General Yet another subwoofer thread

[jeffreyli86]

Hey there mate I've been trying to search for the GSR induction kit. Wanted to do some reading on it first but can't seem to find the supplier? Could you give me some pointers? Cheers

 

[Venters]

performance fiat. But you may find Gazella are easier to deal with.

 

[306maxi]

performance fiat. But you may find Gazella are easier to deal with.

Some people in the Panda section aren't too fond of Gazella however.

 

[loveshandbags]

Hey there mate I've been trying to search for the GSR induction kit. Wanted to do some reading on it first but can't seem to find the supplier? Could you give me some pointers? Cheers

I had the same issue when I went 'looking' last year. After awhile I received a PM but since this may be benfical to our 'members' I thought I would post a rely.
The chap who does the kits seemed to have carved a niche out for himself. He hasn't been around for a few months but I received an email from him on the 11th of June 2011. You can get in touch with him by joining www.perfomanceFiat.co.uk and sending a PM (Private Message) to CPH. He used to be on here and I get the impression now that it's all 'water under the bridge'. You will need to be patience . Send the money to him. And wait. It arrives. At one stage individuals were getting an 'all in price' of the kit being fitted an a re-map which was excellent value. Could have worked well if you have the Supersprint Manifold fitted since it could have ironed out the 'to-be' CAT light problem. IMHO the best induction kit on the market. Those who attempted doing a home made version of it did pretty well with it but I didn't like the look of it with all the joiners etc. Hopefully where you are based you do not experience any floods. If you do - you will need a few 'spanners' to take it off. I only recall one incident on the Panda forum with a 'stuffed' engine that may have happened anyway. Looks like he may have driven through a 'river'.
If you're uncomfortable with the above arrangement (based on trust) then the Pipercross one is excellent (great noise, little difference on power) or the ITG Panel filter which is expensive (you cannot 'see' it). On the Panda forum there's a thread going on induction - you could throw a posting in there.
If you don't get the remap there is a reset procedure on the ECU (this was 'discovered' by the Panda boys because their ECUs were locked ). The reset procedure was posted by a guy on a different forum but I would need to acknowledge him if I post it (I can do this when you get it although CPH has said its not needed since the ECU re-adjusts overtime - still prefer the reset procedure but it must be done right otherwise it could trigger the 'flashing mileage' problem). Luckily the ECUs on the 500s can be re-mapped (they didn't think there would be guys like you around).
I hate to mention this but the insurance guys don't like these things. Despite the fact that they only give a 'marginal' increase in power (they do make the car a bit more torquey) - it's the 'intention' to be delinquent that 'trips' you up. The modders have got away with it by giving a 'little mention of something' to their broker - as in being a little economical with the truth - but are still covered. (I will probably get bombarded with replies on this )
Have fun. Don't give up on the button thing on the steering wheel. Jason has offered to 'hold your hand' for a bit. For me personally B&Me is probably the no. 1 option on a Pop after the bit I learned about the CANbus 'thing'. LOL.

 

[Venters]

Some people in the Panda section aren't too fond of Gazella however.

Kinda my point.

 

[jeffreyli86]

Thanks guys for the once again very informative replies.

I personally wouldn't deal with Gazella again, for the sole reason that they are too inefficient in delivery. I paid a month ago and they have disappeared with no replies to my emails for quite a bit until I filed a dispute with PayPal, then voila, replies telling me the parts are out of stock.

I will register at PerformanceFiat and have a look there.

Loveshandbags would my car benefit from a "reset" with the Ragazzon backbox, Supersprint middle-section deleting the resonator and the BMC panel filter?

My car already suffers from the flashing mileage problem.. Happens once a month and it bothers me much.

I wish I could order a better specc-ed 500.. In Hong Kong, the dealership only imported had the POP if you wanted manual, and the Lounge if you want the Dualmatic whatever it's called. To be honest I didn't have much confidence in the Dualmatic considering the type, style and amount of driving that I do, thus I had no choice but to opt for the POP.. The Abarth was only available as parallel import which was expensive and well, not otherwise available when I was in the market for my 500. :bang:

Funny thing is, the Fiat dealership in Hong Kong has gone out of business (self-explanatory). We now have no Fiat dealer here and we have to bring our cars to Ferrari for service.

 

[loveshandbags]

Thanks guys for the once again very informative replies.

