NigelO

hi guys - I had an all-too-brief play with a well-modded new-shape STi today.

Silver, dark wheels, gold calipers, "scooby"esque number plate. A38 between Sutton and Minworth.

I got surpised by how easily I was reeled in out of the corners (FWD v 4WD, I suppose). I think the STi driver was quite suprised at how the little Fiat dropped him towards the top end (4wd tranny losses, I guess?)

Either way, I think we'd call it a draw - got a really big smile and a happy thumbs up from the driver - nice to have a dice without it turning ito a *****-waving exercise.

Anyone on here?

ben1413

iTrader: (5)

A friend of mine has a 20vt fiat coupe. It's a really nice car and more than capable, looks pretty damn fine too.

I wouldn't mind one in black!!

Ben

NigelO

I'm a long-time Coupe devotee - I'm a moderator on the Coupe forum and a founder of the Coupe Club.

Coupes are love or hate - I suppose the Scoobies are the same?

The difference is that many people STILL don't know what the Coupe is - exclusivity is a bonus.

We're beginning to push the boundaries of tuning now, so there will be a lot more "got whupped by a Fiat" thread across the various different marque forums.

My car is at 290 - 300 bhp in daily-drive trim. Its probably good for 340bhp if I wind the boost up a bit, but I didn't get chance before having a play with this particular STi.

For the record, performance is as follows:

0-60 - 5.2
0-100 - 12
standing quarter - 13.3 @ 111mph
Standing 1.2 miles (at this years TOTB at Elvington) 151mph
Top speed - unknown, but estimated at 165 - 170

Biggest Coupe asset though is its midrange - how about 40 - 100 in 8 seconds or 60 - 100 in 6 seconds, all using 3rd gear only?

Mine is a relatively low power car - the club's best is well over 500bhp (without gas) - good for the highest FWD top speed at TOTB (if they'd bothered to record it ) Best Coupe quarter is about 12.3 - not quite up to Scooby standards, but then we only have half as many driven wheels.

What is a decent output for a gently-modded STi nowadays? I guess the one I came up against was in the region of 320+ bhp - sounded absolutely fantastic (for the short period I was behind it )

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Is that Nigel that used to have the 355 ?

Lovely car the Coupe but mine was a pile of oil guzzling ****e, big dissapointment but I realise it was my example not the car in general.

NigelO

Hi Jacko - yup that's me.

Still miss it desperately, but the Coupe's nearly as fast now (although it doesn't do quite as well in the looks department)

I was a shame you got a lemon of a Coupe - it happens. There are good ones about - mine has now done nearly 125,000 miles and still flying, although I've spent a few quid to make it as quick as it is now.

Stiver3

I was looking around for one for ages and went into them alot, untill i finally decided on a impreza! The best models imo have to be the + or the special editions with the little colour coded kit, red brembos etc...

I saw one a few weeks back in the dark grey colour they do, looked stunning, look very different on the road.

Just out of interest what mods have you got to get it upto 300, as i gathered they quite hard engines to tune?

Stiver3

Charles aka Charlie

and i love them both

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I have a Saab 9-3 LPT now, still has a bit of turbo shove but not Italian looks, needed sensible after a disaster like the Coupe (and a Rover BRM disaster), guy on the forum called McDrew bought mine, we all thought it was just the turbo but he ended up doing a full rebuild of the engine and replacing the turbo so I think its still going.

Still get pangs when I see one but I am going to go the Subaru route at some point soon, you can get a brand new STi with warranty for less than 20 grand.

ben1413

iTrader: (5)

I think the STI's are about 280bhp standard and most of them have been fettled slighty, exhaust, filter, etc, Maybe pushing around 300bhp but you never know!!


Ben

NigelO

Coupe engines aren't really any harder to tune than any other - its just that the tuning of these lumps is in its infancy, so we're on a steep learning curve. Other affordable performance stuff (eg 200SX, Celica GT4, Rover turbos, Mr2 tubbies, Scoobies etc etc) have been in the hands of modders for much longer and hence have extended the limits further.

The Coupe had forged pistons as standard, so can go a fair bit further than many other cars without having to open up the engine.

For the record, mine has the following:

uprated sidemount intercooler
chargecooler
rollerbearing turbo
chip
Boost controller
2.5" downpipe, then decat
K&N panel filter in stock airbox.

Performance-wise that's it - total cost is in the region of £2k and I have a 165+ mph supercar baiter. I've spent a fair bit more, but its on other stuff like shock, springs, wheels, brakes, good tyres etc. My car came 4th in class on the handling at TOTB, so its not just a straight line car - I like corners too. Something to do with being a biker at heart.

