Tuning Anyone tried Abarth 695 Koni Brembo kit from TMC?

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Tuning Anyone tried Abarth 695 Koni Brembo kit from TMC?

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Hi, just bought a used Abarth 500C. I'm very happy with the ride quality seems they have made improvement on the suspension. But not too happy with the ride height; the gap is really big. Saw from TMC selling this kit. Price is reasonable with so many stuff there but wonder the ride quality with the Koni FSD shocks and lowered springs. TMC responded that the height drop is about 25mm which I think is mild and suit my taste. He said the ride is superb and the harsh ride of the old SS kit is completely gone. But seems this kit is pretty new and no review can be found yet. Wonder if any member here can share your experience. Thanks :)
 
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Hi, just bought a used Abarth 500C. I'm very happy with the ride quality seems they have made improvement on the suspension. But not too happy with the ride height; the gap is really big. Saw from TMC selling this kit. Price is reasonable with so many stuff there but wonder the ride quality with the Koni FSD shocks and lowered springs. TMC responded that the height drop is about 25mm which I think is mild and suit my taste. He said the ride is superb and the harsh ride of the old SS kit is completely gone. But seems this kit is pretty new and no review can be found yet. Wonder if any member here can share your experience. Thanks :)

Hi sazabi, glad you are pleased with your new car. Regarding the ride quality of the 500c, my wife preferred the softer suspension that is fitted to the convertible and was thinking that I might fit the same to her A500 hatch, but luckily, changing from 17" to the original 16" alloys improved the ride enough for her.

Regarding the fitting of the 695 Brembo kit I seem to recall Daron mentioning that it was for the hatchback only so probably best to double check this with him first.
 
Hi, just bought a used Abarth 500C. I'm very happy with the ride quality seems they have made improvement on the suspension. But not too happy with the ride height; the gap is really big. Saw from TMC selling this kit. Price is reasonable with so many stuff there but wonder the ride quality with the Koni FSD shocks and lowered springs. TMC responded that the height drop is about 25mm which I think is mild and suit my taste. He said the ride is superb and the harsh ride of the old SS kit is completely gone. But seems this kit is pretty new and no review can be found yet. Wonder if any member here can share your experience. Thanks :)

Could you clarify if you are looking to fit the 'Abarth 695 Koni Brembo kit' which is £4K+ OR or are you looking for a set of springs (which ones ?) to go with a set of FSDs which you probably already have ?

IMHO if you are happy with the ride quality and there are no issues with the current setup (aside from the gap) I would leave it as it is.
 
Hi sazabi, glad you are pleased with your new car. Regarding the ride quality of the 500c, my wife preferred the softer suspension that is fitted to the convertible and was thinking that I might fit the same to her A500 hatch, but luckily, changing from 17" to the original 16" alloys improved the ride enough for her.

Regarding the fitting of the 695 Brembo kit I seem to recall Daron mentioning that it was for the hatchback only so probably best to double check this with him first.

Hi, thanks for your advice on the Brembo. I'm now checking with Daron. I also read from web that the Abarth 500C use a softer suspension compared to the A500 hatch. So ride quality is better. I have no experience riding the Abarth hatch, so can't compare. But I used to own a standard 500 (2009), the ride really sucks. Not until lately I am aware that it was due to poor design on the bump stop...
 
Could you clarify if you are looking to fit the 'Abarth 695 Koni Brembo kit' which is £4K+ OR or are you looking for a set of springs (which ones ?) to go with a set of FSDs which you probably already have ?

IMHO if you are happy with the ride quality and there are no issues with the current setup (aside from the gap) I would leave it as it is.

Hi, I got my A500C used. I'm not too fond of the 5-spokes alloys there plus there are some kerb marks on the alloys, which drives me to look for a better look alloys. I like the style of the 695 Tributo alloys much then I notice this kit comes with the 695 alloys, the 695 lowered suspension (which will kill the gap I don't like), plus a more powerful Brembo brake kit which nobody can resist... I have tried to search from the user manual about the original suspension there but I can't find those FSD wordings. Can anybody here confirm me that all Abarth 500C already come with FSD shocks? Even if it is FSD, would it have the same strength as the one in 695 which are coupling with a stiffer and shorter springs? Indeed I did not make up my mind yet, I may end up just leave everything original but just get a set of Pro Race 1.2 17x7 which is light weight (Daron quote that it is about 7kg) and I'm happy with its look plus it offers a more aggressive offset of +30.
 
