Technical Fiat 500 coilovers on a Panda 312/319?

Currently reading:
Technical Fiat 500 coilovers on a Panda 312/319?

Nope, still the same person as back in the days.
Sam Van Lingen (SAVALI) is now Vireo Houten.
Software is still done by Ronald.
My first choice is Savali, Squadra second, not even consider the rest for FIAT/Alfa Romeo tuning.
Really? i heard that Sam is retired and his brother sells classic alfa Parts.

No hate or anything, but Savali used to be more than a remap and some stickers...
 
The simple answer is no. ;)
I have had contact with every well-known suspension company in the world and no one make coilovers for the Panda 312/319. (or shock absorbers for that matter)
Then i started comparing suspension parts to create my own coilover kit, with no luck.
At the end i contacted "Intrax suspension Technology" they could make me a State of the Art custom made "Intrax ARC 4-way Coilover kit" for € 3.000,- all in.
Development, building, installing and settings.

Up to today i do not have a coilover kit.

This all begs the question what on earth would you want to do this for anyway. ANy changes would be marginal and I have yet ver to try a modified car that was even a slight improvement on the original. Better quality dampers maybe but when all is said and done its a Panda not a Ferrari. Pandas are already great so why risk messing up tyre wear and safety by changing something. Insurance companies would rightly have a bit to say in the event of a claim.

Personally I would rather see a beautifully maintained car in standard trim. I would not ever but one that has been modified. Such mods are at best provide personal taste benefits to the appearance.

Were I involved in an accident with a modified vehicle I would have the traffic police crawling all over the modified vehicle like a shot. WHile I know I am a miserable old fart, I don't suppose I am unique on this.....
 
This all begs the question what on earth would you want to do this for anyway. ANy changes would be marginal and I have yet ver to try a modified car that was even a slight improvement on the original. Better quality dampers maybe but when all is said and done its a Panda not a Ferrari. Pandas are already great so why risk messing up tyre wear and safety by changing something. Insurance companies would rightly have a bit to say in the event of a claim.

Personally I would rather see a beautifully maintained car in standard trim. I would not ever but one that has been modified. Such mods are at best provide personal taste benefits to the appearance.

Were I involved in an accident with a modified vehicle I would have the traffic police crawling all over the modified vehicle like a shot. WHile I know I am a miserable old fart, I don't suppose I am unique on this.....
I only have changed springs (35mm Lower) and run 16 inch steel wheels with covers, front tires are 215/40R16" and the rear tires are 205/45R16".
The Panda drives perfect for my spirited driving style. :D
I will not change a thing, i'm even decided to drive on 16 inch in the winter with 205/45R16" Conti TS860's. ;)
 
Each to their own of course when it comes to modifying cars, but remember that the Bean Counters in all car companies drive down build costs to maximise profit, ideally without overly impacting the perceived abilities of the car for the majority of their buyers. Pandas will have some horribly cheap components in them somewhere (dampers being a pretty good starting point), so there are many opportunities to improve or 'optimise' something without it being classed as what most typically refer to as Modified.

BMW used to bang on about their "Man and Machine in Perfect Harmony" and for being the ultimate in road-going uber-ness - yet then fit single-pot sliding caliper brakes to their M3 and M5 uber-saloons. They were hopeless and most enthusiasts fitted appropriate brakes to fix the problem. Saved BMW money though. FWIW, they've now realised that they got continually slammed for it in the reviews so now fit decent stoppers, as they should have done all the while.

Having said all that, it's always important to be smart about any changes you make to a car, so as not to spoil other areas of the drive unintentionally. Fortunately, as we are all very well aware, Fiat have pretty consistently done a fabulous job with the Panda over the years, so there's little need to do much to them.....

..... says the man who supercharged his little 1.2 a few years ago (y)

My 4x4 TA is pretty much standard now though, so good is the overall package.
 
This all begs the question what on earth would you want to do this for anyway. ANy changes would be marginal and I have yet ver to try a modified car that was even a slight improvement on the original. Better quality dampers maybe but when all is said and done its a Panda not a Ferrari. Pandas are already great so why risk messing up tyre wear and safety by changing something. Insurance companies would rightly have a bit to say in the event of a claim.

Personally I would rather see a beautifully maintained car in standard trim. I would not ever but one that has been modified. Such mods are at best provide personal taste benefits to the appearance.

Were I involved in an accident with a modified vehicle I would have the traffic police crawling all over the modified vehicle like a shot. WHile I know I am a miserable old fart, I don't suppose I am unique on this.....

I've done my share of mods over the years, some have worked well and I'd recommend them, some have been a waste of money and been removed.

But your comment about insurance and accident investigations is not a problem ... providing you declare any modifications to your insurer. I've found that if there is an increase in premium, it's usually a very modest amount.
 
I've done my share of mods over the years, some have worked well and I'd recommend them, some have been a waste of money and been removed.

But your comment about insurance and accident investigations is not a problem ... providing you declare any modifications to your insurer. I've found that if there is an increase in premium, it's usually a very modest amount.

As with all these things it is down to what you like. Providing people are fully and properly insured there is mostly no harm. My experience of asking insurers about mods is that they mostly run a mile.

Even simple things like wheels seems to spook them.

I know one thing though. I wish I had all them money I wasted on alterations when I was younger. In total I would have bought a decent car...

All the ones I modded were unsalable and all ended up scrapped.

Extra rubber always adds grip, but if the wishbones are not up to the job, even that can cause problems.

Each to their own. If you enjoy tinkering, feel free to carry on!
 
Back
Top