11 sec. Neons.

The Neon SRT-4 has got to be the performance bargain of the century. For $19k you can easily go high 13s. They also seem to be pretty underrated horsepower wise. Rated at 215hp, everyone seems to be getting 215-220hp and 250 ft/lbs or more at the wheels.

Well watch out for these hot little Mopars. Mopar Performance is turning up the wick considerably with factory designed, OTC, performance packages.

Stage I: 235hp

Stage II: 255hp

Stage III: 300+ HP

I predict that 12 and 11 second Neon SRT-4s will be all over the place by this summer.

WOW !!! are they rear wheel drive ?

Originally posted by Ude-lose
WOW !!! are they rear wheel drive ?

Nope, fwd 4 bangers.

Looking for the DOH smilie I requested a while back but never got put on the boards. :D

Its still a Neon though.

Being that FWD cars throw all their weight aft on acceleration that hard, it positively amazing they get enough traction to accelerate fast! :eek:

The torque steer on those things has to be crazy. :eek:

The torque steer on those things has to be crazy

That's why they're gonna run them on a 1/4 mile circle track....LOL!!

Originally posted by IZ28
Its still a Neon though.

a Lancer is still a Lancer and an Impreza is still an Impreza too

They have equal length half-shafts in front. That will help out, and if they really are equal length (and properly balanced) then we're in trouble, because then Tq steer isnt as much an issue anymore.

They net a 0-60 of under 6 seconds stock... And stock vs stock they'd be close to an lt1. I wonder how much boost they can take with a Boost controller till you need to upgrade the turbo and fuel system?

And fully loaded at $19,995....

Chrysler finally did something right.

Also, apparently these Mopar performance packages can be dealer installed at the time of purchase, so their cost can be rolled in your financing.

These packages will be available from Dodge dealers this spring.

Originally posted by Ude-lose
WOW !!! are they rear wheel drive ?

Ude, if Dodge ever puts the Razor concept into production....these could be RWD numbers.

A 300hp Neon? Backed by a factory warranty? Wow. THAT is awesome. Even though it is a Neon.

I think they need to change the name. I just can't think of neons being anything other than a chick car, maybe the performance ones should drop 'neon' and just go with SRT-4 or whatever.

Question...... What's the future of the J-body? Are they going with an opel replacement or what? I saw a 271 HP ecotec or quad four i forget Cavy on some sight that was pretty cool.

I'm sure a stage III 300 fwhp neon is gonna cost a lot more that base 20k.

That's why they are special packages. Not everyone can afford a $27k/28k neon.

And when all's said and done, it's still FWD. 300HP is gonna be on the bleeding edge of drivablity. Clever tech and engineering can hide some of that torque steer, but it ain't just gonna go away esp. when your foot is flat to the floor.

I'd spend the money on an Imprezza STI or an EVO.

Still if people want a 300 FWHP car, why not. And at least it's being put out there and shows there is still interest in affordable performance (even if it's not THAT affordable) from the domestic camps.

Originally posted by Z28Marcus
I'm sure a stage III 300 fwhp neon is gonna cost a lot more that base 20k.

That's why they are special packages. Not everyone can afford a $27k/28k neon.



Well, we don't know what these mods will cost yet. But if you could have a mid 12 second car for about mid $20s....that's still pretty impressive.

BTW, Dodge didn't just to break into this market. There is HUGE turbo Dodge movement that has evolved over the past 15 years. Dodge is just smart enough to tap into it.

OK guys,
Just some info on the Neon SRT-4s seeing as I drive them every day.

The half-shafts are equal length. And the torque steer is prodigious if the steering wheel is turned AT ALL. If the front wheels aren't pointed straight ahead when you get on the gas, the car will want to pull you into a ditch.

There is PLENTY of wheelspin when you get on the gas hard. And if you keep your foot in it, you'll get a ton of wheelhop.

It's loud. Annoyingly loud.

And the car is not called the Neon SRT-4. It's just the SRT-4. The Neon name is nowhere to be found on the car.

My guess for 1/4 mile time is somewhere between 14.2 and 14.5.



