My first exposure to the SRT-4 was at the 2002 Chicago Auto Show. I was immediately hooked but didn't believe Dodge would pull it off. In June of '03 I was in the market for a new car and had decided on a Neon RT when the dealership called and said they had taken delivery on an unclaimed black SRT-4. I left work immediately and purchased the car. 2 years and 50k miles later I still love the car. I commute to work 60 hwy miles a day round trip. With all the great mods available I have decided it's time to enhance my ride. I recently stumbled on Dodge Forum and have found the information invaluable.

First question. Looking back, this may have been a bad idea, but I purchased the maintenance plan with 1 year free oil changes. The dealership went back and forth (every 3000 miles) between crude (turbo approved) and synthetic oil, finally settling on the turbo approved. At 50k should I stick with the turbo approved oil or switch to synthetic?

I purchased a Mopar Stage 1, BOV, STS, and 2 pod A pillar with SRT oil and water temp gauges (the dealership said I'll have to paint the black A pillar to match my interior). I'm also going to install the $20 OCC on the pcv side (the dealership could never explain the front end oil leak and black exhausts). Should I install the other OCC, a CAI, and K&N air filter? Anything else I should consider? I don't take my car to the track but like smokin' the wannabees.

Although it seems like I've been ripping the dealership they have done service work free of charge. After my check engine light kept coming on at 42k they replaced the plug wires and #4 valves under warranty. I plan to install everything by myself except the Stage 1. And I plan to purchase the limited slip within a year. Any suggestions/recommendations would be appreciated.

 

You will get a lot of different answers, but one thing is for sure - this car loves mods.

Here's One list - I can say that it makes me happy, and the "wannabe's" very unhappy:

Done:
Part Cost
Shift ****-modern $55.00
BOV-mopar $70.00
Intake-aem cold air $160.00
Headlights-piaa super white $90.00
Foglights-euro super white $30.00
Parking Lights-silverstars $30.00
Dome Light-blue $10.00
Decal-you've just been punked by a neon $10.00
GT2 $200.00
Clear Corners $40.00
STB-dc $90.00
Spark Plug Wires-msd $52.00
Motor Mount Inserts-prothane $32.00
Stage 2 w/toys $1,500.00
Rear STB-dc $90.00
Clear 3RD Brake $40.00
NGK Plugs $15.00
Mopar/Borla Exhaust $350.00
Short Shifter w/booger bushings $120.00
Mopar Tail Lights $200.00
Mesh Grilles $50.00
2 catch cans $50.00
Crank Case Breather $15.00
26mm Front sway Bar $55.00
19mm ACR Rear Sway $35.00
Mopar rear Tension struts $45.00
3" downpipe w/interch. Race pipe/high flow magnaflow cat $355.00
BlizzaK lm-25 snow tires-for winter(duh) $758.00
Sport Compound Brake Pads-hawk hps $121.00
Stainless Front Brake lines - Stoptech $98.00
lorenzo 60mm Throttle body and 60 mm plate $369.00


Future mods:
Clutch $550.00
Sport rotors (rotora - 280)(sp diamond slot - 200)(powerslot - 320 for all 4) $350.00
-maybe
coilovers or springs and tocico 5 way struts (1899 or 800) $1,900.00
Stage 3r upgrade (2600) $2,600.00
Tranny mount $100.00
window tint $200.00
wheels and tires $1,800.00
180 degree thermostat (20) $20.00
Carbon hood (500) $500.00
Carbon trunk (450) $450.00
Sparco b pillar crossbar with upright supports $380.00
4 point harnesses $120.00
coolant overflow tank for intercooler sprayer. $55.00
stainless steel brake lines $150.00
Fmic and hardpipes $1,000.00
drag wheels and tires $1,300.00
grounding kit $35.00
valve cover - either pinted or wrinkle coat $130.00

There are many other viable options, I chose what I did for both reliability and performance/driveability reasons. The results are excellent so far.

 

damn...you need to shop around on some of those parts...the pices are out of control!!!

you can check my mod list on my cardomain site, the link is in my sig. i don't really feel like typing it all out

here's some more info....domestic tuners

 

thx....looks like this will be an ongoing and fun project.

any thoughts on type of oil?

 

Aside from the piaa's, which I noticed I may have put 20$ high everything includes shipping, and I think the prices are pretty accurate for the done list. The future list is a future list so I don't know what those prices are exactly and I personally like to shoot high. If I spend less = more stuff I can buy.

BTW - how'd you ge the maxxfab for 250?

 

Good old Mobil1 synthetic 10w30 works for me.

Royal purple is better but I am still under warranty so I don't want to go with different colors.

 

Same here.. i would like some Royal Purple, but they dont ship to APO's[&o]

 

Switch to Mobil 1 synthetic, it's far better than regular oil and the manufacturer recommends it. As far as mods go, I highly suggest the K & N Typhoon CAI, Prothane race motor mount inserts, MSD Super Conductor plug wires, Mopar/Borla exhaust and the other OCC if you get a CAI. These are a few good mods that will also support your other mods.

 

i just picked up my mopar mods from the dealer. my STS shipped in a plain cardboard box without install instructions. my mopar srt oil pressure and volt gauge were boxed with generic wiring instruction paperwork. any suggestions on locating detailed installation instructions? I want to do the installs but don't want to hunt for the wiring harnesses and risk shorting out the stock wiring! the dealership provided a 1-800 number for a srt-4 service manual??

 

Short Throw Shifter: (with pictures)
http://www.dodge-srt4.com/howto/sts.html
http://www.srtforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8700

And I can't seem to find the Oil pressure/Volt gauge install ones. Hope the Mopar STS one helps though. Sorry I couldnt find the others.