Well tonight i got curious about how much it would cost to get Mopar OEM struts back on my Neon. and well I'm a little confused on which suspension i have. Like i know I have the SDC (Touring) Suspension but yet on www.mydodgeparts.com they list it as the following "Standard, Firm, Sport, Competition" would the SDC be the Firm or the Sport ones? my Neon is a 1995 Plymouth Neon Highline.

 

SDC would be the standard, that is the softest ride.

 

oh that sucks lol...

 

could i put in the sport or competition suspension in my neon? or would it not give really any corner gains?

 

You can put either on it and you will notice the handling is better.

 

The "Firm" and "Sport" struts are identical, used in the base models, R/T's and some Sports. It is also the basis for the valving of aftermarket replacements like Gabriel, Monroe, and the KYB GR-2's. Aftermarket struts are going to cost a LOT less than going to the dealer for stock replacements.

Struts may make some difference in cornering feel, but not so much with cornering performance. Going from stock Highline struts and springs to stock R/T struts and Highline springs isn't going to cut your autocross times any. The competition struts (ACR) do make a difference, paired with the (slightly) higher rate springs and MUCH taller front bump stops of course.

The first defense against body roll should be the springs. And anything shorter or stiffer than stock will require Koni's (stock "Competition" springs) at a minimum to handle the spring rate.

Sway bars do help some in cornering by borrowing spring rate from the other side, but sways are really misnamed, just like "shock absorbers", which aren't really designed to absorb shock (that's the spring's job). Adding just the stock R/T or ACR front and rear bars to your Highline will make a difference though. Even more so with higher rate springs.

Upgrading your '95 Highline to a true BRE-Competition suspension is going to run you a little over $1k, that's for the $700+ aftermarket Koni struts, $250 for stock ACR or R/T springs (you'd save money by going with Mopar High Rates IF you can find them), front and rear sways (used/salvage yard) for maybe $150, upgrade the rear brakes to disc (standard on the BRE package), which also means upgrading your front hubs to 5-lug at $150 per pair or so. You don't really have to do the brakes or hubs though (I didn't).

Best of luck!

 

ok so what you're saying is that it wont really make a difference (in terms of performance) by just switching them to the firm or sport.... and the reason why i'm look for OEMs or Mopar ones is because i want my Neon back to the way it used to be in the showroom floor but yet theres that little voice in my head saying hey man this stuff came stock on other models so why not just put them on yours? lol.... so i've been trying to figure out if i want to listen to that voice or not lol... but thanks again