And as a footnote, we all prefer the Stratus R/T sedan. With it's 200 hp 2.7 V-6, it's not as powerful as the SRT-4, but it's a much better balanced car. It's quieter and more comfortable, too.

there is a guy in chicago i think that has a neon running 10s the internals are stock so is the tranny and axels he put a big turbo and intercooler so slicks and runs 10s and still gets better mpg than my z28 it was in hotrodi dont like fwd but damn

Originally posted by HuJass
My guess for 1/4 mile time is somewhere between 14.2 and 14.5.


I think it was Sport Compact Car that tested one and ran a 14.1 in it. They also dyno 215hp to the wheels.

Cool little cars. I'd look long and hard at one if I was buying a new car.

Originally posted by CamaroRSguy
I think they need to change the name. I just can't think of neons being anything other than a chick car, maybe the performance ones should drop 'neon' and just go with SRT-4 or whatever.

That's exactly what they did. It isn't called a Neon. Just SRT-4. The only thing that bothers me about the car is the silly spoiler on the back. I'd have to remove it. Then it would make a great daily driver
:)

Originally posted by kacy
there is a guy in chicago i think that has a neon running 10s the internals are stock so is the tranny and axels he put a big turbo and intercooler so slicks and runs 10s and still gets better mpg than my z28 it was in hotrodi dont like fwd but damn

I'd have to see that to believe it. No work done to the trans or axles??

Originally posted by 25thTA
That's exactly what they did. It isn't called a Neon. Just SRT-4. The only thing that bothers me about the car is the silly spoiler on the back. I'd have to remove it. Then it would make a great daily driver
:)

I don't like the look of the spoiler either. But this is one of those rare cases, (according to OSV, anyway), where the spoiler is actually functional. At top speed, the SRT-4 needs the downforce.

Who cares? Everyone acts like a car's quarter mile time is the only measure of how good a car is. So a hopped-up Neon can go 13's....or even 12's, that doesn't change the fact that it's still a small, rather goofy-looking compact car meant for daily driving.

I'm sure you could put nitrous on a Mazda Miata and have that car (go-kart) running pretty fast. Zoom Zoom! Give me a freakin break. :rolleyes: A drag race demon Neon....whats next, drag race SUVs?

Originally posted by Pentatonic
So a hopped-up Neon can go 13's....or even 12's, that doesn't change the fact that it's still a small, rather goofy-looking compact car meant for daily driving.


They did it with a Subaru Impraza and a Mitsu Lancer, so why not a neon.

I'm holding out for the hot rod Kia Rio;)

Originally posted by CamaroRSguy
Question...... What's the future of the J-body? Are they going with an opel replacement or what? I saw a 271 HP ecotec or quad four i forget Cavy on some sight that was pretty cool.

Cavalier is replaced in MY2005 by a DELTA platform car to be assembled at Lordstown (Ohio) Assembly...

They are building pilot cars right now, and actually have a test line set up... running simulateously with the J-Car line, from what I've been told.

Originally posted by Z28x
They did it with a Subaru Impraza and a Mitsu Lancer, so why not a neon.

I'm holding out for the hot rod Kia Rio;)

I guess I just don't get the point of a FWD car with more than 250 HP on tap. The main reason for the FWD thing is that it's easier to drive for the average joe in poor weather conditions. It certainly has nothing to do with higher performance. That grip required for acceleration is grip that is not available for cornering (and vice-versa), when talking about FWD. Not to mention weight transfer issues.

So it seems like a waste of a good motor to me to stuff 300HP into a neon. I'm all for nimble, relatively compact cars packing high-hp and good power to weight ratios, but if you're gonna lay that power down properly, it has to be AWD or RWD. E.g the old 70s and 80s Nissan turbo Z cars, today's Imprezza, EVO, Nissan Silvia s-14, s-15.

I mean what use is 300HP and FWD in the snow anway? Esp. when the power comes on in a less than linear fashion in a turbo charged motor - esp. a small disp. 4 banger like the Neon's. Torque steer, turbo lag and AND poor traction are not really any better than rear wheel drive in bad weather.

