Greetings from Portland

[summersc]

Thanks for hosting this forum. I am doing my best to stay facebook free, so you all are all Ive got.

[texanbrit]

Welcome to the group! Tell us some more about your FIAT.

[summersc]

Thanks for the welcome. I’ve got a 2015 Abarth I am having fun prepping for track time. I do track days at PIR here in Portland and love it. I realize how fortunate I am in having such a great track in my backyard. In doing research, I found this forum and have been loving it. It seems like an authentic group of good folks without any drama.

So far I have relocated the battery and cut some springs. I know cutting springs is a touchy subject but I just didn’t want a big drop and didn’t want to get coilovers just yet. Plus, I have access to scales to corner balance the car.

Mostly I am trying to control the urge to order a bunch of parts and start modifying. I feel I should get to know the car more as it is, and that always leads to appreciation of the incredible job the engineers do with balancing all the requirements. I typically have this grand idea to modify something, but after giving it thought and studying the constraints, I often see why it is the way it is and find appreciation for the original design. In fact, I am struggling with the common intake manifold mods folks commonly make. The stock intake seems to be a pretty good design to me and is quiet and easy to service and looks good.

Next up for me is exploring how 15in RPF1s fit. I love the idea of a 30lb wheel/tire setup. One wheel from Goodwin is scheduled to arrive this weekend.

Here is after the spring cuts:

7AA82BD9-79C2-4134-BA39-1BBBDC61EA61.jpeg (417.74 KiB) Viewed 6790 times

Here is the battery relocation. I have a pc680 under the passenger seat now.

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[sportfan]

Nice car. I really like those wheels. Texanbrit can help you with any questions on an Abarth. I did a similar battery relocation. I put an Antigravity battery in a plastic ammo can behind the passenger seat. Dropped 35 lbs off the car. I have a very modded 13' Sport.

[summersc]

@sportfan tell me about that exhaust manifold! That looks sweet. Good work on the battery relocation. Fitting the pc680 battery under my passenger seat was very easy. There is a ton of room so I think this is a great weight reduction/reallocation mod to do.

Thanks. I like those wheels too. It might be the first time I don’t replace the stock wheels on a car.

I had a 2012 pop for many years but sold it. It was a fantastic track car. The saying is so true… driving a slow car fast is too fun. Bonus: I got a good arm workout with all the point by’s.

I am happy to be back in another fiat. I do miss that NA intake noise, though.

[sportfan]

The header was made by ICEngine Works it is a ss 4-2-1 with a hi flo cat. Texanbrit bought the first one they made and I got the second one. I don't know if they make them anymore. Bryan of Engen might know. I got it through him. I thought about putting my battery under the seat but, I can reach the reset button from the driver's seat if I were ever needing to.

[summersc]

Update on the 15in Enkei RPF1s: they do NOT fit over the front calipers of the abarth. Even with a 15mm spacer, the inside of the rim still hits the front caliper.

I am now learning the hassle of returning a wheel… restocking fees, shipping fees, risk of box damage, etc…

I ordered a 15in Advanti Storm S1 and it does fit. It fits with plenty of clearance over the front caliper and the rear antiroll bar clamp. No grinding needed.

The Storm is just over 10lbs per wheel and the RPF1s are just under 10lbs, so not a big difference.

storm rear.PNG (1.24 MiB) Viewed 6612 times

storm front.PNG (1.18 MiB) Viewed 6612 times

i have always preferred the look of the RPF1s, but these are growing on me.

[MadFiat]

Nice wheels!