Thoughts on SRT-4s?

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KramerSwinger70

KramerSwinger70

70 Dart Swinger360
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randomly i know kinda want an 04-05 Dodge Neon SRT-4. it has a nice change in the body, very minor but definatly looks better than a base neon the same year. plus how can you beat a modern car, american brand, with a 230hp turbo charged 4 cylinder that gets 30 mpgs?!

not that im really in the marklet for one of these, i just think theyr pretty cool. only thing that'd b tough to get past would be that these cars are usually turned into domestic rice-rockets by dumb kids(in my age group), who put the fart can mufflers and other wierd stuff.

thoughts? just curious what anyone else in the community though of these mopar compacts
 
Bigger turbo, wastegate, exhaust (full with header), and bigger intercooler. Ditch the 3 point harness go 4 point and have at it. Got to drive my buddy's stock and when he got done with the mods. That thing was a completely different animal! Great little cars, though he didn't put the fart can on, his has a deep growl to it.
 
I had an '04 SRT4 for about 40k miles. They're fun cars, and respond well to modifications. The bottom end of the engine will support close to 500 hp stock, and the transmission is pretty bombproof, although it shifts like it is too (ie, don't expect a nice smooth gearbox).

That said, they're Neons with big engines and a turbo. Don't expect high quality from the body/interior etc. Wind whistles at freeway speeds are pretty common, and lots of cheap plastic stuff inside.

I had a Stage 1 chip, throttle body and mopar exhaust on mine, plus a few other little goodies here and there. It put down a little over 250hp at the wheels, and since it was an '04 it had the limited slip front end. I also upgraded all the suspension to Stage 3 coilovers and went with the bigger PT cruiser convertible front sway bar and Neon ACR rear sway bar (26mm front/19mm rear). I wouldn't expect to get 30 MPG's though, unless you manage to drive it without ever getting into the boost. Before modification I think the best I did was about 27 mpg's, after I did some mods it was more like 24 on the freeway, and 18 around town.

The car handled well in the corners for front wheel drive, and when the boost kicked in it went like a freaking rocket. Because of the amount of torque you have to be pretty careful with torque steer, get into the boost while in a corner and the car will happily rip the steering wheel out of your hands and go straight, especially with a limited slip. Back when I was on the SRT forums I heard of more than one noob punching the throttle in a corner and ending up in the ditch when the car just straightened out and took off. Also, even in a straight line with the limited slip the steering will "walk" back and forth as the limited slip does its thing if you put your foot hard into it.

The biggest downside I found, and the reason I ultimately sold the car, is that the vacuum harness is overly complicated. The computer does a very good job of controlling boost and making power, but there are vacuum lines EVERYWHERE. When it was brand new it wasn't an issue, but toward the end I was slowly replacing every vacuum line on the car to maintain boost/power. The plastic lines would crack, the rubber boots at the ends would tear, etc, etc. The dealerships will be of little help in this area, especially now since the car only had a 3 year run.

And the tuner crowd was annoying after awhile. I got tired of being profiled as a street racer and ricer too. Keep in mind too that it will probably be hard to find a car that hasn't been beaten up by its previous owners.

Still, I liked the car for the most part. It was a lot of fun, and would kick the *** of just about anything even close to being in the same class at the time. If you're good with turbos it'd be a good car to play with. I sold mine after I bought my Challenger, just not a new car guy.

My car in its heyday...

102_0291copy.jpg
 
Well that was a buttload of info ya have there! Ive never driven anything with a turbo so it'd b a learning experience. He'll I don't really know how to drive a stick. But it just seems like a fun commuter. I refuse to get a car that blends in. He'll when I had my 96 v6 Dakota, I put a cutout on the exhaust. Loud as hell.

Ya I can see how you'd get sick of bein dubbed a ricer. That's kinda one thing I'd hate bout it too. Was just Playin with the idea of garaging my dart n commuting in an srt, though it ain't happinen ever haha. I'll stick with my 70 swinger I suppose.
 
Turbo cars rock, don't knock till you try it! That being said, first turbo car I drove was a 2006 Subaru Impreza STI, thing was modded to the hilt and was still street legal (yes it still had that big spoiler on it) and I got to take care of it and drive it for two months while the owner was out of town. I never raced it on the street or anything but boy at night in a parking lot I had fun! I had the car a week before he left and this is what he told me when I dropped him off at the airport: "I've seen how you drive when the car doesn't belong to you (very careful) and how you drive when the car does belong to you (get the hell outta my way!). Sooooooo I want you to drive it like it's yours!" I took off sideways out of the airport (dumb thing to do now that I think about it).
With all this being said, this is why I drive a front wheel drive a 08 Grand Prix and can't do anything stupid in it.
 
You better check on insurance, My son wants one in the worst way... but to work just to pay for car insurance just aint woth it.
 
I have had turbo mopars continiously since May of 85 when I took delivery of my first turbo Daytona. They all have been a hoot to drive and are a very good way to have your cake and eat it to (perfromance & economy). I currently own an 03 PT Cruiser GT turbo which has the same engine as the SRT4. The PT is not as fast (quite a bit heavier) as the SRT4 and mine is an auto but it easily runs away from most vehicles on the road and gets about 26-27 mpg on the hiway. The mileage will drop into the teens around town if you drive it agressively but mostly gets about 22 mpg.
 
