This forum carries lots of excellent advise on this subject all of which I think i've read and has helped immensely. However, I would like to ask a couple of questions please.....

I want to firm up the handling of my 2.4 Abarth (runs on 205/55 R16) without creating a harsh ride or causing any clearance (wheel arch or road!) issues from lowering the car. I had therefore discounted the usual eibach/Bilstein 215/45/18 route as per the Schumacher GP set up in fear of the low profile tyres and uprated dampers conspiring to cause problems coping with potholes, speed bumps etc. Also, Bilstein have discontinued the front damper fitment which doesn't help.

I have inquired about Losjofurs standard replacement springs but have read indifferent reports from these (on other cars) and I'm still waiting on some tech advise from them.

Therefore, I'm thinking the following is a good solution -

Eibach 30mm lowering springs combined with 17" wheels running a 50 profile tyre to give a more forgiving ride than 18" wheels on 45's. How does that sound, and will this lower the car too much/not enough?? I'm not looking for track use, it's an everyday car.

If that sounds ok, the next question is "which dampers" - standard height replacements or sport dampers to match lowering kits? Sorry, but price is also an issue - Koni's look good but are v. expensive!

Finally, Demon Tweeks offer an adjustable Drop Link - would this give me some adjustment on the ride height?

My main worries are having enough wheel to arch clearance and not creating a harsh ride.

Thanking you knowledgable people in advance....

I think 17" wheels with 50 profile tyres will look hideous and the rolling radius will be all wrong (your speedo will be well out). When I had a Stilo 1.6, I put on KONI Sport yellows and they were excellent. Expensive? Well, not that pricey IMHO and you do get what you pay for...

I think a set of Koni yellows with your existing springs, wheels and tyres will transform your car's handling. Just my five penn'orth...

Hi, i'm going to give few cents of my own, if i'm wrong someone will correct me

30mm drop on Eibach, wont be an issue for the road, it just going to make your car look better, and more stable cornering on higher speed.
Regarding tyres, i wouldn't suggest 50 profile. The standard tyres for 17" is 215/45. If you want little more "softness" from tyres, you should go for 225/45. They are a bit "more rubber" on the sides. 215/45 true Sidewall Height is 96.75 mm and for 225/45 - 101.25 mm, you would gain about half of cm. Prob you wont feel this while driving...

Dampers - if you go for -30mm drop on eibach springs, you can use your original dampers, it wont make any difference, unless, you want more hardness, then go for sport ones. I know http://www.carparts-tuning.co.uk/ sells quite cheap front and rear dampers (shocks) that you could use (so cheap that it wont matter if you will not like it), also you must know, that sport shocks are shorter that originals, and you should loose more height.

Adjustable drop links - it wont make your car lower, nor give you ability to adjust height. Adjustable drop links are for serious car lowering, when originals are too long, and starts to bend. Don't worry, you will need more than 30mm drop, to use them.

In my opinion, most standard thing to do is to buy Eibach springs, put them on original dampers (maybe on a new ones, if you feel that yours are worn out). get 215/45R17 or 225/45R17 tyres, and enjoy your ride

You can fit whatever wheel/tyre/spring/damper combo you want but unless you go for a full laser wheel alignment then your investment will be pointless. The Stilo had tracking issues I think on the from axle and lowering it and changing wheels and tyres will affect the suspension geometry so a proper alignment will be necessary afterwards to get the best rewards from your new suspension! Fitting brand oem springs and shocks will give a former ride depending on how old your current set is but will probably raise the ride height slightly. I'd personally go for sports shocks and matching springs, get whatever suits your budget but bear in mind you do get what you pay for.

Fiat have for a certain wheel size a recommended tyre size i.e for 15" wheels a 195/65r15 tyre is needed, I then fitted 17" wheels and the tires on them are 205/55r17 but anything up to 225/45r17 is suitable.

I have a set of the GP Schumacher suspension for sale if you are interested. I replaced mine to see if I could improve things even further but it turns out the originals were perfectly serviceable.

