Yan

You're right. Some magazines dynoed the car and obtained averages of 218 rwhp. It's about 260 crank hp...

I already saw some guys on the LS1 board talking about SRT4's that ran neck and neck or even beat them on rolling starts. They are as easy (if not easier) to modify than our 951's. Watch out...

snappy

Remember that the neon is the second fastest dodge the make other than the viper. if the guy runs 100+ octane and ups his psi to 16 or above then he will give any car a run for it's money. But in the process will shave years off the life of his car just to win $250. You can do the same. You must remember what makes us 944 owners different is that we own a $5k - $10k car but we treat it like a $50k car. As much as we hammer it we baby it. Forget about the $250. Race him if you feel like you can beat him. You don't have to prove your car anymore. It has been proven and being proved for the past 20 years and till today on racetracks and auto x events. PS. what is that trick about letting air out of your rear tires if you don't have a LSD to give you a quicker of the line?

I beat a really "tricked out" RX7 the other day at 3:30 in the morning coming back from work in san francisco. I first beat him in the twisties leading to the bridge then even from traffic light to traffic light we did not have to race more than 150 meters to realize that it's driver first then car second. Remember that i have a 86' 944 n/a, there is an art/skill when pulling off the line and changing and it can make the difference between loosing by an inch. or winning my 20 feet. I will say you stand a better chance loosing cause of a missed gear then you do of being underpowered. Just remember one thing. When you race you take your life and those around you in your hands. It's not just you anymore. Keep safely first. Regret is something nobody wants to life with.

jurg

Finally a thread with reasonable posts.
I do understand the hazards of street racing so im not a hardcore street racer of it but if i Sat here and told you i havent gone neck to neck with a few cars on the late night drives id be lying to you,as anyone else on this board.
I was curious as to the specs of the new neon as it caught my eyes along side the bet.
I see what you mean about how we treat our cars but at the same time,it is just a car so i dont mind going up for some friendly competition you know

These neons are surprising though,They do seem to be underrated,eh well,I guess well see what happens

I am glad though many of you have given me your input without major bashing as mainly goes on.
And your right we do have nicer looking cars and all the more so but,it does kind of hurt when you say " I lost to a neon",lol
Eh well
Take care ill keep you guys updated if anything.

dave120

True enough, but it's still pretty funny looking at the engine bay on one of those things and seeing that tiny thing. But when they do their runs they show that it works pretty darn well. I'd stll pass on the car though. It's still a Neon.

snappy

If you lost to it you lost against a new car that is quicker that yours on a straight line it does not make a difference if it was a lawn mower or a viper. But beating someone with a 16 year old car and little mod's. is indeed priceless. I have this discussion with my brother every day that tells me to dump my 944 and build up my beemer. or buy a TT. so i still get a kick out of it when i beat his Lexus with my "bad platform car"

My car is 17 years old, how can it be a good platform. Cars are better now then they were 16 years ago? Right? So how come i am still faster around the corners still run circles around or at least keep up with some of the latest and greatest. pfft.

indiana_86_944_turbo

did anybody see the test they did on the neon which aired on car and driver on speedchannel? when they showed it going thru the corners it looked like it was going to flip over! it sits way to high off the ground and the tires are to skinny.just my .02

scott

dave120

If Dodge was unable to make the VIPER handle that well then it's not surprising at all that their FWD Neon sucks at handling too. It was built to be a quick 1/4 mile car for teenage drag racers, which it does reasonably well. Put it on the track and I think people would be seriously disappointed in how it performs. Brakes are ok but not comprable to 951 brakes..can you say FADE?

MichelleJD

:: one raised eyebrow::

user 8430

"NEON" Has to be the most stupid model name a manufacturer has ever devised.......

Imagine this, here are the keys to your brand new '03 Porsche "Neon"

haha

Michelle it's ok for you to type like a girl





hey where did all the smilies go??

Kurt

i was talking to somebody about this new bastardized neon. it's a legitimate drag racer indeed, however i wouldn't buy one if it had 500 hp, somehow converted to AWD or RWD, and cost $10 grand. not to bash dodge at all, or the neons for that matter, but just my personal prefernce

i'd race 'em anyhow though!

jabbadeznuts

But it's still a Neon!

jurg

Exactly..its still a neon..and its putting out some good numbers,lol
Well thats what technology is doing.
It seems as if speed is becoming a standard..along side people with no money who have escalades on 22's lol

ahofam123

the race track could care less about the name plate on the hood of the car. Last time I checked, the Neon nameplate is putting down the same amount of power that the 944 plate is putting down

adrial

You bitch more than a girl giving birth without drugs...

Ag951

I take that more as:
"It's still a front engine, front wheel drive, with a solid rear axle, no LSD, a tall, narrow body, cheesy plastic interior, chrysler build quality, etc."

Sure the neon can go fast in a straight line, but I've outrun them on the autoX course in my RSX-S.
And over the next ten years, it's going to have problems that make it a hassle to own.

That's how I interpret "It's still a neon". And I agree.

Edit:
Oh...and it's probably a sign of things to come as Detroit tries to enter the sport-compact (ricer to some) market.