Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Fiat 500 Abarth Automatic Hits Production!

2015 Fiat 500 Abarth with Automatic Transmission

Production of the 2015 Fiat 500 Abarth equipped with an automnatic transmission has just started today at the Toluca Assembly Plant in Mexico. The availability of an automatic transmission will help boost sales of the Fiat 500 Abarth, which is already enjoying a 16 percent increase over last year. Studies show very few Americans buy manual transmission cars - only about 5 -7 percent according to Automotive News - so having an automatic transmission option makes sense.

The Aisin AW automatic transmission being used in the 2015 Fiat 500 Abarth is a traditional torque converter type, beefed up for high performance use with more clutch plates and a more robust heat treatment to allow for higher torque capacity. Special care has been taken to ensure the 500 Abarth driving experience is retained. When sport mode is selected, more aggressive transmission settings are activated such as throttle-blipping, rev-matching downshifts along with gears being held longer when accelerating out of corners and when getting off the gas. Fuel-cut upshifts smooth out drivetrain shock and the transmission downshifts when getting hard on the brakes to assist stopping performance and to ensure the car is in an appropriate gear to accelerate again.

Fiat 500 Abarth Auto Trans Shifter


Control is by a console mounted gear shift, and the 6-speed transmission can be shifted manually if desired. The paddle shifters used on the European Abarth 500 could not be fitted as it would have required the elimination of the cruise control, a feature that is a prerequisite in the North American market.

As I have mentioned in previous postings, the use of an automatic transmission opens the possibility of higher engine outputs and the engine of the 2015 Fiat 500 Abarth when teamed with an automatic transmission is now rated at 183 ft.-lb. of torque - that is up from the 170 ft.-lb. the manual transmission Abarth's have. Horsepower is 157, just down slightly from the 160 hp in manual cars.

Fans of the Fiat 500T Turbo will be happy to know that the 500T will also receive the same transmission. Look to see 2015 Fiat 500 models in Fiat Studios later this summer.

 

Fiat 500 Abarth AW6F25 Transmission Specifications

Six-Speed Automatic, Electronically
Controlled, Fully Adaptive, Electronically
Modulated Torque Converter

Gear Ratios
1ST: 4.044
2ND: 2.371
3RD: 1.556
4TH: 1.159
5TH: 0.852
6TH: 0.672
REVERSE: 3.193

Fiat 500 Abarth C510 Performance FIVE-SPEED Manual

Availability Standard on Fiat 500 Abarth and Fiat 500T
Description: 1st, 2nd gear: Double Cone
3rd, 4th, 5th, gear: Single Cone

Gear Ratios
1st 3.909
2nd 2.238
3rd 1.520
4th 1.156
5th 0.872
Reverse 3.909
Final-drive Ratio 3.353


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Friday, June 13, 2014

Alfa 4C US and Euro Chassis Differences

Alfa Romeo 4C US Launch Edition
In creating the Alfa Romeo 4C, the company wanted to create an affordable exotic car and spiritual successor of the legendary 33 Stradale. To achieve a very high level of performance yet stay within the targeted price range, Alfa Romeo turned to the use of lightweight materials which were previously used only for military and aerospace applications. This keeps the weight of the car low and subsequently allowed the use of a lightweight and powerful four cylinder engine that guarantees excellent performance due to a high power to weight ratio. The fact that the engine is an off the shelf unit helps keep the car within the required budget.

Alfa Romeo 4C Chassis
The net results are a car that has a dry weight of approximately 1973 lbs in Europe and has a power to weight ratio of 8.22 lb/hp. In the US, the Alfa Romeo 4C will gain some 342 lbs, due to structural and equipment changes. Below we'll take a look at the chassis of the Alfa Romeo 4C along with some of the differences between the US and European model, with the help of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Alfa Romeo.

Alfa Romeo 4C Chassis Rear View

Applications of composite materials for manufacturing vehicle chassis have so far been limited to supercars costing at least $200,000, or vehicles with very limited road use.

