I can't say for the average 2004, but my new 2005 would be the same way. BTW, *3rd* gear in the manual tranny is for getting up to 65MPH. They put a tach (and rev limiter) in these cars for a reason. Below 3000 RPM, the Neon engine is a dog... below 2000 RPM is has barely enough torque to keep from stalling. 3rd and 4th are for acceleration... 5th is only for cruising.

If you use the RPMs a bit when accelerating (say in the 2500 to 4000 RPM range) you'll probably find you are getting better mileage. Also have your O2 sensor checked... and/or partially block the radiator when it's cold outside. These cars run a bit cool & I suspect my O2 sensor is flaky. (My mileage has been falling off since it was new... the same symptoms I had w/ my former car when that part was going out.)

 

Damn, the newbie hit the nail righ on the head, that is just about the exact powerband of a stock neon. Good job, and welcome to the site.

 

Yep pretty accurate. I don't remember how my car was stock, but I can actually accelerate in 5th gear on the highway now. 3rd gear has a nice kick when you're already rolling at 70mph.

 

About the same in my 98.

 

I always accelerate in 5th gear everywhere I go. I tend to jump gears to save gas and it's good for me.

 

I generally only use 5th as acrusing gear unless I am on the highway.

 

Been driving my 04 for about 28500 miles and who has time to look at a tach while driving anyway. Unless you have a high mount Monster Tach with shift light (which helps you not look directly at the damn tach anyhow) anyway, If it will not accelerate cleanly from 45 to 70 you may have a problem. I run gears by the book mostly (push it a little) 25 for 1st, 50 for 2nd and 3rd has been to 80. 1st and 2nd have been a bit over that but hey it still was pulling. As for milage you need to take into consideration other variables as in the summer NO AC (Mine did not come equipped) I get 33 frequently and have seen 36 mixed driving. Now in the winter I get no more than 27-28 on a good day. Heat requires fuel. Are you lugging golf bags in the trunk? Are your tires maintained to factory specifications and are you getting gasahol. 15% ethenol has 7% less energy that just gas so it all adds up. Anyway on the same trip you should have done better but still did she use cruise control and you get on and off the gas more than her. Lots of little things add up. But if you have a performance problem with the engine and it is not making proper power then you may indeed be getting poor fuel economy until our issue is resolved.

From what I have seen Neons do not like 5th and below 45 and will pull cleanly from there f not you have an issue, trunk full of dead bodies, have not changed an air filter in forever, electrical mechanical problem such as a sensor dirty fuel injector whatever.

Hope this helpsl

 

I don't even need to look at my tach to know what rpm I'm at. I can tell pretty accurately where I'm at in the powerband. 4,000 rpms is very noticeable. So looking at the tach isn't that important to me either, however I do like the fact that I have one because I do use it. What book are you following because I know the owners manual does not recommend running first out to 25mph or 2nd out to 50 for maximum fuel economy. If you're going that fast in those gears you're running all the way out to probably about 6,000rpms which I know the manual would not recommend for fuel economy. I generally just run mine out to 3,500 rpms in the winter at least. I stay off the gas for the most part since I have the snow tires on and there snow on the road quite often. Ultimately I almost always end up in 5th gear unless I'm going uber slow, under 25mph.

 

back to the original posts...

Keep in mind that a few things changed between '95 and '04. The original rating of 132 HP only applies to the 1995 SOHC. The cam profile was changed in 1996 and the SOHC's lost 4 HP because of it. Then, in 2003, they dropped the compression ratio from 9.8:1 to 9.3:1 in all but the ACR and R/T, losing another 2-3 HP in the process.

Then there's the weight. A base model or ACR in 1995 was coming in around 2350 lbs, and a typical nicely loaded Highline more in the 2450 lb range. By 2004, the SXT is pushing 2650 lbs at least. So you've gone from 17.8 lbs/HP to over 21 lbs/HP. It adds up.

I haven't had any chance to play with the new style computers (also implemented in 2003). But chances are they switch to a default open loop program any time the throttle is more than 80% open (considered wide open) and will run in the 11.5:1 a/f range instead of the closed loop 14.7:1 ideal. So if you are shifting early enough to warrant a decent push to the throttle, that could be having an effect.

Driving without a tach sucks. Mine was stolen and I just haven't had the time to play with the car for a while and put another one in (which oddly is in the toolbox in the back seat). But I know to shift at 15(1st-2nd), 25(2-3), 35(3-4), and 50 mph (4-5) to keep my rpm range in the 2000-3000 range (normal driving around town), with the rev limiters at 30(1st), 60(2nd), 90(3rd), and stupid (yes, it's possible to hit 120 in 4th, but why?...) if I really need the extra power. You might want to play around with some rpm calculators to find out where your sweet spot is.

I get 32-34 in town, and 36-38 with freeway driving, and even better if it's all freeway... The beauty of 1st gens I suppose...

Best of luck!

 

Hmm, I've been shifting at 1,500 - 1,800 RPM since I bought my stupid 2005 Neon.

I think I'm gonna try that 2.5K - 4k RPM trick.


THANKS GUYS!