Fieros... "never meant to do this..." (Page 2/3)
lou_dias JAN 16, 01:16 PM
My 87 must have some other module as it's blinker is silent...
Dukesterpro JAN 16, 03:35 PM
Hello,

As a Gen Z'r who is pretty well versed in the "modern" car scene aswell as one who is pretty versed on Fieros. There is a incompatibility between most of the young generation and cars like the Fiero, MR2 and other late 80s and 90s. It really comes down to there being no shortcuts for older cars.

The amount of people I hear talking about "oh bro its stock now but with a tune it will be 300whp" and with modern engines that are technological marvels held back by either ecological or financial restrictions. Thats possible.

There are no plug in tunes to make a Fiero 'fast'. There are no drop in parts to make a Fiero make 300hp. Its not hard to have a 300-400hp Fiero. But it takes, effort, skill, time, and energy. This generation is not ready to do that.
82-T/A [At Work] JAN 16, 06:29 PM
Thanks guys... I read all the responses. For me, it's just so weird to see people talk about the Fiero... it's in a way... kind of making me feel old. The Fiero was an older car when I got it. It was "my" first car in 1996 when I turned 18, and it was a 1987 model... so already 9 years old.

But when I hear younger people talk about it, they often have positive things to say, but they come up with totally random and weird things. Someone on here posted a meme of a person talking about a Fiero that flys... I can't remember where I saw it. But they were criticizing the owner of the Fiero for ruining a car that was meant to fly... and the owner said, "what is happening right now?"

Basically, the meme was basically to show that people don't have the slightest clue what they're talking about. I don't expect all people to know all about the Fiero any more than I can tell you about say... a late 90s Acura Integra. 1.8L... I guess... 4 cyl, 5-Speed... there was a Type-R one that was faster? I don't know.

But the things people say are totally silly.


I was watching a YouTube video and in the comments one person said that the 4 cyl Fiero weighed less than the V6 Fiero, but there was only a 50 horsepower difference, so they actually had the exact same performance. Comments like this... I'm like, really? Seriously? The difference between an Iron Duke Fiero and a V6 Fiero are night and day.


I dunno... not mad, it's just making me realize that I'm officially old now... hahah...
La fiera JAN 16, 08:37 PM
You are way younger than I am dude maybe by 10 years. I'm a karting champion and that is all I knew how to drive and the reason I got a Fiero. Even today, my Fiero is set up as my kart, very stiff; so stiff that it feels it has no suspension. I haven't been on the track much with the Fiero because of the engine development but let me tell you my competition is going for a surprise, I have the same power to weight ratio of a 2022 Porsche GT3. I'm a SCCA and Porsche Club of America instructor and I instruct mainly on the south east tracks. I'm personally not into high speed and long tracks, I'm into tight supa dupa technical tracks. Anyone can go 300mph on a straight line but it takes kahunas to go 70mph though a 25mph turn!
To the amazement of ALL my students the first thing I teach them is to break properly and just by braking properly they get much faster!
https://youtu.be/apPx7Tu3Q9E

This is me in the same car, a bit heavier and with a 173whp @ 6000rpm 2.8L and the Economy 4 speed trans as you will hear I'm way out of the powerband with this trans! You don't see a lot of cars because the only faster car than mine was that ZR1 Vette and the only thing he had over me was acceleration. Enjoy!

[This message has been edited by La fiera (edited 01-16-2024).]

hyperv6 JAN 16, 09:29 PM
Here is the truth. The Fieronhanfles better than the average seda but the 84 to 87 was not a well sorted car.

I have owned an 85 2M6 since new and yes it is a fun car yo drive, yes, is it a sporty car , yes. But the truth is it is not an easy car to drive at the limits. It have horrible understeer, it has horrible bumpnsteer. It has heavy steering and numb turn in.

Yes most of this can be improved with sway bars and solid bushingscas Herb Adam’s offered and as I installed.

The trouble is often the Fiero is the best handling car some have driven. There are much better out there even from that era.

I have tons of miles in a 911 Carrera. I was never a 911 fan but it taught me what a good handling car can do. It is an 1986 and it makes going fast feel like you are going slow. You can be on an uneven rough road and still easily go stupid fast and not have to work at it.

You feel like you are doing 60 and you are doing 90 mph.

GM knew the early cars were not right. The 88 suspension was intended from the start but there was just no money for it. They fixed the bump steer they made the car more neutral. Pontiac went to Porsche Engineering to dual in the turn in and on center feel in the 88. Yes the Lotus rumors were BS but the Porsche Engineering was the real one involved but only for some tuning.

Modern cars are nothing more different today vs the old cars but they are doing better tuning vs the old Detroit ways. Softer springs, better shocks and harder bushings. My 2008 HHR SS would run circles around my Fiero.