Hi, I got my A500C used. I'm not too fond of the 5-spokes alloys there plus there are some kerb marks on the alloys, which drives me to look for a better look alloys. I like the style of the 695 Tributo alloys much then I notice this kit comes with the 695 alloys, the 695 lowered suspension (which will kill the gap I don't like), plus a more powerful Brembo brake kit which nobody can resist... I have tried to search from the user manual about the original suspension there but I can't find those FSD wordings. Can anybody here confirm me that all Abarth 500C already come with FSD shocks? Even if it is FSD, would it have the same strength as the one in 695 which are coupling with a stiffer and shorter springs? Indeed I did not make up my mind yet, I may end up just leave everything original but just get a set of Pro Race 1.2 17x7 which is light weight (Daron quote that it is about 7kg) and I'm happy with its look plus it offers a more aggressive offset of +30.

The A500c doesn't come with FSD shocks. But you can check if the previous owner fitted them - you never know your luck.:)
The 695 has the FSD and the esseesse springs. This are 10mm lower than the standard A500. The A500 is supposedly lower than the Fiat 500 by about 20mm. I don't know what the differences are between the A500c and the A500 suspension expect that it's a little softer as mentioned by Tony.
On the North American A500 it is slightly higher than the European model and is 15mm lower than the standard US F500. It has more suspension travel. On the US A500 they only fitted FSDs at the front and 'standard' shocks at the back.
What kind of budget have you set for modifying your A500c ?
Also the Prorace can be got with a 35 offset (I think) if you were worried about the 30 offset.
 
Hi, thanks for your advice on the Brembo. I'm now checking with Daron. I also read from web that the Abarth 500C use a softer suspension compared to the A500 hatch. So ride quality is better. I have no experience riding the Abarth hatch, so can't compare. But I used to own a standard 500 (2009), the ride really sucks. Not until lately I am aware that it was due to poor design on the bump stop...

Hi Grimwau, FYI, Daron responded that the Brembo kit also fits A500C.
 
I don't have any definite budget indeed, anything worth to spend i may consider. Power wise I'm happy with the stock setup so not planning to do any mod in this respect. Though lighter wheels would be lovely as I thought it helps acceleration from stationary. Worth to note that the 695 wheels come with this kit only have Matt black in colour. Im thinking it may not look good on my dark grey body. The most wanted thing from me is to kill the wheel gap, but read from web review that the 695 ride is also harsh and bouncy just as the A500 hatch. Wondering if I can have any chance test drive a 695 then I will know exactly how the suspension behaves.
 
Hi Grimwau, FYI, Daron responded that the Brembo kit also fits A500C.

There are 2 kits. The Brembo kit & the '695 kit'. The '695 kit' wasn't available for the A500c but this could have changed.

I don't have any definite budget indeed, anything worth to spend i may consider. Power wise I'm happy with the stock setup so not planning to do any mod in this respect. Though lighter wheels would be lovely as I thought it helps acceleration from stationary. Worth to note that the 695 wheels come with this kit only have Matt black in colour. Im thinking it may not look good on my dark grey body. The most wanted thing from me is to kill the wheel gap, but read from web review that the 695 ride is also harsh and bouncy just as the A500 hatch. Wondering if I can have any chance test drive a 695 then I will know exactly how the suspension behaves.

If you are not interested in the Matt black 695 wheels then the 695 kit isn't for you. TMC are selling it for a 'resonable' £3.6K but do you have someone to fit it and in particular the ECU upgrade ? One time the SS kit came with a 'spare ECU' (this has changed) - I would suspect that it would need an Abarth technician to do the 'mapping' of the existing ECU for the upgrade. Aside from all that the '695 kit' does not give you the real mccoy with the Garrett turbo upgrade as you have on the Grand Punto SS so it is a bit of 'Pretend kit'.

