The New Fiat 500 Abarth (only) Thread

17" winter tires worked fine for me.

 

I bought a light set of 17s shod with Pirelli snow tires for winter driving in Milwaukee. They worked great. Lots of people were very surprised at how the little car handled the snow.



Mark

 

I need to get a winter beater. I love the car too much to drive it in the snow.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

Yes, standard 17's are summer only so went to 16's for the winter with obviously 4 new wheels. Just figured I would like a little more sidewall for winter driving + I think they are a little bit narrower but I would have to check that. Tirerack had the Pirelli's I wanted along with an assortment of wheels, pkg price was pretty cheap.

I can change all four in about 45min, two wheels off the ground at the same time. I'm about to do this again mid to late Oct.

 

I might be looking at a used one for a commuter car. Any big known issues with the Abarths in particular? Comments on the C vs the hardtop?

 

I have a 500 hardtop and a Abarth convertible. I really like the folding top. It slides back just over the front seats or further back over the rear seats. Or you can fold it all the way down. All the way down and you can drive with the windows up. If it's partway back you have to crack a window open so you don't get sunroof thrumming.

Makes for a nice convertible experience. The downside is that when fully rolled back rear visibility is nil. And the rear hatch on the hard top becomes a small opening on the converible which really cuts into storage.

I think if it were a daily car the hardtop would be better. But a fun weekend toy I'd go convertible.

I took my wife, 10 year old daughter, and dog over the tail of the dragon in out Abarth. Top down around sunset and it was great fun for everyone. Had barely enough for our 3 duffel bags though.

 

Coupe with a sunroof was my choice, since at $1K extra it was much less expensive than the convertible and a good compromise. I use it almost year-round (with the back tipped open), which wouldn't be the case with the convertible.

 

So our 2012 Abarth recently went in for the 6+ time for an oil pressure light.
The dealer had the car for about an month before they told us what was actually wrong with it. Turns out the crankshaft bearings are toast. It's been almost 2 months now with a loaner cabrio and the part is still on backorder.
Fiat did offer us employee pricing if we wanted to purchase another but, that would mean trading ours back in at the dealer, whom wouldn't give us crap on a car with a history now.
If you happen to see your oil light on, take it in immediately.

 

Did your car have the starter bolt replacement attended to? There was a bulletin or recall related to poor grounding of the starter due to wrong bolt choice, which could lead to damaged crank bearings. If the car still has the original wrong bolt(s) and it was never addressed in all the times you were in for oil lights, perhaps you can fight for warranty coverage.

 

doesnt look like any of the nokian tires fit the oem wheels in 16 or 17 - that blows!

 

nokian WRs fit the 16 inch wheels. score

 

which tuner has stuff for abarth? looking for exhaust and ecu upgrades to start...

 

Most of my modification came from 500 Madness. They have pretty much everything you'd need.
If you want a Magneti boost controller let me know I have a used one with remote for sale.

 

thanks will check them out!

 

looks like stage 3 is a good place to start!

how does the upgrades exhaust sound? is it very loud?

 

what a great daily driver!
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Agreed- mine just passed 50K miles the other day, and other than 2 light bulbs it has been bullet-proof. All I've replaced are consumables like oil/filters, a set of front brake pads, and 2 sets of tires. White with tri-colore striping looks very cool!

 

Also passed 50k on my 12 Sport:

Intermediate steering shaft: 300$
Front wheel bearing: 250$
Lower ball joint: 150$
Rear shock: 100$
Starter connector piece: Part 5$, diagnosis 2hrs
Clutch pressure plate recall and pedal assembly fixed under warranty
2 light bulbs

Mind you most of the items are due to our horrendous climate and road conditions. Not bad but not great either. I believe the later models have most of these issues resolved as bulletins.

Our other Fiat, a 14' 500L Man6spd is doing better so far.

 

I forgot to mention, we recently purchased this 2013. It has impeccable bloodlines, previously owned by a champion racecar driver.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I just bought a 2013 Abarth - black with 17" & otherwise loaded with all/most options. I'm looking forward to picking it up on Jan 21st!

It'll keep my '82 X1/9 company during the summer

 

Congrats! I'd love to hear how it holds up in winter / daily driving. Considering picking one up for a fun station / around town car.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thanks!

I won't be really driving this thing during the winter. The car I bought was winter driven, for three seasons - and it's already showing a few surprising signs of "this is not a good winter car!"

- door latch & fasteners are rusting quite badly (poor quality plating on the latch and screws)
- Sunroof frame (under the glass) is E-coated, and it's already showing brown all around it (easy fix, but still!!!)
- Driver's door handle broke when I got home - hahahah.. The exterior door handle hinge is of terrible design, I mean "COME ON!".. It's an easy fix, but still.. I didn't even own it for an hour and something broke!! LOL
- I am going to rust proof the car, to stop whatever rust may have already started behind hem flanges and stuff.

Otherwise the car is a lot of fun. Sure, there are flaws but I don't really care.


In contrast, I bought a manual shift Pontiac Vibe new in 2006 which now has 287K kms. It's been so freakin' reliable (because it's a Toyota Matrix!) - and zero rust, fasteners everywhere still look good, everything works, biggest repair was a clutch at 250K kms. The Vibe is my daily driver - as boring as it is, it's been the best car I've ever owned and a very capable winter car. I'm keeping it!


The Abarth is just pure evil - in a good way Pick one up, you won't regret it. Just stay on top of it, lube the hinges (they rust too!), rust proof it (assuming you live in the rust belt), and prepare for the inevitable minor issues that will creep up. Otherwise, have fun!