I realize im probly asking some pretty stupid questions here, but as I have yet to own a road worthy fiero I want to know what i'm missing out on. I realize no one can tell me exactly how everything is going to feel but I would like to have an idea. Here goes.

I have an 86 4cyl fiero 5spd. Basically what I want to know is how fast has anyone got their duke fiero to go? Anyone have the stock spec sheet with 0-60 and 1/4 mile time. Do they accelerate fast at all? compare it to another car with similar acceleration characterisitics. Burnouts and Doughnuts... are they possible?

I saw a video on this forum of what looked like either an 88 formula or an 87-88 coupe doing some wicked doughnuts in a wooded area. I assume by the sound and just plain power it was either a swap or a formula. But who knows.

Thanks in advance guys. Please keep the duke bashing to a minimum, I realize its a crappy engine, but its all I got.

Burnouts & donuts are easily done (in a snow covered parking lot).
You can light off the rear wheels (inside one) going around a corner.
Car will do 100+ but you will bury the speedo needle into the trip meter to do it.

A good running 2.5 hooked to your 5 speed can be lots of fun to drive. Sort of "old school" sports car stuff, (before Carol Shelby started stuffing V8's in em.) Downshift to accelerate, push the corners etc. Good car to hone your driving skills. It can be driven fast but you need to plan / think ahead. You just can't mash on the throttle & expect it to fly.

well my 86 se 4cyl was a dog. to get it to do burnouts or anything ya had to dump the clutch but i know it wasnt exactly right eather (prob only puttin out 60-70 hp). Honestly if it was me i wouldnt mess w tryin to hop up the 2.5 as i think it prob cheaper to just do a swap than try and get the same power outa the 4 cyl. I know when i cracked the 4 cyl head it was cheaper to get a 3.1 and just convert my car over but i have a whole donor car to pull the harness and ecm out.

I have an 84 Auto. And it is fun to drive, it is a lot faster than my Chevette of the same year, with the HO engine, lol. One of my friends drove my 84 Fiero, and he said it was faster than his 04 F150, the engine gets good low end torque, and that seems to be its best area. Doesnt pull too bad on the highway either, for 90HP.

I have gotten spoiled now since I put my 86 Fiero on the road with the Quad 4, just dont ride in a V6 fiero or any Fiero other than a 2.5L one and it should feel fast.

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84 Fiero Sport Coupe #1192 :: 86 Fiero Base Coupe :: 84 Chevette CS 4 Door

0-60 and 1/4 mile times probably aren't the right questions to ask; a 4 cylinder Fiero isn't that kind of car, really.

With the 5-speed (if you insist) you can manage about a 8.5 second 0-60 and it'll burn through the 1/4 mile in a bit over 18 seconds.

It's a lot of fun to drive, though - the Iron Duke has loads of low-end torque and it'll blast around the city streets with the best of them. Once you learn how to drive it you'll find that it's got enough horsepower to get you into trouble - and collect a few tickets, too.

But if you're going racing at the track, may I suggest a different car?

quote Originally posted by indyfiero2m4: Burnouts and Doughnuts... are they possible?

Let me guess - You're 18 years old?

I think a Duke powered 4/5spd Fiero is what every kid should drive for the first couple of years. After their driving skills have been honed, then maybe they can consider getting a vehicle with more power. But you know what, sometimes it's a lot of fun just keeping the 4-banger!

No i'm not 18 years old. Just trying to get an idea of how much power the duke really has. Everytime the words performance and iron duke are mentioned in the same sentance someone talks about how slow the duke is. You guys gave me the answers I was looking for. I dont want a track car... there aren't any tracks around here to race at and I dont want a street rocket either. I currently own a 2.4L twin cam Alero. As far as HP the car has maybe 140 or so, but it is a pretty peppy engine. I just wanted to know if my fiero was going to have that around town "floor it to 60 km/h rush" that my Alero does. And by the sounds of it, it will. Thanks guys!

