1. TWIN TURBO SRT 4 ENGINE.
2. THE HISTORY OF THE NEON.
3. Modern Performance F.A.Q. page.
4. JUST PICTURES.

 

                                      
Hello, and welcome to my web page. You're looking at the first 2000 TwinTurbo dodge neon with a srt 4 swap. This car was built by Darrell Cox with his patend automative racing transmission. It has been a very slow progress, but well worth the wait.

 

 For the most part I have founded out it's a wasted of money to buy proformance parts for an 2.0 neon.  The best way to go about this is to do a swap.(http://www.srt-4store.com/index.php?page=swaps)
IF you want more horse power after the swap.(http://www.dcrsrt.com/) This is the best way. 500 horses made easy.

 

NEVER FORGET IT'S JUST A NEON!

 

 

 

  
 

I ALWAYS WANTED A TWO DOOR NEON. THIS PROJECT IS STILL IN THE WORKS.

 

 

Here's my 17" rims before I painted them.

Here's my rims after I painted them.

These are my two, 3" muffles. One from Morso and other is Magna Flow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The small car never lived up to lofty goals of topping Japanese rivals; Dodge sport wagon takes its place.

Hailed a decade ago as Detroit's best shot at beating the Japanese at their own game, the Dodge Neon will quietly go out of production this week, remembered mostly as a little car with big expectations that couldn't deliver on them.

Famously introduced with a simple "Hi" in a 1994 ad campaign, Neon is saying goodbye at a time when the small car segment is becoming more competitive, forcing automakers to rethink the way they reach entry-level car buyers.

DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group will replace the Neon early next year with the Dodge Caliber sport wagon, a vehicle that is more in line with a shift to bigger, more versatile vehicles in the small car market.

Neon's exit from the market is renewing questions about whether Detroit automakers can make a profit building small cars -- an achievement that's especially pressing now that the Big Three are seeing SUV sales weaken and are counting on other vehicles to make up for the lost revenue.

Detroit has produced small car hits such as the Ford Escort and Chevrolet Cavalier, but the Neon is a good example of how the Big Three's focus on trucks and SUVs worked to their detriment in other market segments.

"It was a friendly little car. But it never really had the specs to wow anybody," said Peter Dixon, senior partner at Lippincott Mercer, a brand consulting firm in New York.

That wasn't the case when the Neon first came out.

Few vehicles from Detroit have enjoyed the promotion and praise that attended the arrival of the Neon in February 1994. In cover stories at the time, the Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek magazine called the Neon the first legitimate U.S. contender in years to the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. A likeable ad campaign, showing a white Neon facing into the camera and saying "Hi," also endeared the car to thousands of American families.

But all the exposure may have created unrealistic expectations for the car, said Tom Libby, an analyst with J.D. Power and Associates' Power Information Network.

"If they had had a history of being strong in that segment, I think it would have been easier. But they didn't.
With Neon, Chrysler carried the hope of the U.S. auto industry that Detroit could win back ground lost to Asian rivals. Chrysler even developed right-hand drive versions for Japan, prompting fear in the Japanese press that Neon would be a "Japan car killer."

But neither happened. "That may have been idealistic thinking," Libby said.

The Neon, initially sold under the Dodge and Plymouth brands before Plymouth was phased out in 2001, replaced the Dodge Shadow and Plymouth Sundance. It did well early on -- posting sales of 240,000 in its first full year on the market -- despite three embarrassing recalls shortly after its introduction.

"I didn't expect it to be perfect," said Greg Croft, 30, an information systems analyst in Frazier who bought a first generation Neon that was recalled for a leaky head gasket. "It was a $13,000 car."

Pitched as an economy car with better standard safety features and a bigger engine than competitors, Neon sales peaked at 245,000 in 1996 but have been on the decline since.

The car's image also has suffered along the way. Once seen as sprightly and cute, the Neon grew to be viewed as cartoonish and ultimately uncool -- an idea that wasn't helped by its prevalence in rental car fleets.

The baggage around the Neon name became so bad that in 2003, when Chrysler debuted a high-performance SRT-4 version of the car, it dropped the Neon name altogether in promotions.

"What I'll say about Neon is that we didn't really follow the trends in that segment very well," said Joe Eberhardt, Chrysler's executive vice president of marketing. While other automakers were improving interiors and increasing the size of their small cars, the Neon hardly grew from its original design, he said.

"Honestly, we've not focused on (the small car) segment of the market as much as we did trucks and SUVs," he acknowledged.

Chrysler is banking on bigger things with the Dodge Caliber. The small wagon, which is similar in size to the Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix, fits in with a trend toward larger and better-equipped vehicles in the small car category. It will feature a highly flexible interior and a family of peppy and fuel-efficient engine options and will be built at a factory in Belvidere, Ill., which is undergoing a $419 million renovation this fall so that the Caliber will be available by early spring.