That's really helpful fellas. Good point about keeping the standard wheels and tyres but I'm looking at replacing the wheels with 17's because a refurb of my 16's is going to cost me nearly as much as a new set of wheels. Regarding the tyre profile, I thought the GP Schumacher ran on 215/45 18's and the sidewalls on these are very low, but having checked, it looks like they are on 215/40 18's, so I agree that I should go with a 215/45 17 not a 215/50 17. According to the web, The rolling radius on these will be 24.6" vs standard 24.9".

As most comments are in favour of the eibach springs not being too harsh, I think I will go with these as i'd like to replace the standard springs having had one break last week. I did not think standard dampers would be up to the job but maybe i'll fit new OE dampers as mine are 50k miles old and see how that goes.

Re the used Schumacher set up for sale, how many miles have these got on them?

Cheers,

The GP Schumacher suspension has have around 60k miles on them. When i went from a 1.6 Stilo to the GP Schumacher the difference in handling and drivability was phenomenal.
It looks a hell of a lot better with its slight lowering 20mm rear and 30mm front iirc. Then its so comfortable to drive, handles well but very smooth.

Spent a bit more time researching damper options. Basically i'm looking at around £650 for Koni/Bilsteins which if money were no object I would order to go with the eibach springs as recommended (although still not sure whether standard length or shorter is best?). But as this is too much for me (i'm changing wheels and tyres too) I found KYB Excel G replacement shocks for £160 for all 4. Anyone had these? I've got KYB's on my classic Mini and they're great but these are the Gas-a-Just model not the twin-tube Excel-G shocks being advertised for the Stilo 2.4. Also i'm still confused over the pro's and con's of fitting the same height or shortened dampers - How will this choice affect ride height and will I be ok with ground and arch clearance with standard replacement type dampers over bigger bumps i.e. will they 'give' too much? Thanks again

Stilo Abarth Shocks

Guys,
I've taken your advice and ordered a set of Eibach Pro 30mm lowering springs for my Stilo Abarth. I then tried to order a set of KYB G2 Excel shocks to fit at the same time as KYB list a fitment for the 2.4 192 20v. However the company I ordered from came back and said KYB don't do a fitment for the Abarth which has different fittings to the 2.4 20v. This was confirmed by making a call to KYB UK who advised me that the Abarth sit's 25mm lower than the 2.4 20v model. I'm now confused because I thought this was the same car?

Also, looking through various websites, other manufacturers list a fitment for the 2.4 20v but do not specify the Abarth, only Koni do, so I don't know what options I have as Koni's are way over my budget. Is it right that the Abarth is different to the 2.4 20v or are they getting confused with the Schumacher? I did give my car reg number and they confirmed there was a difference. I should point out that KYB were very helpful. Incidentally Bilstein no longer make front fitments so they are no longer an option.

Please help! :worship:

Cant offer much other than the eibach pro with 30mm drop are ok to run on std shocks, i think they even mention somewhere.
Ive had no issues with my std shocks on eibach pro springs i dont do mega miles but theyve been on 4 or 5 years.
I cant say ive ever wanted harder shocks.
Of course if my shocks do fail(when) i will do the same and replace with sportier aftermarket shocks not oe.
But its not necessary just due to fitting those springs.

That's interesting - How was the handling improved using this combination? I have also read that these springs are designed to be used with stock dampers although I will get a quote for OE shocks as mine have done over 50k miles and need replacing anyway.

I wonder if i'll see much reduction in the right height anyway because if the springs are designed to fit the 2.4 which is allegedly 25mm taller than the Abarth, the quoted 30mm drop will not really make any difference to ride height meaning the height of the standard shock will be compatible at least ?

I thought this was going to be easy! :bang:

Thank you for your quick comments -

If anyone can confirm whether there is any difference between the 2.4 20v and the Abarth which I thought was the same car - I would be grateful!

I think the 2.4 20v is the 5 door version and the abarth is the three door version. The two cars, although mechanically similar they are quite different. I think the 5 door model naturally sits higher so may well have a taller shock absorber.

Years ago I ran a 20v marea with EBACH springs on standard shocks with great success

Very interesting, I didn't know that model existed! Thank you Gadge. Seems there are a plethora of replacement shocks for the 2.4 20v but only Koni offer a fitment for the Abarth 3 door hatch version, UNLESS ANYONE KNOWS DIFFERENT?!

