Topic: Dodge Neon Suspension

[Frankenkit]

WAAAAY off the motorcycle topic...

I've got an 01 neon I bought back in' 04 for a great deal at a used car place.  It's run faithfully and maybe even a little scary-fast on occasions.  The only problem is the PO lowered the suspension and put on low-profile wheels. It's always hit speed bumps, potholes, etc way unnecessarily hard...

Long story short, I want to get this fixed before I attempt to sell the car.  Engine wise etc, the car sells itself, cold air intake, etc etc etc, but that crappy suspension has to go.  I was going to go to our local tire/suspension place (Les Schwab out here on the left coast) because I'm not looking for racing frills etc, just simple, comfortable function.  I'm wondering, though, if anyone who knows cars better might know of a better route.  I don't want to get fleeced just because I'm not a car person.

Thanks!

[OldSkool]

WAAAAY off the motorcycle topic...

I've got an 01 neon I bought back in' 04 for a great deal at a used car place.  It's run faithfully and maybe even a little scary-fast on occasions.  The only problem is the PO lowered the suspension and put on low-profile wheels. It's always hit speed bumps, potholes, etc way unnecessarily hard...

Long story short, I want to get this fixed before I attempt to sell the car.  Engine wise etc, the car sells itself, cold air intake, etc etc etc, but that crappy suspension has to go.  I was going to go to our local tire/suspension place (Les Schwab out here on the left coast) because I'm not looking for racing frills etc, just simple, comfortable function.  I'm wondering, though, if anyone who knows cars better might know of a better route.  I don't want to get fleeced just because I'm not a car person.

Thanks!

The Dodge Neon was a pretty good FWD handler from the factory. I believe this was in part due to the fact that design constraints and packaging forced engineers to utilize a short shock/spring combination. In order to provide a half way decent ride with a short shock/spring combo I believe they went with stiff shocks and soft springs from the factory. This provided a supple ride yet a set up that resisted a lot of dive in the corners. Now, if the PO lowered the suspension, they could have done a couple of things:

Switched out springs and shocks for a stiff spring/stiff shock setup (IE Eibach springs/tokico struts)

Switched out only springs replacing factory springs for a stiffer progressive spring and keeping the fairly stiff factory shock

Cut the springs to lower the suspension. This would pose a huge problem because as I mentioned before suspension travel is short from the factory. Cutting the springs would further reduce an already short suspension travel.

I would find out what you have on your car. You could easily find out by removing a wheel and checking out the springs and shocks/struts.

Personally, I would go to a salvage yard and try to find stock Neon wheels/tires, and original factory suspension setup (Springs and shocks) and swap them over. Then you could sell the "performance" suspension parts and wheels. Or, you could just locate factory suspension components from a salvage yard and keep the low profile wheels and I think the ride will improve significantly. If I had to make an educated guess I would imagine that the PO either cut the factory springs or installed low grade non progressive rate springs.

[jsaab2748]

If you're inclined, go to a self service salvage yard and remove the suspension parts of another neon. It's pretty easy to remove strut assys. Chances are that your car's p.o.
either cut the old springs, or installed shorter ones, which in either case, will dramatically affect things besides just ride height. Easy enough to just remove whole strut assys. that have the stock springs already installed on them. Replace front and rears, and have a four wheel alignment done. Hopefully the stock tie rod ends are still on the car. If not, you gotta replace those too. (sometimes custom tie rod ends are installed with a lowered suspension to prevent a condition called "bump steer") Not looking at the car, this is all I can think of that you'd have to change, but someone with a lowered car might be able to add to this. There is probly a zillion neons in the salvage yards. Parts should be fairly cheap and plentiful.

Edit

Dammit Oldskool ya beat me to it

[333]

The other thing you might try is selling it as is, with the fancy suspension work already done.  While it may not be your cup of tea, someone else might pay MORE for a car like that.

[gregimotis]

The other thing you might try is selling it as is, with the fancy suspension work already done.  While it may not be your cup of tea, someone else might pay MORE for a car like that.

Stick an airfoil on the back and sell it in Santa Fe!  Better yet, a ten dollar chrome end cap for the exhaust pipe and sixteen LED lights stuck underneath - You'll make a killing!  No, no, wait:  Get ten rattle-cans and PAINT IT PINK!!!

I'm telling you - a simple NoS sticker (heh) on the window will add hundreds to the value.

[mark]

there ya go.....

instead of looking for struts and wheels and tires and still spending a couple hundred at the yard....

get a real big speaker box and a big amp off cl for cheap.

that and the nos sticker should do.

btw I think you just missed half-price weekend at pick-n-pull.

[Frankenkit]

If I had the parts, could I go to a mechanic, then, and have them installed?  Looking at the way the PO did a lot of the work, I wouldn't be surprised if the old springs were cut, but it's a d*mn pain trying to get far enough under the car to see *anything*

[OldSkool]

If I had the parts, could I go to a mechanic, then, and have them installed?  Looking at the way the PO did a lot of the work, I wouldn't be surprised if the old springs were cut, but it's a d*mn pain trying to get far enough under the car to see *anything*

I wouldn't underestimate your ability to do a simple strut/spring swap. As mentioned, if you were to acquire the strut assemblies from a junkyard it would be a simple process of unbolting the assembly from the top of the strut tower, unbolting the strut from the steering knuckle (Front) and swapping the new (Used) assembly in. Pretty straight forward. Swapping springs only would be a bit more involved since you'd most likely need a spring compressor. You would also need an alignment which will most likely cost you between 75 and 100 dollars. If you were to bring the parts to a local mechanic I would imagine they would probably charge somewhere along the lines of 150-200 plus the cost of an alignment.

Just so you know, I'm basing this on labor rates of 75-100/hour up here in the Northeast. Flat rate labor costs could be much cheaper in your area.

Good luck.

[mark]

swapping struts is pretty basic.

front- 3 nuts on top, 2 bolts on bottom, per side. don't loosen the big nut on top without a spring compressor in place.

rear - maybe only 1 nut on top, 2 bolts below.

if you can get the wheels off, you're halfway there.



your best deal on parts is probably the small yard that lives next to a small towing company. they will be glad to sell something off one of those cursed Neons that they keep getting stuck with. that's how it works around here anyway.

 

[Gordon]

The other thing you might try is selling it as is, with the fancy suspension work already done.  While it may not be your cup of tea, someone else might pay MORE for a car like that.

Stick an airfoil on the back and sell it in Santa Fe!  Better yet, a ten dollar chrome end cap for the exhaust pipe and sixteen LED lights stuck underneath - You'll make a killing!  No, no, wait:  Get ten rattle-cans and PAINT IT PINK!!!

I'm telling you - a simple NoS sticker (heh) on the window will add hundreds to the value.

I'm with these guys.  At least try to sell it as-is first.  You may get some pretty good offers.

[Inigo Montoya]

Are you sure it was lowered? I have seen some pretty short neons that were completely stock. My wife had a neon and if you tried to drive it up ramps to change oil, the lower fendersides would scrape on the ramps before the wheels even got to them. This was a 99 neon.

I suppose it may have been lowered but check if it was a factory job. If it was, then you should be able to sell it just fine.

[DarkRider]

Theres always a chance they heated the coils to drop it as well...But yea best bet...replace complete assembly with used parts and get alignment..keep the parts with the car when sold incase the next owner wants to drop it again...