Incidentally, on exactly the same stretch of road as mentioned above, I absolutely destroyed a BoxsterS a couple of weeks ago - ain't life great

scoobypreza

I went from Coupe 20vT to a classic UK scooby to a Legnum VR-4 and now back to a Coupe 20vT.
Much as I loved the scooby it broke and that was the main reason for getting rid although there are a lot more around now but how often do you see a coupe!
A friend of mine has a mildly tuned STi8 and we had a little blast the other day, off the mark he had the edge but mid-range I pulled him back.
Fairly evenly matched cars in a straight line me thinks maybe.
Dave

scoobyboy1

iTrader: (16)

NigelO I remember seeing you take your Ferrari F355 on the strip at Santa Pod about a year and a bit ago(Still got video off it), I was speaking to a few lads there who had Fiat Coupe's and most of them were friendly bunch and were more then happy to show what they had done to there cars.

dpb

is this a serious question....

dpb

ahhh .....NO.!!

thought i recognised the thread starter........

NigelO

Eh? What have I done now?

Not with you, sorry.......

ScoobyBoy - was the Pod day the one with me against my boss in his yellow 355GTB? I didn't get very good times that day - best was a 13.3 (which I've since matched in the Coupe). On the next outing with the 355 I was utterly brutal to it, and posted a 12.98, which beats Ferrari's own published standing quarter time of 13.0. I'm still chuffed at that one

Scoobypreza - are you on the Coupe forum? Don't remember seeing anyone from Anglesey

scoobyboy1

iTrader: (16)

I think you went against a white Norris Designs lookalike Nissan 200SX think you was in the 12s that day. I remember someone saying that your clutch had gone on your Coupe, so you decided to take your Ferrari.

NigelO

Ah yes - That would be Richie Beaumont in his 600bhp Norris SX at the Coupe-v-200SX Pod shootout.

Everyone expected the 200SXs to whup the "scrabble wagon" Coupes. In the end, the Coupes did slightly better on track and much better off it (4 of the Nissans went home courtesy of the AA)

My 355 was also expected to get trounced by the white 200, but he blew the start - way too much wheelspin, and then suffered fuel starvation halfway up the strip - one more victory to the Fiat boys (even if it was a Fiat 40v V8)

BTW, Richie's 200 has since run a low 11 quarter, so my victory was a fluke. Still, at least I looked and sounded better

SteA

Well Richies car is now spread across all four corners of SXOC land as its been broken

Lots of good cars coming through, especially as everyone has being eying up madtechs S14a that looks like a normal road going 200 with full interior and aircon, even normal looking tyres and stiff suspension, but still does 9 second quarters

scoobypreza

Yep but I'm on there as CoupeDave

Monkey200

Hello Nigel :waves:
Still need redress the "draw" we had at Bruntingthorpe, come to Cadwell especially as its going to be 10 SXOCers Vs 8 FCCUKers. And our ringers are faster

SM/SM200SX/Money200

flat4_ire

they look dirt, and are dirt

scoobypreza

Must have been one that needed a wash that you've seen!!

Dave

flat4_ire

ha nah, theres a yellow one going round here and i hate the damn thing, the rear isnt toooo bad but the rest is awful
!

NigelO

Thats probably all you'll ever get to see...

NigelO

in fact just to "educate" you 4WD guys, a Coupe has just run an 11.9 at the pod - not too shabby for a FWD scrabble-wagon, eh?

bren.wright

I have always love the look of them since they were released. They have always had a terrible reputation for reliability though...

Are they really bad as everybody makes out?

Looking on auto trader you can pick them up damn cheap now!

New To Scoob

My neighbour is on his second one, he had a 16V in Lilac ( ) first, which he's changed for a red LE 20V turbo, must admit the LE is nice pity his cambelt went bending all the valves think it should be back together now though and should be producing a nicer push in the back thanks to a FMIC/Dawes & chip combo

Must admit always had a soft spot for the light blue colour

John.

scoobypreza

Do you mean this colour

My car
Dave

NigelO

yes, if you buy a badly maintained, unloved dog, but then almost any performance car would fall into this category.

OK, the Fiats aren't up to Jap standards of mechanical reliability, but we have many highly modded examples at well over 100,000 miles (mines at 300+ bhp and 126,000 miles)

The engines are very strong, body is galvanised, electrics are fine.

Most of this is due to the fact that the car was built by Pininfarina, not Fiat. (common misconception that it was designed by Pinifarina - it was actually Chris Bangle)

As usual, there's many urban myths about them (£1500 cambelts, rust, dodgy electrics etc).

The only thing they should have done is made it RWD - despite it being one of the best FWD chassis around (with a decent set of shox I stayed with a Honda ITR at Bedford round all the twisties, then killed him on the straights), I'm convinced that it would be a cult car with RWD.

In fact at the same Bedford day, a Porsche GT3 driver came up to me (and the others in the club) to say that he was stunned at the way the Fiats held onto his tail, and then when he let me through, he had to work hard to keep up. Mind you, I did this to a set of Pagid Yellows in the process:

benimpreza

Nigelo

i see you are from my neck of the woods i love the A38 aswell same they put two roundabouts on it

Ben