Alfa Romeo 4C Chassis Under View

The Alfa Romeo 4C is the first sports car made with extensive use of composite materials like carbon fiber and offered at the price of a mid-sized luxury sedan.

The engineers and designers of the Alfa Romeo 4C had to face many challenges:
High cost of materials
Difficulty mass production application
High design complexity

Achieving these goals allowed the engineers to obtain two main advantages: a high level of integration between components (a single complex carbon part instead of many welded or bolted steel parts) and a considerable reduction of weight.

To understand the benefits provided by the use of carbon it is useful to compare this material with "conventional" alloys and metals.

CFRP Breaking Strength Chart
The 4C is not only the first sports car in its class to offer a carbon fiber chassis, it also spearheaded improved production methods of a wide range of components that had been difficult to apply to mass production, due to the conventional use of pressed steel.

Alfa Romeo 4C Carbon Tub

The Alfa Romeo 4C chassis is dominated by the central carbon fiber "tub", which houses the passenger compartment and includes the attachment points of the front suspension.

Alfa Romeo 4C Roll-Bar

A strong high resistance steel roll-bar is positioned behind the passengers. This prevents passenger compartment deformation in the event of roll over. There are aluminium structures at both ends that protect against impacts, the rear aluminium structure creates a "cradle" for the engine and transmission, and includes the attachments of the rear suspension. These structures feature controlled collapsibility for safety.

Alfa Romeo 4C Carbon Fiber Tub

To comply with US crash standards, both the front and rear aluminium structures and the aluminium tub have significant differences on the versions sold in the US market compared to the European versions.


The differences in the European and US versions of the front chassis are indicated below. (front view)

Alfa Romeo 4C EU Front Chassis
Alfa Romeo 4C US Front Chassis

There are also differences between the European and US versions of the aluminium front chassis. The various colors indicate
the different characteristics of the US and European chassis.
Parts in red: specific parts added.
Parts in blue: parts in common but different thickness.
Parts in yellow: same volume but different thickness.
Parts in grey: parts in common

The following, on the other hand, are the differences relating to the European and US versions of the rear chassis.

Alfa Romeo 4C EU Rear Chassis
Alfa Romeo 4C US Rear Chassis
Read More:

Inside the New Alfa Romeo 4C
North American Alfa Romeo 4C Feature Availability
North American Alfa Romeo 4C Specifications
North American Alfa Romeo Dealers Being Notified

Monday, June 2, 2014

Abarth 695 biposto in Gumball 3000

Abarth 695 biposto


The Abarth 695 biposto makes its official road debut on June 8th, and what better way to do so than by being selected as the official car of the 2014 Gumball 3000 Rally. The new Abarth 695 biposto is an over the top, full blown street and track car with 2 seats (biposto), roll bar, and a list of performance modifications a mile long. From its Zender body kit with polycarbonate side windows to its competition dog ring gearbox, the Abarth 695 biposto is the most outrageous Fiat 500 Abarth yet.


Abarth 695 biposto interior


The Gumball 3000 is a high profile, non-competitive international rally that covers 3000 miles on public roads. Started in 1999 by British race driver and entrepreneur Maximillion Cooper, the Gumball 3000 has become a favorite of the rich and famous. This year, 120 supercars will participate in the ten day event that crosses two continents and five countries. The Gumball 3000 starts on June 4th in Miami, Florida and ends on June 11th, in Ibiza, Spain.

The Abarth 695 biposto will take to the roads officially on June 8th when the rally arrives in Edinburg, Scotland and will continue on through the rest of the rally route.

The race schedule is as follows:
4th June Arrival in Miami
5th June from Miami to Atlanta
6th June from Atlanta to New York
7th June from New York to Edinburgh
8th June from Edinburgh to London
9th June from London to Paris
10th June from Paris to Barcelona
11th June from Barcelona to Ibiza



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