Alright here's what's up, I've got a 1998 SOHC Neon and I'm planning to do a few upgrades to it this summer, but I have a few Questions first...

1) Koni Adjustables. Are they worth the extra cash? And if they are, how hard are they to adjust from firm to soft.

2) Rear Strut Bar. I don't race or anything so is it really neccesary to install one? Do they improve the cars handling in daily driven situations?

3) Flowmaster Cat-Back. I'm thinkin of getting the Flowmaster Cat-Back. Will this hurt my low-end power at all? Will it give me any extra power?

4) Custom Air Inlet. I am thinking of making my own Fresh Air Inlet (the black plastic piece above the engine). I figure that the stock one has resonators to keep it quiet and is fairly restrictive. If I could make a design that was a lot less restrictive than stock would I improve low-end torque, or could I make it worse?

5) Rear Suspension Lateral Links. The links in the First gen Neons look pretty flimsy compared to the Second Gen's. DOes anyone know if the Second Gen links will fit a First Gen, or are the stock ones good enough?

6) Final Question. The air conditioning is shot my car so I was thinking of getting rid of it. Is it really hard to get rid of? This should also help with power too right?

TIA

 

Yes, they are worth the money, they will firm up the ride nicely. I don't believe they are that hard to adjust.

It is not neccesary, however it will help with stability.

You will lose some low end, but you will gain top end. Its one of the easiest and usually one of the 1st mods people do. Don't expect 25hp or anything, but you will get some increase.

AKA cold air intake. You can make your own just make sure you pipe it into either the fender well or down by the bottom of the radiator where it can pull cold air. There are also premade CAI, I would recomend the Iceman, its a little pricey, but you'll be happy with it. If you are on a budget pick up an intake off of Ebay, they are $20 or $30 and aren't a true CAI, but it will be better than stock.

I have never heard of anyone changing them, I would say stock is fine.

Its not that hard to take out, and I believe that you can just get a belt for a car without air and it will work. It will not add and HP, but it will free some up, maybe 1-2HP, but it will help.