I've driven 2 or 3 post 2010 cars

306maxi said:

I've driven 2 or 3 post 2010 cars

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Could the current crop be better handling wise?

Nope, no changes since then.

İ think i am convinced to upgrade the shocks with koni fsd and leave the rest as standart. One question though, i have the bixenon headlamps which needs sensors for self leveling. Does changing the shocks affect the sensors. Where are the sensors connected ? I own a mondeo as company car and the sensors are connected to shocks and measures the travel in the suspension.

bgunn is the person to ask

hakan439 said:

İ think i am convinced to upgrade the shocks with koni fsd and leave the rest as standart. One question though, i have the bixenon headlamps which needs sensors for self leveling. Does changing the shocks affect the sensors. Where are the sensors connected ? I own a mondeo as company car and the sensors are connected to shocks and measures the travel in the suspension.

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Once the car height is reset (with different suspension), you need to park the car on level ground and run a 'reset' in the HID lights ECU using Examiner/wi-tech or MultiECUScan.

Buy fiat coupe bumpstops and fit them before you do anything, that will stop the back bottoming out and the car will feel softer. this should only cost
£50

RUI said:

Buy fiat coupe bumpstops and fit them before you do anything, that will stop the back bottoming out and the car will feel softer. this should only cost
£50

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Still won't sort the mismatch between the springs and dampers sadly.

306maxi said:

Still won't sort the mismatch between the springs and dampers sadly.

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I agree with you 306maxi... I think some people with the comments about driving over speed bumps might be missing the point about 'ride comfort'.

You've driven across Europe, and I used to take my 500 on trips to fairly remote bits of NZ, and we both know that the conditions of winding, undulating rural roads are a challenge for the 500's suspension. All suspension is a compromise (unsprung weight, wheel geometry, rising spring rate, torsion beam non-independence, etc.).

When we talk about 'ride comfort', we mean not being thrown around for hour after hour Being able to use a touchscreen in the car. Having the rearview mirror stay in place. That sort of thing!

Personally I thought the post-2010 500s rode better - less stiff at the back - any 500 with a full load will ride better too. I'm much happier with the ride of my Stilo, as it's softer, longer, and heavier than the 500.

I remember my 500 Lounge in England having a nice ride, with just the right amount of "eager" and "accurate", but then most of the miles were on A-roads, motorways, and going slowly around Devon lanes. Quite different to a trip from Napier to Taupo in NZ, for example, where you attempt motorway speeds on something approximating a B-road in the UK.

Anyway, it's possible that the standard shocks on a 500 are over-stiff, as they were on a Punto Sporting. I'm not sure what options will be softer than standard. Boge?

-Alex