Actually, they changed out the alternators to a higher output in 2005.

But I'm nitpicking.

Sad to see it go.

 

strange... my registration slip says it was an '05, but my title (i had lost the title and had to get a replacement for the insurance company to total it out, but then afterwards found the original, anyway..) the title says it was an '04. I know the dealer said it was an 05. Which seemed very believable considering it only had 12k miles on it in january of 07 when I bought it. I suspect the '05 bit may have been a marketing ploy, but with 12k miles on a showroom condition car, who cares?
__

So yeah, back to the red '03...
Turbocharging:

I've been pouring over the prices of parts & such for many of the mods I want to do to the car. But I have a big blank spot in the budget where the turbocharger goes. As I said I've no first hand experience with turbochargers.
- Does anyone have any particular advice regarding turbocharging an 03 SXT stock engine?
- What brand of turbocharger would you recommend?
- What are 'all' of the parts that will be required?
- Would you recommend someone with mediocre mechanical skills attempt it themselves? (by mediocre I mean mechanical experience with most things external to engines/transmissions)
- If not, what would be a reasonable price for installment from a mechanic?
- I've heard of turbochargers with adjustable boost settings, any advice regarding those? The idea of having an in-dash switch to toggle between 4 psi / 8psi (or something like that) sounds kinda cool to me.
- Speaking of which, what effect does the boost have on engine wear? As in, would 6psi be less abusive than 8psi? or is there little difference as long as you stay inside of safe parameters?
- Intercoolers, 'the bigger the better'? or 'enough is just right'?
- Where is a good place to buy the parts?
- What about emissions regulations?

Please bear in mind that I'd like a pretty noticeable boost in horsepower over stock, but I'd prefer not dealing with internal engine modifications (at least not at this time). I do however plan to customize the entire intake & exhaust from air filter to tailpipes. I'm not interested in anything which will burn up the engine anytime soon. If i'm sinking all this money into the car, then I really need the engine to last a while. sub-200hp is fine with me, if it means reduced cost and/or longer engine life. But it definitely needs a lot more than 132hp, and I know that intake & exhaust by themselves will not be sufficient.

 

thanks I kinda thought the shape worked with the neon's contours. I like all of the wheels i photoshop'ed though.

Those particular wheels in the first photoshop are in fact Ace Manta's
They come in silver with glossy finish (shown on photoshop):

Or 'hyper black' which is a dark silver with very high gloss finish (which I think looks a bit darker than this without floodlighting):

Or you can get them in chrome finish:

They're not too expensive either. I can't find any listed information on the weight of the wheels or the offset though. They are 17"x7", which is ideal IMO, and they don't look very heavy. The lighter the better though, and looks can be deceiving . Anybody know the weight & offset? I know they'd be 35mm to 40mm offset. Personally I'd prefer 35mm, it'd give a full 1cm wider stance (compared to 40mm), and rub less with oversized tires.

I know chrome is out of style, but growing up around classic cars I kinda like the chrome as much as the other two. On the other hand, chrome kinda stands out a bit too much if there is no other chrome trim on a car.

It would be nice to find them in a local store so I can see the finishes in person. Anybody have any pics of them on a car in more natural lighting?

EDIT: I found some pics of a car with ace manta's in hyper black, and another one in chrome. I'm kinda thinking hyper black now, looks very slick. chrome looks good too though, and would be really easy to keep clean (chrome is a very hard nonporous metal). yeah, i'm indecisive.

 

Go to ace's website you will see the graphite versions or hyper black on a lexus, they look awesome, I was thinking about getting those wheels before I bought the srt wheels.
If I get another neon I would buy those for it.

 

I think 18's will look better on an SRT-4. but that's me. And yeah, I was also kind of curious if you actually had a 05 RT made in the U.S. but whatever.

Ok since you are neck and neck with trying to get a spoiler idea, I love the lip spoiler, so that makes 2 for lip and 1 for stock spoiler.

I love the cuda stripes! Do eet!!!

And for the wheels, hm, this is a tough one, but I'd say go for the hyper black aces. Never get chrome wheels! yuck.

 

ah, but its not an srt-4 though, its an 03 SXT 5spd. I just like the bumpers & sideskirts of the SRT a lot better than the SXT. I don't care for the 03+ SXT/SE front bumper look at all, and I don't like most of the aftermarket bumper styles, but I very much like the look of the SRT-4 bumpers & sideskirts. One of the main arguments for the lip spoiler, mini-cuda hood, stripes, and aftermarket wheels, is that I don't want it to look like a complete SRT clone.

Would 18" rims work? be something like 18x7or7.5 at 205/35R18 or 215/30R18? that'd be pretty thin rubber there... I know tirerack doesn't list any 18" for an SXT, so I kinda assumed that 17 was the max there.

here's the ace manta's in hyper black on a dark red car at dusk :


is it me, or do they look like they have a polished face and dark rim insides & spoke sides?

 

Do the Hyperblack. It will look nice on ur car.

 

18's work on stock suspension (18x7.5). I had them with 215/35/18 tires and they didn't rub or hit at all, my only complaint was the aweful ride quality, which is why I sold them to KARR ( his problem now) .

 

I like 205/45R17 as a tire size for non-srt neons (or 215/40R17)
or in 16" 205/50R16 works very nicely too.
really i wouldn't feel bad on 15" at 205/55R15, i mean in terms of handling & ride (as long as they're V rated or similar)... but the stock wheels are kinda ugly, and if they're being replaced may as well get 17's

any tire recomendations? I'm thinking these:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....e1=yes&place=2

 

Oooh that's cold. I wonder if KARR hates them now just as much as you did.