The Neon will have its swan song at the Belvidere plant on Friday, when the last model is scheduled to roll off the line.

 

It will be an emotional day for Kelly Brookhart, 23, of Ridge, Md., who has a 1999 Neon and feels a connection with other Neon owners.

"The people who own Neons are like a family," she said. "They have something about them that makes them special." It's kind of a loveable underdog mentality that attracts a certain breed of buyer, she said.

But just because the car is going away, that doesn't mean its following among enthusiasts will fade.

"Those that are loyal still will be loyal," said Tim Kish, 31, who owns three Dodge Neons, including a spruced-up show car and a modified drag racer. He said Neon's exit could make his collection more valuable, but it may take a while to get past the idea of there being no Neon on the market.

"It will be a hurt to us," said Kish, speaking for the Neon enthusiast crowd. "But I'll move on. I'll try to accept it."

You can reach Brett Clanton at (313) 222-2612 or bclanton@detnews.com
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Differences between 03/04/05 SRT-4’s

For 2003 Dodge released the 2003 SRT-4 and it was known to have 215 hp and 240 torque. For 2004 Dodge quoted 230 and 250 torque. Does this mean the 2004’s had more power than the
2003’s ? On paper yes, in the real world no. It was very obvious to everyone when magazines started testing the SRT-4 on dynos and got on average 220-230 hp and 230-240 torque that the horsepower numbers were way underrated by Dodge. So, on paper, Dodge rated the numbers higher to state the hp and torque numbers a little closer to the real world power numbers. Are the power numbers accurate now ? We don’t think so, taking into account the 10 – 15% drive train loss between the engine and the wheels the correct hp figures should be closer to 250-255 hp and 260-270 torque at the engine. In our opinion Dodge rates these figures low so that SRT-4 owners don’t have to pay super high insurance rates.

Engine wise, the motor is pretty much the same between the 03 and 04 other than the PCV valve being designed. The 04 now comes with the Quaife limited slip differential (LSD) and the 04 comes with larger injectors (aka the stage 1 mopar injectors) compared to the 03.
Dyno results between the 03 and 04 show they provide relatively the same power levels.

Turbocharger

The factory turbocharger in our opinion can provide close to 350 hp, or about 320 hp to the wheels at higher boost levels and with bolt on modifications. Therefore, for most people the factory turbo setup can provide plenty of power, fast spool up and plenty of torque to get around at any RPM.

We have found that the peak RPM efficiency for the stock turbo seems to be about 18-19 PSI. At any higher boost level you'll increase torque, but at a lower RPM where the turbo is not maxed out efficiency wise. For example, a car with fairly good modifications and higher boost levels will put out somewhere around 280 and 300 lbs of torque with intake, exhaust, boost controller, front mount intercooler and stage 1 at 18 PSI. At say 21 PSI, you may have close to 280 hp and 320 lbs of torque. You may think to yourself, but I've gained 20 lbs of torque ! But, the real result is that the 20 lbs of torque is at 3500-3800 RPMs where the turbo at higher boost levels can create more power. But at 5500 RPMs or so the turbocharger is out of efficiency and will create the same numbers, maybe less as it can't push any more air through the housing. Some SRT-4 owners who have a high level of boost will tell you that they have 310 hp and 360 lbs of torque. But the problem with those super high numbers, is if they are using a stock turbo , more than likely the power is below 4000 RPMs, which is nice, but isn’t really useful for racing where you spend most of your time between 4500-6000RPMs. Its best to tune your car performance wise so you have peak power at 5000 – 5500 RPMs instead of having huge numbers that wont help much at 3800 RPMs.

If you still want more than 320 hp or so at the wheels, you'll more than likely going to have to go to a larger turbo unit. Doing that generally means the point where the turbo reaches full boost will be at a higher RPM, and that you'll have even more power at the wheels to create even more wheel spin to fight with.

Blow off valve (BOV)

To quickly summarize why turbocharged SRT-4’s have blow off valves – the turbochargers internal fins spin at nearly 30-50,000 RPMs. When the turbocharger is building full boost, it continues to build boost after you release the throttle. Therefore, when the turbocharger is pressurizing the engine and you release the boost, the throttle body closes and the air that the turbo is pressurizing rushes to the blow off valve. Without the blow off valve, the air that’s coming from the turbocharger will ram into the throttle body that’s closed and then rush back into the spinning wheels of the turbocharger. That can cause damage to the throttle body and to the turbochargers compressor fins. So, when you release the throttle to either come to a stop or if you are changing gears the blow off valve opens by a vacuum signal connected to either the intake manifold or the turbo and releases the compressed air into the atmosphere.

