Hi,
my 2011 twinair has the dreaded knocking from the rear shocks. Ive done some research on the interweb and I seem to have narrowed it down to the following.
1. Sachs
2.Monroe
3.Bilstein.
Im sure there are people who have replaced their shocks with all of the above. Is there a concencus as to which are the best for my little twinair.
If there are any links that people could alternatively point me in the direction of then I would be doubly grateful.
This is the 1st step of many in getting my car looking and feeling great again.
Many thanks in advance

I had the Bilstein kit on my 2011 Twinair and it was brilliant.

D

If your going for standard spec replaments they all should be fairly similar I'd just go for whatever has the best price

If your replacing then with updated unit's that may be more down to preference

chris3234 said:

If your going for standard spec replaments they all should be fairly similar I'd just go for whatever has the best price

If your replacing then with updated unit's that may be more down to preference

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I want something thats an improvement over standard that will give a better ride and be more durable than the poor ones fitted as standard. Ive heard of Sachs (German so hopefully well made) and the Bilstein looks different to the standard unit so Im not too sure how easy is to fit .... straight swap? No clue about the Munroes.

rallycinq said:

I had the Bilstein kit on my 2011 Twinair and it was brilliant.

D

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Was that the B4 one? It looks different to the standard shock, was it easy to fit?

Put Sachs on the front of our 1.2 came with KYB on the rear though the front has started to make noises again after 2 or 3 years and every now and again there's a knock from the rear

For what it's worth Monroe shocks are tried & tested & good quality & make for a comfortable ride. In all the decades I've owned cars I've always in my daily drivers any way, used Monroe when replacing is required. You say you want an improvement over standard, if you are looking for a more sporty/harder feel, personally I'd steer away from that, especially the cheaper variety. The wee 500 will give you roller skate bumpy feel ride, then again some want that experience. If this is the case go for Bilstein they tend to come top of suspension lists.

Monroe and Sachs (like Kayaba) are made as good-value replacements for the OE shocks. They will act and feel like OE.

I'd guess they won't last as long as the OE but if that's 6 or so years then in terms of how many years the car realistically has left in it, that might be enough.

Bilstein make upgraded shocks and the price might suggest that they have more engineering in them. I haven't heard that Bilstein are flakey at all but they're usually a tad dearer. I think with dampers you pretty much get what you pay for.


Ralf S.

Ralf S. said:

Monroe and Sachs (like Kayaba) are made as good-value replacements for the OE shocks. They will act and feel like OE.

I'd guess they won't last as long as the OE but if that's 6 or so years then in terms of how many years the car realistically has left in it, that might be enough.

Bilstein make upgraded shocks and the price might suggest that they have more engineering in them. I haven't heard that Bilstein are flakey at all but they're usually a tad dearer. I think with dampers you pretty much get what you pay for.


Ralf S.

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Think I might opt for the Sachs as thats a name Im familiar with.

jimboy said:

For what it's worth Monroe shocks are tried & tested & good quality & make for a comfortable ride. In all the decades I've owned cars I've always in my daily drivers any way, used Monroe when replacing is required. You say you want an improvement over standard, if you are looking for a more sporty/harder feel, personally I'd steer away from that, especially the cheaper variety. The wee 500 will give you roller skate bumpy feel ride, then again some want that experience. If this is the case go for Bilstein they tend to come top of suspension lists.

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I don't want the car to rattle and shake itself to bits so I will probably go with Sachs as they are German made so should be decent quality.

ellieray said:

I don't want the car to rattle and shake itself to bits so I will probably go with Sachs as they are German made so should be decent quality.

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Aye, Sachs have been on the go for a long time, longer than Monroe, so obviously know a thing or two. Back in the early 70's Monroe were just known to me & I've stuck with them ever since, never been disappointed. The sport shocks have their place, but personally,not on a wee car meant for daily driving.

Bought ours in 2017. Had a knock on the rear.

both rear shocks were Sachs. One dated 2015, the other 2016. The 2015 one, the top bush was shot! And the 2016 one was on it's way.

I went for Sachs again as I fit them all the time to BMWs as OEM replacements and figured the issues on the 500 were maybe because they were torqued up with the rear beam in the dropped position. Once the weight is back on the wheels the bush will straight away be under tension. They should be torqued with the rear wheels in the right running position. Which I ensured I did when I fitted the new ones.