If you decide to lower the A500c with lower springs, ideally it's best to fit better shocks. AVO did a very resonable prices set of rear shocks that would work with the Eibachs but there were some issues with rattling. This may have been fixed.

Paying the money for the Koni suspension kit with the FSDs and the Brembo springs sounds like the best option (check if the Konis can be replaced 'locally' if they go wrong). Not too sure how much they would be 'dropped' over the standard setup. These Brembo springs may possibly work better than the essseesse springs. I was always led to believe that the esseesse springs were the same as the Eibachs.

Upgrading to 17 inch wheels will still be heavier than the 16s you currently have unless one opts for OZ Alleggerita. (Click here).

I have the Brembos on a MiTo 155TB and they are brillant but they are needed on a heavier car. A A500 with 140bhp or 160bhp IMHO doesn't need them plus it adds weight. You could just go for a better set of pads.

Lastly, the Pro Race wheels come in a 38 or 30 offset. 38 is the wrong size. 35 is standard. 30 are fine and work with Brembos if you decide to fit them at a later stage. Only some 35s fit with the Brembos but spacers could be fitted. They can be got in Graphite, Silver, Black & white. Graphite colour sounds tempting.
 

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There are 2 kits. The Brembo kit & the '695 kit'. The '695 kit' wasn't available for the A500c but this could have changed.



If you are not interested in the Matt black 695 wheels then the 695 kit isn't for you. TMC are selling it for a 'resonable' £3.6K but do you have someone to fit it and in particular the ECU upgrade ? One time the SS kit came with a 'spare ECU' (this has changed) - I would suspect that it would need an Abarth technician to do the 'mapping' of the existing ECU for the upgrade. Aside from all that the '695 kit' does not give you the real mccoy with the Garrett turbo upgrade as you have on the Grand Punto SS so it is a bit of 'Pretend kit'.

If you decide to lower the A500c with lower springs, ideally it's best to fit better shocks. AVO did a very resonable prices set of rear shocks that would work with the Eibachs but there were some issues with rattling. This may have been fixed.

Paying the money for the Koni suspension kit with the FSDs and the Brembo springs sounds like the best option (check if the Konis can be replaced 'locally' if they go wrong). Not too sure how much they would be 'dropped' over the standard setup. These Brembo springs may possibly work better than the essseesse springs. I was always led to believe that the esseesse springs were the same as the Eibachs.

Upgrading to 17 inch wheels will still be heavier than the 16s you currently have unless one opts for OZ Alleggerita. (Click here).

I have the Brembos on a MiTo 155TB and they are brillant but they are needed on a heavier car. A A500 with 140bhp or 160bhp IMHO doesn't need them plus it adds weight. You could just go for a better set of pads.

Lastly, the Pro Race wheels come in a 38 or 30 offset. 38 is the wrong size. 35 is standard. 30 are fine and work with Brembos if you decide to fit them at a later stage. Only some 35s fit with the Brembos but spacers could be fitted. They can be got in Graphite, Silver, Black & white. Graphite colour sounds tempting.

Yes this Abarth kit is not a performance kit but rather a "cosmetic" kit I must admit. Out of the three major parts there the Brembo is the most unnecessary to me. I agree much with you that if to lower the car with shorter springs, I should also change to a matching shocks. I think I have to do more homework on which suspension to go for. Personally, I prefer coilover over shocks + springs as coilover allows me room for adjustment. If going wrong with a wrong combo on shocks + springs then will waste time and money to test which shock / spring will work fine.

The alloys on my A500C are already 17". I am aware that OZ Alleggerite is the lightest but I am not a fan of its look. I think I will go for the Prorace 1.2 17x7 as Daron said it is just about 7kg. I will choose offset of +30. My past experience in changing wheels tell me that I should not be too aggressive on the offset. So ET30 will be just fine. The graphite colour with red scropion centre cap is the most appealing to me.

