a good friend of mine just bought that new neon (srt-4). After laughing at him for a couple hours he took me for a ride. It was pretty impressive but I did not think that 4banger could beat my mustang. Good thing it did'nt, but odly enough it was very close. I have not DYNO'd yet but with all of the mods on my car I would guess anywhere from 295-310 bhp.
I know I dont have the slowest or the fastest mustang out there, but if you run slower than a 13.8, you might be hesitant to race one. I learned that with the right mods (stage 1, WGA, downpipe) these cars can get in the high 13's for much less than a grand in aftermarket parts. But by all means, it is pretty funny to laugh at them. the design team at mopar who makes the rear wing could possibly also design chin up bars, or modern towel racks.
All in all it was a fun race, and a new reason to get a blower. just in case
if anyone needs to do some chin-ups or has any wet towels that need to be dried, let me know, my friend is usually not busy. Or if you have any good kill stories, post them.
Posts: 802
Joined: 7/17/2003 From: United States Status: offline
Do you guys think they'll be like the older ones and fall apart before 100,000 miles? there pretty quick though...how many car lengths did you put on him?
Posts: 2045
Joined: 5/22/2003 From: Newport News, Va Status: offline
Redline.... do some research and you'll be amazed. i almost ordered one in january when i was in korea, they are very impressive machines. hardly a stock part is from a regular neon, they built a new powertrain from scratch. and of course it should be common knowledge that when dodge decides to compete by building a serious machine, look what happens. remember what happened back in the 60's? the charger daytona got them KICKED OFF the nascar circuit for being too fast. the viper has been a bad mother f**ker and gets badder every year. the SRT-4 was meant to whip on cars in it's class, with superior quality and performance, and it does just that. and it was one guys idea developed and laid out in front of the company bigshots that made it happen.
Dan, do you know everything? The srt-4 can't "wax" me from a roll. If you say it may beat me with a roll, thats more like it, but don't try to put "two car lengths" in everyones mind, cause it won't happen. Just because its a new edition doesn't mean it can beat everything on the road. Just ask 350 Z owners! lol... If you start from the green light, it would be no problem because you gotta wind that car up first, I drove one,... remember?? I understand it can get to 60 in the mid 5's , but I could do that the day I drove mine home stock> I feel better now, time for bed. C-ya
Posts: 2045
Joined: 5/22/2003 From: Newport News, Va Status: offline
why not jugador? the motor is completely forged, and made of high quality materials. like alot of the newer engines using forced induction, 03 cobra, WRX lancer EVO etc... the stock motors are built very well and can handle substantial amounts of power. you will see, an iv'e said before if you would do some research and read about them, you'd find out just how well built they really are.
of course, considering that it is a high performance 4 banger.
off a roll I was waxed by him today. we raced from a 50, a 65 and a 75. I was owned each time. We did this on the way to the milan DTS test and tune ( that is our local drag strip, you may have seen it on speedvision/speed chanel) But at any time off of a roll, he can't contact the pavement. so I get the advantage. both of our quarter mile times are at the same speed (107mph).
But I am sorry to say, the something failed today and his turbo broke. He went from 15psi to 10. It was a sad site. He has only had the car for three weeks and now it's barely even capable of matching a 305.
Anyone who has been in the game long enough comes across a problem with there machine, but in this case, I blame dodge. The car is three weeks old and can't even do whats advertised anymore. But we all have the satisfaction of knowing that we can take those things in any turn. They are only a forward car, not too much has been put into suspention.
Posts: 2045
Joined: 5/22/2003 From: Newport News, Va Status: offline
well if he broke it that fast he probably didn't even break it in properly, anytime you take a car off the lot and run the s**t out of it right away your gonna take a big chance at messing it up. maybe it was a freak incident? maybe this will be a weakpoint for dodge using the TD04 at such a high boost. maybe we'll see a recall for it. find out what happened, and let us all know if it's isolated, or a potential problem with this car.
(note this is a turbo problem and not the motor itself)
Posts: 8
Joined: 10/16/2003 From: United States Status: offline
im the srt owner. im not on here to start a flame war. it makes me mad that people say its just a neon. ok it has the same body but alot of newer parts than the regular neon. so you guys have a base mustang coupe with different parts on it. I look at it this way, i paid less money and got alot more bang for the buck. i compared my srt-4 vs a mustang gt and i couldnt see spending $4,000 dollars for what? a v-8? i am a ford fan over dodge anyday, but ford doesnt offer anything that im looking for right now. their focus is terrible, and the svt focus is a joke. dont get me wrong i love the mustang. if i had the choice i would have taken a lizstick red s281e. one of the most beautiful cars ive ever seen. plus you cant top the sound of a mustang with flowmasters, and an x-pipe. i could not afford the insurance, or cant afford a mustang and a winter car.
just be careful when you see an srt-4. you might want to think twice about racing them. there has been quite a few people who are running 13.8's stock. with just a few parts are knocking on 12's door. our main problem is traction. so as long as we have the launching down right we can yield some great times on the track. btw there was nothing wrong with the car. my computer sent a code for having too much partial throttle boost. so up next for the goodies will be stage 1, or stage 2 if i have the money. my mods are aem intake, agp wastegate actuator (reason for throwing that code) and the mopar bov. with a good launch and stage 1 low 13's will be no problem. if you guys dont believe me about the times just check out www.srtforums.com hope i could clear some misinformation up
Posts: 108
Joined: 6/2/2003 From: United States Status: offline
HOLY STREET SLICKS BATMAN!!!!! I didnt think they ran that good on the track. That is pretty damn impressive. I think dodge would see many more buyers if they applied an AWD system to these 'lil rockets. Maybe get them into WRC if they arent already???
The SRT-4 owner prolly just has a boost leak or something. When a turbo goes, it doesn't just loose 5 psi, it doesn't get any boost.
The turbo used on that car can handle 15psi for many years. Not too many new turbo owners know that you have to warm up the car before using the turbo, and that you have to let the turbo cool down before turning a car off. Not doing this will kill a turbo in no time at all.
The guy migh have a dammaged hose, or IC or something. Or his wastgate is not closing all the way. Who knows. Just don't blaim the turbo
Posts: 8826
Joined: 9/2/2003 From: United States Status: offline
15 pound of boost! Hell give a stock stang 15lbs of boost and forged internals for it and you'll see 500+ hp at the wheels! Well, at any rate, neons were always quick for their class and cheap too. They had tons of quality problems in the past and that will be hard to overcome until time passes and you guys get some miles racked up. Every manufacturer has their demons, and with neons it was the poor quality body and chassis, as well as headgasket problems. Yes its impressive that you can get a 15# turbo with forged internals in a car for that price, but you gotta think for a second... at what cost? What is Dodge skimping on to get you that kind of stuff and still sell it for that price? Hey Im not saying those cars arent quick, but what I can say is that for the 4k extra you say I wasted on my GT (you said bang for the buck actually), mine will be running long after yours is sitting in a salvage yard getting what good parts are left stolen off it.
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2000GT vs. SRT-4 (neon) - 
