[lordofthewings]

I live in England and have just taken delivery of my 124 Lusso. Only two issues so far at under 200 miles -- the TPMS light (which I'm working on). And the really weird cheap-looking and badly-fitting plastic flap things ahead of the front wheels. They are hard to photograph but have the MOPAR logo. Any idea what they do ? (They are not visible in the brochure or side illustrations).

 

[Unknownsir]

Yea i don't have any understanding myself of what they are supposed to be either. There are mudflaps available for the vehicle, have contemplated them, but not sure how much they will help. So far haven't even had it out in any rain.

 

[Chipshot]

Looks like a spat. Certainly not a styling element, they're often added for aero or stone protection. Do they appear to be part of wheelhouse liners or underbody shields or separate parts unto themselves?

 

[wedgewa]

Quite a few modern cars have small "aero" tabs in front of front wheels. They're on other cars I own. They reduce aerodynamic drag and increase fuel economy. They also slightly reduce wind noise at higher speeds.
Front air tabs can improve fuel economy in the .5-1% range. Hard to notice, and maybe not enough to justify replacement if you hit too many curbs while parking. But car makers are doing everything computers and wind tunnels tell them to meet ever tightening regulations. (except telling owners what those little tabs are for).

 

[lordofthewings]

Looks like a spat. Certainly not a styling element, they're often added for aero or stone protection. Do they appear to be part of wheelhouse liners or underbody shields or separate parts unto themselves?

They are part of the under-body shield. I tried removing them which is an easy job as they affix with one self-tapping screw and 3 of the push/snap clips used in the wheel arches. But doing so exposes 2 fairly large keyhole-shape holes on each side, where mud/crud will eventually get in, so I put them back.....:|

 

[anthony1943]

That is what those are, I have a 2017 124 Abarth....but would like to get mud flaps any suggestions....

 

[SJWhiteley]

Wedgewa is correct. They are for air flow around the wheel and wheel arch area. They don't look like much but can have significant affect.

 

[Brett67]

I live in England and have just taken delivery of my 124 Lusso. Only two issues so far at under 200 miles -- the TPMS light (which I'm working on). And the really weird cheap-looking and badly-fitting plastic flap things ahead of the front wheels. They are hard to photograph but have the MOPAR logo. Any idea what they do ? (They are not visible in the brochure or side illustrations).

The Lusso does not have TPMS sensors, it uses a wheel rotation sensor and must be reset using the panel to the left of the steering wheel. Did something else happen to the the TPMS? Curious.

For some reason, the 124 Spider Abarth does have the wheel sensors but the Lusso and Classica do not.

 

[DAVEC]

The TPMS does calculations using wheel rotations to determine if tire pressure if off. If you drive on a very bumpy stretch of road, which I have, the system can think there is an issue with tire pressure and the warning light can come on. VERY annoying. Wait until tire temp is cold, best in the a.m. before driving, check to make sure your tire pressures are correct at 29 P.S.I. , then reset the TPMS by pushing the button to the left and below the steering column to reset. Wait for the beep.

 

[Deyeme Racing]

As to the spats, the previous posts hit the nail on the head. I've been working on a front brake cooling mod, and have had the splash shield off, and can verify what was said about how the spats attach, and the keyhole shaped holes they leave behind if you remove them. They don't look pretty (and are, like the front tag bracket, left off for promo shots) but they are functional. They alter the air pressure in that area to decrease drag at the wheels.

As to the TPMS, I had mine light up for absolutely no reason the other day. Checked all tires, and all were fairly close to one another and a little above pressure (normal, since they were still warm). Checked cold, and they were fine. If you've verified the tires are all OK, just turn the key ON (park or neutral) and hold the TPMS reset button until it beeps, and it'll go out.

 

[Chuck]

I just ordered a set of four today from our Mopar dealer. $90.00+tax. Or you can buy them through http://moparonlineparts.com/fiat-spider-splash-guards-p-6898.html at $76.00 plus shipping of $13+ tax. They should help with muck kicking up onto the rear of the car. I'm hoping anyway.

 

[124GASM]

The Lusso does not have TPMS sensors, it uses a wheel rotation sensor and must be reset using the panel to the left of the steering wheel. Did something else happen to the the TPMS? Curious.

For some reason, the 124 Spider Abarth does have the wheel sensors but the Lusso and Classica do not.

I have a USA Lusso.. and I have TPMS Sensors.......

 

[zonker]

For some reason, the 124 Spider Abarth does have the wheel sensors but the Lusso and Classica do not.

My take on that is, then with an Abarth you can run different size tires front and rear, and FCA did this so the enthusiast can do things like run staggered wheels or larger rear tires.
On a Lusso or Classica, because of the lack of sensors, the tire and wheel have to be identical sizes and air pressure better be within a couple psi for all four tires or you will get that startling air-raid siren and the tire dash light. I'm also sure that this is a much cheaper method of offering the mandatory by law a low tire warning system so they are saving a few quid by doing this.

 

[Fireblade908]

Hi
I believe that all cars registered in the UK from November 2014 must have the TPMS and it is now part of the MOT requirement. I got that info from an alloy wheel online retailer. The message appears as a pop up to encourage you to buy new over priced ones when buying new alloys.

 

[Kubicide]

I have a USA Lusso.. and I have TPMS Sensors.......

What year is your Lusso? The 2017's use RPM based monitoring, and wheel spin can trip them off. I can assure you my 2017 Lusso uses the RPM sensing as I've tripped it with a few aggressive corners on slick roads.

TMK in the US only the Abarth's came with 'real' TPMS sensors in the rims.

Edit: per the owners manual text page 118 "The system monitors the tire pressures indirectly using the data sent from the ABS wheel speed sensors."

 

[truebill]

To clarify what several people are saying -- All 124s have Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS), but Abarths measure the tire pressure one way and Classicos and Lussos measure it a different way.

 

[gavp]

I just ordered a set of four today from our Mopar dealer. $90.00+tax. Or you can buy them through http://moparonlineparts.com/fiat-spider-splash-guards-p-6898.html at $76.00 plus shipping of $13+ tax. They should help with muck kicking up onto the rear of the car. I'm hoping anyway.

Dug up and old thread as my wife has an Abarth and I’m generally the one who washes and looks after cars in our house.

Anyone know if these will fit an Abarth too?

 

[ameridan]

No, they don't.

 

[Arthur]

Regarding all things mud flap...... ahead of the rear wheel
and attached to the lower leading edge of the wheel arch there are two small plastic panels held on with two pop-lock clips. These panels are easily ripped off due to direction of travel/ground clearance. I recommend unclipping them and making a template for future use. You can then replace them as I have had to do by making your own out of suitable material. This will save you $150 !!!

 

[Aidan_124_595]

Regarding all things mud flap...... ahead of the rear wheel
and attached to the lower leading edge of the wheel arch there are two small plastic panels held on with two pop-lock clips. These panels are easily ripped off due to direction of travel/ground clearance. I recommend unclipping them and making a template for future use. You can then replace them as I have had to do by making your own out of suitable material. This will save you $150 !!!

Any chance you have a template scanned up? One of mine has disappeared. I'd lost a securing clip before and replaced it however the whole this is gone now. Is the right and left rear ones identica
l? Am gonna have to try and make one now .... How annoying, as I had been keeping an eye on it for some time and I now figured out where I lost it. But good luck finding it. 😭