Howdy,
On Mon, 23 Aug 1999, Justin Hughes wrote:
> > The problem with putting these cars in Stock are that they had special
> > competition suspension options that are Street Prepared oriented;
> adjustable
> > front camber plates, special brake discs, Grupe N adjustable suspension.
> As
> > delivered standard they came with special trunk kits; baffled oil pan and
> > dual oil pump pickup, adjustable rear spoiler, and front subframe
> crossbrace.
> > Installing trunk kit items automatically voids the warranty. Engines
> were
> > dyno'd & handpicked from std. assembly line, plus BMW specifically stated
> > that theses vehicles were made for competition. Aluminum door skins,
> stiffer
> > suspension springs with 1" lower ride height, sound padding removed,
> special
> > seats, and a lower rear gear were also std.
> >
> > Hardly the type of vehicle to be classed in Stock.
>
> Arguably, so is the Neon ACR. OK, so Dodge doesn't hand pick each engine.
> But they do many of the same things that BMW does to the LTW. Before the
> Neonites jump in, yes, I'm aware that the Neon R/T has most of the same
> performance upgrades as the ACR. But the ACR came first, by several years.
Are you sure you aren't some automated software package designed to
irritate me?
Lesse. In the early years the differences between the ACR and the regular
DOHC neon were:
struts (slotted for camber and different valving),
slightly thicker hubs (no performance advantage),
non-speed limited computer (removed the 116mph speed limit),
different roll bars, stiffer springs,
different final drive (3.94 from 3.52 I think?)
In the later years it was just the struts and hubs, except the struts were
now rebound adjustable as well.
So you could pretty much convert any neon to the "full on racecar" specs
in an afternoon. And, of course, anyone that wanted one could
order it.
Compare that the the M3 Lightweight that dropped the ride height, had AL
body skins, had aero aids added, had a _hand picked_ motor, came with
parts that if installed voided the factory warranty, etc. Oh, and had
less than 200 made.
How you could compare the two boggles the mind.
Mark
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