Every article that was ever written about the new SRT-4 has said it should be a "killer" on the autocross course. I expected it to do fairly well, as Dodge did great with their ACR neon, they are STILL tough to beat.

I got my first chance to see how well they would perform this spring during Speedweeks in Daytona, FL at the dodge power display. I was very UN-impressed with the neon. In my mind, I thought the car sounded absolutely horrible, looked worse, and didn't fair too well in an autocross environment. Understeer was VERY noticeable, and unlike the new Honda Civic Si, it wasn't because of shitty tires. Those Michelins that the Dodge's come with are pretty decent tires. Maybe too much power for a car like that? Or boost lag?

Anyways, I have yet to compete against the SRT-4, has anyone seen one actually do pretty well? I wonder if there will be very many at Topeka this year?

 

anyone know where it'd go in Street Prepared? A LSD would probably help the thing out quite a bit.

I've ridden along while GRM did some testing with the press vehicle at a local autocross. I think it'd do better at Topeka than many local autocrosses, because of the more flowing nature of the courses there.

 

Lack of a limited slip diff. will not allow best use of all of its power and torque!

 

We had an SRT-4 at KONI for several days to develop dampers for it. Having been around Neons and developing the successful autocross Neon valving previously and dealing with customers and employees who have/had them, I am far from a Neon fan. The old car has so many issues (suspension, drivetrain, etc.) that I would NEVER consider owning one.

I was prepared to be seriously underwhelmed. In fact, the car was really surprisingly good and I would rank it and the Evo 8 as my two favorite fun cars I've tested in a long time and they are in different price ranges. This SRT-4 has the performance that my old Omni GLH Turbo used to dream about at night. I'd take this over a Nissan Spec-V in a heartbeat.

I didn't get to drive it in an autocross setting but it should be pretty good if one car learn to deal with the open diff. With an LSD, this thing would be an acceleration monster. The GLHT was much hampered at autocross for it's lack of LSD and the SRT-4 has about 75 extra horse and more torque. It will be a tire smoke generator until once can balance the suspension and throttle foot to keep the tires on the ground. Tires on the ground, it reminds me of the old Bill Elliott TV comercial quote "This car rips (pronounced "re-yips")!"

My big concern is that this super quick, aggressive car is going to show it's econobox roots like the GLH and many others did once they have some wear on them. This is a car to get on a lease, and run hard and have big fun then get rid of it once it passes 50-60k miles and shitbox below starts showing the wear and begins coming apart. Owning the GLHT over 100k miles is not recommended and this car gives me that same feeling.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CRX Lee &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
This is a car to get on a lease, and run hard and have big fun then get rid of it once it passes 50-60k miles and shitbox below starts showing the wear and begins coming apart. Owning the GLHT over 100k miles is not recommended and this car gives me that same feeling.</TD></TR></TABLE>

...so true, after all it IS a Chrysler!!

It will blow away numerous cars having higher price tags....for as long as it holds together!

 

My old Neon was lookin' fine at 110,000 miles... Great cars as far as I'm concerned.

The SRT-4 has been doing pretty well in D Stock.

 

We had one here at a local Western New York auto X. The times were sub par for what i had expected. Yes the car was on street tires but for what it is "supposed" to be I wasnt very impressed. And the lack of LSD becomes horribly apparent. For me ITR will always rule DS.

 

LSD is standard for 2004 model year, only price increase of 900dollars. new electric blue color is introduced and sunroof is now an option.

 

I think this car should do well in STS.

For stock or CSP, a set of R-compound tires, paired with a sensitive right foot, might lessen the traction problems. Tight turns will probably still be rough, but larger, sweeping turns shouldn't cause problems.

2 cents

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by emwavey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I think this car should do well in STS.

For stock or CSP, a set of R-compound tires, paired with a sensitive right foot, might lessen the traction problems. Tight turns will probably still be rough, but larger, sweeping turns shouldn't cause problems.

2 cents</TD></TR></TABLE>

Couple of problems, This is not an STS legal car. It is not an STX legal car either. It is above the max 2.0l engine size for turbo STX cars.

I thought I heard it was going to DSP, not CSP. I may be mistaken on that though

 

DSP would be interesting.

What do you DSP people think about it? Wonder how much weight you can pull off that thing legally...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by VSM EXtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">LSD is standard for 2004 model year, only price increase of 900dollars. new electric blue color is introduced and sunroof is now an option.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Oh no! This car with an LSD is a serious threat!

