always been rated at 200ps (197hp) for all years as well (91-01), supporting the no power change argument. They run 10.6:1 CR so it's 197 but even with the model changes output was rated the same.

Really? I could've SWORN they were different. Someone got both exhuast systems and took pics. They looked different to me. You must be in the TPC?

Also I mean the 5hp difference is to little to be proven on a dyno. I thought there are too many variables to compare a 5hp difference? 195, not 190

 

[satan_srv]

Really? I could've SWORN they were different. Someone got both exhuast systems and took pics. They looked different to me. You must be in the TPC?

Also I mean the 5hp difference is to little to be proven on a dyno. I thought there are too many variables to compare a 5hp difference? 195, not 190

Yes I'm on TPC, and I moderate the Prelude forum on honda-tech.com

My friend Keith Lee did all the pics that you are talking about they were exactly the same, one looked newer cause it was off a newer car but we measured everything and it was the same.

The 4th gen Prelude VTEC was rated at 190hp/158tq, and dynos 160-163whp/140-143wtq stock

The 99-01 Prelude is rated at 200hp/156wtq and dynos at 160-163/137-140wtq

My point is who cares about what happened from 195->200 becuase it's still not doing any better than when it was rated at 190hp.

And the Prelude Type-SH is even worse, it hits about 155/137 on the dyno, major drivetrain losses from the ATTS system

 

[Modernceo]

I own a SRT-4 (as well as the maxima) listed in my signature.

I have done a decent amount of work to the SRT-4 bolt on wise, ie, intake, full turbo back exhaust, pulley, boost controller, new front mount intercooler, etc. Power wise, im thoroughly impressed. It has 282 hp and 300 lbs of torque at the wheels. This is with a completely stock motor and turbo. (Lots of SRT-4 guys are putting on new turbo/manifolds and getting 350-400 hp to the wheels consistently. One guy I met a week ago had a little under 400 hp and was running mid 12's at 115 mph at a track. Another SRT-4 owner I know personally had at one point as much as 531 hp with a ball bearing turbo and bolt ons and ran a 12.1 @122 mph.

So, the SRT-4's have a lot of potential, and will most definitely suprise someone who has no idea what they are potential of.
Fyi, the SRT-4 stock runs 13.9 @100. So it shows it has very high trap speeds and is a VERY strong car from 40+ mph.

I have raced many many Mustangs, Z28 camaros, two Camaro SS's, lots and lots of hondas, acuras, toyotas, etc. Have also raced and beaten a c4 corvette and one C5 corvette. I have only been beaten by two cars so far that I can remember and these were both when my car was lightly modified, a Volkswagon Golf turbo and a Subaru Sti. Both of their cars were very modified.

Fyi, I hear from guys over in Germany in the military quite often. I have quite a few testing out their cars at 150-155+ on the autobahn, so the comments about not going 160 is pretty silly in my opinion. Also, there arent many places in the USA that you can even drive that fast (taking safety in consideration).

With some of your comments, I want to stress the obvious that the SRT-4 is not a car for everyone. Its more of a bang for your buck car. . It handles well, but not nearly as well as the Nsx, and of course interior, if thats an important aspect of a car for you the Nsx is the better of the two of course. And naturally the NSx is more exotic than any other sport compact car will ever be.

I have plans on trading in my Maxima someday to get a Nsx and have been lurking around on these boards for some time now. I appreciate the opportunity to spend time with you guys and hope to join the club soon.

 

[Steve]

As an update on the original car in question......I rode in it a few weeks ago. He had a slip that showed 115ish trap speed in the 1/4. Crazy wheel spin!!! But the ride........it was all NEON!!!
I am quite impressed the stock trans etc is holding up to the abuse. He did show me it is constantly breaking the motor mounts!!!

 

[titaniumdave]

Nice to see a Neon thread, old or new. I had my first 'Neon experience' last Friday at the track in Portland. I am running the advanced group and feeling pretty fast these days, no one passes me and I can run down anything out there in our group on street tires. I do get humbled by the HP cars with their race slicks, oh my, I do get humbled!

Well I am cruising, picking off Porsches like ducks in a shooting gallery, BMW are turning into specs in my mirrors. Only one heavily modded M3 is running with me. Up ahead is a little white car, not sure what it is, but I am going to pick it off next. I'll be damned if it isn't a Neon, and the guy is driving to beat hell. The thing is on the suspension bumpers from side to side on every corner, but I am bearly making distance on him all the way through the twistys. I can't believe it. I am making time like crazy on the straights, but when it comes to the corners I am just pulling him back. After 2 laps of this, I am on his bumper and easily dump him on th back straight, but, man, who would have thunk it!

So the little thing sure wasn't much to look at, not as pretty or classic as the NSX, but bang for the buck it was quite the surprising car, especially in those hands!

 

[Moltenice]

they dont make the SRT-4 in white... so it was probably RT.

 

[Meeyatch1]

I was discussing cars with a friend tonight and we determined that no matter how fast the Neon SRT-4 is, you still are going to have trouble at the end of the night when you are looking for your car with the girl you met that night and she asks what you drive and you say, 'That Neon over there'. LOL!!

