i own a 2000 dodge neon se with a 3spd auto, now can anyone tell me if its worth modifying for racing? yea, the 3 spd is a big disadvantage when it comes to performance, but is there ANY way i can make a 2k automatic neon fast without wasting too much money?

thanks for the help

 

As long as your tranny is in good shape you will gain a lot just with the baisc bolt-ons, and a cam. I would start with that and see where that gets you. If you like what you have stick with just leave the tranny alone (Aside from a tranny cooler and synthetic tranny fluid of course). If you decide after you get all the bolt-ons and a cam that you still need to go faster... Its time to choose so you want to row your own gears or do you want lighting fast and consistent shifts at the track. If want to row your own gears its time to swap for a 5spd which is not to hard to due (a 5spd swap is on the list for project neon due to the fact that the auto is shot). A 5spd should also make your car a bit faster.
If you want the ultimate track machine then I would highy consider these 3 things:
http://www.modernperformance.com/dcx...buildkit.shtml
http://www.modernperformance.com/dcx...xtension.shtml
http://www.modernperformance.com/dcx...mance_vb.shtml
Add all 3 of those along with a big tranny cooler and synthetic tranny fluid and you would have a great race machine (and not to bad of a daily driver) that would be consistent as hell. Which next to reaction time being consistent is most important at the drag strip. Not to mention if you ever decide to go turbo you will have a great advantage over a 5spd. With an auto the turbo doesn't have to spool up after every shift, makeing an auto an idea transmission for any turbo project.

So as for your ? yes it can be worth while its just depends how far you want to go.

 

thanks so i'll go for the turbocharger since the 5spd swap will probably cost a lot more(right?) n cuz of the fact that the auto will have an advantage over the 5spd (which i never knew)

 

If you can do the work yourself a 5spd swap can cost anywhere from 500 to 1000 depending on what the parts cost you. But if you can't do the work add another 500 to 1000 for labor. So yeah a 5spd swap cost more and yes with a turbo a auto will have an advantage.