Drove it this week and? There's a knock started on the rear end again.

Therefore I don't think it matters what make you buy. It's a design flaw with the shocks being at 45 degrees and the top mounts getting rotational forces.

B7TMW said:

Bought ours in 2017. Had a knock on the rear.

both rear shocks were Sachs. One dated 2015, the other 2016. The 2015 one, the top bush was shot! And the 2016 one was on it's way.

I went for Sachs again as I fit them all the time to BMWs as OEM replacements and figured the issues on the 500 were maybe because they were torqued up with the rear beam in the dropped position. Once the weight is back on the wheels the bush will straight away be under tension. They should be torqued with the rear wheels in the right running position. Which I ensured I did when I fitted the new ones.

Drove it this week and? There's a knock started on the rear end again.

Therefore I don't think it matters what make you buy. It's a design flaw with the shocks being at 45 degrees and the top mounts getting rotational forces.

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[FONT=&quot]Totally agree!!!! My early 2014 TwinAir basically eats rear shocks. The Fiat OEM shocks failed at 18000miles and two years... not the bushes, but the shocks were allowing the rear end to hop out on bends over uneven surfaces.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Replaced all four shocks with Monroe and the car drove brilliantly.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]BUT... 2 years on the rear Monroe shocks failed again! Once removed the bushes were fine and the shock looked fine…. Until you tried compressing and expanding it – the shock had flat spots with no resistance and it also seemed slightly bent internally!!![/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I totally agree that this is a design flaw, the movement should be up and down vertically not at a 45 degree angle. The Monroes internally were slightly bent![/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I fitted a set of Top Line (I think they are oil filled) from Shop4Parts while I waited 3 weeks for a Bilstein order to arrive – that was a year ago and these shocks are still functioning ok… They are noisier (have been since new) than the void bushes on the OEM or the Monroes but they still control the rear end currently![/FONT]

The suspension is probably one of the things that would put me off buying another 500...
Replace all four shocks and this twinair drives brilliantly! I love the turbo boast of the twinair and i have been very happy with the semi autobox now with 55K miles on the clock.
But it eats rear shocks and front drop links every 18 months. Now the anti roll bar bushes grunch over speed humps or fast corners... I know its the anti roll bar bushes, as when I spray them with silcon grease it shuts up until it rains or I jet wash the car!
Brilliant little cars, but I am fed up with the suspension noises!

p6baseunit said:

The Fiat OEM shocks failed at 18000miles and two years... not the bushes, but the shocks were allowing the rear end to hop out on bends over uneven surfaces.

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After 18000 miles? Every 500 I drove, did that, even brand new ones. So in my opinion that is unfortunately "normal" behaviour for a 500.

I have tried KYB, Fiat, Monro and Bilstien on my cars recently and Bilstein are the best dampers. I have a problem with the dust covers rattling on the Panda these came from shop4 parts. KYB bottom bushes failed after 2 years when the dampers were still perfect.
Google The Bilstein shop for good price

Check your bump stops are OK first. Should not be a loose fit.

ellieray said:

Was that the B4 one? It looks different to the standard shock, was it easy to fit?

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Yup, dead easy to fit

D

The Panda Nut said:

I have tried KYB, Fiat, Monro and Bilstien on my cars recently and Bilstein are the best dampers. I have a problem with the dust covers rattling on the Panda these came from shop4 parts. KYB bottom bushes failed after 2 years when the dampers were still perfect. Google The Bilstein shop for good price

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This is my first post on this forum - a lot of interesting threads and opinions


@Panda Nut - which aftermarket dampers would you rate the highest in terms of comfort/ride quality on potholes and bad quality roads?


From what I read, Bilstein B4 dampers are well suited for extra-urban use - they are more responsive in cornering, but at the same time they are quite rigid and thus offer a poor ride on potholes and bad quality tarmac. I also came across a few complaints on Polish and Italian forums regarding internal noises and premature wear of B4's, however that can happen pretty much with any brand. Bilstein B6 and B12 are efen stiffer are are more of a performance/ semi-sport dampers. Not recommended for a daily driver.


How would you compare Monroe and KYB in terms of stiffness and ride quality?


Hope you get a chance to answer. Thanks!

Suspect we might need new ones on the rear, probably go for Monroe has KYB at the mo.