We determined that they seriously should have given the car a completely separate name to distance it far away from its rental car Neon roots. The new name may have given it a kind of prestige that its older brother the Viper enjoys.

 

[mlambert890]

they dont make the SRT-4 in white... so it was probably RT.

Which is really interesting if true, because it puts the whole thread in perspective.

The driver matters more than anything else and always will and the proof is that the RT was mistaken for an SRT-4.

 

[Srce]

Well, I read the first couple of posts and thought I'd chime in. I refuse to read the whole thread because I just don't have that kind of time on my hands so if what I say was already covered, forgive me for it.

First of all, THE SRT-4 IS NOT A NEON.

It doesn't share ANY parts with a Neon except its asthetics.

Now that we got that out of the way, here's my second point. This year's SRT-4's get a 230 HP motor compared to the 215 HP of the previous model. Now, the previous models have dynoed at 230fwhp consistently. Just think about how much fwhp this year's models will dyno at?

Finally, someone said that an SRT-4 wouldn'y do 170MPH even if it was thrown out of an airplane at 10,000 feet. Hmm, that's kinda funny since I've seen one do 160MPH with only an intake and catback exhaust, now imagine an SRT-4 with some minor underbody modifications, some lowering springs, and the Mopar Stage 3 performance kit. 170MPH, very attainable, are they geared for 170, I wouldn't know, but money makes horsepower.

 

[JChoice]

I'm sure that if you're 18 - 21 years old, the SRT is fine for impressing women especially given the fact that you don't have a lot of other impressive options in the 20k price range and certainly nothing as fast. Besides, a real man buys a car to impress himself, not other women.

The car goes like hell and handles pretty well to boot.

Saying that it's just a Neon is like saying that the Mitsubishi Evo is just a Lancer.

 

[jlindy]

Well, I read the first couple of posts and thought I'd chime in. I refuse to read the whole thread because I just don't have that kind of time on my hands so if what I say was already covered, forgive me for it.

First of all, THE SRT-4 IS NOT A NEON.

It doesn't share ANY parts with a Neon except its asthetics.

Now that we got that out of the way, here's my second point. This year's SRT-4's get a 230 HP motor compared to the 215 HP of the previous model. Now, the previous models have dynoed at 230fwhp consistently. Just think about how much fwhp this year's models will dyno at?

Finally, someone said that an SRT-4 wouldn'y do 170MPH even if it was thrown out of an airplane at 10,000 feet. Hmm, that's kinda funny since I've seen one do 160MPH with only an intake and catback exhaust, now imagine an SRT-4 with some minor underbody modifications, some lowering springs, and the Mopar Stage 3 performance kit. 170MPH, very attainable, are they geared for 170, I wouldn't know, but money makes horsepower.

Are you serious? The SRT-4 is a NEON, not anything else. If Dodge wanted it to be anything else they would have done so. It shares the asthetics because it is a NEON, just a beefed up NEON. Actually, I would have loved for Dodge to completely re-work the asthetics making a Viper Jr. By your response, I am taking that you have owned one. I am not saying that it isn't a fairly capable little machine for next to nothing, but let's call a spade a spade.

 

[Moltenice]

do you call a Cobra a mustang? do you call a EVO a lancer? no you say, EVO..... That COBRA, did you see that STI..... and so on....
so whay does everyone always say neon instead of srt-4? It kinda makes me mad.
I mean i would never in a million years own a V6 mustang.... and not too many other people i know would either...they're crap. But when i see a cobra do i think V6 stang.... NO. Its that same damn car right? its the same exact thing as the neon vs the SRT-4..
V6 stang-Cobra
neon- SRT-4

and it doesnt say neon on any of the paperwork that came with the car... not on the window sticker, or in the book or anything...

 

[NetViper]

do you call a Cobra a mustang? do you call a EVO a lancer? no you say, EVO..... That COBRA, did you see that STI..... and so on....
so whay does everyone always say neon instead of srt-4? It kinda makes me mad.
I mean i would never in a million years own a V6 mustang.... and not too many other people i know would either...they're crap. But when i see a cobra do i think V6 stang.... NO. Its that same damn car right? its the same exact thing as the neon vs the SRT-4..
V6 stang-Cobra
neon- SRT-4

and it doesnt say neon on any of the paperwork that came with the car... not on the window sticker, or in the book or anything...

Hate to tell you, but you drive a neon.

 

[jlindy]

do you call a Cobra a mustang? do you call a EVO a lancer? no you say, EVO..... That COBRA, did you see that STI..... and so on....
so whay does everyone always say neon instead of srt-4? It kinda makes me mad.
I mean i would never in a million years own a V6 mustang.... and not too many other people i know would either...they're crap. But when i see a cobra do i think V6 stang.... NO. Its that same damn car right? its the same exact thing as the neon vs the SRT-4..
V6 stang-Cobra
neon- SRT-4

and it doesnt say neon on any of the paperwork that came with the car... not on the window sticker, or in the book or anything...