Originally posted by Pentatonic
Who cares? Everyone acts like a car's quarter mile time is the only measure of how good a car is. So a hopped-up Neon can go 13's....or even 12's, that doesn't change the fact that it's still a small, rather goofy-looking compact car meant for daily driving.

who cares???everyone acts like a car's quarter mile time is the only measure of how good a car is.so a hopped-up '64 tempest can go 15's....or even 14's,that doesn't change the fact that it's still a midsize,rather boring looking car meant for daily driving.

well I like the fact that cars are getting quicker, and lighter, but they should have made it a rear wheel drive. In its defense, it probably is pretty fun to drive, my friend had a chevy lumina which he would nuetral slam into first, and that thing would torque all over the road, it just felt different than a rear wheel fishtailing, of course he went through cv joints every week, but it was fun. Sometimes I wish my big Firebird was smaller, cause it would feel more nimble and quicker. I think many of those Honda lovers think their car is fast cause its so small, it gives the impression that corners can be taken at any speed. Even though my car is pretty quick it just feels big and clumsy, I hope GM takes note that big cars are a dying breed. I was watching some musclecar tv show and I couldn't help think that those cars are just as heavy as our cars. My 95 convertible has got to be around 3600 pounds, that neon is probably 2800--big difference

Originally posted by D James
my friend had a chevy lumina which he would nuetral slam into first

:o Good way to break stuff.

The SRT-4 isn't my cup o' tea but I don't think it's necessarily fair to criticise something that does bring the goods performance-wise, even though it isn't packaged like "we" would like. I'd much rather see a Neon that's actually fast instead of the same old riced out crap that runs 16's on a good day.

Well, my OTHER car is a Neon... I'm personally hoping that I'll come across one of the SRT-4s that's totalled out body wise so I can snag the motor, tranny, turbo, intercooler, etc...

Of course I could also snag it all out of a PT since it's the same motor and tranny.. The only difference is the intercooler (it's bigger on the SRT-4).

And the best part of all of it is that it's all direct bolt in...:bow:

Originally posted by Derek Smalls
so a hopped-up '64 tempest can go 15's....or even 14's,that doesn't change the fact that it's still a midsize,rather boring looking car meant for daily driving.

I'd rather have midsize and slightly boring than small and goofy.

Originally posted by Pentatonic
I'd rather have midsize and slightly boring than small and goofy.

Really? That's not what you've said in all of the GTO threads. :)

Of course he would. I think any1 thats not stupid :D would rather have a GTO even in its next form instead of that car, slower or not.

Originally posted by MunchE
Really? That's not what you've said in all of the GTO threads. :)

I never recall saying that I would like the GTO better if it was small and goofy looking, instead of midsize and boring.

If I had to choose between a Neon SRT-4 and a GTO, I'd pick the GTO.

SRT-4? Yeah, I want one...why not? I can have Z28 performance every day, without having to drive my Z, for a couple grand more than I can sell my wonderful, but far more tame, Grand Am for.

I look forward to a test drive.

I think the SRT-4 is neat... You can't go wrong by adding more power to a car.. Some of you should listen to yourselves say additional HP is a bad thing!


Obviously, its not targeted to the camaro demographics, but for the people that are interested in FWD performance..


and "its still just a neon" or still just a civic.. or still just a econobox... Actually, this type of mentality eggs some of those FWD enthusiasts to try harder.. because for them, its all worth it when they surprise that "unexpecting V8" Its the same mentality that some of us f-bod owners enjoy when we beat out a high dollar car with "just a Camaro/Firebird".


Isn't the essence of hotrodding taking a common car thats not fast, maybe not even meant to be fast, and modding it and extracting the most performance out of it? Unfortunantly, the common cars of today are FWD I4's, not large and heavy RWD V8's..

Originally posted by LWillmann
Well, my OTHER car is a Neon... I'm personally hoping that I'll come across one of the SRT-4s that's totalled out body wise so I can snag the motor, tranny, turbo, intercooler, etc...

Of course I could also snag it all out of a PT since it's the same motor and tranny.. The only difference is the intercooler (it's bigger on the SRT-4).

And the best part of all of it is that it's all direct bolt in...:bow:

Lee,
I hate to tell you this, but you've been mis-informed. The SRT-4 and PT Turbo DO NOT share the same tranny.

