Hello!

Got myself a slightly used A500 a few weeks back (privately imported, as there is no dealer network here). Tried the "other" uk based abarth forum, but I now understand they don't care for non UK people.

Just to report, 15 inch alloys do work! (at least mine do) not much more than a gnat's pubic hair would pass between the front calliper and the ballancing weights of the front rims tough . 15 inchers does winter tire selection a lot easier, I have 185/65 on those, studded..

Cheers from a very chilly and snowy Sweden.

Hi & welcome.

Yes 15" alloys fit, we fitted some old Lancia Thema Turbo wheels 6x15" ET37 with Kumho winter tyres 175/55/15 iirc, work a treat.

J333EVO said:

Hi & welcome.

Yes 15" alloys fit, we fitted some old Lancia Thema Turbo wheels 6x15" ET37 with Kumho winter tyres 175/55/15 iirc, work a treat.

Click to expand...

Yes, i have seen them, i had a demo too

Sorry, got the tire dimensions wrong, I run 185/55's on 15 inchers not 65 profile, dunno the ET of the rims, suspect around 35mm..

Slowswede said:

Hello!

Tried the "other" uk based abarth forum, but I now understand they don't care for non UK people.

Click to expand...

They also ban UK people who want to discuss any businesses who arent supported or loved by the moderators so dont feel too hard done by.

Anyway welcome to the small elite group of owners who lurk on here

Stuart J said:

They also ban UK people who want to discuss any businesses who arent supported or loved by the moderators so dont feel too hard done by.

Anyway welcome to the small elite group of owners who lurk on here

Click to expand...

Ah, I understand.. freedom of speech, lol

Slowswede said:

Just to report, 15 inch alloys do work! (at least mine do) not much more than a gnat's pubic hair would pass between the front calliper and the ballancing weights of the front rims tough

Click to expand...

I wouldn't be too worried about that. I once rotated the tyres on the wifes Subaru and the wheel weights were rubbing against the calipers and made me think I'd done something amazingly wrong to the car.... The lead of the weights is soft so wears very quickly and the noise disappears.

Slowswede said:

Ah, I understand.. freedom of speech, lol

Click to expand...

Yep, a great british tradition, obviously owning an Italian forum turns some against it

Talking about italian forums, I joined the italian abart forum on cinqecinisti a few days ago. With a bit of help from google crome translation functions there is some great info to be found there! I'm right now leaning more towards a genuine esseesse ecu than a piggyback sollution if I shuld feel the need or more power. Seems that new as in "never used" controlers can be installed without much too much hassle and at a reasonable cost. There is no simple way of getting an esseesse kit for my car here.

But I guess fist off is a set of FSD damers. My previous car, alfa 156 SP3 was comfort-wise like a mercedes S-klasse compared to this, and I have not even tried the 17-inch (petal) that the summer tires are on, lol.

Slowswede said:

Talking about italian forums, I joined the italian abart forum on cinqecinisti a few days ago. With a bit of help from google crome translation functions there is some great info to be found there! I'm right now leaning more towards a genuine esseesse ecu than a piggyback sollution if I shuld feel the need or more power. Seems that new as in "never used" controlers can be installed without much too much hassle and at a reasonable cost. There is no simple way of getting an esseesse kit for my car here.

But I guess fist off is a set of FSD damers. My previous car, alfa 156 SP3 was comfort-wise like a mercedes S-klasse compared to this, and I have not even tried the 17-inch (petal) that the summer tires are on, lol.

Click to expand...

I would also consider a set of Bilstein coilovers. FSD's will be fantastic and all but Bilstein's are not going to be much more and being coilovers the car will handle just that bit better. That said I think it's a hard choice between FSD's and Bilstein's and I think I'd probably take the Bilstein's because with the Koni's you still have to buy new springs if you want to get rid of the rubbish Fiat ones.

Never been fond of coilovers for cars, but I really can't explain why. They should be superior. Maybe it's the adustability thing that gets me. I'm not against it (competed for a few years in roadracing with Ohlins euipment so I know the good side of it). Bu for an everyday car I just want fit and forget, the fiddling about thing can be a bit too much. Anyway, adjustability is not the primary point for me right now. Maybe I change my mind come purchase time..

Slowswede said:

Never been fond of coilovers for cars, but I really can't explain why. They should be superior. Maybe it's the adustability thing that gets me. I'm not against it (competed for a few years in roadracing with Ohlins euipment so I know the good side of it). Bu for an everyday car I just want fit and forget, the fiddling about thing can be a bit too much. Anyway, adjustability is not the primary point for me right now. Maybe I change my mind come purchase time..

Click to expand...

