Hey all you fellow neon lovers! I'm new and want to know if anyone has some advice on making my neon go faster! My '01 has a K&N cai as well as a magnaflow exhaust. I love the smoothness and responsiveness but still feel like something is missing. I've heard that speed chips and engine controllers can make a big difference, but what about high flow intake manifolds? Do they really make a difference? Also, does anyone have any suggestions on suspension upgrades? The stock suspension is all right but I'm interested in tweeking it a bit. Thanks for the help!

 

You should check out the post in this forum "How do I make my 2nd Gen Faster"

Your on a good track with the CAI and New Exhaust (which is it btw?). 2nd gens dont have the good option of being able to find an easy upgrade for the speed chip. You can send it in to be reprogrammed but im still getting specs and looking up places to do that. All of whom require the car to be at the garage for optimum tuning.

High intake manifolds are very nice if you know what your doing. Yes, they do make a big difference. Suspension upgrades... a cheap modification for what its worth are some strut bars for front and rear. If you have got the money, you can also get some newer springs (possibly lowering springs) and new struts to go on the car for better handling and performance. You could also look into some motor mounts for better control and handling, not to mention making sure all the HP you can get, to your wheels.

there is a lot more you can do but that is a great start. Good luck with your neon and give us some pics!

 

It's hard to find inspiration in a world that has been slow to change it's views on neons, thanks for your input. I want to do so much I don't know where to begin but I think my next project will be the suspension.

Btw, I have a Magnaflow muffler and tip that are in NO WAY as obnoxious as some of the imports I hear driving around town. Am I alone in thinking that Hondas, etc are OVERRATED?? I LOVE the way my car sounds, it is loud but it sounds like it's purring rather than a john deere riding mower.

 

Id say get a bigger throttle body, MPX /unorthodox underdrive pully, mopar PCM, magnecore wires, ngk iridium plugs, walbro fuelpump, bigger fuel rail, AIRMASS or long tube header...BTW AIRMASS is made by magnaflow and sounds great together, Extrude hone intake, Most or all of which can be found on Modern performance.com...you can get quite a few ponies and better throttle response from these simple add ons. If you got an automatic buy a valve body from pa racing, which is sold on modern as well. If you have a manual then get a good racing clutch and maybe upgrade to a Limited Slip Differential which can be bought through MP as well. Have fun with er. Good luck

 

I don't really know if this is true but I've heard that auto trannies have slightly bigger throttle bodies than manuals. I haven't checked this out so I can't say for sure. Is there a recommended bore size for the tb? Also is it possible to supercharge or turbofi an '01?

BTW about how much hp can you get out of some of these mod's you suggest? thanks for all you advice!

 

yes, the auto throttlebody is 52mm while the stock manual TB is 49mm. Swapping the Auto TB into the manual would be a benefit, though you need to make sure that you transfer the sensor from the manual TB to the new TB. Optionally, you could have your current TB bored out to 55mm, or even 57mm without sacrificing the integrity of the outside wall. You can get a used TB from an ATX from a junkyard or pick-part. Has anyone done this swap? If so, how great a gain would this be over the stock?

To answer your second question, yes, it is possible to turbocharge the Neon, talk to the guys at www.howellautomotive.com for possible turbo options. I'm looking at one myself.

 

A bigger TB will help a little, but don't expect any major changes untill you start to do other mods

 

Remember that every mod is beneficial to another.