Tuning the Chrysler Neon

"Tuning guide to the most effective Chrysler Neon modifications."

The Neon was sold under the Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler brand names and sold well in all regions.

It wasn't just brands, the car also had a few names

• Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler  Neon
• Dodge SX 2.0 (Canada) &  SRT-4 (2003–2005)

This pages aim is look at Neon tuning and highlight the premier upgrades. The Neon is a good car modification project to have. Sit down first and research Neon tuning to spare yourself making the usual tuning mistakes we regularly hear people complain about.

Handling/Suspension upgrades

Improving the handling for DIY mechanics first priority in your Neon tuning project.

Fully adjustable suspension allows you to fine tune the handling of you Neon substantially benefitting your drive.

Drop the car by as much as 21mm - 35 mm. and fit uprated stiffer dampers, bigger drops will need other modifications in most instances.

Don't just look at the peak power figures, you need to see the whole torque curve when determining if a mod is right for you Neon.

Smaller engines do not provide much of a return in terms of power so start with a bigger engine. Engine swaps are a good option if you have a small engine size.

Engine tuning mods.

Typically these motorsport upgrades are usually fitted by our members, decide how far you want to push your car before you begin.

1st Generation

• 1.8 L EBD I4 (gasoline)
• 2.0 L A588 i4 (gasoline)
• 2.0 L ECC i4 (gasoline)

2nd Generation

• 1.6 L EJD I4 (gasoline)
• 2.0 L A588 i4 (gasoline)
• 2.4L EDV/EDT Turbo i4 (gasoline)

3rd Generation

• 1.4 L FirePower I4 (petrol)
• 1.4 L Turbo-Jet i4 (petrol)
• 1.4 L T-Jet i4 ([petrol/LPG)
• 1.4 L T-Jet i4 (petrol/CNG)
• 1.6 L E.torQ i4 (flexfuel)
• 1.3 L Multijet i4 (diesel)
• 1.6 L Multijet i4 (diesel)

Getting the right performance parts for your planned usage of the car is vital. Stage 3 competition upgrades just don't work well on the road hard to control in slow traffic.

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Modifying to Stage 1:

 Panel air filter, Remap, Suspension upgrade (drop 21mm - 35 mm.), Lighter flywheel, Alloy wheels, Sports exhaust.

Modifying to Stage 2:

 Fast road cam, Ported and polished head, fuel pump upgrades, high flow fuel injector, Power/Sport clutch.

Modifying to Stage 3:

 Internal engine upgrades (pistons/head/valves), Sports gearbox, Adding or upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Competition cam, Engine balancing.

Your aim when modding the engine should be a nice flat torque output. You want to avoid sending all the power to be at the top end of the rev range unless you are creating a motor sport car.

The aim of our hints is to give a brief overview of modifying performance parts and point you in the right direction, our forum is best place to go if you need more detailed advice and tips on your car tuning project, the best motorsport parts and all aspects of modding cars.One of the most cost effective mechanical tuning mods you can do to your NASP engine is to fit a fast road camshaft .

It maximises the intake and exhaust flow and increases the power if done right. Ideally you'd add other mods and finish up with a remap. We'd also caution you not to go with a motor sport cam as this upsets the engines idling and general town driving characteristics.

You will need to ensure that the engine is not starved of fuel so will need to uprate the fuelling.

Using high octane fuel is another option if you find you are suffering from pinking or premature ignition on your Chrysler project after fitting other motorsport upgrades. Bigger injectors will enable you to supply sufficient fuel to the engine.

Uprate the fuel pump to cope with the extra fuel requirements of your tuned Neon's uprated injectors.

Intake and Exhaust Tuning.

Breathing mods are usually next up. Contrary to popular belief there is usually a small power gain achieved by fitting an induction kit, they only help and are recommended after you increase the engines power to the point where the standard air intake box cannot cope!

Derestricting the flow of air into the engine is a primary goal of car tuners so get a better flowing air filter if you find that the car is running lean only if you find the car is running lean. Induction kits can sound great but due to the warm air in the engine bay they will not do much to increase power and often rob you of power on most cars.

Sports exhausts can usually air flow out of the engine but do not go too wide or you may end up will reduce the flow rate. Stick to 1.5 to 2.5 inches as a rule of thumb.

Getting the cylinder head ported and polished will help get more air into each cylinder. This is definitely a job for a pro with a flow bench. Your clutch can fail if it starts to break and the standard clutches are only ever good for power gains of up to 45%. Fit a power clutch to avoid power losses through the transmission. The best mods in our opinion for your Neon are fast road camshaft, remap, induction and exhaust, suspension.

NASP engines do not achieve big power gains if you remap them, unless you have done extensive modifications. With turbocharged engines this is another story. A remapped turbo will give impressive power gains and fully release the potential power of the engine.

We've also seen some tuners experimenting with twincharging applications and making some very high power gains.

Despite the large cost involved adding forced induction to a NASP engine will give large power gains. Superchargers are generally easier to add than a turbo. It is difficult to map fuelling with a turbo as the boost comes on exponentially with rpm.

It is simpler to map a supercharger because the boost is directly proportional to engine speed on a linear curve. Decreasing the engines compression ratio will allow you to add forced induction, water injection may also help prevent detonation.

Alloy wheel upgrades.

The benefits of alloy wheels include a lower unsprung weight and better brake cooling via the extra air flow they allow. Get a good directional tread pattern tire to improve your handling and help improve traction on your Neon. Large Neon alloy wheels can decrease performance. If you get big alloy wheels you will be changing your final drive ratio.

Although some people have fitted larger wheels without problems we would restrict ourselves to a 15 inch rim size on the 1st and 2nd generation and 16 inches on the 3rd generation as the maximum.

For more information on Tuning your car please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss Neon options in more detail with our Neon owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased Chrysler tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

Please help us improve these tips by sending us your feedback in the comments box below.

We love to hear what our visitors have got up to and which mods work best for them on each model of car. Comments are used to improve the accuracy of these articles which are continually updated.

This article was written by Waynne Smith on TorqueCars, and I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. This entry was filed under Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth. You can leave a response below or join TorqueCars forum to discuss this article and car modification in detail with our members.

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