What rpm should one use to launch a 2000 Dodge Neon. like say at a drag strip, without hurting the car?

 

Manual or automatic?

 

if an auto..i launch my RT around 2100 rpm...thats as high as the TC will allow...in the mirada...around 3300...but tis built...
in the sebring, 2.0L 5 speed...i launched around 2500rpm..sometimes higher...but wheelspin varied...

 

Yeah. If a manual, you can get better times by not letting the clutch fly at a certain RPM and having tires spin/engine stall problems. It's something that takes some time to get good at, but you can learn to slip the clutch of the line. this is far more effective than letting it rip at "X" RPm's.

 

LIke they said it depends. I used to launch mine at about 4500 before I was modded and I got light wheel spin off the line and then it hooked. Now that I'm modded I launch at 1500-2000 and I get wheel spin off the line and then I spin my tires all the way through the next two gears. It doesn't make for good 60 ft times. I hope with my new tires I'll be able to get my 60fts down and get better times. Just try different things until you find one that works for you.

 

I was referring to the manual transmission?

 

sxt you spin all the way thru 3rd? that must be some crazy mods you got!? my modded stage 2 srt doesnt even do that wot shifting! that car must be silly!

 

I stop spinning once I hit 3rd....but seriously....I've spun through 1st and 2nd. Its my tires that suck....not because I'm making insane power. I just got new wheels and tires...I still spin them off the line but they hook much faster and no more spinning through 1st and 2nd anymore.

 

You also have to consider that he has narrower tires that are normal all season tires and does not have a LSD, the SRT-4 has wider stickier tires and a LSD. I use to spin the **** out of my tire like that in my '99 R/T, even after I put wider stickier tires on it.

 

Yes, most definitely. I went from a 185 to a 205....from an all season tire to an ultra high performance tire. Grip is much better now.