I personally wouldn't deal with Gazella again, for the sole reason that they are too inefficient in delivery. I paid a month ago and they have disappeared with no replies to my emails for quite a bit until I filed a dispute with PayPal, then voila, replies telling me the parts are out of stock.

I will register at PerformanceFiat and have a look there.

Loveshandbags would my car benefit from a "reset" with the Ragazzon backbox, Supersprint middle-section deleting the resonator and the BMC panel filter?

My car already suffers from the flashing mileage problem.. Happens once a month and it bothers me much.

I wish I could order a better specc-ed 500.. In Hong Kong, the dealership only imported had the POP if you wanted manual, and the Lounge if you want the Dualmatic whatever it's called. To be honest I didn't have much confidence in the Dualmatic considering the type, style and amount of driving that I do, thus I had no choice but to opt for the POP.. The Abarth was only available as parallel import which was expensive and well, not otherwise available when I was in the market for my 500. :bang:

Funny thing is, the Fiat dealership in Hong Kong has gone out of business (self-explanatory). We now have no Fiat dealer here and we have to bring our cars to Ferrari for service.

I had forgotten that you were in Hong Kong. :bang:

Flashing mileage problem explained here. I had mine on a '08 Sport 1.4 but haven't got in on the '09 Lounge 1.4. You could probably just leave it but someone else may be able to advise if it has to be done.

The gearbox in the Lounge in HK is called Dualogic and it is a Robotised Manual gearbox - supposed to be good but I reckon you'd prefer to shift the 6 speed - very slick gearbox.

Forget the GSR. Too much trouble.
Go with the Pipercross.
It can be got from Nuova but I would get it directly off Pipercross. Send them an email - should be straighforward. Get the impression they will not be making them anymore.

Resetting the ECU for the CAI is done here. This has 'gone around the houses' throught different forums. The instructions in the Pipercross states that you have to disconnect the battery. I might have had mine disconnected too long and caused the flashing mileage. Resetting wouldn't help you CAT light problem with the Manifold. Backbox wouldn't do anything for the car - it will just give a nice sound (will look forward to the youtube clip).

Sorry to hear about the dealership out of business in HK. Can you not go some place cheaper that Ferrari.

 

[jeffreyli86]

Cheers.

One thing though, will resetting the car's ECU require the radio code? I don't want to reset the car and then lose my radio as I sure enough have lost that card if it ever came with the car at all :slayer: haha

Parts for the Fiat are hard to come by. Firstly there's no dealer here, and secondly, no parts shop carry parts for the Fiats.. I had to order my wipers from eBay!! :bang::bang:

Thus when it comes to oil changes, usually I just have my mechanic go to Ferrari to get the Fiat filter (I'm particularly troublesome in this regard as the mechanic had used a generic filter with no drain-back valve on a previous occasion) and then have my mechanic do the oil change using oil that I like..

Speaking of which, I've just had the oil changed on the 500. Was only 5000km (~3200mi) from the last oil change so I did without a change of the oil filter (too much trouble going to Ferrari to get the filter!!) and I also changed the gearbox oil. I've never changed it in the nearly 40000km (~25000mi) travelled and the stuff that came out was pretty awful.. Had it refilled with Silkolene Syn5.. Going to do another oil change in a month or so and will go with the Silkolene stuff too.. :slayer:

 

[loveshandbags]

Cheers.

One thing though, will resetting the car's ECU require the radio code? I don't want to reset the car and then lose my radio as I sure enough have lost that card if it ever came with the car at all :slayer: haha

Parts for the Fiat are hard to come by. Firstly there's no dealer here, and secondly, no parts shop carry parts for the Fiats.. I had to order my wipers from eBay!! :bang::bang:

Thus when it comes to oil changes, usually I just have my mechanic go to Ferrari to get the Fiat filter (I'm particularly troublesome in this regard as the mechanic had used a generic filter with no drain-back valve on a previous occasion) and then have my mechanic do the oil change using oil that I like..

