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6 Pocket Rockets

Just because your car is small, doesn't meanhas been a fan favorite for over thirty
that it has to be slow. In fact, some of theyears. Its teeny 1.8L engine pushes out an
fastest cars on the road today areimpressive 140 horses. The new Civic is a far
subcompacts. How so? Because their ownerscry from the "pregnant roller" skate look of
have modified them to the point where theythe  first  Civics.  Owners  are  grateful.
can squeeze out additional horsepower and
acceleration. Let's take a look at six carsScion tC - Unlike its two boxy brethren, the
that  qualify  as  genuine  "pocket rockets."tC is sleek looking and has a rocket
demeanor. With a 2.3L under its hood, the tC
For the sake of argument, here are somehas the second largest engine of any car in
ground  rules  for  a  pocket  rocket:this class. You net 160 horses with the
Scion.
The  car  must  be  a  compact  or  smaller.
Subaru Impreza - The biggest car in this
The engine must be normally aspirated; noclass has the most powerful engine, a 2.5L
turbo  charged  cars  -  four cylinders only.boxter engine producing 173 horses. Very
competitive with larger and more powerful
New versions of the car must all retail forcars, but a favorite among "pocket rocket"
less  than  $20,000.fans  nevertheless.
The following six cars all qualify as pocketVW Golf - A 2.0L 115hp drives the Golf, but
rockets when each of the above stipulationsthe car's light weight allows for it to buzz
has  been  met:down  the  highway  at  a  fairly  good clip.
Dodge Neon; Ford Focus; Honda Civic; ScionFavorite ways of squeezing out additional
tC;  Subaru  Impreza;  and  Volkswagen  Golf.power for pocket rocket owners include
installing the following hot selling
Unfortunately, the Mitsubishi Eclipse retailsaftermarket  parts:
for just above $20,000 so it does not
qualify. Besides, it looks too much like aReusable air filters; top providers include:
sports car; we are only examining thoseK&N  and  Green.
vehicles that are somewhat plain before being
transformed  by  aftermarket  parts.Cold air intake systems; favorites include:
K&N,  AEM,  and  Airaid.
Dodge Neon - Technically, the Neon is no
longer in production as 2005 was its lastCat-back exhaust systems; leading
model year. Still, with a 2.0L 132hp engine,manufacturers include: Magnaflow and Vibrant.
the Neon remains an affordable favorite of
the youth set who enjoy customizing theirPerformance chips; Hypertech and Jet Chips
vehicleslead  the  way.
Ford Focus - A lemon no more! Earlier modelsPerformance level increases are measured in
of the Focus were problem plagued, but thehorsepower, thrust, and acceleration.
car has made significant strides in the pastDepending on the parts installed and model
few years and has received Consumer Report'sselected, improvements can range from slight
recommended buy label too. The stubby ZX3to significant. Regardless, all six models
produces  136  horses  with  its 2.0L engine.have the potential of becoming true pocket
rockets and that is part of the thrill in
Honda Civic - Redesigned for 2006, the Civicowning one.



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