BUYER'S GUIDE: SRT-4 VS MSP.

  • Thread starter Thread starter AustinG
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Good points jhatfi

Yeah...look at the big picture...the bar is being raised...save your hard earned dough...and choose wisely (aka the MSP!...hehe).

Even if I don't like a particular sport compact...if it proves to be a great competitor then I can respect that.
 
That car is fast but damnit it's no Protege. O sure it might beat a non asperated MP3 but not an MP3 with Spoolin's turbo on. O yeah by the way did I mention that our car is limited edition. Very few other cars cars are like that
 
Look. it's simple. you always must give props when they are deserved. Like the Neon is one fast car for cheap money (i think around $15,000). And also not to mention that dodge owns mopor which makes aftermarket parts for the dodg cars. And from what i heard from dodge freaks is that they already have a upgrades to the engine that have it up around 240 hp at the crank. thats awsome. but after giving the car it's props you add that you really think the car is ugly and wouldn't buy it at all.

thats how it should be done. give props were it's due but also add that it's not you type of car.
 
Coulden't have said it better myself!!!

Dave
 
saided18

Don't get mad because I shared some info about the competition that's out there. I am sure most people are interested in knowing what the SRT4 brings to the table. If sharing info about the neon is hating the Protege, then you are confused.

Anyways, from your last post, it seems you get the point now.
 
No RSX i always have gotten the point. it's just i see that every one with an RSX posted messages like "Mazdaspeed killer" or "RSX-S better then MSP" etc. it just seems that people with RSXs have hostility toward the MP3 and MPS and try to find other cars that are faster then the two car. Trying to rub it in our faces or something like that.

I steered away from the WRX cuz it's ugly and you need to do body work and stuff to make it look good. and the same thing can be said about that neon. it's Fing ugly as hell and has OK handling.

I don't see any of you RSX guys praising the MP3 or MPS. All i see is you guys trying to find cars that are faster then it.

that just a observation i have made. so i don't know.
 
By the way. for RSX. are you sure it's 223 Wheel HP and not 223 crank HP. B/c like i said. i have heard from many sources that it would be pumping about 230HP at the crank not the wheels. could you just double check to make sure b/c 223 at the wheels is alot. and like i said my friend has 250 at the wheels and spins 1, 2, and part of 3 gear. and do quick math. 223 wheel hp + 20 loss from drive train and accessories would put it 270HP at the crank. yet again that alot.
 
I like the looks of the new neon.
Also I trust its build a hell of alot more then the focus and it can't have a tranny much worse then ours.

I'm not buying it but glad its out there and hope alot of people enjoy it.
 
ZoeXlow2 said:

Hi all,
Although I am a new 'poster', I have been coming to this forum for quite a few months now. I drive a 2000 Ford Escort Zx2 S/R (go ahead and make your jokes) :rolleyes: , and my ex-girlfriend has a 2001 Protege ES.
As far as the above comments go (by the way slug420, I am not trying to flame you, infact I always get a kick out of your posts {telling unscrupulous salesmen where they can go, sharing your pain about how how long you have to wait for your MSP to come out etc.}) a couple of things that struck me as odd with the Pro compared to my Scort was that:
1)Power lock button is only on the driver side and not on passenger side (I have never seen this before)
2)No variable intermittent winshield wiper speed (only three speeds)
3)Cup holders are only deep enough to support the tiniest beverage size as anything larger will probably tip over in spirited driving (by the way what is the best stain remover you guys know of)
4)Can you say rattle? Are there "Cracker Jack" type surprises hidden throughout the body panels and dash of the Protege?
5)Why is every scheduled maintenance considerably more expensive with the Protege, than with my Zx2? $190.00 for the 24k inspection:wtf: ; Tire rotation $20:wtf:
6)Although this one isn't that big, how come there is no trunk release on the keyless entry?

