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Fiat Coupe Tuning Guide & Best Mods

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Table of Contents

Introduction

The Fiat Coupe is well-known for its robustness and tunability. It can withstand impressive power increases with the right modifications, providing a solid foundation for performance upgrades.

Throughout its production run, various engine options were offered, aiming for powerful and engaging driving experiences.

The most sought after is the later 2L Turbo 16V engine and the 2L 20V 5 pot engine. 

It’s worth noting that the majority of the mods mentioned in this article are aimed towards these turbo variants of the Fiat Coupe as these engine’s respond the best to power upgrades.

Due to its popularity among enthusiasts, there’s a good range of aftermarket components available for the Fiat Coupe. This includes tuning parts, body kits, and other performance upgrades. Being easily accessible, these parts open a world of customisation possibilities.

This coupled with an interesting heritage, makes the Fiat Coupe an exciting project car for enthusiasts aiming to modify and upgrade.

Whether you are looking to add as much power as possible to your Coupe on a budget or are wanting to turn it into a proper track car, this guide covers it all!

Rear Anti-Roll Bar

Anti-roll bar’s/sway bars play a crucial role in stabilising your car around corners. 

By increasing the stiffness of this crucial suspension component, body roll and cornering flex are significantly reduced, allowing for increased stability and more precise handling.

This improvement in lateral rigidity translates to both better road grip and a more engaging, confidence-inspiring feel on twisty roads or race tracks.

While both front and rear aftermarket anti-roll bars are available, the most common upgrade is to opt for an aftermarket stiffer anti-roll bar on just the rear.

Due to the car being quite nose heavy at the front, many owners want to try and reduce the understeer and instead promote oversteer on the track or during spirited driving sessions.

Fitting a stiffer anti-roll bar on the rear does just this.  

A stiffer anti-roll bar on the front would enhance the understeer already characteristic of the Coupe’s handling. 

To maximise the performance of stiffer anti-roll bars, consider fitting a set of coilovers to maximise the handling potential and tyre grip.

You have some different options for aftermarket anti-roll bars. Eibach make both front and rear bars for the Fiat Coupe. You also have the option of Whiteline anti-roll bars which are good quality too.

Coilovers

Coilovers replace your Coupe’s standard shocks and springs, enabling you to adjust your ride height and give your car a sporty and aggressive stance. While enhancing the looks of your Coupe, they also provide immense performance benefits. 

One of the major advantages of installing coilovers is the noticeable improvement in your Coupe’s handling. A lower centre of gravity and a stiffer setup results in reduced body roll, leading to sharper cornering and overall improved steering response.

Many coilovers also offer adjustability in damping and spring rate, enabling a bespoke suspension setting. This allows drivers to adapt their car setup depending on the driving condition (road or track), offering an optimised driving experience.

The coilovers you go for will depend on how you use your Fiat Coupe. If you are into track driving and want maximum performance, then you will want to go for performance-orientated coilovers with the ability to fine tune the various settings.

For street use, you should be mindful of the ride quality and opt for a set of coilovers that may be slightly softer than the full on performance sets.

For track use, check out the BC Coilovers which are a popular option amongst owners. 

For more light street use, the KW Variant 1 coilovers are a good shout.

Aftermarket Wheels

When shopping for aftermarket wheels, it’s important to have an understanding of the compatibility. 

Ensure proper wheel dimensions (diameter, width, and offset) to fit your Fiat Coupe without causing any rubbing or clearance issues. Also check the bolt pattern and centre bore to confirm compatibility with the car’s hub and lug nuts.

Of course it is possible to fit aftermarket wheels that don’t conform to the OEM wheel specs, however you will have to buy adapters and potentially spacers depending on the wheel to ensure correct fitment without issue.

Depending on the year and model, the standard wheel sizes are 15, 16 and 17 inches. The larger diameter wheels give the car a more sporty look however smaller wheels tend to give a more comfortable ride. It all depends on your tolerance and priorities. 

You can shop aftermarket wheels online at sites like LK Performance where you can look at the wheel specs to check compatibility.

Performance Exhaust

One of the most common reasons for an exhaust upgrade is the improvement in sound. The pleasing, resonant exhaust note of a high-quality aftermarket system gives the Fiat Coupe a distinctive voice that conveys its performance capabilities.

However, an aftermarket exhaust system isn’t just about aesthetics or sounding good, it’s also a significant upgrade that can improve the performance and drivability of your Fiat Coupe.

Aftermarket exhaust systems generally use wider pipes and a less restrictive design, which helps to increase the exit speed of exhaust gases. This results in decreased backpressure, leading to increased horsepower and torque.

Less restriction in the exhaust system also means that when you press on the gas, the throttle response is quicker, providing a faster ‘get-up-and-go’ from your Fiat Coupe, making it more fun to drive throughout the rev range.