Now, regarding the SRT-4 blow off valve, the stock blow off valve is built into the turbocharger manifold and is very quiet, and hard to see in the engine bay. That’s why some SRT-4 owners who have never owned a turbocharged vehicle before, who expect to hear a loud whish between shifts or don’t see a blow off valve may at first think their car doesn’t have a blow off valve. The factory has done a great job at minimizing the BOV “whoosh” noise by designing an air intake system that’s very quiet.

So, now that you own a turbocharged vehicle you may be thinking to yourself, do I need an aftermarket blow off valve ? Here's the answer to your question.
Do you plan on going to a higher boost level ?
Do you want to have the “whoosh” noise between gears or when you release the throttle ?

If you answered yes to either of these questions, then a aftermarket blow off valve will work fine for you. You'll find the aftermarket BOV is really important when you start running higher boost pressures as the stock BOV does not have a strong enough spring to keep it closed at higher boost pressures. Therefore, if you use the factory BOV with higher boost pressures (ie, 18PSI or so) youll notice that the boost pressure will fluctuate and your power levels will not be smooth on the dyno as the stock BOV will open and close repeatedly with higher boost. A aftermarket BOV like the Hks BOV, TurboXS, or GReddy BOV can hold boost pressures up to 35-40 PSI, therefore being the only BOV youll need for the life of your car.

Just to let you know, the Mopar BOV conversion piece that we sell for about $70 is a plate that mounts under your stock BOV, and channels the air through the plate. Therefore it makes a traditional aftermarket BOV but at a much cheaper cost. Please do not confuse this piece with a aftermarket BOV piece, as it still uses your stock BOV, and so if you plan on running higher boost levels youll still have a basic stock BOV if you install this piece and it will still open under higher boost levels. Therefore, the mopar BOV piece is great if you are running below 18PSI or so but if you plan on going higher or are at a higher boost level you should get one of the Hks, GReddy or TurboXS BOV.

Also, whenever you install a aftermarket intake system on your SRT-4, especially the aluminum tube types, they will generally resonate the noises from the factory BOV much more. You'll hear a slight fluttering noise whenever you release the throttle under low boost, and you'll hear more of the BOV whoosh whenever your in positive boost pressure or switching gears fast under boost. So don’t be alarmed if you install an intake system and you hear more of the BOV flutter or whoosh noises afterwards. Its normal.

Exhaust

First lets talk about the overall exhaust system. Just after the turbocharger you have a 14 inch section of exhaust that’s called the 02 housing. It houses the first 02 sensor that is used to monitor the engine. Then after that, the factory down pipe is the next section of pipe that has the catalytic converter. Then after that you have what's called the B pipe that takes the exhaust to the rear and then over the rear axle to the split section and to the two tips.

There are a lot of options for exhausts for the SRT-4 . You can get 2.5 inch, 3 inch, cat back sections and turbo back sections, ones with muffler and ones without. Which one should you choose ?
Just like the blow off valve aBOVe, it depends on what your plans are and what you want.
The exhausts with mufflers are generally very quiet and can even be quieter than the factory exhaust tone. The complete turbo back exhausts are less restrictive and therefore are great if you want the best exhaust you can get. The 3 inch exhausts are superior to the 2.5 inch as there is less restriction than the 2.5 inch exhaust. If you plan on having less than 300 hp and don’t want much more power than the factory provided then the turbo back systems will generally work very well for you. If you want the best you can get, or if you have plans of going over 300 hp then its generally best to go with the 3 inch exhaust.

Some of the more serious exhausts we carry are offered with or without catalytic converter down pipes. If you are wanting the most power you can get, you can get a down pipe without catalytic converter for no restriction and fastest spool up available. If you are driving the car on the street and are subject to emissions then you should get a down pipe with catalytic converter. Generally the down pipes without cats don’t give much more power than the ones with so there's not too much benefit going without a catalytic converter.

Intake
There's basically two different variants of intakes. There are short ram intakes, cold air intakes, and these vary in size from 2.5 to 3 inches. Most of the short ram intakes we carry are a good improvement over the stock air box, but the cold air intakes that get air from outside the engine bay give greater performance over the short rams. Generally the smaller intakes work great with cars a few modifications but cars with higher boost levels work great with larger diameter intakes.

Boost controllers
If you want to increase the boost level of your car to gain power and you already have intake and exhaust installed then you should get a boost controller. Increasing the boost on a turbocharged car is generally the easiest way to get more power.