Although the above points are not catastrophic and the Protege is still a wonderful car (and at the time we chose it, it was the best value for the money), these are points that do not really show that the Protege hence MSP = attention to detail.



i don't think most people our age (17-24) really care about power locks being only on the drive side. Nor i don't think we really give two s*hts about the variable intermittent winshield wiper speed.
the cup holders you might have a point but yet again i don't think i not buy a car due to poor cup holders design.

also you are comparing a Protege ES to a Escort ZX2 S/R. Supposely that is the "best" escort you can buy. how about you compare you ZX2 to my MP3. then we can see who's car is better.
 
saided18 said:





also you are comparing a Protege ES to a Escort ZX2 S/R. Supposely that is the "best" escort you can buy. how about you compare you ZX2 to my MP3. then we can see who's car is better.

Of the 6 Protege shortcomings I listed, my friend, I do not think the MP3 corrects any of them. So what difference would it make if you use your MP3 as a comparison instead of a non-MP3 Protege?
 
Check my previous posts if you want, but I have never bashed the Protege MP3 or MSP. In fact I even went out of my way to get those spy shots of the Orange MSP when it was in Montreal at the corporate office, so that everyone could have a look. Hell I think the new MSP is a wicked car, I have been pushing Enry really hard to get it, but it seems like he is leaning the other way.

Just because this is a Protege forum, doesn't mean that we have to worship the car every minute. We can take a couple of minutes to discuss other cars, and the new enrties into the sport compact scene. This is the hottest the scene has been in terms of factory performance in a long time. We should all enjoy it, and not worry about offending one another when somebody talks about the other cars in the same class.

Anyways, I will leave it at that :)


From what I remeber reading that was HP and torque at the wheels. It is a dyno plot, and most dynos are at the wheels. I doubt SCC went out of their way to estimate the drive train loss and correct the plots. However, I could be wrong. Can anyone confirm that ?
 
oh ok RSX. nah b/c my dodge people said the car would have less HP then was on the dyno chart you should. they said their was an upgrade availible from MOPOR that would get it up to about 240 at the crank. well i don't know. i guess we will see when the car comes out in production. I will remind you that the MP3 prototype had a K&N cone fillter and had a different header on it too! so i guees we will just have to wait and see.

RSX no hard feelings. (drinks)
 
A co-worker pointed out a good point about the dyno in SCC magaizne. Why is there a dip in the HP curve, and then a rise to peak HP. That is really weird. I have never seen such a thing in a dyno plot. Any ideas ?
 
not to take anything away from the srt-4. i mean i hate it. but it sounds like a solid fast package. the thing they tested was a big fat prototype, they havent even gone into production yet it sounded like.....so although i bet the numbers will be very close on the final prduct, some inexplicable or suprising results may be a result of it being a test model of sorts....
 
rsx said:
A co-worker pointed out a good point about the dyno in SCC magaizne. Why is there a dip in the HP curve, and then a rise to peak HP. That is really weird. I have never seen such a thing in a dyno plot. Any ideas ?

I can't remember the exact settings because mine has been 'tweaked' for so long. The reason may be from computer programming. The older turbo Dodge cars may have a factory boost setting of 7psi on the non-intercooled models or 10psi on the intercooled models. The computers would 'allow' a brief overboost of a few extra psi for a few seconds. That may be the same thing on the SRT-4. What you see is the short term overboost. The dip you see on the dyno may be where the boost is brought back down.
 
Not the best looking thing but not bad, the interior and engine look like a major jump up in build quality compared to previous neons. I like the fact that they did a dual exhaust and refrained from putting clear tail lights on which looks to me like it was a consideration. Only thing I would have to change is the ride height... it begs to be dropped an inch or two.

I would buy it if I was in the market for a new car.
 
i've driven enough neons in the past to know that it's the same crappy build quality i've come to expect from all american manufacturers. you could offer me a neon with 400hp for $10k and i still wouldn't drive it. they just don't feel solid.
 
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