I think I will end up just to pick up a set of Prorace at the moment and give up this kit. I will read more and decide later what aftermarket suspension to go for. Thanks all of you for your valuable advices (y)
 
Yes this Abarth kit is not a performance kit but rather a "cosmetic" kit I must admit. Out of the three major parts there the Brembo is the most unnecessary to me. I agree much with you that if to lower the car with shorter springs, I should also change to a matching shocks. I think I have to do more homework on which suspension to go for. Personally, I prefer coilover over shocks + springs as coilover allows me room for adjustment. If going wrong with a wrong combo on shocks + springs then will waste time and money to test which shock / spring will work fine.

The alloys on my A500C are already 17". I am aware that OZ Alleggerite is the lightest but I am not a fan of its look. I think I will go for the Prorace 1.2 17x7 as Daron said it is just about 7kg. I will choose offset of +30. My past experience in changing wheels tell me that I should not be too aggressive on the offset. So ET30 will be just fine. The graphite colour with red scropion centre cap is the most appealing to me.

I think I will end up just to pick up a set of Prorace at the moment and give up this kit. I will read more and decide later what aftermarket suspension to go for. Thanks all of you for your valuable advices (y)

The Pro Race look like a nice set of wheels. Not too sure how stong the OZ wheels are for road use.

With my limited knowledge of shocks there are Monotubes and TwinTubes and generally equates to the 'battle' between the Bilsteins & the Konis. The AVO coilover set were supposedly specially developed for the A500 with Monos at the front and Twin Tubes on the back. The Twin Tubes shocks on the back can be bought seperately for about £180 and some who fit eibach lowering springs fit them on a budget. But if they give trouble it's easy enought to return them in the UK. They can be easily adjusted on the car. Not too sure I would recommend them if you are in HK. Gaz are another favoured option and it would seem them might be the same as the AVO.

Here is a thread on-going at the moment on the Bilsteins.
https://www.fiatforum.com/500/301056-bilstein-b14s-ordered-8.html

Not too sure if I would fit them on a 500 unless you were doing a lot of track work. The Koni FSDs would give more comfort and would be a better shock for 'street use'. There were issues with these not lasting on lowered springs but it might be sorted now.

In an ideal arrangement I would like a set of Koni Sports on the rear and Koni FSDs at the front but the FSDs are only sold as a set and not as a pair. So value for money wise the set seem the best option if you're sensible on the lowering and of course you'll need to reduce the height of the bump stops. Also you might need to budget for a set of camber bolts.

If I was opting to fit a set shocks & springs now on a MiTo I would probably opt for a set of B14s but with the size and wheelbase of a A500 I reckon the setup might be too hard. If I was fitting a set of FSDs I would use the standard springs and not lower the car.
 
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But there is no point going for FSD without a shorter spring, the original suspension on A500C is very comfy. Just wanna know a solution to lower the car to improve the look without sacrificing too much on ride quality. Wonder if KW V1 coilover is a solution... I always believe Bilstein is designed for racing and speed, comfort is not its concern at all. I have had PSS10 on a golf, harsh is the word, and I believe B14 is the same. Too bad Koni is not producing coilover for 500. I'm using Koni coilover on golf now, a very good balance between handling and ride quality.
 
Weitec do a set of twin tube coilovers for the 500 they are around £640 for a set from dpm performance, you may find them cheaper but they are a good company to deal with. They are kw budget brand I think, kw do a comfort line but I'm not sure they do them for the abarth, any amount of lowering is going to make the suspension firmer so I don't think you will get one without the other
 
But there is no point going for FSD without a shorter spring, the original suspension on A500C is very comfy. Just wanna know a solution to lower the car to improve the look without sacrificing too much on ride quality. Wonder if KW V1 coilover is a solution... I always believe Bilstein is designed for racing and speed, com

...but wonder the ride quality with the Koni FSD shocks and lowered springs. TMC responded that the height drop is about 25mm which I think is mild and suit my taste. He said the ride is superb and the harsh ride of the old SS kit is completely gone. But seems this kit is pretty new and no review can be found yet.

