Learn me Fiat 500 Abarth?

In reply to Adrian_Thompson :

Is the lowest seat height setting still too tall for you?

that seems to be a re-occuring complaint about the car.. how high you sit. I have owned sports cars were your calves are just off of the carpet, but I have no issues with the sitting position in my Abarth. It's quite comfy, gives you a good view out, and really does not make the car feel any more likely to tip over.  I just came back from a 300mile road trip to Annapolis and back in mine, I was surprisingly in good shape when I got out.

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

No idea, I've never driven one.  I was just reading up and it seemed such a common complaint that I assumed the grassroots and enthusiast community would have come up with a solution by now.

In reply to Adrian_Thompson :

It seems like the higher seating position is due to the stubby length. If you lowered it much you may not have enough travel rearward to get enough legroom. 

Wally said:

In reply to Adrian_Thompson :

It seems like the higher seating position is due to the stubby length. If you lowered it much you may not have enough travel rearward to get enough legroom. 

the car is 12 feet long. Very little room to lay 3 feet of legs out in front of you. Personally, before I went through the shenanigans of worrying about lowering the seat, give one a try.

Any other thoughts on the reliability of these engines? I know Fiat is considered one of the least reliable brands and this engine was also used in some Chryslers as well (again, generally below average reliability), but that's not necessarily specific to this engine.

From a tuning performance perspective, the same engine is in the Fiat 124. Keith from Flyin' Miata has suggested on this forum they were difficult to get additional power out of. Brian from Goodwin Racing suggested on his forum that they suffer with heat and his testing of aftermarket tunes with the biggest claims suggested don't hold up in real world use on track, etc. I believe he found Open Flash Tablet claims reliable more situations, but their claims are more modest.

I believe the engines and drivetrains are pretty robust, it's the rest of the car that is pretty cheaply built. Mine only has 13,000 miles on it and I only put on about 3000 miles a year, so it's going to take a while.

I know a few people that have put hard miles on their Abarths and heat is a problem.  They all have added vents to their hoods or replaced them altogether.  

Just under 64K miles on mine, and a little over 5 years.  Plenty of AX, some track days, multi trips to Tail of the Dragon.  Zero engine issues, the only problems I've had include replacing both axles up front, and one ball joint.  (I've also added the Unichip and a CAI, I would think that would add stress if anything).

I will say after a few AX runs that black hood is berkeleying hot.  I try to remember to leave my gloves on when I get out to pop the hood.  Been thinking about a turbo blanket.

And I'm 5'8" and have no problems with the seat height either.

I'm glad this thread popped back up for the reliability update.  This weekend I've been taking a good look at these for a fun daily, I saw one pull out of a grocery store and forgot how great the stock exhaust sound is.

Sitting in one way back when they came stateside reminded me of a Scion XA, very upright like sitting at a desk.

I’ll add that the seat height is just weird feeling, it doesn’t really cause a lot of trouble with fitting in the car.  I’m 6’ tall, and had plenty of headroom in my hardtop Abarth when I had it.

Note the window vinyl, left side.  (Although...the day I applied it I got a CEL.  Turned out to be the gas cap, but still it gave me pause.)

Wally said:

I know a few people that have put hard miles on their Abarths and heat is a problem.  They all have added vents to their hoods or replaced them altogether.  

I have considered the hood that 500Madness sells.. but I would have to paint it to match the car. I really dislike CF hoods

In reply to mad_machine :

Nice, but eek!  $2,500.  That's about 25% of the car's value 5 mins after it drives off the lot.  You can buy a nice NACA duct and louver and pay to have them professionally fitted and painted for a lot less than just that hood, which still needs fitting and painting.  I wonder what the weight save is, I can't imagine significant for such a small panel.

In reply to Adrian_Thompson :

The OEM hood itself is pretty light.  I've thought about a duct myself.  (Also, of all the vendors I've found, 500Madness is definitely the most overpriced.)

madness also sells just vents.. which are a LOT cheaper and you can choose where to put them. I would do that if anything.