i could use a few suggestions

i have a 98 dohc neon, and i plan on modifying it. i've got tons of ideas, but don't have the money yet. i'll be going to iraq in a few months, so when i come back, that's when it'll all come together. so far i plan on getting a 2.2 ltr stroker crate engine, upgrade suspension and brakes, cold air intake, high flow header, high flow cat and exhaust, but i'm not sure if i should go with straight pipes or not. i'm open to suggestions and advice on better bang for the buck.

first off goodluck in iraq man, i got all the respect in the world for you, i have many friends over their right now. Hope you come back safe.

First off the best bang for buck is always No2, but if not used properly that can destroy your engine. The DOHC engine in the neon is pretty good 150HP and somewhere around the same amount of torque. If i were you i would supercharger it. Could put an extra 40-80HP with about 2-3 grand. If you run a lower PSI like 4-5 you should yeild about 40 more HP and wont have to worry about replacing internals.

I know superchargers are more expensive and produce less power than turbos, but turbos require alot more maitanence and work to keep them running properly.

thanks for the tip, the idea of a supercharger never even came to me.

You will get more out of a turbo, and they really don't reaquire that much more maintenance than a supercharger. A supercharger will be a leach on an engine that small. It takes away hp to give you hp, but a turbo is free power. With a small fwd car a supercharger will give too much torque at launch and you will end up burning the tires off and not go anywhere. Try a 2.4 swap out of a stratus and turbo it. Use a boost controller, high flow exhaust, intercooler, stiff motor mounts, short throw shifter, upgraged ecu, fuel management system, you know, all that good stuff. That will make one quick neon. I think the 2.0 dohc engine can handle around 250-300 hp before haveing to do anything internal. It's been a while since I have researched anything on that as I now have a srt-4 and look for everything and anything for that. Good luck in iraq