But he and his cohorts wanted the ride quality to be kinder and gentler than the unyielding foundation of a race car, a goal they achieved: The SRT-4 is firm, but there's just enough compliance to soften hard asphaltic warts out there. The PVO Neon ACR (for American Club Racing) suspension pieces will bolt right up, according to Zweidler. They could be even higher with a little less tire sidewall and a little more starch in the suspension tuning. Pushed to its limits, the SRT-4 will behave like its tamer Neon cousins (read "understeer"), but those limits are pretty high. It's also capable of unwinding your favorite set of back-road kinks in a faster-than-average hurry, and it could probably be a good autocross weapon. Power comes on with a profound rush, and Frankeneon hurls itself down the street with a will. Tramp on the go pedal, and the boost gauge snaps to attention-right now. So what's it like to drive? Bitchin', thank you. The high-grip textured upholstery carries over to the door panels, there's a carbon-fiber pattern tanned into the leather covering the steering wheel, the instruments-including a 160-mph speedo-are unique to this package, and there are a number of chrome accents, including bright instrument bezels. Most noteworthy under this heading is the pair of racing-style bucket seats with oversize thigh and torso bolsters, adapted from the buckets used in the Dodge Viper. Zweidler also makes a functionality claim for the hood scoop, which does indeed route cool air over the engine and turbocharger. Oh, really? All we know is that it cuts an irritating slice out of the driver's rear view. "It balances the car aerodynamically, up to and including top speed," he says. Lows: Reluctant shifting, rearview-inhibiting wing, racing-style seats.Īll the foregoing adds up to a street-fightin' bad boy, and the PVO troops have done their best to make the SRT-4 look the part with unique front and rear fascias, side cladding, 6.0-by-17-inch aluminum alloy wheels wearing Michelin Pilot Sport tires, and a high rear wing that Zweidler claims is functional. On the other hand, shameless wheelspin will be this car's biggest appeal for many owners.
As you'd expect, the SRT-4 has bigger footprints than its R/T counterpart-205/ 50ZR-17 rubber versus 195/50TR-16s-but even so, it's easy to overpower them with a careless throttle foot. There are hints of an alien force tugging at the wheel during full-tilt-boogie acceleration in first and second gears, but that's all. The clutch and the gearbox are unique to the SRT-4, and the equal-length half-shafts do a remarkable job of quelling torque steer.
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The engine feeds its impressive thrust through a Sachs high-capacity clutch into a New Venture T850 five-speed manual gearbox and thence via equal-length half-shafts to the front wheels. Then there's the challenge of getting it onto the pavement-via the front wheels-without having the launch go up in smoke or snatching the steering wheel out of the driver's hands. But hitched to a car that weighs in some 500 pounds lighter than the GT, and allied with a manual transmission, it produces more dramatic test results. That's the same boost and output as the PT Cruiser GT's turbo engine, by the way. And thanks to a small turbine gallery, maximum boost-between 11 and 14 psi, depending on conditions-comes up quickly. Those are both pretty hefty numbers for a modest long-stroke four-banger-the same engine used in the Chrysler PT Cruiser-but it's the torque that really gets the SRT-4 out of the starting blocks, with a nice flat curve that peaks early and stays peaked for a long time. Just a Mitsubishi TD04-L-16GK turbocharger pressurizing the intake manifold of a 2.4-liter DOHC 16-valve four enough to raise its output from 150 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque to 215 horsepower and 245 pound-feet. On the other hand, if it ain't voodoo, it ain't rocket science, either. 1-a little chicken blood, a couple incantations, a little moonshine, and your Neon becomes a tire shredder like this one-you know it just doesn't work that way.
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There are two possible explanations for this unlikely level of quickness: (1) This car is bewitched and picks up its pace as the moon approaches full or (2) the SRT-4 goes faster than the other Neons because something has been added under the hood.Īlthough it may be more appealing to subscribe to explanation No. Subie's precocious Impreza WRX, for example, and even pricey sports sedans such as the Audi A4 and BMW 330i. It's equally clear that this particular Neon can run with bigger dogs.
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