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500 (Abarth) Topolino Grigio

Introduction

Although Bellezza Nera, my Panda 100hp, isn't sold yet, I think it's time to present my Abarth 500, named Topolino Grigio (grey mouse).

ATM it's still on 135 HP, but as soon as Panda is sold it's going to get chiptuned.


Campovolo grey, the best colour IMHO, Climatecontrol, Xenon and leather. I would have liked the Panoroof and Esseesse wheels, but I'm pretty pleased with how it is.

gr J
Flawless fit on the Abarth "without" Brembo brakes. :D

195/55R15" tires. ??

No 185/55 15's. These are old and worn though so I need new ones. Wet grip is always my priority, so according to the tests I should buy Bridgestone Blizzak 5, but my previous experience with Bridgestone is not really good, so still weighing my options.

gr J
 
A propos brakes...
I do not have the Brembo upgrade 305 mm brakes,but PO installed Brembo pads all around.
Let's say that I am not impressed by the braking.
Compared to the 100HP (257 mm vs 284 on the Abarth) they are just bad.
I had ATE racing fluid and EBC pads on the 100HP would that make a big difference?
Fluid is due for a change in a few weeks so I'll start there, but if that doesn't improve things, the fairly new Brembo pads will have to go.

gr J
 
A propos brakes...
I do not have the Brembo upgrade 305 mm brakes,but PO installed Brembo pads all around.
Let's say that I am not impressed by the braking.
Compared to the 100HP (257 mm vs 284 on the Abarth) they are just bad.
I had ATE racing fluid and EBC pads on the 100HP would that make a big difference?
Fluid is due for a change in a few weeks so I'll start there, but if that doesn't improve things, the fairly new Brembo pads will have to go.

gr J

No experiens with EBC, Brembo 305 with floating discs does Brake great.
 
But then the Barchetta steelies will not fit anymore.

gr J

Nope, not with Brembo's 305, then only 17" will fit over the calipers. :D

But 195/55R15" (Conti TS860) winter tires would be my choice on the Barchetta. ;)
Run that size Conti TS860 winter tire on all my Panda's with 15 inch winter wheels, before moving on to 16 inch winter wheels with 205/45R16" Conti's TS 860 winter tires.
 
Shame you're not in the UK, I know where a nice spare set of Turismo 17 inch wheels will be disposed of shortly...

Steelies can be great, there was a set for the older Peugeot / Citroens which were actually alloy shipping wheels, and they were far lighter than even the most expensive forged wheels. Very popular with track day fans, though they were prone to cracking around the wheel nuts (y)

Ugly things though
 
Shame you're not in the UK, I know where a nice spare set of Turismo 17 inch wheels will be disposed of shortly...

Steelies can be great, there was a set for the older Peugeot / Citroens which were actually alloy shipping wheels, and they were far lighter than even the most expensive forged wheels. Very popular with track day fans, though they were prone to cracking around the wheel nuts (y)

Ugly things though

Pretty sure you'll be able to sell them for a good price in the UK.

Peugeot 106 Rallye on steelies was great!
In general alloy for normal streetcars tend to be heavier than steelies.

But I'm pretty happy with the (steel) Barchettaweheels for the winters;)

gr J
 

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Fresh timingbelt and waterpump today.
And fresh APK (MOT) with (as expected) no advisories. All good till january 2023.

Now for fresh brakefluïd (ATE 200 Racing) and winterwheels as soon as it stops pouring down here.

gr J
 
So today we put fresh ATE 200 in the system. Only drove a few meters up and down the driveway afterwards, but the brakes feel sharper and more precise already.
I have the invoice for changing the fluid two years ago in a garage, but we still found some tiny bubbles (mainly on the right side of the vehicle) while pumping the old fluid out. Now perfectly bled. Me happy!
We did my son's Mito later and found some bubbles as well. I'm probably too much of a perfectionist, but I can always feel the difference after I bled them myself.
Also changed to winterwheels on both cars, but have to change to new rubber on mine.

gr J
 
So today we put fresh ATE 200 in the system. Only drove a few meters up and down the driveway afterwards, but the brakes feel sharper and more precise already.
I have the invoice for changing the fluid two years ago in a garage, but we still found some tiny bubbles (mainly on the right side of the vehicle) while pumping the old fluid out. Now perfectly bled. Me happy!
We did my son's Mito later and found some bubbles as well. I'm probably too much of a perfectionist, but I can always feel the difference after I bled them myself.
Also changed to winterwheels on both cars, but have to change to new rubber on mine.

gr J
How do you do the bleed? Do you do it the 'old fashioned' way, and just sit on the bleed nipple with a spanner whilst someone pumps the brakes, do you use 'gravity bleed' where you just keep the brake reservoir topped up and wait for fresh fluid to flow from the bleed nipple down a tube, do you use 'pressure bleed' with something like an Eezi-bleed which pushes fluid into the master cylinder under pressure when the nipple's open, or do you use a suction kit to suck the new fluid down the pipes?

On my Subaru it was best done with a mixture of gravity to begin with followed by suction, but it's not the same on all cars
 
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