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Will lowering a stock white '05 SXT without a spoiler look too goofy without a body kit? I just started modding the car (looks only, I don't see a need for modding the engine yet...that's expensive.) and I'd like to start off with lowering it, getting z3 fenders some time, and some minor interior painting.

What I want is for the neon NOT to look like a riced out neon, but a real nice luxury car.

Granted I know that those few things won't make it look luxury over-night, but I do plan on getting much more done, I just have to wait 'til I'm more financially secure.

Also! How low is a good distance to lower these cars without any problems with tire rubbing/etc. I was thinking 1.5in-2in.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

1.5-2" is a good drop......and lowering the 4X4 look of a stock neon is PERFECTLY fine.....


Josh

I actually like the non spoiler look ......and hell get some coilovers and slam it to the ground...or maybe just enough to tuck wheel

Thanks for the replies guys, you said just what I wanted to hear!

I'll get some pics up some time.

lol in my opinion neons can never looks like a nice luxury car...but doesn't mean it can't look nice....lowering it an inch or two i feel will make it look over all 50 times better...

Yeah but if you aren't getting a body kit don't do the Z3 fenders... it won't look right at all, it'll look out of place

I wouldnt go for show....Lowering it is good if you do it right.....Will give the car a more responsive feel as well in corners and such if you are a spirited driver......Go fast parts are also alot cheaper than look good parts and if you drop it and keep it clean then it will look good anyways and I am sure most will agree with me on that........Everyone has there likes and dislikes though......I am going to have to agree with Jason on the fenders....That would look way outa place

I would steer away from Z3 fenders. If your going to lower it, do it rigth and get some new struts and coils, not just the coils; car will ride like booty in months to come, and you'll have to replace them anyway. Do it all right, one time.

Also, engine mods are fairly inexpensive (for simple bolt ons), so if you are looking fo show and go, I would do the coils/struts for show and for go:
CAI - $50-200
UDP - $100-200
LT header $150+
2.5" exhaust $300-400
muffler $50-100

My 2 bits

im with everyone else on the stuff above. shoot for no more than a 2" drop, cuz after that it WILL start to look odd. if you get a body kit and whatnot, slammin it will be fine, if that floats your boat.

Slammed cars are sweet! if you lower it more than 2" (by blue one is lowered over 2.5") it wont look odd....just super low,and even better. Even if you never get a body kit, lowering it more than 2" wont look gooffy....leaving it at stock 4x4 suspension will though. Id reccomend coilovers though, over springs.

scneonchic501 wrote:Slammed cars are sweet! if you lower it more than 2" (by blue one is lowered over 2.5") it wont look odd....just super low,and even better. Even if you never get a body kit, lowering it more than 2" wont look gooffy....leaving it at stock 4x4 suspension will though. Id reccomend coilovers though, over springs.

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!

Coilover are really the way to go and they are fairly cheap for what they do to your appearance and handling/cornering......and PIMPIN POINTS with the LADY's

And what guy doesn't want/need some pimpin points

If you drop the car so it's on the ground then I think it's a bit too much. If you keep the car up enough, get rid of all the wheelgap but not too low that it makes the car look to much like a lowrider... I think it looks good that way. Like my car, I like it but I wish it was a little lower but I can't b/c of the offset of the wheels or I'll rub the fender I think Louies car looks great, not too low that it just looks like a lowrider, but obviously not 4x4.

scneonchic501 wrote:Slammed cars are sweet! if you lower it more than 2" (by blue one is lowered over 2.5") it wont look odd....just super low,and even better. Even if you never get a body kit, lowering it more than 2" wont look gooffy....leaving it at stock 4x4 suspension will though. Id reccomend coilovers though, over springs.

ive seen bone stock neons that look like total shit when theyre too low. just my opinion though. stock wheels and lack of body kit made a slammed car look retarded. I dont plan on gettin a body kit OR slammin the car so these problems dont apply to me. while im at it, i also think it looks HORRIBLE when the rear is lowered more than the front. Neons are naturally higher in the back than in the front, and when someone has like 1" wheel gap in back and 3" up front it looks so dumb imo. A good set of springs should lower both ends close to equally if you ask me.

I have to Agree with Diablo...

getting rid of the wheel gap so that your tires are just beginning to tuck is the best look.

OB- I dont think that a super slammed 1gn coupe with crome hubcaps and a 4 inch N1 style mufflr with crome to rainbow tint (with a purple tint) is tight either but....

An 05 SXT In my opinion would look real clean with a...
1. Nice dropped stance
2. A littlr rumble from the Engine Bay with a CAI
3. A nice exhaust note with a Stainless Steel polished rear section mufflr
4. some light factory tint
5. keep it waxed on the reg

Clean Cali style not to much of anything and not saying that you are a racer or a lowrider...

