Wednesday, April 25, 2018

FIAT Abarth Upgrades to STH Class

Thanks to El Gato Engineering for Shocks and Springs Installation

No, STH is not some Star Wars code for the evil Sith, it stands for the Sports Car Club of America Street Touring Hatch class of autocross. This is a new class for 2018, so with this weekend's upgrades to lowering springs and Koni adjustable shocks, the Abarth moves from H Street to STH. With the move to the New York Region of the SCCA it will be a whole new ball game this year, but I'm looking forward to meeting some new drivers and getting back out on the autocross circuit next weekend.

Front Koni shock and new Madness spring installed

When we last left the NMS Abarth, it had wrapped up the 2017 HS title and a best-ever 10th overall with the Tidewater Sports Car Club in Virginia last October. Now six months later we're about to crank it up again in competition. In addition to the suspension improvements, the NMS North mechanics will be adding new spark plugs to the awesome 1.4 liter FIAT motor (built in DETROIT USA), and swapping old used Bridgestone tires for a brand new set of Potenza 71Rs for the new season. Believe it or not, I managed to fit the four wheels with old tires, AND the four new tires into the Abarth and still was able to drive it. Getting into reverse on the way to the tire shop wasn't easy, but it was possible! That should make autocrossing without 8 tires inside the car very simple! We should have clear skies and highs near 60 on Sunday, so let's go driving!

Rear Koni shock and Madness spring

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