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The Pontiac Fiero
Also: Sports cars and performance in general
First, I would like to address the Fiero's history. The car was
originally designed and brought up from paper by a man named Hulki Aldikacti.
He eventually got the Fiero into production after a long battle with GM's
upper brass. He was limited to using existing parts from other cars in the
GM line. The only major original part to the Fiero was its design. The
engine was Pontiac's 2.5L 4 cylinder (for 1984), the brakes were existing GM
hardware and even the side-mirrors were from the new for '82 Firebird.
The transmission choices were a 4-speed manual or a 3-speed automatic. 1984
was to become known as the worst production year for the Fiero (and
unfortunately for the Fiero, the rest of the models would be blamed for
that year's problems). Performance was fair (but not up to sports car
standards for the time) with 0-60 times of around 10.9 seconds and 1/4-mile
runs of about 17.7-18 seconds. Over 120,000 versions of this Fiero were
made and that is how most people remember them. All 1984 models were
recalled for engine fire hazards that were caused largely by improper
maintainance on the owner's part. 1984 Fieros were also plagued with bad
connecting rods. The engine fire problem was soon corrected and
according to Pontiac, all 1984 Fieros have had the recall performed so you
can't buy one today that has the fire risk. The 1984 Fiero was awarded
for numerous aspects of the design and was hailed by Car & Driver as one of
the Ten Best Cars of 1984.
The design was very safe and strong (only a Volvo scored higher for
impact safety). The Fiero was built using ply-steel and carefully
constructed crumple zones and stress points. The composite panels are
the same materials used on modern cars such as the Camaro, Firebird and
Saturn.
The number one complaint of the 1984 Fiero from its owners was the lack
of power. Along the same lines, the biggest change owners wanted to see in
the 1985 Fiero was a bigger engine. With 14.8% of Fiero buyers wanting more
power and 22.8% wanting a bigger engine, Pontiac knew something had to be
done. Even with the 1984 Fiero's problems and complaints, 83.3% of Fiero
buyers would buy another Fiero (one of the highest approval ratings in the
industry).
Then came 1985 and a vast increase in the Fiero's performance and
value. The Chevrolet-built, Pontiac-tuned 2.8L V-6 was now an option on the
Fiero. Performance climbed to 0-60 spurts of around 7.5-8 seconds depending
on transmission, 1/4-mile times of 15.7-16 seconds and improvements in the
suspension's behavior over rough roads (one thing that plagued earlier
Fieros). For a 2700-pound car, 140 BHP and 170 lb/ft of torque was enough
motivation for the Fiero to compete with other cars that had half again as
much power. Skidpad numbers hovered around .84g-.88g with stock rubber and
slalom speeds reached 63.4 mph. The V-6 offered good, Amercian style torque
and when combined with the Fiero's fully independant suspension, disc brakes
at all four corners and the 4-speed manual transmission, the Fiero became
a very competitive sports car for around $12,000. It was a full second
faster than Toyota's MR-2 both in the 0-60 and 1/4-mile runs. The MR-2 was
the car that many considered to be the Fiero's best competition. A few
sources listed the CRX as another Fiero competitor, but Honda's little coupe
had a solid rear axle, drum rear brakes and was front wheel drive (not a
good combination for a sports car). The CRX Si ran 0-60 in about 9 seconds,
the 1/4-mile in about 17 seconds at 80 mph and could hold the skidpad at
between .78 and .80g. With those number and only 91 horsepower and 93
lb-ft of torque, the CRX Si fell short of making the performance level to
compete with the Fiero.
The V-6 helped the Fiero to become a very competant sports car. But the
2.5L four also saw improvements in the following years after the V-6 was
introduced. In 1987, power was increased to around 100 horspower and the
oiling system was improved greatly. Balance shafts were added to help
high-rpm smoothness and combustion efficiency was also improved. A 5-speed,
Izuzu-built, transmission was added in 1985 to all 4 cylinder Fieros and
the Getrag/Muncie 5-speed was added to V-6 Fieros halfway through the 1986
model year. The suspension was completely revised in 1988 to smooth the
ride and response over rough road conditions.
There are other, faster cars out there, but none can deliver the Fiero's performance and fun factor for the same price. The Fiero delivers a remarkable value. For less than $4000 you can have a car with a mid- engine layout, multiport fuel injected V-6, disc brakes at all 4 wheels, a fully independant suspension, composite body panels, and near exotic car performance. Browsing over some of the Fiero's performance statistics can be embarassing for registration holders of many of the world's finest performance cars. The V-6 Fiero delivers Ferrari 308 punch with double the mileage, 1/10 the cost, and all of the audible thrills. The skidpad, slalom speeds, braking distances, 0-60 times, and other measurements are all where they should be. Add to that the low price and the result can be downright offensive. What a way to own a sports car!
Some examples of cars that include important sports car features such as a fully independant suspension, disc brakes at every wheel and rear wheel drive: - Chevrolet Corvette - Pontiac Fiero - Toyota MR2 - Ferrari (TR, 355, 348, 328, 308, F50, F40 and most other models) - Lamborghini (Countach, Diablo) - Dodge Viper - Lotus Esprit
Examples of cars that do not have all of the above listed features (includes solid rear axle, drum brakes or front wheel drive): - Ford Mustang (V-6, 5.0, 4.6, Cobra) - Chevrolet Camaro (V-6, Z28, Z28SS) - Pontiac Firebird (V-6, T/A, Formula) - Honda CRX - Muscle Cars - Acura Integra
1986 Pontiac Fiero GT General Performance
New Price: $14,800
Options on test car: air conditioning, rear spoiler, optional subwoofer,
cruise control, rear defroster, power door locks
Engine:
2.8 liter Multi Port Fuel Injected V-6, iron block and heads
Engine management system:
Pontiac/Delco electronic
Power:
140 bhp @ 5200 rpm
170 lb-ft @ 3600 rpm
Redline:
6000 rpm
Drivetrain:
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Final-Drive ratio: 3.65:1
Ratios: top speed in gear (mph)
1 3.31 36
2 1.95 61
3 1.24 96
4 0.81 130
Dimensions and general:
Wheelbase: 93.4 in
Length: 165.1 in
Width: 69.0 in
Height: 46.9 in
Ground Clearance: 5 in
Curb Weight: 2778 pounds
Suspension:
Front: independant, unequal length A-arms, coil springs, tube shocks,
anti-roll bar
Rear: independant, chapman struts, lower A-arms, tie rods, coil springs,
tube shocks, anti-roll bar
Performance:
Stock
__________|_____________
/ \
92 BHP L-4 140 BHP V-6 190 BHP V-6 300 BHP V-8
0-30 3.3 2.2 1.8 1.3
0-40 5.0 3.8 3.3 2.6
0-50 7.5 5.4 4.4 3.4
0-60 10.9 7.5 5.7 4.9
1/4-mi 17.9 @ 77 15.7 @ 87 mph 14.6 @ 97 mph 13.0 @ 110 mph
Roadholding 300 ft skidpad .84g-.86g Slalom 63.4-64.0 mph 55-0 braking 118 feet 60-0 braking 130 feet 70-0 braking 180-190 feet Fade none
Mileage: 4-cylinder V-6
25 city/32 highway 21 city/28 highway