There are two methods of controlling boost. One is mechanically and the second way is electronic. Mechanical boost controllers are usually the cheaper of the two and cost anywhere from $50 - $250 and electronic boost controllers are usually $300 - $600. Mechanical boost controllers are a great way to cheaply control boost but they are inferior to electronic boost controllers in two ways. First, if you want to adjust the boost level of your car and you have a mechanical boost controller installed, you generally have to open your hood, adjust the boost controller, take it for a drive and make sure its set to the correct boost level. If its not enough, or if its too much you have to adjust it again. Also, mechanical boost controllers are not very precise. So, if you want a boost level of say 17 PSI, usually after you floor your gas pedal the boost will overshoot the designated boost level by about 2 – 2.5 PSI and then settle at 17PSI you set it at. Electronic boost controllers usually have a control module inside the cabin and are much more precise. Therefore, you can easily control the boost level of your car if you need more boost, and you can control the boost much more precisely. For example, with a electronic boost controller if your boost is set at 17 PSI it might spike to 18 but then immediately fall to 17 and hold there. Controlling boost much more precisely doesn’t sound like something that’s very important, but if your car is running safe at 17 PSI it may be running lean at 19 PSI or so (example) so when you want something that’s more precise and easier to use its better to go with an electronic boost controller.

The more expensive boost controllers usually have features that are very useful when you have higher boost levels, a lot of power, limited traction or all of these. For example, most basic electronic boost controllers have two different levels of boost, a low level and high level that you can toggle back and forth between. So you can have a setting for daily driving and another for racing. Higher end electronic boost controls have features where you can designate different boost levels between each gear for better traction and less wheel spin. For example, you can have 12 PSI in first gear where you can have lots of wheel spin, 15 in second and then 18 in third and fourth where you wouldn’t have traction problems. This is really useful when you want to maximize the performance and acceleration in your car.

Performance of my SRT-4

Turbocharged cars are very sensitive performance wise to things like loose vacuum hoses, incorrectly sealed temperature sensors, etc. So if you install a part on your car and you don’t get the same boost levels as before or less performance you should check to make sure all vacuum connections are solid, and that all couplers are on tight and not leaking. A small leak from where a temperature or pressure sensor that popped out of the upper hose wont show up boost wise on your boost gauge, but youd be losing boost pressure at the engine and lose nearly 30-40 hp. That’s why its very important to keep an eye on all of your hoses, connections and vacuum connections before and after any parts install and to periodically check.

Boost levels of my SRT-4

If you don’t have a boost controller or waste gate actuator on your car, you'll notice two things related to boost wise. First, the car has a low boost level in first gear and then higher levels of boost in other gears. That’s mainly to maximize traction. Secondly, you'll notice that boost levels will be different for the same gear on different days depending on temperature, engine temperature, type of gas used, etc. The factory boost controls will alter the boost levels depending on multiple factors and that’s normal. Only after you get a boost controller or waste gate actuator will you have fairly consistent boost levels.

Its also important to note that if you hear a popping noise, and or ever notice that your boost levels don’t go aBOVe 0 PSI more than likely one of your boost hoses have popped off. If you ever remove one of your pressurized hoses and don’t have them clamped down properly the hoses can blow off and your car will still run but you wont have any positive boost pressure since the pressurized air from the turbo wont reach the engine.

Waste gate actuators

A waste gate actuator is a vacuum operated device that opens a valve inside the turbo to let exhaust gases out of the turbo whenever the set boost level is reached. When your waste gate actuator is designed to open at 14 PSI, and once the engine is pressurized at 14 PSI your waste gate actuator will open and then let all of the exhaust gases exit the turbo without spinning the compressor fins as the boost level that its designed for is reached.

When should you use a aftermarket waste gate actuator ? When you are at higher boost (ie, 16 + PSI) levels you'll notice that your boost level will peak at a certain PSI but then fall between 5000-6000 RPMs. The best way to create a steady boost level or make it so that it wont fall off as much is to get a stronger waste gate actuator. This will allow you to have a higher more steady boost level between 5-6k RPMs which is where power is critical when your racing.

Mopar staged upgrades

Mopar staged upgrades are a great way to increase power levels with a piece that Mopar designed. We at Modern Performance think that you can get the same results power wise with less money with aftermarket parts, but the Mopar Performance pieces offer some advantages that when coupled with aftermarket parts can make for very good results.

First, to further explain when you have a stock turbo and you increase the boost levels, if you go close to 18-19 PSI you can sometimes reach a safety limit in the computer called the fuel cut. Fuel cut is a range that if you reach boost level wise, the computer will cut all fuel from the engine and the power will fall off dramatically. Also, if you use a down pipe without a catalytic converter with a car without a staged upgrade you'll get a check engine light. So, the Mopar staged upgrades not only help increase power by increasing boost levels (When you aren’t using a boost controller) it also allows for easier tuning of your car with race pipes or higher boost levels.

Or, if you are fairly comfortable with the power levels the mopar staged upgrades you don’t have to install a boost controller, but can gain an additional amount of power by adding intakes, exhausts, down pipes, pulleys, etc.
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4. JUST PICTURES