I am 20. Got my fiero from my father as a gift. I love the car. Its a 88 coupe. I have taken care of it and put some small extras on it nothing huge or anything and its a fun car to drive. Like someone said on here before. "Its a good car to get you from point A to point B with a little bit of zip." I am gonna do a swap eventually. Once I am out of school and can put more money towards it. But for now its fine.

quote Originally posted by indyfiero2m4: No i'm not 18 years old. Just trying to get an idea of how much power the duke really has. Everytime the words performance and iron duke are mentioned in the same sentance someone talks about how slow the duke is. You guys gave me the answers I was looking for. I dont want a track car... there aren't any tracks around here to race at and I dont want a street rocket either. I currently own a 2.4L twin cam Alero. As far as HP the car has maybe 140 or so, but it is a pretty peppy engine. I just wanted to know if my fiero was going to have that around town "floor it to 60 km/h rush" that my Alero does. And by the sounds of it, it will. Thanks guys!

In my humble opinion, it wont. Its over 20 years old. I have an 84 se auto, and yes its slow. Not slow like a civic, but slow like an old corolla. The fun in a 4cyl isnt in the speed, its in the corners. If you are thinking its gonna be fast by any of todays definitions, you are mistaken. Use your car to learn to drive in the corners, and to learn to work on it. Once the 2 of those are up to par, swap motors and go crazy. Until then dont ever think your iron duke is fast or even peppy. Mine slow but I still love it. You will too.

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Failing to prepare - Is preparing to fail....

I am the signature virus, please put me in your signature so I can spread

quote Originally posted by Gordo: before Carol Shelby started stuffing V8's in em..

Actually John DeLorean was the father of the muscle car with the Pontiac GTO

quote Originally posted by zer0load: Actually John DeLorean was the father of the muscle car with the Pontiac GTO

"sports" cars, not muscle cars. (hard to think of a Fiero duke as a muscle car ) Remember back in 1961, the 289 AC Cobra? Till then, lots of sports cars were 4-cyl. MG. Triumph etc.

85 MPH speedometer. Our minivan had a 100+ MPH one. Sorta gives you an idea of the expectation in the car. It is still a good lookin, economical and fun car.

Yeah, I buried the speedo a couple times

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John DuRetteCustom 85 SE
"Kinda makes you nostalgic for a Members Only jacket"

Well I have a 85 SE with a 87 4cyl engine in it. I was racing my camaro at the drag strip, when we were doing test runs and deciede to take the girlfriends fiero down the strip. It is all stock, no mods with a automatic. I did like a 18 sec. at like 70mph, lost the timeslip and trying to remember off hand. I have yet been able to make the car do a burnout or a doughnut. I know my V6 fiero will burn out and do doughnuts like there no tomarrow. If you want power get a V6 car or if you have a fiero, convert it.

Mike

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www.FierosandMore.com This is a link to my personal web site, has pictures of all my projects and parts for sale.

An iron duke is good for about 90 miles per hour then it stops accelerating pretty much. I know some people that havent really been in anything too fast and think that iron dukes are loads of fun but if you have ridden in 11 second cars it kind of ruins it for you. If you stay off the straight aways and in the curves your 2m4 will fit right in.

I'd call the car quick, but not fast. In a 0-60 time of 12 seconds, it's split up between 0-30 in 4 seconds and 30-60 in 8 seconds (great launch and acceleration, but 2nd gear is SLOW, like watching paint dry). No real passing power. The person who compared it to the older AE86 Corolla is about the best comparison I can think of. The car is still faster than older sports cars (MG's, X-1/9's, etc.) but can be out-accelerated by some of today's sub-20k grocery getters. But few cars handle as well as these do, or can perform to the limits these can be pushed to.

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1984 Fiero SE

quote Originally posted by USFiero: 85 MPH speedometer. Our minivan had a 100+ MPH one. Sorta gives you an idea of the expectation in the car. It is still a good lookin, economical and fun car. Yeah, I buried the speedo a couple times

Yeah, my 82 Z28 had an 85 mph speedo too.

I posed a video, this was like 4 years ago.

got my 84 to do some real nice donuts.
The video is probably posted someplace, its been allong time since ive seen it though.

it was called 84sedonuts.mpg

I had to drop the clutch at redline to do them. Probably not the best thing to do if you want to keep your car for a while

There is nothing wrong with the iron duke, but if you think it is fast, then don't ever drive the V-6
Don

If my memory serves, after doing those donuts the engine started knocking really bad... you can hear it from inside the car as its leaving the "scene".