Adjustablility is optional My dad had some red Koni adjustables fitted to his Peugeot 504 back in Australia, he had them set to their softest setting and has left them at that for the last 15 or so years.

Problem is, I just can't stop fiddling with it if I can..

I am getting the Koni's (i think) for a number of reasons:

1. They are cheap, even cheaper from the Abarth forum
2. They are standard fit for the £40,000 Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari
3. They are now part of the Abarth 500 SS kit
4. People who have had them fitted talk about a "transformation" once fitted!
5. Not being height/damping adjustable has it's benefits, it means when fitting that minimum camber/tracking adjustments are necessary.

Read people views here:
http://www.abarthforum.co.uk/500-ab...ers-for-abarth-500-available-from-abarthisti/

DraigFlag87 said:

4. People who have had them fitted talk about a "transformation" once fitted!
5. Not being height/damping adjustable has it's benefits, it means when fitting that minimum camber/tracking adjustments are necessary.

Read people views here:
http://www.abarthforum.co.uk/500-ab...ers-for-abarth-500-available-from-abarthisti/

Click to expand...

4. If people fitted dog **** instead of Fiat dampers there would be an improvement
5. Just remember that the FSD's are designed to work with OEM springs so if you want to put other springs on then the FSD's aren't going to be quite as well matched.

That said, Koni's are a far better choice than less reputable brands of coilover.

Also Abarth forum they will reccomend what the vendors on there stock, so if they stock Bilstein's they'll reccomend Bilstein's, if they reccomend Gaz's they'll reccomend Gaz's and so on. Personally I'd take any reccomendations made on Abarthforum with a bag of salt.

Maxi they are fitted to all the new top of the range Abarth models, if Abarth consider them to be that good to include them in the SS kit too, then that's good enough for me. There is no commercial connection at all (if there was, they would be dearer, not cheaper)

DraigFlag87 said:

Maxi they are fitted to all the new top of the range Abarth models, if Abarth consider them to be that good to include them in the SS kit too, then that's good enough for me.

Click to expand...

I think you're missing the point. FSD's are good, I'm not doubting that, but they are as Koni say, geared towards comfort and also towards working with standard springs. So whilst they'll improve the handling, FSD's are probably not going to improve the handling as much as coilovers. If you want comfort and a decent improvement in handling then go for FSD's but if you want the best handling realistically possible then coilovers are the only way to go.

DraigFlag87 said:

There is no commercial connection at all (if there was, they would be dearer, not cheaper)

Click to expand...

That's false logic. As I said, Abarthforum will peddle and reccomend whatever it and its vendors feel is best for them commercially. This means that they could for instance feel that Bilstein's are worse than FSD's but if they make more money from Bilstein's then they'll promote Bilstein's or vice versa.

The konis and standard springs are brilliant, as you say they lend comfort but still improve the handling over the standard SS kit (although indeed as you say anything would have been better) and sort out that horrific and frankly dangerous pogo rear end.

The AVO kit devloped with J333EVOs pops in law with one of the Trofeo teams and the GAZ kit is also thought of very highly there and both of those are recommended over the Konis for those doing lots of track work. Bilsteins are more for those who want lowering over comfort and they don't seem to be able to sort out the rear end issues the way the other three do .... not for my kidneys I need a touch of softness in my old age

306maxi said:

That's false logic. As I said, Abarthforum will peddle and reccomend whatever it and its vendors feel is best for them commercially. This means that they could for instance feel that Bilstein's are worse than FSD's but if they make more money from Bilstein's then they'll promote Bilstein's or vice versa.

Click to expand...

Re the coilover debate, IMO definately better for handling. If you are
worried about set up quiz the manufacturere before you buy. Im a non meddler & was concerned I wouldnt know what I was doing when I wanted some for a previous car I modified. I bought KW V3 in the end & the factory set them for fast road before despatch, worked a treat & all I had to do was fine tune the height within their given max & min. Not sure if KW do anything for the Abarth but one thing that was good with them on the V3 & hopefully still is, they will refurb them at the factory for around £100 when the dampers get tired. I had a rattle in the gas portion of the rears after a couple of years but all sorted by a refurb ( a good reason to keep the old ones to have something to sit the car on as a temp measure)

I've got my name down for a set of the FSDs and look forward to getting them fitted. The roads in this country are so poor it's just not real. So for the sake of lessening the cars will to shake itself apart, I'll be going Koni.

I'm of the opinion you just wouldn't find the need for them so much if we weren't in the UK. Was in the north of France last year in the Abarth and quality of road is so far ahead. It was the first time I've been able to properly hear the engine on the motorway without it being drowned out by the road noise.

What stands out most is the quality of the roads in town compared to here.