Speaking of which, I've just had the oil changed on the 500. Was only 5000km (~3200mi) from the last oil change so I did without a change of the oil filter (too much trouble going to Ferrari to get the filter!!) and I also changed the gearbox oil. I've never changed it in the nearly 40000km (~25000mi) travelled and the stuff that came out was pretty awful.. Had it refilled with Silkolene Syn5.. Going to do another oil change in a month or so and will go with the Silkolene stuff too.. :slayer:

I never had a problem with the radio code on a reset. But if you contribute to the forum (as a paid up member) it is easy to get the code if 'you cann't find it'.
On oil changes make sure you use the right oil (plenty of threads here on the exact oil - not so critical on the Euro 4 engine as with the TA) but oil filter is just as important to change.
'Judging' by your driving style I would be changing the oil more regularly than the recommended 12 monthly interval. I personally like to change oil every 6K miles.
On the gearbox oil - I once changed the oil to a particular type of oil to improve the gear shift on an MX5. But in the case of the 500 I would have to 'hand this over to someone else'. I haven't heard of anyone changing gearbox oil but then I'm not on here long enough. For any oil used on the 500 I would stick with the recommended oil in the handbook.

 

[jeffreyli86]

Cheers.

Probably best for me to donate and get the radio code before I perform the reset then! Will do it after fitting the exhaust, fingers crossed it's arriving tomorrow!

Hmm.. Regarding the oil, I've always used something thicker like 10w-50 fully synth in my cars, due to the relatively hot weather here and the amount of hill climbing and stop-start that I do.. I note that Fiat recommends Selenia, but I thought it would be alright as long as I run the correct grade? No idea.. If Selenia is better for the car then Selenia it is.

Ditto RE the gearbox oil. I searched long and hard on the 500 forum to no avail then I resorted to the Panda section, which said 2L should be sufficient, and they were right. I'd really recommend changing the oil though, mainly because the stuff that came out was quite full of muck (though this is probably down to the fact that I routinely forget to engage the clutch for long enough before putting it into reverse :bang::bang. Luckily, no metal filings, just little shiny particles.. :yum::yum:

 

[jeffreyli86]

Oh by the way, I've uploaded pictures of my 500 under the Members Motors section. No idea how to post it under the 500 section having read the words in underlined and in red

Just thought I would show everyone pictures of the car we are talking about

 

[loveshandbags]

Oh by the way, I've uploaded pictures of my 500 under the Members Motors section. No idea how to post it under the 500 section having read the words in underlined and in red

Just thought I would show everyone pictures of the car we are talking about

Nice looking motor. Once you get the modifications on your 500 it will probably be most modded of the any 500s currently on the FF.

Here is a copy of the article from AutoItalia Issue 159 - there are still some magazines left as opposed to re-prints. Cost of £6. The basis of their 'conversion' was 'all go and no show'. You will soon have the go to match the show.

 

[jeffreyli86]

Wow thanks. Not too fond of the head skimming though.. Any ideas?

My car still feels like it's just about making 100hp Guess I will just have to mod the engine more or just live with it

 

[loveshandbags]

Wow thanks. Not too fond of the head skimming though.. Any ideas?

My car still feels like it's just about making 100hp Guess I will just have to mod the engine more or just live with it

From speaking with the chap who did the work I got the impression that the head work was 'key' to getting the 'real' increase in power. He was disappointed with the results from the Manifold change saying it didn't make that much difference - he couldn't remember if they used a Supersprint or a Janspeed manifold - there may been 2 different jobs done - but other people have been very happy with the Supersprint manifold.

Skimming the head and the 'Port & Polish' is all about increasing the airflow capabilities of the head and the skimming increases the compression (important on a NA engine). Even guys with Turbos have looked at doing the head work but not the skimming.
https://www.fiatforum.com/abarth-500/275944-top-gear-merged-top-gear-fiat-abarth-500c-thread-butcher-4.html?p=2811504

It sounds like major surgery but for some of the track guys this is the route that they go. The problem you would have is getting the 'right' guy to do the work. States seem to be good at this.

One 'thing' in favour of spending money on a 1.4 is that you still have the slick 6 speed gearbox which you cann't get in the A500 currently unless you go up to an Assette Corse model. (this gearbox is off the Punto is not a great gearbox to use). You'll notice the vents on the bonnet. I often wondered about fitting the induction kit that is on this car on the 500. You would just have to put the vent on the bonnet for 'forced induction' from the LHS to the RHS.