My 84, 4 cyl is downright fast... but then again it has a 190 horsepower Quad 4 in it

They're fast enough to get you a ticket for 90 in a 70-just ask my better half--as soon as she gets back from her defensive driving class.

A duke 'feels' fast-or better put-quick. But that's about the extent of it. Tho you feel like you're doing all the good leaving a light and going thru the gears, if you take notice, the stock vehicles beside you are pulling away without even trying. Fun tho.

OK, some ramblings from a Baby Boomer.

Compared to modern machinery, the duke is old, slow, and noisy.

Put into the context of when they were built, the Iron Duke was a good motor.

Let's compare apples to apples. Those of use who are getting up in the years and were driving in the mid to late 80's (OK, since the late 70's )remember that most 4 bangers without turbos were pretty anemic. At 92 HP, the duke was right on par with most of what was being built. Also remember that electronic fuel injection and engine controls were in their infancy, and while they were a vast improvement over carburetion in terms of emissions control and all around driveability, they still had a ways to go in terms of how much power could be wrung out of a motor.

I love it when someone complains that a 2002 Civic whipped up on their duke powered 1985 Fiero.....Put the Fiero up agains a 1985 Civic (if you can find one that isn't rotting in a junkyard) and you will see they perform pretty much alike. Two cars, built during the same era, with economy based engines, each netting about the same output. Things have come a long way in 20 years....and a lot of the people who badmouth Fieros (particularly the duke) haven't been around long enough to remember the environment that existed when they were built.

Had the Fiero survived until today, and evolved accordingly, I think you would find something along the lines of a 170 hp Ecotec as the base engine, and probably a Series II 3800 (with optional blower) as options. Maybe even a 3.5 "shortstar" variation.

And they would be on par with the competition from the land of the rising sun.

And they would do burnouts

[This message has been edited by Frizlefrak (edited 07-08-2005).]

On a different note. How does the fuel econ. very between the v6 and 4.

I am looking for my second Fiero and am debating between a V6 manual and a 4 manual.

Thoughts?

FrizleFrak has it on the head (nice response). I'm roughly the same age, and when kept in context the motor was strong for what it was, a 4 banger with what passed for high-tech production engines that were being produced and sold for less than $8,000 at the time (not all of them, but you get the point). For those of us in the boomer age group the Fiero was never about "muscle", rather it was about handling, styling, cornering, and just plain fun. We grew up in a time when cars were fast, and had muscle. Sure they didn't turn worth a damn (most of them), but they could go down the road pretty quick. My first ride was a '73 Firebird, with the big 400. It turned serious horsepower until I tore up the motor and it was burning as much oil as gas. I went from there to a '75 Camaro (turned better than the bird) with the 350 I believe. That was really quick and had some serious top end. I won't bore you with the list, but I've been fortunate enough to drive many good motors (389 triple duck set-ups, 327 interceptors with 4-barrels, etc) and those were muscle cars. I bought an '84 Fiero (still have it) in the late 80s because it offered solid performance for the engine size, but offered a completely different ride from what I was used to. This puppy could actually turn. I realize this is pretty much off the topic in many ways, but it's worth remembering when we talk about performance. Everything has it's time and place. In 20 years today's high reving small engines will probably seem pretty weak compared to what is on the road then too (at least I hope so). The Iron Duke was a good performing motor in it's day, and still fun to drive. Just make sure you're doing your racing on roads with lots of tight corners where easing into the gas is the best way to go, and kick some butt. But don't get talked into too many quarter mile duels.

quote Originally posted by Dodgerunner: On a different note. How does the fuel econ. very between the v6 and 4. I am looking for my second Fiero and am debating between a V6 manual and a 4 manual. Thoughts?

The Duke and the 5 speed are an excellent combination when it comes to economy.

I get 35 mpg (US gallons) on the highway.. And about 25 mpg driving in constant heavy downtown traffic.

