Dodge Repair: power gain/loss with a/c on, market muffler, dodge neon

Question
When driving my 1999 dodge neon 2.0 sohc with the a/c on the car seems to be boggy then the power picks up and then drops and picks up. goes back and forth . so you will speed up and slow down without changing accelerator position. what would cause this?  

Answer
Unfortunately, it's only got 132 horsepower at the crankshaft.  Each time the compressor kicks in there's a tremendous load on the engine both electrically because of the clutch engaging as well as the parasidic loss of having to spin over the compressor to push the refrigerant.

I would recomend checking over maintenance items like plugs, wires, air filter, and belt condition to ensure everything is at it's peak opporating condition.  Additional things like a higher flowing air filter or maybe after market muffler might yield a couple of horsepower to off-set the drain the a/c puts on the system.

The flip side is that the after-market muffler may be a little noisier and the higher flowing air filter will be more expensive than the stocker.  

If you really like the car then you could put in a different camshaft that will allow this car to really respond differently than what you've got right now.  But it's not cheap.

Unfortunately, as it sits right now, you've not got alot of power from the factory and the A/C will be noticeable when it engages.
Doug