SXT questions

[ejclide]

Hey all, I'm new to the Neon world. I'm a former honda tuner, and I really know nothing about neons. I just bought an 05 SXT with the SRT design, and i'm looking to do mods that hold up the warranty i have on it, since that is the reason i bought it.

I'm thinking:
K&N Typhoon Intake...

and from there i'm pretty much at a loss. I'm not looking for gobbs of power, although i wouldn't mind taking this to the track every once in a while. This car turns so nice...

Maybe coilovers? I know i need new wheels and tires, and those will come when the money does.

and can anyone tell me exactly what this mag intake is? is it just a new manifold with individual butterflies that open to increase air flow at a certain rpm? kinda like vtec? haha, sorry, i'm too used to hondas, so bear with me. thanks

[anomalous0]

Welcome to the org. Yes, you have got the basic idea of the magnum intake manifold down, looks like you've done you're research. Not quite like VTEC....though I suppose the high-RPM VTEC camshaft DOES let more air in at higher RPMs.....
Not sure how that'd affect your warranty...probably not so well since you have to jury-rig an RPM switch that taps into one of the coil pack leads. Then again, if you get an engine problem, you could just swap your old intake manifold back on, and take out the electronics, making sure that when you installed them you did so in such a way that they didn't actually alter the existing wiring.....
If you're confident going into the head, you could get an R/T camshaft as well. Wakes the car up a little and makes it more fun to drive. You'd have to change valve springs to the R/T ones, but overall cost would be $150-200 for this if you DIY. Again not sure how this would affect warranty, but since the R/T camshaft is an OEM piece that came stock on a very similar model, you could probably get away with it. IF they notice, which is very unlikely.
I recommend suspension mods. Bigger swaybars. Poly bushings (maybe wait for these till your rubber ones wear out....won't take too long).

Most importantly, lower your car. Especially if you get nice rims.
A few people like the upskirt look of the stock neon. I am not one of them, and I believe that a substantial portion of the people on this board will agree. Plus it'll handle a bit better if you get springs with good rates. If you've got the money to do real coilovers, then by all means do so. If not, there are plenty of Strut/spring combination options. A nice little perk is that alot of suspension products for the SRT-4 fit our cars.

And remember, the warranty is only voided on the specific part you modified. While I won't get into the ethics of swapping out an aftermarket part with a stock one when you go in for repairs, chances are something like a magnum manifold won't cause your engine to go boom, and a 22mm rear swaybar won't make your struts explode. Don't feel bad if you get problems after putting mostly harmless stuff on.
If you're doing stuff like nitrous and bring it in for repairs....not so very nice.
Anyways, congrats on getting a neon, and hope you have fun with it.
Welcome to our world.

[koreysxt]

upskirt look of the stock neon -- I'm definately keeping mine at stock height now

[ejclide]

the cam actually sounds like a good idea to me. Could i even find an aftermarket cam for a Neon R/T and install it? what years R/T would i be searching through? and how do i get the valve springs out without taking the head off? or is that what i need to do. It just seems like taking the head off would be obvious to a shop. I'm very confident tearing into a head, but i don't want my work to be obvious.

I definitely want coilovers, but I must not know what i need to know about wheels. I got what i thought was a nice set for my civic and they sucked flat out. any recomendations? I want a black wheel with a chrome lip, I think that would look sexy on my flame red neon with it's black interior. I just don't know what brand to go. I like 5 spokes too. would a 17 by 7.5 work? and then i'll just get a tire that keeps my speedo accurate.

[Frizbe]

17x7.5 would be about perfect.
SRT coilovers will allow you to use wider and taller tires with out problems with the perches. R/T cam comes from 01-04 R/T's with (I believe) '01 having the most aggressive profile. Crane makes #10, #12, and #14 cams, where #10 is a mild upgrade on an SXT #12 is similar to the R/T cam, and the #14 is the most aggressive from them. I have no idea on the springs, other than a #12+ needs at least R/T springs.

Ah, just remembered, R/T also has a better exhaust manifold.
Of course the SRT has the best exhaust manifold, but I doubt you want to go that far.

[kc2005ptgt]

Welcome to the world of the Knee-yawn.

You will find after being in the Honda world, there is not a HUGE following in the aftermarket world for our cars, so if you just want some simple bolt on upgrades which "shouldn't" void your warranty, go with suspension. As you have already found out these cars like the twisties!

I would do coilovers, some really nice ones, go with some lightweight wheels no larger than 16", aggressive tires for spring/summer/fall driving (stockers for winter), get some nice sturdy sway bars (PT GT front is 26mm, rt/acr rear is 19mm = nice setup!) get some strut tower braces, remove all those rubber bushings and replace with some more solid polyurethane ones, get a short shifter like the maddog and replace those shifter and cradle bushings with boogers and johnnymopar's, then get some nicer, bigger brakes like the SRT4 set (need to swap out the SXT brakes first for SRT's).

THAT will give you one bad canyon carver, for sure!

If you want some more power, I would start with the CAI and a UDP, 60mm TB, catback exhaust, rt header/intake, and later if you want, do the cam swap.

[jmr]

Welcome...I've got the same model as you with a MTX.

The mods so far.....
Suspension: Swaybar upgrades, Front SRT-4 24mm bar Rear RT/ACR 19mm bar.
Brakes: SRT-4 rear disc swap looks nice and stop great.
Engine: NGK Iridiums plugs and MSD 8.5mm wires, K&N drop in air filter and the PVO hood mod for ram air.

It gets addicting but it's fun.

[Wenuden]

would a 17 by 7.5 work? and then i'll just get a tire that keeps my speedo accurate.

aspect ratio of 40 will give you almost exact stock wheel/tire height with a 17" wheel. IDK if the 7.5 width will fit w/o spacers.

[60trim]

Welcome to the board. My fellow neon gurus pretty much hit it on the head for a "balanced" set up. I say balanced because coming from a honda, the japanese go for more of a balanced car then something with gobs of power. Once again, welcome to the world of neons.

[MoxHair]

SRT-d = Tree Frog..

Sorry I'm bored.


Definitely go Suspension over Engine work on a 03-05 Neon. You can make a very nice handling car before you will ever get a decent amount of power.

On the 03 R/T I had:
Tokico Blues
Kazera Springs
Progress 27mm Front Sway Bar
Progress 24mm Rear Sway Bar
AF/X Front Strut Tower Brace
Af/X Rear Strut Tower Brace
Energy Bushing Kit
Mopar Tension Strut Kit
Prothane Motor Mount Inserts
Vitor's Transaxle Mount Insert

Cross Drilled and Slotted Rotors
Hawk HP Plus Brake Pads

Mopar Short Throw w/ Booger Bushings


The car was very fun to drive. I just couldnt get the Grunt I wanted coming in and out of corners. Damn issues with the 03 R/T ECU (Search 'NGC' or 'P0068')

So yea.. Do alot of suspension work and be happy.

[03blackrt]

and can anyone tell me exactly what this mag intake is? is it just a new manifold with individual butterflies that open to increase air flow at a certain rpm? kinda like vtec? haha, sorry, i'm too used to hondas, so bear with me. thanks

A pic's worth a 100's words...
or something like that.