EDIT: Just on the last idea - I'm not aware of anyone doing this. The Pipercross route would be simplier one - this would have through a lot of testing and was specifically developed for the 500 1.4. If you combine this spend of £115 with the Manifold change you will see a difference. I reckon it will give at least 10bhp. Personally I like the Denso Iridium plugs and I would buy them again but give very little if no increase in bhp. And then you could get a re-map. You should be able to find someone. Look the Leisure Lounge - DIY Map ?

 

[jeffreyli86]

Hmm.. After having read the article you posted I actually gave my mechanic a call right away asking him about the head-skimming.. He, perhaps being rather conservative in terms of modifying cars, told me that people don't usually skim the head unless the engine has overheated and has warped somehow..

Also we don't know how much to skim the head by.. Oh well, I have no idea..

Loveshandbags do you know if our cars have variable timing cams? I can kind of feel the car changing its timing like the old SOHC VTECs.. Like a sudden release of a small amount of power.. Might just be me..

On another note, sometimes, just sometimes, the car is really sluggish as if I've only gone halfway with the throttle when in fact I've floored it.. Having driven the car so much I know how it should pull in most situations and sometimes it just refuses to!! Really bugging me this.. Any ideas at all?

 

[loveshandbags]

Hmm.. After having read the article you posted I actually gave my mechanic a call right away asking him about the head-skimming.. He, perhaps being rather conservative in terms of modifying cars, told me that people don't usually skim the head unless the engine has overheated and has warped somehow..

Also we don't know how much to skim the head by.. Oh well, I have no idea..

Loveshandbags do you know if our cars have variable timing cams? I can kind of feel the car changing its timing like the old SOHC VTECs.. Like a sudden release of a small amount of power.. Might just be me..

On another note, sometimes, just sometimes, the car is really sluggish as if I've only gone halfway with the throttle when in fact I've floored it.. Having driven the car so much I know how it should pull in most situations and sometimes it just refuses to!! Really bugging me this.. Any ideas at all?

Forgot the skimming the head - I probably shouldn't have mentioned it - a 'little knowledge is a dangerous thing'. You're mechanic is right about only skimming a heat if it has overheated. The performance mod on the head is a Port & Polish and then a skim but it is for someone who REALLY KNOWS what they are doing and is a very specialist job. If you read the thread on the Abarth who's 'head' when missing - he was a little upset because it was done by an ex-Ferrari guy who had since passed away.
Stick with the plan. Stage the mods. Cover the air box holes up. Get the car running 'right'. I would do the Pipercross CAI. Change the Plugs. Organise for the manifold 'swap'.
Re 'halfway on the throttle' I generally leave mine in Sport mode except around town but often press it for getting off from the lights. It's an electronic trottle - not your 'normal' mechanical job. It is possible to get another 'gadget' that allows you to adjust the sensitivity of the trottle - costs c. £200 - not worth the money in my opinion (I think Nuova sell it).
The bit about the 'variable timing cams' the new Multi-air engine in the Alfa range and the US 500 is "SOHC, four valves per cylinder, variable intake-valve timing". I could be wrong on this - your 1368cc 16V isn't.

 

[jeffreyli86]

Cheers mate.

That said, the car behaves differently sometimes. Most of the time it pulls normally through the gears, sometimes I feels as though I haven't got my foot all the way down? Does this sound familiar to anyone?

 

[loveshandbags]

Cheers mate.

That said, the car behaves differently sometimes. Most of the time it pulls normally through the gears, sometimes I feels as though I haven't got my foot all the way down? Does this sound familiar to anyone?

I haven't had that problem but temperature here at the moment is only 18 deg as opposed to your 34 deg and I don't get stuck in traffic much. There's another guy on here mjsmjke who has to 'open her up' every so often.

 

[mjsmke]

Ive not noticed any loss of power either. I do mostly short journeys (3-4 miles each way) and the car does seem happier if i rev it up to 5000rpm every so often. I don't thrash it, i just like to free the engine up. Theres a definite power gain after 3000rpm too. My local dealer even said to me to drive it quite hard while new to break it in properly, and it does it good to hit high revs every so often.

Theres 2 roads with a 60mph limit on the way to work and once or twice a week i'll hit 60 in 2nd just for fun. Most the time i et stuck behind some fool doing 28mph so i cant.

 

[jeffreyli86]

Thanks. I pretty much redline the 500 everyday in order to make progress

That said, I have no idea about the hesitant car.. Cux it can react normally one minute and be a little dead the other.. I'm thinking about the fly-by-wire thingy?