With our new Fiat 124 Spider in hand, we've jumped right into testing and development. Here is a first look at the initial stages of testing, starting with the stock dyno results for the NA 124 Spider.
A few notes: this car is an automatic so it's numbers are a little lower than we typically see from this engine in cars with a manual transmission or a DDCT. That makes sense as it takes more energy to spin the Japanese slushbox and driveshaft. All and all it's pretty good though, it's only down about 5hp from a DDCT and perhaps 10 or so from a manual.
So far, the engine seems to perform normally on the dyno, however you do get a lot of warning lights. Traction Control, ABS, Transmission and the Check Engine Light. The CEL is caused by two codes, both related to the front wheel speed sensors. Once the car was back on the real road, all lights went out, except the CEL which we had to clear through the OBD 2 port.
We have never seen a CEL before from this engine during dyno testing, so that was a surprise. All in all though it went well, data logs showed the car was not pulling power out. Hopefully that continues as we increase the power. The numbers came out within about 5hp of our Auterra Software Dyno which is a good sign
Through dyno testing, datalogging, and much more we have learned a great deal about the car and how it performs in various scenarios. Let's just say we have A LOT in store for this thing. Expect to see some product releases immediately, including an immediate tuning solution. Stay tuned.