2001/2002 Neon R/T / ACR

[domesticdude]

hey whats up? i have a 2001 Neon R/T and I love it. The only thing I've done to it is put an Infinity Basslink in the back, and it adds a lot of bass to the already sweet factory system. I'm curious as to what performance mods other R/T / ACR owners have on their cars because I can't find that many except on www.modernperformance.com and a few other websites and believe me, I've looked. Im hoping that in 3 years when my warranty runs out there will be some nice mods. Personally, I'm hoping Mopar comes out with a turbo kit after the SRT4 comes out. Othat than that, anybody been in any races (kicking ricer a**)? I can't wait to race my friend's 2002 VW GTI, actually I cant wait for him to be stairing at my dual exhaust as I blow by him . :sun:

Peace Out!

[KatWoman]

Welcome! Since the 2nd gen Neon is still pretty new, it may be awhile yet before more aftermarket parts come out for it. Another site you can check www.howellautomotive.com They do a lot of Neon parts too and probably more for the first gen. www.nopi.com may be good too.

Mine's pretty much some show no go. I had plans for NOS and possibly a custom made turbo system (from a friend's Neon) but a motor blowing on me 2 years ago kinda humbled me and I scrapped alot of plans. I just did a few simple things and just cruise it gently. My fiance Alex and I are going to start rebuilding the stereo system this weekend.

What other plans do you have?

[domesticdude]

Hey thanks for the info. Well all my plans are long-term - I don't want to void the warranty so thats 2 years and 8 months, unless Mopar releases some nice mods and they don't void the warranty . I was thinking about rims (I don't have the black rims), but they cost too much $$ so I was thinking if it was possible to paint the rims myself? The mod I most want to do is add a turbo kit with intercooler to get some serious hp but I havn't found any info on how much the neon's stock internals can handle and what it would cost for the turbo and all necessary parts. I'm looking to spend at most $5000, maybe up to $6000 if I know its worth it. I have a few more basic questions about turbo:

[KatWoman]

Unfortunately I don't know much about turbos...except that they make your car go really fast . The one I was gonna get was custom made by a friend....he designed it himself then had someone build it. It was awesome, but then he returned his neon to stock to sell, and since I didn't want the turbo afterall, it went to someone else. The forum on www.neons.org and www.modernmopars.org are very good sources for Neon info. Lots of people on neons.org are into performance/racing and could answer tons of questions.

I dunno how well paint would stick to wheels, but powdercoating is excellent. Pricing may depend on where you are at, but I spent about $330 to get my wheels (see sig pic or my website) done in silver...the were gun metal grey when they were on Alex's Neon.

[domesticdude]

Cool! I got a lot of good info on those websites, thanks so much. I still have a few basic turbo questions though. Does turbo shorten your engine's life? Does turbo reduce gas milage? Do you have to get a new fuel injection system / computer chip? Sorry for all the questions, but I would like to know all about something before I lay down $5000 for it
BTW does anybody know of any good car performance shops in the Northern Virginia area?

Keep it real Neon lovers!

[KatWoman]

Oh...one more site too I forgot about... www.cnnpracing.com

I imagine a turbo will shorten the life of your engine for sure if you don't maintain the car and stay on top of things. For your engine to perform and depending on what kind of set up you do, you may have to do internal mods. You are adding alot more power, which makes the engine work harder , and the harder you are on an engine the shorter its life will be. There are several "stages" of turbo you can do, but you would have to research that yourself as I have never personally delved into it myself....wanted one yes, researched no. As for gas mileage, if you drive the car normally most of the time it shouldn't effect it too much. I have a few bolt ons that added a little performance but have not noticed a mileage difference unless I really romp on my car, and that for me is rare these days. I just enjoy cruising it. I have a NOS kit still sitting next to my bookshelf and sometimes wish to put it in, but then change my mind after that one scene in F&F "NOS!!!!!!" KA-BOOM

[domesticdude]

Cool, that site has a lot of info, but I didnt find any turbo stuff I think I've settled on a Hahn Stage II but I'm not sure when it is coming out for the 2nd gen Neon, does anybody know? And on one website it had an engine kit listed for $1000, do I need this? Does anybody have a Hahn turbo in their 1st gen Neon? Thanks for all your help!

[Santonucci]

A turbo will indeed kill your stock motor with almost no trouble at all if tuned incorrectly. Azizi at TTI Racing is pushing his project Neon to the limits with stock internals and a turbo on a 1st gen...so far he's managed to push it to 12psi...I dunno what he's running at right now.

If you're going to turbo your car, better do the mods so it won't kill it.

I'm unsure if Forged Turbo pistons are available for the second gen neons yet....

I wasn't even aware of a turbo available for the 2k neons....
however...if you don't really need the car, then go ahead and turbo it...
remember...in essense..a turbo makes that little engine think it's bigger then it really is....unless properly prepared...only bad things can come of that.

And yes, your fuel mileage will suffer as a result. This I can almost promise you.

[rrmike1]

No offense, but that's kind of extreme. Stock internals(on almost every car) will handle a light pressure turbocharger(5-7 psi) without any difficulty. Hahn Racecraft turbosystems have been doing just this for 5 years now. The 420A motor will handle about 250+ bhp without changing the internals.
Now, if you want to get a little crazy and go for Stage II w/an Intercooler and upwards of 10 psi of boost, then I would definately recommend a set of J/E 8.6:1 pistons(Or, a layered decompression gasket)
I'm looking to turbocharge my '02 R/T and i've done a lot of research on the subject. Unfortunately, Hahn does not have a system to fit my car, yet. I'm only looking for around 200bhp, so i'm just going to put a Stage I system on(when it becomes available)

RRMike1

:smoka:

[synergyneon]

i was at the detroit auto show and mopar does have some turbo kits coming out, you might want to check the mopar website or a dealer in your area. the kits will probably be alot easier to get a hold of when the srt4 is released

[rrmike1]

I thought they might come out with a kit in the wake of the SRT-4.
I guess, either way, i'm going to have to wait for a kit. Maybe by then i'll have enough for a Stage II kit and a bottom end redo....ooops...now i'm gettin' crazy.....


Thanks,
RRMike1