redjetpack

i dont think it was racing, but i think it was one step away from being racing. really just sort of a jackass contest (not trying to insult anyone here). what i mean by that is it was really just a "whos going to drive harder" contest. no different than every time im on the freeway and someone pisses me off, i make sure they have a hard drive the rest of the way off the road.

dmp

uh..except every time he got near me, I yielded, or attempted to yield. There's 'no' contest there...and again, I can't think I broke any limits by more than about 10-15mph and that was during a PASS of a slower car. Driving hard? I took 'one' fast corner and did 'one' hard launch.

oh well.

(shrug).

Chrisbert

****** idiots who race on the street and damn near killed my friend!

Chrisbert

"We both turn left at the next cross street and I notice him scooting off with authority. I keep onto the gas, but he pulls away at an alarming clip.

"This sucks" I thought..."

But now its:

"uh..except every time he got near me, I yielded, or attempted to yield. There's 'no' contest there"

Chrisbert

OK, I'm through bitching.

Gotta destress now.

dwill9578

if one was given I'd drive it only at night. I don't care how fast they are or how well they drive which isn't good, they are ugly and won't last! I wonder how many people over 16 stop to look at one of those??? Where I live there is a black one as well,he's a total herb!! everytime I drive by he races his engine I just roll my eyes(and yes his hat is on sideways), GIVE ME A BREAK!!! it's a econo box witha turbo bolted on. Those cars are the worst!!!down the road people will look at those like seeing one of those Dodge Omni's GLX turbo's or whatever they were from back in the day. If you couldn't tell I dislike Neon's if they have a turbo or not, wonder if any will be at the Northeast Exotic car show in June.........I'll keep my eyes peeled......

dmp

If that helps you...sure.

raji

chrisbert, your friend's not dead, try to be grateful.

dmp didn't sound like he was racing to me... It seemed to be mostly about hard cornering and hard acceleration to around the speed limit (in his case -- the SRT-4 is a different story).

Great thread though! I've been curious to find out how the SRT compared to the 8 in terms of overall performance (straights vs. turns). All the reviews i had read about the SRT were always great and insisted on saying that it had great handling... well now i know it's nowhere near the 8, but apparently good enough!

dmp

Keep in mind, my little experience isn't conclusive; it just shows one example-from my perspective.

HE may be on his forum saying "I went into the on-coming lane, around a corner, to try and pass the rx8, but...."

I think to really judge each car, one would have to drive them, on the same course at 7/10th limits. I know the SRT4 is no slouch when it comes to handling; depending on the driver. Frankly, I can get my wife's beater-altima to take that same turn at about the same speed I took it with the RX8. :D

So, yeah - I'd say it's misleading to say "The SRT4's handling capability is nowhere near" that of an RX8. Just as I think it may be misleading to say the RX8 is nowhere near the 1/4 mile time of a SRT4. I know plenty of SRT4s running low 14s.

Trap speed, otoh, is a big difference. I could probably out-launch an SRT4 on the drag-strip (the 60ft time is the key to a good ET), but the SRT4 DOES have a LOT more power. (read: from a rolling start, he'd kill me!) :D

BlueEyes

What? You're judging the performance of a car based on one encounter with an unknown driver who from the sounds of it is pretty terrible?

DARKMAZ8

You're right RAJI, the 8 owns all.

raji

BlueEyes, no, it gives me an idea of how they compare. There's a lot of variables we can't really know for sure, as dmp said, but it still gives me a rough idea of how the two compare.

DARKMAZ8... whaa??

HeelnToe

Read up on the car and the engineering behind it. While I don't plan to buy one, I do respect what it can do, and especially appreciate the engineering passion and effort that went into it.

I only wish the RX-8 haters would see our car the same way

dwill9578

I do know what into the car and it's not much, I drove one(friends). yes it's QUICK but it lacks to me in many other areas, but hey thats just me. guess thats why it's around 20k not 30k. bang for the buck i'd take a Spec V or another front drive econo box with a upgraded engine and mildly upgraded chassis(in case anyone cared). Come on SRT didn't do anything that someone with a base neon couldn't do with a liittle$$$$$. back to topic though it's quick----thats all I can give it.

Thetitanium8

yes, the srt is not the best looking car or does it have the highest quality of parts. That is not the point of the car and so many people miss that. The point of the car is to get up and go and it does that pretty darn well. If dodge wanted it to be top quality overall they would have done it and you would be looking at a 30k+ car.

Plus the whole thing "its a young punks car" or "its an econo box" is getting a little old IMO. Yes most people who drive it are younger. I would say in their 20's. Some people don't have 30k to put down on a car and some that do would rather spend that money on their kids or something of that nature. So to put down someone for buying a car that is darn good for the price is a little overboard IMO. If the car was selling for 30k the way it is then I could understand some comments about stuff like the interior being a little on the cheap side ......

Just enjoy what you have. If you dont like the car then just say you don't like it. No need to attack others taste just like when people attack the 8 and everyone gets all upset.

Thanks

dwill9578

there are better cars for equal or less money that might be a little slower thats all, and most of the SRT-4 drivers seem to have very little grey matter under their sideways hats,I'm not making that commnet based on the car they purchased either. IMO people give that car TOO much credit but again thats MO...worth a grain of salt.

dwill9578

SRT-8 seems like it could be a good, fast ride for@40k. Nice 6.1 liter ---4.7 to 60 room for a couple buddies. That car should do well,should add a little more aggressive look though.

dmp

No - its more like, when SRT4 owners find a car with a slower 1/4 time time, stock, they get little boners.

khtm

I think "little" is the key word :D

Ajax

let's not let this degrade into a flame fest or the stuff we saw on the SRT forum.

dmp

My boner comment came from 'one of them' ABOUT 'them'.

Steiner

I owned an '02 Spec V before my '04 SRT-4. It's like comparing apples and nipples. The Spec V puts down about 150whp/160wtq, has a rear beam suspension, terribly matched shifter and gear ratios for the engine's power curve...yet torque steers like a ****. The SRT-4 puts down about 230whp/250wtq, has independent suspension all around, a perfectly geared and bullet proof truck tranny, little to no torque steer and much better gas mileage even.

In an SRT-4 you can harass Corvettes. In a Spec V you can barely keep up with a V6 Honda Accord. The SRT-4 is also much more than a Neon with a turbo...but that's been beaten to death on nearly every internet forum already. You may not like the looks or what you perceive to be the target demographic, but you can't argue with the performance as DMP discovered. It does a lot of things for not a lot of money...and did I mention it's dirt cheap to modify.

truemagellen

DMP u know you'd be much happier in a cherry red 1994 camaro