My C5 Corvette that is only a couple years newer makes going fast easy on the worst roads.

There is no way around it but the early Fiero’s were never good on anything but smooth roads and even then they still understeered.

Over the years I have driven many sports and race cars and sone are really good, some ok and some horrible. The Fiero was ok but needed work and it got it late. It still could be a little better but in 88 it was not bad.

Look I am not here to trash but just to be honest. People in the automotive area will respect honest but they do not tolerate dishonest claims when they know better.

Look many sports cars are not perfect. MG, Austin Healy, even Jaguar are not perfect. Not every Ferrari is an F40 either.

To be honest I love my Vette just for riding around but it is boring as on public roads it is never even close to its limits at even high speeds.

Now the Fiero is more of a challenge yo drive. It makes you work to hit higher limits. To me it is a more fun car yo take out on back roads and run hard. You are still having fun at speeds they will not take you jail over. I find this too in many other sports cars of the 70’s and 60’s.
Even older Vettes are like this.

So it is not a sin how the original Fiero runs but we as owners need to keep things in perspective an we do not own the all time best sports car in the world. Yes it is flawed in ways but that keeps things interesting.

My Herb Adam’s Suspension made things better but it is still a bit off in the front feel of the 88. It is much better and I can get oversteer but it is slow and still a little heavy in the front. The front and rear still feel like they are two different cars. But the bump steer is gone and that is a big deal. The rear bushings in the control arms deflect too much causing toe out. Add in the flex on the sub frame bushings. Go solid on the control arms no more deflection.

Just my take on this. Just keep it real.
La fiera JAN 16, 10:03 PM
https://youtu.be/IDHN8KT8IOM?t=21
Ride with me at this testing kart session. I stablished the track record for this tires and has never been broken. This is how I drive my Fiero, in slow and fast out!
La fiera JAN 16, 10:15 PM

quote
Originally posted by Dukesterpro:

Hello,

As a Gen Z'r who is pretty well versed in the "modern" car scene aswell as one who is pretty versed on Fieros. There is a incompatibility between most of the young generation and cars like the Fiero, MR2 and other late 80s and 90s. It really comes down to there being no shortcuts for older cars.

The amount of people I hear talking about "oh bro its stock now but with a tune it will be 300whp" and with modern engines that are technological marvels held back by either ecological or financial restrictions. Thats possible.

There are no plug in tunes to make a Fiero 'fast'. There are no drop in parts to make a Fiero make 300hp. Its not hard to have a 300-400hp Fiero. But it takes, effort, skill, time, and energy. This generation is not ready to do that.



Hit it on the nail!!
Raydar JAN 16, 11:33 PM

quote
Originally posted by css9450:
...
But it shows how low the bar was at the time.



Yeah. The bar was not that high.
I had an 85 GT, with a 4 speed. My first new car. I "jumped on" a Monte Carlo SS at a red light. Probably an 87, or so. Figured I would get my clock cleaned (because "V8", of course).
It was not to be. I'm not going to say that I blew his paint off, or anything, but I definitely held my own against him.

And yeah... even with some of the swaps I've done, I am still subject to getting thumped by a run-of-the-mill sedan. It's just how it is.
Technology marches on.
hyperv6 JAN 17, 07:25 AM
The 80’s was the era of malaise.

But with that said the Fiero was not as bad as some claim but it was neither perfect either.

Yes better suspensions came as power but the early Fiero was an imperfect car. If it was right would they have been working on more power and a new suspension for 89?

Few car companies get it all right. The Corvette for decades was fun to drive but it was not winning Le Mans.

In the 80 the cars that dominated show room stock were better examples of models getting it right.
bergertime JAN 17, 06:18 PM
My new iPhone 15 pro max is so more better than than the old rotery phone I used to use at my grandma's house, it was even on a party line so I could hear my Grandma's neighbor. I can talk to someone while I run to the store on the iPhone, I can get directions as I'm driving, if only I could find the number for time and temp I think the new phones could do everything the phones back then did. Lol. The Fiero was like 7K brand new putting it clearly in the value segment. Did it out perform the Iron Duke Camero? Sure, was the fit and finish on par with a 2005 Ford F150, sure it was. But in real terms, 7k in 1986 is equal to about 19k today. I challenge anyone to show me a car as cool today that you can get for 19k. Now I have a 1988 fully loaded Fiero CJB, origianl list was 17,000, that translates into 44k today. For that I could get some stripped down stationwagon, I mean SUV. My take, the Fiero is a really unique car which there really isn't anything like it on the road except maybe the MR2, but the Fiero is just different, everyone from the 80's has a Fiero story.