Its my 1st post......and I've looked thru the forums with some level of success. Anyways, I've got a few questions in regards to a few mods that I'm doing to my 04 Neon.

-I've heard that the standard neon engine's bottom end is its weakest link.....and turbo charging it pretty much guarantees that its going to implode. So, without tearing down the engine what mods (in terms of bolt-on.....and maybe a cam swap) can gain me some extra horses. Please remember that this car is in lovely California.....so passing smog will be an issue for this car and also its my commuter so drivability is another. Also, due the the over abundance of parts available......I'm pretty much lost on who/what and where to purchase the parts from.

-I've also searched the forums for answers to this question with some level of an answer.....so here it goes......I also have a full set of SRT-4 wheels and tires that were removed from the car after only 10 miles. I know the rims/tires will not fit on the standard neon since the strut/shocks bottom perch will rub. I spoke to the dealer and got my hands on a set of front and rear struts/shocks from another SRT-4 that the new owner upgraded to a full coil-over kit....the whole thing only has 5 miles on them. I also got my hands on a set of SRT-4 lowering springs to drop the car another 1". After some measuring and looking over it appears that the SRT-4's stuff will fit in without problems on to the neon (I also grabbed the sway bars from the same car). Unfortunately there isn't alot of shops out here that want to swap everything over.....so it looks like I'm going to have to do the change over myself. The main questions is how hard is it to remove the struts from the car? Is there an easy way to decompress the springs (I do have a spring compressor.....I'm just worried that the spring may shatter it)? And, it appears that I need a special tool to loosen/tighten the bolt the strut/shock is assemblied with....is this true? And finally....can the speedo be setup to work with the SRT-4's tire size?

-Last but not least.....how hard is it to remove the side molding (on the doors)? Is there any holes back there? and can I take it off without hurting the paint?

 

as i'm sure many others will hop on and point out, there are no holes behind the molding. i took mine off with a piece of fishing line and patience. to get all the glue residue off i just used a bug and tar wipe that i found at fred meyer. worked like a charm. for the low end question, i've heard the jet chip helps out quite a bit, but i haven't seen any dynos or tried for myself. otherwise... idunno

 

I can only comment on some of the upgrades that will not affect your emissons to the point that you'll fail in California.

You can get a Cold Air Intake from AEM, which is C.A.R.B. exempt, meaning that it will not affect how you perform on an emissions test. You could replace your entire exhaust system to a 2.5" pipe the whole way all the way to a dual exit muffler. It'll help your car breathe better, thus increasing performance. An underdrive pully can free up some horsepower from your power steering and A/C, though your A/C might not blow as cold as it used to.

On the topic of the SRT-4 wheels and their compatibility with the Neon's Speedometer: you won't need to correct the speedometer if the SRT-4 wheels are the same size as your current wheels. However, if they're different by even a little bit, you'll have to get your PCM corrected for the wheel change. Let's say for example that your Neon came with the P185 70R15 tires and the SRT-4 tires are P185 R0R15's. This means that your speedometer will be reading as 4MPH under the speed you're actually travelling.

 

How do you correct your pcm? As far as I know that is not possible. What you can do is get a tire size that will keep the same height as the stock tires.

 

There are many options for performance bolt-ons. You should start with a true CAI, exhuast, plugs, wires, PCM. I don't know about the SRT-4 parts, I don't think they will fit. Both the Hahns and chill factory turbo kits are meant to bolt on to a stock motor and run just fine. I would not put either on a high milage motor, but you should have no problem with them on a stock motor.

 

So far I'm figuring a CAI from AEM, Underdrive pulley, plugs, wires and a header with a hi-flow cat are about the only upgrades I can do that won't effect the car's emissions. I've already upgraded the exhaust using a factory unit from a R/T neon. I've also looked at the JET chip....stage 2 version and was wondering if the chip would work with Cali's emissions or am I out of luck in that regard.

In regards to the tire size on the SRT-4's wheels they are stock rubber ((205-50-17)) and are for sure larger than the stock neon's original tire. I would prefer to use this size over having a plus sized tire since it appears that would be a very thin side wall...plus with the cars stiffer suspension wouldn't exactly be a comfortable commuter. I'm thinking if I can't have the speedo recalibrated......I may have to get a cluster from a SRT-4 (I'm looking thru the forums for that info). I've talked to quite a few people on the suspension mods using SRT parts (also someone who has done the mod) so far and they say without a doubt this will fit.....and it'll also give me a mounting point for a rear sway bar (standard neons don't have one and don't have a provision to mount one).

Thank you Sauceboy......I'll be taking that trim off this weekend

 

Just taking the cluster itself won't fix the problem. I have an SRT4 cluster right now and it reads exactly like my regular neon cluster. The readings are figured somewhere else.....So what I'm saying is if you go with a taller tire your speed won't read right.....

 

you can put a turbo kit onto a car without any internal work done to the bottom end, but you have to run a low lbs of boost, like 6 at most, if you go anymore than that it will blow the engine, but it fyou keep it at a low psi it will not be a problem... the biggest two things you can do to get horse power is CAI and full exhaust.... those are going to be the most affordable and reliable to start with, the CAI and exhaust can be done for fairly cheep!!! the car will not be any less dependable as it was when you pulled it out of the dealership brand new......

 

i might be mistaken but the speedo are made not by wheel size anymore its in the transmission, although i can see how it would be affected by wheel sizes. the springs do not have to be compressed. just take off the whole brake/strut assembly and switch em.