Well I'm afraid that you are just going to have to keep getting mad because that is what it is. If someone has a NSX Type S do they get mad when it is called a NSX? No, because it is still an Acura NSX, just a Type S. The same goes for a NSX-T or any other variation because they are all models within the same line, just like the NEON Srt-4 and the Mustangs. By the way, people call it a cobra because it is easier to say than Ford Mustang Cobra. It is still a Mustang whether you like it or not, just a different model within the same line. Why are people so hung up on calling their car what it truly is? It is what it is and if you are worried of someone associating the negative perceptions of the lower based models within the line to yours, then don't get the car to begin with.

 

[KGP]

do you call a Cobra a mustang? do you call a EVO a lancer? ...It kinda makes me mad.... its the same exact thing as the neon vs the SRT-4..

It's a Neon, just as my car is an NSX. Don't let your feathers get all ruffled over it.

 

[satan_srv]

do you call a Cobra a mustang? do you call a EVO a lancer? no you say, EVO..... That COBRA, did you see that STI..... and so on....
so whay does everyone always say neon instead of srt-4? It kinda makes me mad.
I mean i would never in a million years own a V6 mustang.... and not too many other people i know would either...they're crap. But when i see a cobra do i think V6 stang.... NO. Its that same damn car right? its the same exact thing as the neon vs the SRT-4..
V6 stang-Cobra
neon- SRT-4

and it doesnt say neon on any of the paperwork that came with the car... not on the window sticker, or in the book or anything...

maybe you should check your door sticker again. You can keep deluding yourself but you do indeed own a neon. You would be much wiser spending less time trying to prove it's not a neon and more time not talkin and letting the cars performance speak for itself. But hey keep trying, A for effort buddy

For further self help you can read this thread where people eventually realize that owning a neon isn't such a big deal. http://srtforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7746

Let me know if you need a hug.

 

[EK]

do you call a EVO a lancer?

My wife and I looked at the Evo on Saturday.

Wife: Interior is kinda cheap.
Me: It's a Lancer.
Wife looked puzzled.
Me: Remember the rental car we had in San Diego?
Wife: Oh! That one.

 

[Moltenice]

Well I'm afraid that you are just going to have to keep getting mad because that is what it is. If someone has a NSX Type S do they get mad when it is called a NSX? No, because it is still an Acura NSX, just a Type S. The same goes for a NSX-T or any other variation because they are all models within the same line, just like the NEON Srt-4 and the Mustangs. By the way, people call it a cobra because it is easier to say than Ford Mustang Cobra. It is still a Mustang whether you like it or not, just a different model within the same line. Why are people so hung up on calling their car what it truly is? It is what it is and if you are worried of someone associating the negative perceptions of the lower based models within the line to yours, then don't get the car to begin with.

Thats not the same at all.
That would be the case if i was a RT owner....or a sxt owner, flippin out over exclusion of the badge title in a conversation. BUT this is a different situation. The NEON was taken down to its bare roots... the frame, and then redone.
All i have beef with is, when people go, "oh thats just a neon".. WTF is that suppose to mean . kinda see my point. thats why i brought up the whole Cobra thing. you dont go, "oh thats just a mustang". and its just as easy to say Mustang as it to say Cobra.
I was inches away from gettin a new 350Z when i found this car, and i have never looked back. Personally, i dont really care what people call it aslong as i know their intentions, and not that they just dont know the difference. But still,at the end of the day, when all is said and done, and the dust clears, 90% of all other drivers will only See the SRT badge on my trunk....

 

[Moltenice]

oh and how much is the typical NSX payment? Im sure if i traded my 2003 celica and the 2004 srt-4 ($900 in payments)... i could probably afford one. But then again, i would have to mod the hell out of it just to get back to where i was.......

 

[satan_srv]

Thats not the same at all.
That would be the case if i was a RT owner....or a sxt owner, flippin out over exclusion of the badge title in a conversation. BUT this is a different situation. The NEON was taken down to its bare roots... the frame, and then redone.

from the same thread i posted above

I have a Neon SRT-4 and my wife has a Neon SXT they both share steering wheel, all windows, rear view mirror, tail lights, dash, glove box, center console, floor mats, gas door, headlights, trunklid, doors minus molding, headliner, unibody, heater controls, radio/cd, window and door controls, and much more.

stripped down to it's bare roots eh?

 

[satan_srv]

oh and how much is the typical NSX payment? Im sure if i traded my 2003 celica and the 2004 srt-4 ($900 in payments)... i could probably afford one. But then again, i would have to mod the hell out of it just to get back to where i was.......

Who cares? I could afford an srt-4...a couple actually but I choose not to, I choose to own an nsx. I'm hardly feeling bad about not owning a car I could easily buy if I felt like it.

But then I'd spend all my time on nsx boards trying to convince everyone how cool it is. How lame would that be?!

ooh the irony!

 

[NetViper]

But then I'd spend all my time on nsx boards trying to convince everyone how cool it is. How lame would that be?!

ooh the irony!

I hear ya. How lame is it to try and convince a bunch of people who own an exotic car that a neon is a good car. Nobody here cares at all about your neon. I don't even know why you are here man. If you wanted a NSX I could understand, but all you are is a broken record about your neon. Isn't there a NEONPRIME? You don't see any of us going to neonprime and telling them how great a NSX is.