The SRT-4 uses our tranny, the New Venture Gear NVT-850.
The PT Turbo uses a Getrag unit.
Ours shifts better and is more durable, but doesn't fit into the PT platform.

The regular Neon and the regular PT both use our NVT-350.

Originally posted by Ken S
I think the SRT-4 is neat... You can't go wrong by adding more power to a car.. Some of you should listen to yourselves say additional HP is a bad thing!






I think the SRT-4 is pretty neat too. I don't know....I guess I just love cars. Maybe my automotive world revolves around Camaros....but I just really love all cars.

I can't understand how someone can't be impressed with 13.9 sec timeslips, off the showroom floor for under $20k......with the potential for a whole bunch more performance.


So the SRT-4 is no good because it's cheap, has too much power and is FWD. The Mustang is no good either. Because....it looks like a Mustang, may be not so cheap, and gets too much horsepower from a supercharger.

Lemme see....the GTO is also no good because it's too expensive and not flashy enough. BUT,the SS concept...which is a sedan as big as a Hummer...would make a perfect Camaro.


Did I get it all straight?

back in the 60s they made the mustang as a cheap fairly quick affordable car for young people, now you have to make good money to pay for a new one, makes me mad, I'm not sure what happened but they are no longer cheap. This SRT has good qualities, and hey those import looking cars are very popular right now, everyone wants small, performance, good gas mileage, fr a decent price. I think its a good move to get buyers, hell at least its not another SUV. I'm not to concerned with it taking my car out, hell with the hotcam, and sticky tires, that car will never keep up, and I think bigger cars get more respect, everwhere I go girls say, hey take me for a ride or hey thats such a nice car, I can't see that happening with the neon, I haven't even noticed any of these new cars on the road ,so I guess they don't stand out from your average econobox, uness its some loud color such as bright yellow. As far as performance goes, weren't the dragtests done on that car before it was released. I'm wondering if they didn't give a more powerful one to make it sell even better, I know the test cars didn't even have a muffler, and I can't imagine them selling off the showroom without one.

Originally posted by D James
back in the 60s they made the mustang as a cheap fairly quick affordable car for young people, now you have to make good money to pay for a new one, makes me mad, I'm not sure what happened but they are no longer cheap.

A mustang GT MSRP's for $24K, Invoice is a bit under $22K, Plus the $1000 rebate, The GT seems fairly cheap to me.

Originally posted by D James
I haven't even noticed any of these new cars on the road...... I know the test cars didn't even have a muffler, and I can't imagine them selling off the showroom without one.

The cars are just now hitting the far south and far west. The good climates.


And the production cars do not have a muffler, per se. Just a couple of resonators inline with the exhaust pipe.

Stock one ran 14.10 @ 99 mph at orlando spinworld.

I doubt there will be very many in the 12s though due to traction/half shaft issues. I think it's great (cheap,fast, gas milage?), sure kills honda's, acura's, nissian's offerings, even beats most aftermarket enhanced FWDs, hell it's faster than both my 3rd gens and one of those cost $21,000+ back in '89. It's even faster than my friend's stock '96 LT1(barely). It would be a nice car for the wife/g/f something fun to play with every now and then.

I've driven a turbo FWD in the snow T2 shelby daytona shelby z, not the best thing (boost induced wheelspin, same for rain), but I'm sure it will drive right by a stuck f-body.

Originally posted by Beast5spdGTA
Stock one ran 14.10 @ 99 mph at orlando spinworld.

I doubt there will be very many in the 12s though due to traction/half shaft issues.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. There are already tons of older turbo Dodges, with 2 valve motors, small intercoolers, and weaker transaxles ( minivans even) running 13s and 12s and even quite abit faster. Traction can be an issue...but seems to be manageable.

The SRT-4 with it's relatively huge intercooler, 4 valve head, stouter transaxle and factory engineered performance packages should easily surpass those times.

Still would be nice if GM offered a supercharged ectotech cavy though.... 140 horses just isn't ........ well cutting it.

i agree--cavaliers are sweet

Well, supposedly Saturn is coming out with a 210hp Ion coupe within a year (or so I thought)...and we've already seen the 180hp blown Sunfire GXP...maybe production bound like the Bonneville GXP?