The mileage is one of the things I like most about my little Duke Fiero

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1988 Fiero Coupe 2.5L
1990 Trans Am GTA 5.7L

quote Originally posted by Frizlefrak: OK, some ramblings from a Baby Boomer. Compared to modern machinery, the duke is old, slow, and noisy. Put into the context of when they were built, the Iron Duke was a good motor. Let's compare apples to apples. Those of use who are getting up in the years and were driving in the mid to late 80's (OK, since the late 70's )remember that most 4 bangers without turbos were pretty anemic. At 92 HP, the duke was right on par with most of what was being built. Also remember that electronic fuel injection and engine controls were in their infancy, and while they were a vast improvement over carburetion in terms of emissions control and all around driveability, they still had a ways to go in terms of how much power could be wrung out of a motor. I love it when someone complains that a 2002 Civic whipped up on their duke powered 1985 Fiero.....Put the Fiero up agains a 1985 Civic (if you can find one that isn't rotting in a junkyard) and you will see they perform pretty much alike. Two cars, built during the same era, with economy based engines, each netting about the same output. Things have come a long way in 20 years....and a lot of the people who badmouth Fieros (particularly the duke) haven't been around long enough to remember the environment that existed when they were built. Had the Fiero survived until today, and evolved accordingly, I think you would find something along the lines of a 170 hp Ecotec as the base engine, and probably a Series II 3800 (with optional blower) as options. Maybe even a 3.5 "shortstar" variation. And they would be on par with the competition from the land of the rising sun. And they would do burnouts

Right on the money! You have to take it in context. My 82 Z28 (with the 85mph speedo) had a 305 & was rated around 155hp in stock trim. It got me 14mpg around town. My 93 Dodge Caravan could give it a good run for the money.

(till I did this to it)

In comparison, my little 88 dukie is a pretty sweet car. Doesn't have the torque but is quick enough & gets me 36mpg on trips.

[This message has been edited by Gordo (edited 07-08-2005).]

quote Originally posted by Frizlefrak: OK, some ramblings from a Baby Boomer.

I guess I barely qualify as a baby boomer and I agree 100%. The duke was an okay engine for it's day, but by today's standard 92 hp is a joke. Most people also forget though that the SBCs of the era were making less than 200 hp, and that was considered an outrageous amount of power back then. But just about any recent engine you look at will develop more power and have more fuel economy than the duke.

quote Originally posted by jscott1: Most people also forget though that the SBCs of the era were making less than 200 hp, and that was considered an outrageous amount of power back then. .

Is that right?

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Failing to prepare - Is preparing to fail....

I am the signature virus, please put me in your signature so I can spread

quote Originally posted by WBailey1041: Is that right?

Yes. My 1984 Corvette makes 205 HP, 290 ft lbs of torque. It was the fastest American vehicle built that year, and would even run with some of the so-called foreign exotics. It was good for 15.2 second quarter mile, and about 142 MPH top speed.

Paltry by todays standards.....very quick in 1984. Motor Trend's 1984 Car of the Year. Loads of low end torque and an absolute ball to drive.

The average V8 of the mid 1980's produced somewhere around 175 HP.

There had been a long decline in performance from about 1972 to the early 80's, mostly from increasing CAFE mandates and tightening emissions regulations. If you want a good idea of how bad things had gotten, look at the "performance" specs of the 1975 Mustang II with the 302.

http://www.mustangii.com/1975/75stats.asp

Yes, 139 hp for a 302 V8 engine. Pathetic, wasn't it?

Around 1984 is when power started coming back, due in large part to viable EFI systems coming of age. EFI enabled car makers to increase power and still stay within federal fuel economy and pollution standards because it was so much more efficient that the carburetors it replaced.

To those of us who had begun driving during the late 70's , and had come of age when performance was a dirty word (Arab oil embargo of 1974, 55 MPH speed limits), 205 HP was a breath of fresh air. And better things were on the horizon.

Some say the 60's were the golden age of horsepower. I disagree. We're living in them right now. Today's street driven vehicles make power not even dreamed of in the 1960's, and do it with (relatively) low emissions and incredible reliability. You will soon be able to buy a 2006 Z06 Corvette with over 500 HP at your local Chevy house that is reliable enough to drive to work every day, and efficient enough to pass any state's sniffer test. Pretty damn cool, huh?

http://www.chevrolet.com/corvettez06/

The Vette too much coin? A Nissan Altima 3.5 sports 250 HP and produces mid 14 second quarter miles....right off the showroom floor.

These are truly the "good old days". Enjoy them. They may not last forever.

[This message has been edited by Frizlefrak (edited 07-09-2005).]