Taking trip

[mostlytwowheeled]

Well I've put almost 1000 mi. on my new/old 124 Spider since I've bought it and it has not let me down. It seems the more I drive it the better it runs. Sooooo.... I think I'm going to pack it up and head South from Michigan next week for about a week. I'll probably put 1700 - 1800 miles on it round trip. Around town I'm getting 23 mpg and I think I should get 25-26mpg out on the hwy. What do you think???? "Should I stay or should I go?"

[Exit98]

Hit the road!

Then come back and tell us some stories.

[mostlytwowheeled]

Well I packed up " Lil Tony " and took off. Went to Arkansas from Michigan for six days. Fiat ran real good, didn't use any oil although it did leak about a quart over 1819 miles. I feel that I got great gas mileage. The worst tank gave 24.8 mpg and the best was 31.1mpg. On the open highway I ran between 58-62 mph, 3250-3600 rpm. I did have one problem on the return trip.........

[mdrburchette]

Tell us!

[mostlytwowheeled]

Well actually there was two problems. #1, about 400 mi. from home the water pump seal started to leak. But I "pressed on regardless", and maintained water in cooling system. It puked about 2 gals. of coolant. #2, it appears that the fuel pump is very weak. Running down the road steady the pump supplies enough fuel but when I stop for gas it's like the fuel drained down from the carb which made restarting a pain. Actually I consider these to be minor problems. The best part of the return trip was having the top down on a sunny day for just over 500 mi.!! This little car still needs alot of tlc, but it"s a great car, I'm keeping "Tony"!!!!!!

[mdrburchette]

I love taking trips in my Fiats. They are such fun cars to drive, even on the highway.

[mostlytwowheeled]

Once I got to Arkansas and the twisting mountain roads, this is where you find out just how good a 124 spider really is. Easy to drive,hugs the road good and is just down right fun to drive. I think a new water pump and fuel pump and I'll be ready again.

[TulsaSpider]

I have taken some road trips in mine. After several hours in mine sometimes it' hard to peel myself out of the lil thing lol ( I'm 6'2") Also I still have the tiny faux wood steering wheel so they are rough on the hands. When you are on the super slab it can get kinda boring and the road noise is pretty loud so if you turn on the radio so you can hear it you double the noise. So I tried ear plugs and that worked like a charm. I can really still hear everything around me. It simply cuts down on the wind noise.
NW Ar and Eastern is amazing for windy roads!

[wikkid]

I don't know why more convertible owners don't go with ear plugs. They are common in the biking world, and for me, also, it's all about cutting down the wind noise that can damage your hearing. I hear engine music just fine through the plugs, as well as other sounds around. Wind gets tiring, though.

[mostlytwowheeled]

During my trip I used ear plugs---cotton actually, and this takes any harsh noise out of the picture. I use the cotton when I ride my motorcycles which helps with the wind noise. I've got the Fiat in the yard, water pump off and one ordered from Advance Auto Parts, cost--$33.99 + tax = $36.03. Just a few bucks more than a small block chevy pump. Another thing I've discovered is that ignition contact points are the same as used in my Moto Guzzis.