RonB Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Tony, My suggestion is to go for the 2.8JTD and then fit Fiats 'short-fifth' top gear modification. It's a simple job and costs around £300 all in. I have had this gearing on our last two motorhomes and it overcomes all the obstacles. Fiats are notorious for their standard too-high top gear which leaves you without any grunt in top and is the main reason people want their engines chipped. My suggestion is a Fiat warranted mod, will not upset your insurers (but you should tell them), uses no more fuel and gives you a top gear rev band just where you need it to take on the hills, head winds, etc. Also you are not straining the engine like you might be with a chip. In fact you will be kinder on the engine as it will spend more time away from either labouring in top or revving like mad in fourth to maintain momentum. You will also find that several converters fitted this mod to their 2.8JTD models as standard, Hymer and Burstner to name just two. Ask yourself why they did not go for chipping. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonB Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Tony, I should have added that our mod was carried out by Fiat agents Essanjay, Poole (01202 683608), your average Fiat dealer might not even know the mod exists, ours didn't. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob b Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 I have a 2003 Rapido 709F 2.3 JTD (low profile, two berth) and I was perfectly happy with the performance. It sailed up hills fully loaded and I would have been content to leave it in standard form. I decided to fit the Van Aken smart box when I started towing my Honda 650 cc motorcycle, purely for relaxed cruising. It does make a noticable difference, with livelier acceleration and pulling power. I also had cruise control fitted after my last continental trip. As the motorways are so much quieter than here, I found that after travelling for so many miles with my accelerator leg in the same position, I got cramp in my leg......either that or death watch beetle ! The cruise control is the one mod I would recommend, particularly to anyone planning continental foray's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 I suspect that a 2.3 with a 6 speed box is a better drive that a 2.8 with the 5 speed box even with a modified / chipped 5th? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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