Oh well, no amount of upgrades will change the fact that it is a Chrysler POS!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CRX Lee &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My big concern is that this super quick, aggressive car is going to show it's econobox roots like the GLH and many others did once they have some wear on them. This is a car to get on a lease, and run hard and have big fun then get rid of it once it passes 50-60k miles and shitbox below starts showing the wear and begins coming apart. Owning the GLHT over 100k miles is not recommended and this car gives me that same feeling.</TD></TR></TABLE>

my first car ever was a new 86 Omni GLH Turbo. god, i loved that car. i lavished all kinds of attention/parts/money on it. ah, to be 18 again!!! i washed her EVERY day! it always looked as if it had just rolled off the showroom floor.

it had the big Indy Intercooler kit, covered by a functional Super Bee six pack hood scoop. Moper Perf race computer. straight race exhaust. MP big valve G casting race ported polished head. MP race turbo cam. custom boost controller designed by me.

suspension was stock, except for Monroe Formula GP struts all around. stock brakes (and it needed alot more than stock!).

I autocrossed it a good bit. I dragged it alot! I remember time slips in the 13.1 range at 114 mph. mega mega mega wheelspin running 21 pounds boost. unbelieveable torque steer that would rip the wheel from your hands.

i remember driving to to see my honey (currently my wife, now!) at the beach. going down the expressway at about 90 and a new (back then, in 89) 300ZX Turbo pulling up next to me. I reached down, turned the boost up to 21 psi, and we both mashed it. should have seen the guys face in the rear view as he started fading, fading, fading. i remember the windshield wipers started flapping up from the stationary position to straight up. the Dodge Dart mirrors were vibrating like they were going to come off the car. engine was turning 6200 in 5th (way over 140) and still pulling when i shut it down. Damn, come to think of it, i was stupid as a brick back then.....

damn, i miss that car!!!!

about once a week i'd have to tighten up the dashboard, or reattach a door handle, or repair a leaky fuel line, or repair another engine mount. but the drivetrain was SOLID and never let me down. 112k miles i drove that thing. and sold it to buy a SHO Taurus when i got married. no comparison. I loved the Goes Like Hell Turbo.

boo hoo.

todd

PS i'd like to drive a SRT-4 sometime.
PPS that 2.2 Dodge turbo motor can really take some boostin'

 

i believe the SRT-4 will be put in ESP.....because that's where all the DSMs, awd or fwd turdbo, are classed.

with some shocks and a smaller front bar and R-comps i think it'll do well in DS

 

I was participating in a dyno day in which many various imports and a new Camaro SS were doing some baseline runs. The car that posted the highest numbers was a highly tweaked old ragged Dodge Spirit Turbo! If I remember correctly, it was about 300hp at the wheels! Of course, everyone backed away from that grenede during its run!!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by AKADriver &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My old Neon was lookin' fine at 110,000 miles... Great cars as far as I'm concerned.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

How many head gaskets so far? One of my employees went through was on this fourth by 160k miles of street only use (wife mostly). One of our customer service girls (the epitome of a meek driver) had to replace her first head gasket by 20k miles on a showroom perfect car. If you didn't have head gaskets pop, consider yourself amongst the fortunate.

If you improve the suspension, you quickly see that it bottoms on the bump rubbers even at stock ride height and lowering any at all only puts you closer to them and the car then gets this nast, hopping plow as it just oscillates on the bump rubber. Our trick autocross valving basically adds a ton of bump damping and takes the rebound damping to the max that the body can make so when you hit the bump rubber and the functional spring rate goes to the moon, the struts cuts down basically any motion at all. The car basically works better if you grab it and stop it from moving at all rather than being a suspension.

We worked with a World Challenge Neon a few years ago and had to raise the ride height above stock to get enough suspension travel to work really well. When DC built that cab forward design car, they forgot to give it suspension stroke and it really suffers from it when pushed very hard.

Since the new car is from a clean sheet of paper I think, I don't know if they have those issues or any new ones. I enjoyed the car I drove, although the contoured seats were too narrow for my wide back which was my only com-plaint other than the lack of LSD.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Todd Reid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

my first car ever was a new 86 Omni GLH Turbo. god, i loved that car. i lavished all kinds of attention/parts/money on it. ah, to be 18 again!!! i washed her EVERY day! it always looked as if it had just rolled off the showroom floor.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

What a great first car. I autocrossed mine very seriously (they were bouncing us between C Stock and G Stock back about '88-91) so it had to be Stock class legal so I never got to do the power tweaks. I had KONIs back then long before I worked there and Mopar Perf. motor mounts that held great but in the long term shook the bejesus out of the chassis and caused many rattles. Centerforce clutch and a Mopar Perf stronger differential and shift kit as stock was the weak link in the driveline. I used the awful Omni steering wheel exactly one day then switched to a nice Mopar Perf Dino wheel. I learned more in autocross on that car than any other, it was long enough wheelbase that you could get lurid oversteer on tight courses and keep your foot mashed and on boost at all times. I used to handbrake launch it just to keep the turbo spooled.