For improving performance, the first section of the exhaust to change is the downpipe and standard catalytic converter section. This section is the most restrictive section of the exhaust. Opting for a more free flowing downpipe will help your engine breathe better. 

After the downpipe we have the catalytic converters. If your car is solely used for track use, you can bypass this section with a straight pipe (decat). However chances are you use your Fiat Coupe on the road. If so, a decat isn’t going to be legal. In this case, you can opt for a high flow sports cat. These are legal alternative which will still pass emissions tests while also providing  performance gains over the standard catalytic converter. 

After this section we have the “cat-back” section. This is the section of you exhaust most responsible for controlling the sound. If you are just after a sound improvement, then a cat-back is the part to upgrade. 

Upgrading to an aftermarket cat-back from someone like Toyosports will give your Coupe a deeper and throaty exhaust note, as well as ease up some restriction in the exhaust system. 

Induction Kit

When it comes to upgrading your air intake, you normally have 2 options. 

You have the option of a cold air intake, also referred to as a cone filter. 

Then you also have the option of an upgraded panel filter. These slot in place of your standard paper filter inside your stock airbox. 

There is a always a lot of debate among owners to which one is more effective for performance, When it comes to induction sounds, then cone filters are definitely the winner there. With a cone filter, you will get all of the whooshy and turbo noises your heart desires – although these sounds can be a bit too much for some owners. 

If you are wanting improved performance without a massive increase in sound, then you can opt for an upgraded panel filter. 

These are designed to allow extra air to flow into the engine with a slightly less restrictive filter and also have the added benefit of lasting longer than the OEM paper filters.

Some owners have trouble with some of the oiled filters causing issues with the air flow meter (AFM) so try stay away from these types of panel filters. 

If you’re after a cone filter, the Apexi air intake is a good choice and is one used by many enthusiast owners.

Remap/Chip

As with many turbo’d cars, remaps are a fast and easy way to unlock extra power – even without other modifications having been fitted.

On a healthy engine and healthy turbo, you can get gains of 30bhp-40bhp from a remap alone on the later turbo models!

Due to the age of a lot of these cars, it’s a good idea to have your Coupe checked over before having it chipped or remapped. A remap will expose any weak points of your car, including vacuum lines or an aging clutch. If you are booking it in for a live rolling road remap, many tuners will recommend doing this for you beforehand for peace of mind. 

In order to maximise the potential gains from a remap, it’s advised to have all your physical modifications fitted to your car prior to the remap. With upgraded components like a front mount intercooler and exhaust system, a custom remap can account for the increased flow and as such provide better gains. 

Brake Upgrades

If you are increasing your power then it’s a good idea to increase your stopping power too.

There are different components of the braking system you should consider upgrading depending on how you drive your Coupe.  The upgrades you do for your daily driven Coupe you use for road use will be different to one that you are setting up for the track. 

One of the first recommend upgrades is to use high temperature brake fluid and upgraded brake lines.

When subjected to the intense heat generated during aggressive driving, standard brake fluid may boil, creating vapour in the system. This leads to a spongy brake pedal and significantly reduced braking efficiency.

High-temperature brake fluid has a higher boiling point, preventing vapour formation and maintaining the hydraulic characteristics of the brakes at all times. This is an essential mod if you are tracking your Fiat Coupe.

If you are wanting maximum performance and have a decent budget allocated to your brakes, then you can opt for a big brake kit.

The 6 pot conversion from D2 Racing is a great upgrade designed to transform the stopping power on the car for hard driving. This kit comes with everything you need including pads, disks, calipers and braided brake lines.

Upgraded Intercooler (FMIC)

An upgraded intercooler can prove beneficial in a variety of driving situations.

For instance, on hot days, the ambient temperature can lead to an underperforming engine due to increased air temperature, causing the turbocharger to work harder and less efficiently. Here, an upgraded intercooler can play a crucial role by allowing more cool air to pass to the engine, boosting performance and efficiency.

It’s also ideal during high-performance driving, such as track days or racing, where heat soak can rob you of performance over a period of time. 

There are a few different options out there, with some owners opting for the “universal intercooler” kits which require some trimming and cutting to make the fitment perfect.

Pro Alloy Motorsport have an upgraded front mount intercooler designed specifically for the Coupe. This kit is designed to allow for much better cooling capacity over the standard intercooler due to it’s position and surface area.

Finishing Thoughts

We hope you found this guide useful at giving you some ideas and inspiration for getting the most out of your Fiat Coupe.

Whether you are just going for some visual upgrades with some coilovers and a new set of wheels, or wanting to turn it into a track car – there are lots of possibilities with these cars.

The strong aftermarket support and passionate community of owners means you can find parts and advice whatever your plans are with the car.

In terms of the best value for money power upgrades, a full turbo-back exhaust, an intercooler and a remap or chip will see very nice power gains.

For handling, coilovers and a stiffer rear anti-roll bar can totally transform the way the car takes the corners.

Happy modding!