lol thats not at all what i was saying, and i wasnt gearing that towards you at all... that was geared towards ppl that answers simple questions with, *put over 10grand in an engine blah blah*

to be honest i didnt even read your post

 

I will then assume u would be talking about me... well that is fine everyone has there opinion on things, i like my hp, as some like looks, it is all prefrence to there cars ACCUALLY any car. some like alittle of both, i just like to mess around and if u dont like it then deal with it, and maybe u should read posts before commenting... just fyi oh and if i am a kid, i know more about building neons up that most anyone in this forum, so just remember that... i have been there and done that... i have learned from mistakes like most people have. one thing, i am going after what one has done i am going to be different and maybe even push the bar just alittle bit higher......

different to me is taking a corvette and putting it over my knee and spanking it... not just look good but have something to back it up... sorry i am a different breed than most... get over it....

also, i will tell ANYONE to boost a car, the power is alot of fun for one, and two i honestly would like to see more turboed neons out there, instead of srts... and his wife can handle a turboed neon with ease, u can still drive them noraml and never get into boost.. still getting good gas milage, and still being a safe and dependable car... while she would drive it, it would also make if fun for him to hop in it and run the hell out of it, it would make him want to buy one and build it...

well good luck with ur wifes car... small bolt ons would be fine for her.... but if u drive the car sometimes u have to do more than just little add ons to make it compatable to ur hemi..

 

no dude... guys this wasnt geared toward anyone at all that is posting on this thread......... All i was saying is just do the basics, due to the fact that its his wifes car and its inexpensive....

 

ok, and i agree to that.

 

I noticed the talk about it being to much for the "wife". Is the wife that young? Because, my wife is a lot younger than me, but, when we meet she took to my F250 diesel "chipped" at 400hp/700tq 8500lb truck with no problem (did I say it was lifted....lol?). Before you say these diesel trucks are slow. Youtube them racing mercedes, etc. Wife would get cars wanting to race her on her way to work. While they would give her a good run on the freeway, there is no comparing 700lbs of torque off the line. Anyway's. I am not sure of the numbers on a turbo neon, but I am sure it's not close to those numbers hp/tq so she should be fine.

 

How big is the stock tb? My friend has a 04 SXT and I wondering how big the tb was.

 

I guess it would kinda depend on your wifes driving ability too(not age). My wife has owned big block chevys and fords, was "drifting" her mustang on back roads in rural Pa in the '70s. She got pi**ed off when they straightened the curvy section of the Pa turnpike last year! hahaha
Anyhow, imho I would go for, in this order--
Quality spark plugs and wires. You may or may not notice and change here but if ya got a crappy spark (ie inefficient burn)what good is a better fuel/air mix or flow? Use dielectric grease on plugs & wires-it increases conductivity and decreases corrosion formation.
Muffler or exhaust system. I have read numerous places that dodge used the muffler on the 2nd gen neons to bottleneck gases. It was to conform to Govt pollution standards, I believe. High flow muffler/exhaust should give ya a noticable improvement. Be sure to research if noise type and/or level (db) is a consideration. Cheapest/quickest solution-replace a sohc with a dohc muffler it has more flow with minimal noise increase. Check the bone yards. About a zero on the coolness factor though.
Replacement air filter/cold air intake. More air in, more air out = more power. Cold air intakes have throttle bodys in the kits, so this is kinda two birds with one stone. Aftermkt air filter also makes economical sense too as you can clean these filters and reuse.
Headers, intake manifold. Flow,flow,flow.....
Depending on mechanical ability these are weekend jobs with minimal downtime.
Going internal, turbos etc are more costly and time consuming, but give you the best performance gains.
Good luck!

 

that might be too much to expect, considering the R/T is rated at 150hp (18 more ponies than sxt) and it has more extensive performance mods. R/T has a larger exhaust, a crane 12 equivalent cam, oversized exhaust valves, and variable intake geometry which focuses an airfoil pressure spike onto the intake valves, some PCM tweeking, and numerous less interesting goodies.

Granted, I think the "150hp" rating may be a bit conservative, it feels like more than an 18hp difference... but then again there's the transmission which is much sportier in the r/t, which might explain it. Anyway, I think it would be pretty darn hard to go over 150hp on a neon sxt without opening the engine, no matter what the advertised individual bolt-on parts say they add.

I don't think the msd ignition will do much unless there's a problem with your spark. With spark plugs, its either a success or a failure to ignite. If you're missing at all, at any rpm, then that will rob power, but if you're not missing any, i don't see what difference it makes. I mean if you have good spark, there's no such thing as 'better' spark, in any context which affects performance. Don't get me wrong, if i was missing, i'd get MSD as a replacement part. But I wouldn't add it to an engine which isn't missfiring. I mean you're not going to raise your compression ratio with a 'hotter spark'. hmm, ignition 'timing' on the other hand have some impact though, if you were talking about that.

So i still say, 'on a budget': CAI, cat-back, high flow cat, short tube header, TB, port matched intake manifold, and a UDP. that should see one to approaching 150hp. On less of a budget, all that extra breathing stuff will do more good if you open the engine and get a racing cam, springs, valves, which should push you over 150. oh, and a fair number of people mention urethane motor mounts... which i'm not very knowledgeable about. Oh, and a stiffer suspension, rear antisway bar. Oh, and they make kits with components to add some 'firmness' to the auto's shifting, but I only drive stick so i always skim over that stuff.

I dunno... if its an auto sxt, and it feels slow compared to your hemi, then it's probably a lost cause without a turbo, which is a lot of money. Thinking about 'automatic sports cars' hurts ma brain though (already ranted on the challenger forum about this), so i'm gonna go think about something else


PS- you guys are so quaint with the "more than the little lady can handle" stuff. granted i'm more an amazon sized lady, but I'd love a real muscle car. Probably lose my license, and go through tires pretty fast, but what a way to go But i can't really afford it.

 

i wish my wife would at least learn to drive a 5 speed... you lucky ********! lol