Cars - Pontiac Fiero

Home > Listing Index > Cars > Pontiac Fiero

	Cars - Pontiac Fiero

The Pontiac Fiero was a mid-engined sports car built by the Pontiac Motor Division of General Motors from 1984 to 1988.

Brief history

The Fiero was designed by Hulki Aldikacti as a Pontiac sports car. Because of a "cool" reception by GM mangement and accountants, it was finally sold to GM as a fuel-efficient commuter car. The public, however, had other ideas for the only mid-engined car ever mass produced in North America. The Fiero was also the first and only two seater Pontiac ever made, until the 2006 introduction of the Pontiac Solstice. The Fiero was modified slightly, borrowing many parts, into a performance vehicle. The sports car potential of this car was greatly reduced due to cost-cutting however, and came under fire from critics—its publicity did not match its initial performance. By the end of production, the Fiero had received updated suspension and body styling, but kept a limited offering of engines—the use of turbochargers or the newer DOHC straight-4 engines never made it to production. Officially, production ended because of insufficient profits.

Budget constraints on Pontiac forced them to borrow parts from other product lines. For example, some of the front suspension was taken from the Chevrolet Chevette (the rear being partially from the GM X-body cars). GM technicians blamed these borrowed parts for the engine fires (which was not entirely true) that resulted from a number of mechanical design flaws.

The fires in the 2.5 L engine were due mostly to poorly made connecting rods. They were purchased by GM by the ton, not by quality. However, the vehicles left today have most certainly been serviced by GM during the recall.

The Fiero has a strong following of owners and customizers today. Because of an abundance of replacement parts available from other General Motors vehicles, there are many upgrades that can be done to improve performance and reliability of the cars. Additionally, a multitude of different General Motors engines have been installed by enthusiasts, from the Quad-4 engine to the Chevrolet small-block V8.

The Fiero 2M4 was on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for 1984. The 1984 Fiero was the Official Pace Car of the Indianapolis 500 for 1984, beating out the new 1984 Corvette for the honor.

A large following of owners still exists with many web pages, groups, and clubs devoted to the car.

Transmissions

Automatics

All automatic-equipped Fieros were equipped with the TH125 three-speed with torque converter lockup.

Automatic Transmission Final Drive Ratios:

L4
*1984-1986: 3.18
*1987-1988: 2.84
V6
*1984-1986: 3.06
*1987-1988: 3.33

4-speed

All 4-speed manual transmissions were built at the Muncie, Indiana Allison plant. The 1984 production line saw two transmissions, a performance 4-speed with a final drive ratio of 4.10, and an economy 4-speed with a final drive ratio of 3.32. The V6 on the 1985 model and part of the 1986 production year came with a 4-speed with a final drive ratio of 3.65.

5-speed

Isuzu and Getrag-produced 5-speed transmissions were available, depending on model and equipment. The Getrag is generally accepted to be the stronger one, but both are used without failure on high torque V8 engine swaps. '
Manual transmission gear ratios
Production years
1984
1984 was the first production year for the Pontiac Fiero, which began production in August 1983 for the 1984 model year. The year was also critically condemned for producing underpowered commuter cars. In an effort to sell the car as being economically sensible, GM equipped and sold the Fiero as a commuter car but the marketing build up leading to initial release indicated anything but a regular commuter car. The car also proved uncomfortable for some drivers because of the lack of power steering.

The 1984 was the only year in which the Limited "Indy 500" edition, consisting of an Indianapolis 500-themed option package on SE''-model vehicles, was offered. Approximately 2,000 of these vehicles were sold.

1985

In 1985, the problem with insufficient power was first addressed, much to the satisfaction of the general public. A Chevrolet 2.8 L 140 hp (104 kW) V6 engine was put into the car, satisfying most critics of the base power plant. The V6 was paired with a modified Muncie 4-speed transmission. The 4-cylinder engine (known as the "Iron Duke") was now paired with the Japanese designed Isuzu 5-speed (also produced at the Muncie, Indiana plant).

Further on, the exterior design of the Indy Fiero would be incorporated into the production line as the new GT.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Pontiac Fiero ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Pontiac Fiero; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Cars - Pontiac Fiero

Brief history

Transmissions

Automatics

4-speed

5-speed

Manual transmission gear ratios

Production years

1984

1985

Searches on eBay

Related searches on eBay