Also, as the eibachs offer a 30mm drop to the 2.4 20v, I guess there will be very little difference on the Abarth if that is already 25mm lower :idea: hence the standard shocks are a viable option with these lowering springs! Aha, I think i'm getting somewhere now! I imagine the standard shocks (don't know who makes them?) would offer reasonable damping when new - Anyone know where there are some cheap standard Abarth shocks going as 4 new ones are still pricy (but a lot less than Koni's) ?

Re: Are these ok?

Has anyone fitted Eibach's to their Abarth?

The reason I ask is that the Eibach catalogue lists the 2.4 hatch as part number E10-30-001-02-22 but they don't specify "Abarth" so is this the 3 door or 5 door, and does it matter? The front weighting is correct but the rear springs are 940 whereas the Abarth is 830 standard. I only found this out after ordering shocks for the 2.4 20v 192 Stilo which would not fit and were only designed to fit the 192 5 door 2.4. :bang:

If the rear spring is too strong will this cause issues? Also if the 3 door Abarth is already lower than the 5 door 2.4 (by about 15mm), are 30mm drop springs going to provide the same ride height as standard so should Abarth owners be using the Sportlines instead?

Stop Press - Just had a very interesting mail from Tim at Spring-Loaded Suspension, he confirms this part number will also fit the Abarth, although the drop will be less given the Abarth's reduced ride height as standard. I will be replacing the shocks with original Fiat parts given the price of the alternative option (Koni yellows) as Tim confirms what you have said already that standard shocks will work with the eibach pro kit if in good condition. Phew!

I thought I'd add to this thread as I'm replacing the front springs on my Stilo GP. I've read useful posts from Davren. Deckchair 5 and others on replacing of Stilo struts and felt confident enough to give it a go. Tipo needs to come off the road during the salt season but the Stilo has been sitting on the drive since the Tipo started working. Both front brakes are stuck on and the springs are broken. The Eibach pro-kit seems to most resemble the factory Schumacher GP spring kit (I bought the front springs from them Eibach directly, but with hindsight the complete pro-kit would have cost little more).

A few years on from previous threads rust has got involved. Likely you will have to cut through both the drop links as I did and grind off the nuts. The lower nuts face the engine and are harder to access. The powder coating has peeled off the Bilstein struts and they look a right state. After a thorough desalting and removal of loose material, I applied my paint of choice Epoxy Mastic over one coat of rust convertor. Finish is rough but it will have to suffice. Two new covers and I got the garage to fit the springs. Eibach catalogue shows these as black but they turned up red as per the originals.

Had the calipers refurbished to keep it original, there seem to be few OEM parts for the Stilo. At £217 a pair from BCS, this was far less than any other quote, prompt service and has included re-drilling the bleed valve.

jonti said:

TView attachment 400218View attachment 400219
Had the calipers refurbished to keep it original, there seem to be few OEM parts for the Stilo. At £217 a pair from BCS, this was far less than any other quote, prompt service and has included re-drilling the bleed valve.

Click to expand...

You may wish to take some preventative work on the bodywork whilst the area is accessible, I've used dynax UB inside the strut tops and behind the brake lines where some rust was evident.

Wow your springs were well fubar . I did 3 when I had a 1.8 some years ago, and it was just a bit off of the bottom coil that had fractured.

If I were investing in new legs as well as the springs, I would be tempted to fit braided hoses if for no other reason than the original banjo/connections seem to rust very easily.

I guess that maybe a Stilo GP could be worth a bit in the future, but there is a limit into how much I will invest in my Abarth to keep it going, and a new suspension setup is unlikely to happen .

Yes, and I think we can only get so far handling-wise with a torsion beam on the back. Mine is overdue a new timing belt at this age but I'm not sure the expense is justified. Regarding the springs this has been North England/Scotland-based and salt on the roads takes it's toll. Tried detaching the brake pipe from the hose, it wasn't having it, and with the pipe disappearing into the bulkhead where I couIdn't see I decided to leave it alone !