The outside mirrors did whistle bad at 120 mph but otherwise it was rock solid stable. Once I wrapped the speedo back around until the guage hand was resting on the odo reset button. I think it was about 130ish based on the further calibrated GLHS speedo my friend had.

I loved the car but over 90k it began to show it's grocery getter roots with rattles, worn and unreplacable door hinge pins, peeling paint, etc. In the end it was going through expensive electrical sensors and components on a near monthly basis. By that time I was into Hondas so it found a new home.

The SRT-4 seems like the GLHT with another 15 years of go fast polishing but I would still be concerned about it not lasting well in it's advanced years.

 

wow, I'm a dumbasss!

Not to hi-jack this thread, but does that also mean that the Spec-V is also not legal for STX? (2.5 liter N/A... Man I need to get my rule book back from the dude I loaned it to.)

 

the displacement isn't what makes the SRT-4 not eligible for STS...it's the boost.

and the SpecV isn't legal because of the LSD.

so both go to STX

 

Rumor has it that the 04 SRT will get some eibachs, lsd and a cat back, from the factory, kinda like what Mazda did with Protege MP3 and turned it into the Mazdaspeed Protege.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Track rat &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Oh well, no amount of upgrades will change the fact that it is a Chrysler POS!</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by carl_aka_carlos &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the displacement isn't what makes the SRT-4 not eligible for STS...it's the boost.

and the SpecV isn't legal because of the LSD.

so both go to STX</TD></TR></TABLE>You get a score of 50 out of 100.

1) As stated earlier by Crosser, the SRT-4 is neither STS NOR STX legal because of the boost/powerplant combination. (Must be 2.0L FI and not otherwise excluded).

2) The SpecV is STX legal.

--kC

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by KC &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You get a score of 50 out of 100.
...

2) The SpecV is STX legal.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Thanks KC, I thought so, but since my age and my IQ are seemingly converging, I figured I'd better double check.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CRX Lee &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How many head gaskets so far? One of my employees went through was on this fourth by 160k miles of street only use (wife mostly). One of our customer service girls (the epitome of a meek driver) had to replace her first head gasket by 20k miles on a showroom perfect car. If you didn't have head gaskets pop, consider yourself amongst the fortunate.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Only one, replaced with the steel gasket and it never broke again. The steel gasket is invincible... '99+ cars (including the SRT-4) do not have this problem. By the way, a common instigator of the problem is a bad radiator cap seal. Did they ever check or replace it?

Neons.org FAQ: Are headgaskets really a problem?

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If you improve the suspension, you quickly see that it bottoms on the bump rubbers even at stock ride height and lowering any at all only puts you closer to them and the car then gets this nast, hopping plow as it just oscillates on the bump rubber.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Mine never did in cornering, but it was on street tires. I did bottom it out and blow a strut doing Dukes of Hazzard style crap (hey, I was 18 and it was my first car). Travel is indeed short, that's why racers are advised to stick with the Mopar springs that only add spring rate but don't lower the car. Eibach, etc. that lower the car don't work.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Since the new car is from a clean sheet of paper I think, I don't know if they have those issues or any new ones. I enjoyed the car I drove, although the contoured seats were too narrow for my wide back which was my only com-plaint other than the lack of LSD.</TD></TR></TABLE>

The 2nd gen chassis does have more front travel than the 1st gen by a decent amount. The SRT-4 has beefed up knuckles, hubs, etc. to handle the added weight and power, but the geometry isn't much different than the standard 2g Neon. Still, the 2g is a better platform for a race car... at least, one that has to turn.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by AKADriver &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Only one, replaced with the steel gasket and it never broke again. The steel gasket is invincible... '99+ cars (including the SRT-4) do not have this problem. By the way, a common instigator of the problem is a bad radiator cap seal. Did they ever check or replace it?
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Not to hijack the thread but I heard that the issue was a combination of head bolts stretching and bottoming when torqueing before clamping down the head gasket right and also having a tendency to pull the threads up slightly from the block making it not a flat sealing surface. So one had to replace the head bolts and check that the block deck was dead flat or it was going to happen again.