Just a clean car

IMO you can make any all stock car look good with that formula

Here is my 01 with 2.5 drop, and I personally don't like the look of spoilers

stock wheels and lack of body kit made a slammed car look retarded.

No. Can't agree with you on that one OB. Theres a lot of people on these forums with the stock snowflakes and their cars are lowered with no body kit and I think they look good.

Now a slammed car with stock wheels WITH a body kit make it look we-tarded IMO.

Definitely good ideas about the bolt ons, and about the fenders, I will be getting a body kit at some point within a year or two...I just want them to make some that don't scream 2fast2furious. So I kind of want to get the fenders now, cause I can afford them. I'm getting tired of having the exact same car as a kid in my school. I've just not seen many body kits for the 2ndgens that look classy.

Oh and what's the big difference between getting new springs and getting coilovers, just that the coilovers are adjustable right? I was planning on just getting new springs...

Springs will sooner or later blow your struts which you will have to replace and if you wanna keep the drop springs you will probably have to get performance struts which will run you anywhere from 3-5 hundred or more and the springs will run you anywhere between 2-400.....so you are lookin at about 1K all together in the end...Coilovers will drop your car without messin with the integrity of strut travel (which by the way neon has very little of)......or you could do this

http://www.revitupmotorsports.net/shop/ ... ucts_id=54
http://www.revitupmotorsports.net/shop/ ... ucts_id=55
http://www.modernperformance.com/dcx/kw_coilovers.shtml
Notice anyones car in the last link

Diablo0 wrote:Yeah but if you aren't getting a body kit don't do the Z3 fenders... it won't look right at all, it'll look out of place

soo.. what your saying is... my shit looks like shit? but.. they came with the car when i bought it =P

haha the z3's are getting taken off soon, prolly when i start installing the rest of my parts taht are piling up

btw my car has the eibach pro kit springs (1.5" drop)

Yes I'm saying it doesn't look right

Diablo0 wrote:Yes I'm saying it doesn't look right

yeah when i got it, it had the srt front, and previous owner had a srt cf hood on it, maybe it looked better then.. either way i hate fiberglass =P

IMO the side skirts and front lip with R/T fascia is a body kit.......or as close to a bodykit is I will ever come to having one. Bodykits (if not for show only) actually weigh your car down with wind drag.......Real expensive professional carbon fiber windtunnel tested bodykits work great if you wanna spend 15K on a kit.........Other than that kits like scneonchic501's or CrucialNeon's look really good but they are alot more geared twards show with heavy stereo equip and such

Ive got Mopar lowering springs on my stock struts. Changed them with about 20k miles on the struts, and Ive got over 60k now and they arent blown. But in the last 4 years Ive had the springs, I drive REALLY carefully, slowly though dips and road changes. Its also seen some autoX and spirited driving in the CA deserts and PCH.

someone with some comp skills get some pics of low neons on all stock shit and ill show u what i mean about how it looks out of place. Personally i like a midsize drop. I think wheels tucked into the fender looks ok, but I prefer them to be perfectly flush with the outer part of the fender, and still have enough gap to travel w/o rubbing. Also allows more room inside the wheel, where it counts.

Mopar lip kit is far from a body kit, hence the name. weighs no more than a few lbs. youre right about the full kits being for show tho. those are much heavier.

now a LIP KIT = clean look. with a lip kit, wheels, and a good 1.5-2" drop is what is a clean look IMO. not slammed, no crazy kit, just accented stock look.

http://forum.2gn.org/viewtopic.php?t=3497&start=30

Kevin=tucked

Louie=standard equipment (stock) slammed and tire tuckin

CrucialNeon on first gens=tuckin

some of the cars in those threads have skirts (louie) which helps a LOT imo. and lots also have the small gap in back, bigger one in front thing. I think thats ugly. some springs seem to do it, and some dont. but most of those cars do look good. It takes a true side view to see how even the drop really is though.

Hey thanks for the comparisons!

Also, anyone know if lowering a car/replacing fenders/adding a body kit would void the 35,000mi warranty?

[edit: images!]

It wont' void it all as they can't do that. If your car won't put out any heat it'd be hard for them to blame it on you having a different fender installed. They have to link you installing the bodykit to whatever failed and needs warranty replacement or service in order to deny you warranty coverage for that part... it won't void it all together.

everything has been covered... dropped looks better... even on stock wheels.

^yeah that is true, if not for aesthetic purposes a lowered suspension is DEF better performance wise. i was simply stating an opinion, no ones right and no ones wrong.

+1 about the body kit, unless ur kit causes your stock panels to deteriorate or something, everything will be covered still. they gotta prove it.

good luck