Wurz
New member
Forgot to mention, no rubbing whatsoever.
Hi again Cinqster. I've posted a "side view" in PhotoShop Gallery with the others. Not particularly good as weather overcast at time. Still, shows that the 50 profiles are not overbearing. How did you show pic's in your reply?
I noticed the Koni "Streets" were listed for ALL pandas including the 100HP and were a similar spec to the Fiat OEM listed for all pandas except 4x4 & 100HP
Where is that info from??
I was just noticing that the Koni "Streets" were listed for all pandas whereas the OEM Fiats were listed for all pandas except 4x4 & 100HP. In the OEM case it would suggest a softer damper than those fitted as the original bone shaking ones on the 100HP. If the Konis are advertised as suitable for all inc 100HP then quite possibly they are firmer than the Fiats standards dampers. It was an assumption, not a known fact!. I went for Fiats all round as they are fitted to millions of pandas and are a proven product and certainly have worked for my vehicle. No doubt the Koni's will do a good job too as Cinqster has found with his.
Ok, so what you've done is put dampers on the car which are "softer" than the ones that were originally on it. Some of the benefit that you're experiencing is probably just because the old dampers were knackered. It was the same when I replaced mine with standard Bilsteins.
You've gone in the opposite direction of what everyone else has suggested and experienced. The Panda 100HP is definitely under-damped in stock form (Fiat seemingly used the 4x4 dampers as that's what was available and very easy / cheap). The Koni STR.T and Sport dampers will be both "firmer" than any stock Panda damper. This would better match to the 100HP springs, and control the pogo effect that's experienced under certain conditions (usually at higher speeds and when the road surface is uneven - the suspension being put under proper load). In these higher speed circumstances, your solution won't help and could result in a significant worsening of car control. So whilst at slower speeds and around town the car may be more comfortable to be in, at higher speeds I'd be fairly concerned about the complete mismatch of springs and dampers.
So it may suit your own situation but when you come to sell the car, you've got to tell the new owner what changes you've made...
Ok, so what you've done is put dampers on the car which are "softer" than the ones that were originally on it. Some of the benefit that you're experiencing is probably just because the old dampers were knackered. It was the same when I replaced mine with standard Bilsteins.
You've gone in the opposite direction of what everyone else has suggested and experienced. The Panda 100HP is definitely under-damped in stock form (Fiat seemingly used the 4x4 dampers as that's what was available and very easy / cheap). The Koni STR.T and Sport dampers will be both "firmer" than any stock Panda damper. This would better match to the 100HP springs, and control the pogo effect that's experienced under certain conditions (usually at higher speeds and when the road surface is uneven - the suspension being put under proper load). In these higher speed circumstances, your solution won't help and could result in a significant worsening of car control. So whilst at slower speeds and around town the car may be more comfortable to be in, at higher speeds I'd be fairly concerned about the complete mismatch of springs and dampers.
So it may suit your own situation but when you come to sell the car, you've got to tell the new owner what changes you've made...
Definitely. The trademark Panda/500 sideways skip on a bumpy corner could become even more funExactly - see my earlier post about the risk of being scared sh--less under certain road conditions.
Thanks for your concern lads, but to put things in perspective my main ride is a 200HP 2ltr Sport VW Eos CC (that’s the one with the golf GTi lump) that in the last year has clocked 17000 mainly motorway miles to and fro from work. My 100Hp panda I purchased May last year has done less than 3500 city miles doing runs to Tesco, 7 miles to Town, and the occasional 12 mile trip to the civic dump. I always fancied a Panda as a back-up car and the 100HP fitted the bill on all aspects except the weedy horn (changed to a dual horn with advice from the forum) and the harsh ride. The chances of me using it long distance are remote and at this type of mileage should last me for years. It’s a funky city/second car for me. I’ve kept the original low mileage dampers in case I get a hankering to have a bone-shaker again. I’ll be changing the Eos long before I part with the cheeky Panda! Oh and I just fitted the Aero flat windscreen blades that I saw on another post and ordered via ebay.
About the 100hp bounciness... has anyone driven (ideally, owned) a Cinquecento or Seicento Sporting as well, and could compare the two on standard suspension?