Hey everyone.

I own a 1998 Neon R/T that's completely stock. Over the last seven years, I've run into very few problems with the car and I'm fairly happy with its performance. There's a few things wrong with it, such as the tach is completely off and the gas gauge stops at 1/8th rather than empty. The biggest problem I have is that when I corner at high speeds, such as a left turn at about 45, I loose power and the engine goes to idle until the turn is complete, and maybe a little bit after. (if anyone knows why please let me know so I can get it fixed)

A few days ago, a person with a Trans Am V8 300HP (I have no idea which model, probably 1996 or so) got extremely pissed when I informed him that the SRT-4 would give him a serious run for his money. This got me thinking about getting an 2004 LSD SRT-4 and moding with a Stage 2 with turbo toys, cold air, new exhaust (with a muffler), clutch, short shift, and a few other performance upgrades to get to around 280 - 300 hp. I figure this might be about 26k - 28k. (let me know if there is more that I need to add please).

Unfortunately, as much as I want this car, I may not be able to afford it, or keep it after I move to Germany or Japan in the next 3 years. Also, after all that moding the fuel economy is going to be horrid compared to another option, the Jetta Diesel, which gets about 45 - 50 MPG. I'm not too worried about insurance, since I'm about to turn 25.

My other real option is to mod my now out of warrenty Neon R/T and squeeze as much as I can out of it with about a 10k - 15k budget. I don't really care about beating this guy on the track, I just want to get into the moding game at a modest price. I realize I'm never going to match the speed of an SRT-4 with an R/T, but since I only need 3 more years or so out of the car, it might be the smart move.

For my R/T, I would be looking at perhaps a 2.4 inline 6 or 4 with a stage 2 turbo and the usual air and exhaust upgrades. I have no idea how much this would cost, but there used to be a site that carried such upgrades. (and I surely don't know how much installation would cost)

So the question is: get a new SRT-4 or mod the hell out of my 98' R/T. I'm fairly sure I could get about 5-7 thousand for my R/T to offset the cost of an SRT-4, so keep that in mind. If anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate the help.

Dokuja

 

Money wise, I'd say stick with the R/T....you'll be spending 26-28K on the SRT-4 verses much less modding your R/T. If you sell the SRT-4 in 3 years, you're going to lose money there as well. And yes, insurance DOES go down once you reach 25, but it will still kick your butt on a SRT-4.

Now, is all you want grins and giggles?.....then the SRT-4 is the way to go!!!!!!!

It's your money and your call..........good luck either way!!!!![sm=smiley20.gif]

 

the only comment about your post is if u do get an srt 4 dont upgrade the cluch.... its already a stage 2 so thats one thing u can mark off the list...

 

my only question is, where the heck are you going to mount an inline 6 in a Neon?

Get the R/T fixed so it is driveable, then add some aftermarket goodies... speed is expensive, no matter how you look at it... to play the game, you gotta pay It's simple really, do you want to buy a fast toy, or build one? I bought my fast toy, it was easier and less of a headache for me... but then again, I can afford to have it and a "daily/winter" driver... so... I have one that is relible and the other is fast... since you say 10k-15k is your budget, the SRT would be a stretch probably??

man, I sound like a dream-killer don't I? sorry, it's late as I type this... the other thing to consider is, do you want to go fast in a straight line, or handle like a *****-#$%*er? an R/T could be set up pretty nice to handle I think...

 

If you can get that kind of money, then you can make your R/T alot faster than an SRT-4. First, find and buy an SRT-4 or PT Turbo's 2.4L Turbo engine, transmission and stronger axles. Now you have an SRT-4 that weighs 500 pounds less. Don't forget to get the AAR Cuda style hood from Howell Automotive to keep the turbo and underhood cooler. Next, get the SRT-4's seats so you can handle it's new found power through the curves. You might as well get the wheels, tires and brakes off of one as well. Sell your old parts to offset some of the costs and buy the upgrades for the SRT-4 engine.

If you want a worry free car though, buy the SRT-4 so that you have the performance with a warranty.

 

Well, I'm much more happy with cutting turns as fast as the car will allow me, rather than going off the line and doing the 1/4 mile. The 5.3 0-60 is sure impressive, but someone mentioned that the SRT is only good in a straight line?

It seems everyone picked up on the fact that I may be out of the country before my SRT payments are done! Oh well. I'm sure if I go to Japan I should save my money for a Skyline (yeah right)

In any case, I had a few questions:
What's the install cost going to be like for the 2.4L Turbo and the axels and such?
Which takes turns better? The 98 style body R/T or the SRT-4?
Where can I buy the 2.4L Turbo engine? (Other than junkyards, is there a store online?)
Other than better tires, larger/wider wheels and suspension, are there ways to incrase the skidpad of the R/T and SRT?
Also, what do you guys reccomend for rims and tires for a Neon R/T to improve my cornering?

I'm going to post some stuff in the Neon forum as well to try and get my car tip top again.

Doku

 

I have no idea man. I saw some modding website in california that claimed they could. :P

Doku

 

okay this is what u do cause all the "cool" kids around here do this.... buy a crappy crx for a grand then buy a decent honda engine and put it in the crapy shell then use your other 6-7 grand on a really big nos bottle and stickers.... and then ull be cool. and itsnt that what everyone wants... sorry that was terrorable advice.. but really 3 years is a long time for me so id want to have something that u would like a lot and enjoy for those 3 years. if u like the r/t then by all means go ahead and put some money in to that. me personally i couldnt see putting $$ in an r/t but hey. but the main thing im looking at is as long as ull be happy for those 3 years then whats some $$$.

 

Hey Gump, some of my fellow police officers spotted your avitar while I was pulling dispatch the other day and wanted me to ask you..."Who IS that girl?"
[sm=smiley36.gif]

 

its carmen electra... i love that pic