72bluNblu said:
I had an '04 SRT4 for about 40k miles. They're fun cars, and respond well to modifications. The bottom end of the engine will support close to 500 hp stock, and the transmission is pretty bombproof, although it shifts like it is too (ie, don't expect a nice smooth gearbox).




all i have ever heard from the import seen is how these cars have horrible trannies once you start modding them
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Don't know about the SRT4's but the 89 Shelby Daytona I had had a Getrag manufactured gear set in the tranny. It was about as bullet proof as you could get, can't imagine them going backwards on the tranny with the SRT4.
 
ill have to try and posts some links to one of the srt forums, on tranny grenades on the dyno and all.
 
I to want to get an srt-4. Its still a mopar and with a few modifications you can spank little fart can honda's up and down the highway!
 
I have also been thinking of getting one. I am worried about them being beat to crap by the previous owners though. Also half of them are salvage titles.
 
I drove a 05 that i was considering for a daily driver. It was completely stock, but that thing was FAST for being stock. I wish i would've been able to get it, but from what i understand the mileage can suck if you're in boost all the time
 
Driven a couple, and found them to be rather impressive. Im not into being cylindrically challenged so not interested in modding one, and the interior is too cheap and cheesy for me to be able to deal with it as a daily driver. But if your interested in a car that has a lot of potential for power/handling per buck its one of the best cylindrically challenged cars out there.
 
I wanted to get one but ended up buying an SXT. Every time I go to pass some one or am heading up a step hill I wish I had that turbo. All well.
 
I had an 04 SRT4, and it was a pretty sweet car. It had some mods, and the thing scooted along great. With regular street tires, I could not keep traction for the world. When I first got it, a few Hondas in town wanted to show me what their cars could do, but when they heard the growl (no fart sounds from my car) and saw that it would spin the tires while going 40 mph, they backed off.

Anyway, my wife hated the car. She felt I was too old to be playing with a kids car. The seats hold you in place well, but they are narrow. Most people complained about them. As far as the transmission goes, I had no complaints, but I also had a Hurst Shifter. Most of the complaints I've heard have been about the stock shifter, and not the transmission.

I will agree that people will look at you differently in the car. I had people yelling at me to slow down or flipping me off, even though I wasn't speeding. The car looked and sounded fast, so people assumed I was doing something wrong. It's just like when I actually WAS a teenager in my 340 Swinger. I used to get harassed all of the time in that thing just for how it looked and sounded.

Anyway, I love the cars. I would avoid an 03 because they didn't have the limited slip transaxle. The SRT4s are a blast to drive, but expect to be treated differently if you're driving one.
 
Cool cars, I'd love clean ones seem to be in the 8K ranger around here but Ive seen a lot of beat ones around. Also insurance in $$$
 
I guess maybe it depends on your age and driving record. Full coverage on my SRT4 was no more than it is on my 04 Hemi Ram 1500.
 
dgc333 said:
Don't know about the SRT4's but the 89 Shelby Daytona I had had a Getrag manufactured gear set in the tranny. It was about as bullet proof as you could get, can't imagine them going backwards on the tranny with the SRT4.
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well, the 3/Ses have getrag trannies too, and they're far from bulletproof (synchro issues mainly).
 
I had an 08 Burr SRT4...drove it for 25,000 miles...not in a day of course.
They are OK....get pretty good mileage/25mpg for a 280hp car.

Bad is they handle like an overpowered front wheel car....super cheap hard plastic interiors.....body mouldings fall off/get hung up on everything.
Seats are hard as a rock and suspension rivals that of an old Rupp Go cart.

I just dumped mine for an 06 Dodge Daytona Charger....now that's a sweet ride.8)
 
Great cars, to bad they are only front wheel drive. If they were all wheel drive they wouldve sold a crap load more and be dominant on the streets against the Asian cars but the STI and EVO gots them beat.
 
I have an O4 I love it got a mopar performace bov plate on it. It goes pssssssssst when I shift. I can get 34 mpg on the hwy if I keep the boost down. Around 25 in town. They have traction problems though. I want a set of b woody traction bars but their like 400 bucks. Same price as stage 1.but if I get that makes traction problem worse
 
turbomopar said:
I have an O4 I love it got a mopar performace bov plate on it. It goes pssssssssst when I shift. I can get 34 mpg on the hwy if I keep the boost down. Around 25 in town. They have traction problems though. I want a set of b woody traction bars but their like 400 bucks. Same price as stage 1.but if I get that makes traction problem worse
Click to expand...

I ran drag radials on mine,you go through tires a lot faster,but the traction is WAAYYY better.Its all about learning the quirks to launching a high hp FWD car.Just keep practicing,and you will get it.

I loved my SRT and if I wasnt such a dumb *** I would still have it. Sold it cause I thought I was going to build an A body that went faster,still have yet to do that. Best time in the SRT was 12.29 @ 111 mph 1.8 R/T. Also drove it home after that day at the track and got 36 mpg at 70 mph.
 
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