First 1000 mile drive

[seabeelt]

Had a really nice vacation last week up in Maine at Acadia National Park. Drove the Fiat up and back with only minor mechanical problems (custom accelerator linkage weld broke) Great support by Hagerty getting a tow and truely awesome support by the Clairmont Hotel staff in finding a garage to make the welding repair that afternoon. (Welder wouldn't fit in the trunk as part of the road repair kit ) Plenty of old car guys/shops in the area. Visited the Seal Harbor car museum, what a great pre 1930s collection. Other than the weld problem, the car performed very well. Averaged 25.5 mpg for the trip ( 29.2 hwy and 21.6 city/mountain). Highway cruising at 70 mph and 4k rpm was no trouble at all save for the constant wind noise for hours on end. Could have easily slipped up to 80 mph as the car seemed to have plenty left in the pedal running the dual IDFs. Weather was perfect for hiking and tooling about in the car. Colors were changing - some gone by, some in full display and others on the brink of changing. We couldn't have picked a better week for our 31st anniversary trip. Ate too much food, slept late, ate more food. Stayed in Southwest Harbor, highly recommended to get away from the cruise ships and other leaf peepers. They also have some very fine restaurants as well.

Highly recommended for a good fall getaway

[4uall]

Sounds awesome, Happy Anniversary

[seabeelt]

Thanks Jay. You'll have to stop by next time you make a trip to the Cape. We are only a little out of the way off of rt 195
R/

[4uall]

It was beautiful out there and we almost bought another Fiat





Going back on our 5th so stick around the forum, the 10th will be Paris, France (shhh don't tell her)

[donm]

Seabeelt, I know what you mean about the wind noise on the highway. Last fall we took a ride up to Boothbay for a weekend.

It doesn't seem to matter if the top is up or down. We're all spoiled by how quiet cars are today; even the convertables have insulated tops. I found that using foam earplugs help a lot on a long trip, yet you can still hear the radio and/or have a conversation.

[RoyBatty]

The breeze blockers as seen in posts in other areas of this forum work well to drop wind noise a bit.

[seabeelt]

Thanks All
This was with the top up. Not unbearable, but definitely noisy. 1/2 motor noise and half exhaust and wind noise. Had the windows up, top buttoned up at the velcrow strips - still whistled and sighed with the wind. Not complaining, I wouldn't change a thing. Just much different than our modern cars.
R/

[seabeelt]

I have thought about the breeze blocker, but I'm not sure I like the look - same reason I haven't gone for a roll bar. Almost seems to spoil the elegance of the simple design. I may try a cheapie home made job to sample the effects before I (we ) decide.

[4uall]

This might help page 4

http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic ... &sk=t&sd=a

[vandor]

> This was with the top up. Not unbearable, but definitely noisy. 1/2 motor noise and half exhaust and wind noise.

I may be getting old, but if I can hear the exhaust at highway speeds then it's too loud

[spidernut]

Driving down to a car show last weekend, we had the top up on the Spider. The noise was nearly unbearable thanks to a severe cross wind. Driving home, we decided to drive with the top down and the wind blocker up. We figured "what the heck, it is so loud it can't possibly be worse."

WOW! What a difference. We could actually hear the radio and converse at 65mph. No wind buffeting in my ears and no wind noise. When we later put the top up again we could hardly hear one another.

Once you buy or build a wind deflector and go for a drive, you'll never go back to driving without it. As an added benefit, the wife stopped complaining about her hair blowing in her face. The wind deflector eliminated the vast majority of back-draft.

It sounds like you had a great trip! So where are the pictures of your car and the scenery?

[fiat218]

> This was with the top up. Not unbearable, but definitely noisy. 1/2 motor noise and half exhaust and wind noise.

I may be getting old, but if I can hear the exhaust at highway speeds then it's too loud

Lol

[fiat218]

I'm hard of hearing so with one ear deaf basically and the other I have a hearing aid, so that magnifys the wind noise more louder I think, but I just remove the aid can't get any better, I still can hear just not the loud wind, u prolly would not understand but I can hear better with it out then in when I have a passenger, they talking over the wind etc noise

[fiat218]

Driving down to a car show last weekend, we had the top up on the Spider. The noise was nearly unbearable thanks to a severe cross wind. Driving home, we decided to drive with the top down and the wind blocker up. We figured "what the heck, it is so loud it can't possibly be worse."

WOW! What a difference. We could actually hear the radio and converse at 65mph. No wind buffeting in my ears and no wind noise. When we later put the top up again we could hardly hear one another.

Once you buy or build a wind deflector and go for a drive, you'll never go back to driving without it. As an added benefit, the wife stopped complaining about her hair blowing in her face. The wind deflector eliminated the vast majority of back-draft.

It sounds like you had a great trip! So where are the pictures of your car and the scenery?

I agree

[njoconnor]

Agree on the top down/deflector improvement. Top up is ok, but drummy. Top down...heck, it's why I bought the car!

At A/R's current price for the blocker, I'd go for that, Mike. Yeah, it's a little distracting when walking up to the car, but the improvement while driving chases that away pretty quickly.

Neil