Hello everyone! I am in the research stage of fixing up my 2005 dodge neon sxt (automatic trans) and I have a lot of questions. I would like to get some of your opinions on what I've been thinking of doing. First of all 17" or 18" rims? I was told that a 18 would fit with a 215/35/18 but i'm not so sure. I like the K & N typhoon cold air intake, does anyone know of a better one? Also is short ram better than cold air? I have a guy that will do my cat back exhaust with 2.5" piping made by magnaflow for $250.00 installed. Will this give me the best results (HP)? Then I saw the Nology web site and was interested in trying them, but I read that they are a joke. Can anyone elaborate on this. Also what does an underdrive pulley do and how much hp can I expect from changing? Oh and how hard are they to change. I am not very mechanically inclined but I have been wanting to do this to a car for 10 years now. I finally have my chance and I want to do it right. Any recommendations on what I could do that is not real expensive but gives great benefits would help. Oh and one last thing, please check out www.turbonator.com and tell me real deal or joke. I don't know enought about cars to know if this would actually work. Does anyone know where I can find racing style fenders for an 05'. Been looking everywhere but no luck. One last thing I know I am rambling on but like I said I want to do this right. What is a TB and what does it do.... and what if I don't want to lower my car but I want more responsive handling? What can I do?

Thanks!!

 

firstly, I would stick with 17" rims. Anything larger, you're going to start rubbing on the inside wheel well during hard cornering. The K&N, Iceman, Mopar, and AEM CAI's are all pretty much the same. In fact the Mopar is just a rebranded AEM. CAI would be better than a Short Ram simply because it pulls in air from outside the engine compartment while the Short Ram is still inside the engine compartment and is pulling hot air. I would think that you'd have better protection against water with the true CAI because it's being protected by the wheel splashguard and a Short Ram is right behind the front grille.

I'm not too sure on the Nology stuff, I have no experience with it.

An underdrive pulley gives less power to your power steering belt and to your Air Conditioning (if you have it), thus freeing up horsepower. The pulley itself has a smaller diameter and is made of a lightweight alloy making it easier to spin. It doesn't "give" you horsepower, it simply free's it up. This has been estimated to be from 3-5 HP. The installation is quite simple, jack the front end up, pull of the passenger side wheel and you should be able to see it right there. It's just getting the belts on and off that's a bit of a pain. You'll need new belts in doing this installation.

As for the turbonator thing, in theory it works, but from experiences I've heard from people is that the blades are too thin to last for any length of time. Eventually they just break apart and the metal shards get sucked into your engine (not good).

A throttle body is where the fuel and air mix before entering the combustion chambers. An injector sprays gasoline into the throttle body where it mixes with air, the mix then flows through a tube into your fuel injectors which are inside the engine block. That's where combustion occurs and makes the car go vroom. I might be a bit off on the exact workings of this one, but that's the way I understood it. I wouldn't recommend get a larger throttle body until you've had some exhaust work done. Your car can only pull in as much as it can get rid of in a set amount of time.

If you'd like more responsive handling, think about getting a tower strut bar for front and rear. It stiffens your frame and gives it the feeling that your car is riding on rails.

You could check the 2nd gen section. In there will be a section titled "how do I make my 2nd gen faster" There are a few helpful tips there.

 

First rule of neon tuning, NO fart cans.

 

True that highline. The Thing with fartcans is that in general purpose they do more harm then good. A straight through exhaust is one thing, but a fart can was made to make a sound, not to make ponies.

The general start concensus is pretty much as follows:

CAI
Exhaust
Suspension/Fuel (pump, plugs, ignition + wires etc).

essentially going through the list of boltons (your preference), then going to the motor itself, then, as it would turn out, the turbo kits.

Stock engines CAN handle a turbo... i just wouldnt go pushing your luck if you know what I mean...[8D]

Now, on wheel selection... the bigger the heavier. Granted most people seem to care more about looks than sheer performance (which isnt all that bad of a deal if you plan on going for looks over bronze). I wouldnt see anything bigger on a neon THAN 17's or 18's. 18's require modification to your car... between suspension and body fabrication... for me thats too much work to just add weight to the car.

Onto the exhaust, the 2.25 inch piping is excellent for your car. The magna flow is a good brand and good quality exhaust system. And for 250... thats a good deal considering i have only seen the set-up for 443.50 (cheapest). If you go for a turbo... i would suggest doing some miner tuning to your engine (performance pistons etc.). Then going into a stage 1 hahn will be ok for your car.

Now for you... being on a limited budget (as me). It really goes on what you are looking for. Sheer Pony power, performance on the street with power to back it up, looks (aka the awe "omg its pretty" effect), or a balance of all the above.

I would consider your first mods being new CAI and a new exhuast. Being the cheapest and best bang for your buck (me being in your shoes i understand). I have finally got some money in the bank i have been saving for an exhuast myself. After that its up to you on where your going. Give us some details on what your looking for out of your car, then i can throw some suggestions out there.

good luck

 

i recommend the iceman cai when i had it on my neon significant gains at all rpms

 

Dittio, Iceman definantly has the best CAI. 1st gens are a little bit trickier to get a decent CAI setup because of the battery box location, but its definantly a little cheaper if you do it the way I did. I bought a cheapo CAI off ebay and moved the batery box to the back of the engine bay. Spent about 50 bucks or so. Too bad its not that easy on the second gen. But yea Iceman is the best CAI out there for Neon.

 

Ice man is hard to find now for the SXT, they discontinued them so......

I went with the K&N 69-2520TP

I installed it last night and I am already very impressed. I love the sound, and I can tell there is some added power through the mid range. Since I just added it last night I do not have anything to go on for improved M.P.G. yet.

Message me offline and I can tell you where I found mine the cheapest, do not want to post in here and step on any sponsors toes.


=)

 

AEM is the best brand

*runs away and hides