Technical Fiat 500R or 500L which to buy?

[robbyasti]

I have had a Fiat 500L in the past and now looking to buy another 500. I have the option of a 500R which I believe has a little more power.
Is there much difference between the R and L engines? I am not looking for mega speed increase but a few bhp would be nice.
Thanks. Rob

 

[fiat500]

Rob, I would first check that the car you look at has the original or same or possibly even a bigger replacement.
As manufactured, the "R" was 594cc and I've heard that it had a deliberately undersized carb to keep the power output the similar to the 499cc. So it's fairly easy to get more power from it. You will probably find that you could buy a Fiat 500 of any model which has a bigger engine fitted, right up to 650cc and beyond. But if you're happy with LHD and going for a pure unmodified car, I would say the "R" is a very good compromise of the best features

 

[robbyasti]

Rob, I would first check that the car you look at has the original or same or possibly even a bigger replacement.
As manufactured, the "R" was 594cc and I've heard that it had a deliberately undersized carb to keep the power output the similar to the 499cc. So it's fairly easy to get more power from it. You will probably find that you could buy a Fiat 500 of any model which has a bigger engine fitted, right up to 650cc and beyond. But if you're happy with LHD and going for a pure unmodified car, I would say the "R" is a very good compromise of the best features

Thanks for that. The engine is original. I would prefer to keep it original apart from the carb. Is there anything else I could do on a low budget to improve it slightly?

 

[the hobbler]

I completely agree with Peter, if the 500R is sound--go for that one. As well as fitting the slightly bigger carb (Weber 28IMB), I would suggest that you fit a simple 'Hall effect' electronic ignition---Pertronix and AccuSpark are 2 good systems. They are very simple to install (although you will need a timing light to check the timing with--you cannot 'statically time' these systems) and do away with the points and condenser. Another 'mod' is to check what size wheels/tyres you have on the car. The original wheel was 12x3.5in (with a PCD of 190) with a 125x12 tyre. The EARLY (594cc--same as the 500R) 126s (also with a PCD of 190) have a 12x4.0in wheel which will allow you to fit a 135x12 tyre. This slightly greater width (and diameter) of tyre will make for slightly lower engine revs for any given road speed and put just a little extra rubber on the road. The last of the 126s had different wheels (98PCD) which will not fit onto the standard 500R hubs. Go get it and enjoy it!

 

[phoenix1]

By the way I have a 500L with 135 tyres and the spare won't go in the wheel well.
I had to drop to 10 PSI to get it in,has anybody else come across this or is it just my car. It's had nearly whole front end fitted so may be that.

 

[AndrewHarvey]

No - I have the same issue....it pushes the headlamp out with a 145 section tyre.

 

[fiat500]

No - I have the same issue....it pushes the headlamp out with a 145 section tyre.

Just keep a 125 on one wheel as a spare....call it a spacesaver
It's pretty tight even with that.

 

[AndrewHarvey]

I will - but I sought high and low for a matching rim and had a brand new tyre fitted after having it painted.
Roof rack......?*

 

[fiat500]

I will - but I sought high and low for a matching rim and had a brand new tyre fitted after having it painted.
Roof rack......?*

[emoji1] [emoji1] [emoji1]
Roof-rack anyway[emoji7]

 

[robbyasti]

Excellent, that is exactly what I needed to know. I am not looking for a Ferrari just a little more power to get up hills. I live in Asti, just outside Turin and it's all down hill going to work but obviously the fun starts when I have to return home after work. Luckily, all country roads and no fast roads.
Many thanks. Rob

 

[Toshi 975]

Thanks for that. The engine is original. I would prefer to keep it original apart from the carb. Is there anything else I could do on a low budget to improve it slightly?

The spec I looked at for the 500R says it puts out 18bhp and the early 126 23bhp which is a huge increase if that is just down to the carb so well worth doing. You could also consider a modest sport exhaust and a thin copper head gasket would give you a higher compression without any major engine mods

 

[the hobbler]

As Peter has suggested, for those people who have retained wheels with 190pcd (like you have Andrew), why not get hold of an EARLY 500 wheel (the one with the cross-bar for bolting the wheel-trim to), remove the cross-bar and fit a 125 section tyre. This will be the thinnest wheel/tyre combination you can arrive at. The wheel may lose some rigidity with the bar removed, but as you will only be using it as a 'get me home' spare, just drive accordingly. Also, although the tyre radius might be slightly different to your normal road tyre, this won't matter for the short distance it will be likely to be driven using it---it makes absolutely no difference at the front, and the Diff will take up the difference at the rear. Me?--as I don't use my rear seat, so my spare sits tidily on the down-turned back-squab of the rear seat.