Going back on your original post it would appear that the Brembo springs are between the standard springs (20mm) and the esseesse springs (30mm) which 'sound' ideal if 5mm is good enough from the 'looks' point of view. If Daron reckons they are superb I would believe him. There was a stiff debate on the AF about the FSDs and if they were designed for lowered springs - I got the impression that they weren't. Hopefully someone who has fitted them will contribute.

Weitec do a set of twin tube coilovers for the 500 they are around £640 for a set from dpm performance, you may find them cheaper but they are a good company to deal with. They are kw budget brand I think, kw do a comfort line but I'm not sure they do them for the abarth, any amount of lowering is going to make the suspension firmer so I don't think you will get one without the other

One of the problems with the Abarth 500 is a rocking sensation you get when you're 'pressing on'. The FSDs supposedly corrected this when they 'stiffen up' so it should be more 'comfortable'. Do kinda agree that 'you can't get one with the other'.

Here's a 'review' on the KW1 coilovers.
 
Just an update. I just got the Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 17x7 wheels from Daron. Looks great. And they are really light weight. Though I did not really weigh it, but I believe that the quoted weight of 7.9kg is true. I can feel easily now acceleration from stationary is much more responsive. I will show you guys later the look, as I am still waiting Daron to send me the scorpion wheel caps :p

And at last I chose Bilstein B14. Really attractive price from Fiat Sportiva. No doubt about Bilstein quality. The feel agrees with what I thought:- it is racing orientated, comfort not its priority. True, the ride is quite harsh, but I must say that it is not yet uncomfortable. At least, it is not bouncy. I am not yet aggressive on the drop:- front now it is 20mm lower and rear now it is 15mm lower. I will wait the springs to "settle" and determine if I need further drop. I think I will stick with the front setting and maybe a bit lower at the rear later.
 
Just an update. I just got the Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 17x7 wheels from Daron. Looks great. And they are really light weight. Though I did not really weigh it, but I believe that the quoted weight of 7.9kg is true. I can feel easily now acceleration from stationary is much more responsive. I will show you guys later the look, as I am still waiting Daron to send me the scorpion wheel caps :p

And at last I chose Bilstein B14. Really attractive price from Fiat Sportiva. No doubt about Bilstein quality. The feel agrees with what I thought:- it is racing orientated, comfort not its priority. True, the ride is quite harsh, but I must say that it is not yet uncomfortable. At least, it is not bouncy. I am not yet aggressive on the drop:- front now it is 20mm lower and rear now it is 15mm lower. I will wait the springs to "settle" and determine if I need further drop. I think I will stick with the front setting and maybe a bit lower at the rear later.

From memory the Pro Race wheels don't come with the inserts - could you use the ones off the OEM wheels ?

Good getting the feedback on the new setup.
Did you leave in the standard bump stops ?
If you are looking to drop the suspension further would that not need new springs and how 'comfortable' would it be then ?
Eibach do a Sportline set of springs (a opposed to Proline) and on feedback from others they regretted fitting them saying that it was a 'step too far'. There's a youtube out there of a set on a F500 reversing up a driveway.:cool:
 
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From memory the Pro Race wheels don't come with the inserts - could you use the ones off the OEM wheels ?

Good getting the feedback on the new setup.
Did you leave in the standard bump stops ?
If you are looking to drop the suspension further would that not need new springs and how 'comfortable' would it be then ?
Eibach do a Sportline set of springs (a opposed to Proline) and on feedback from others they regretted fitting them saying that it was a 'step too far'. There's a youtube out there of a set on a F500 reversing up a driveway.:cool:

Pro Race comes with different kind of wheel caps, the OEM one can't be reused.

The Bilstein B14 comes with its own bump stop, so no need to reuse the OE ones. The B14 ones are shorter. I have them installed, so far no problem. Will review if I drop the back further in future. Good thing about coil over is u can adjust ride height without changing springs. I won't be too aggressive on the drop, I don't believe there can be a comfortable ride with too much drop. It's always a compromise.
 
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