Wheels/ Mods

[sjmst]

I see from Chris's main page that Tire Rack is about to sell wheels for the 500.

I may leave the PE 100% stock, but if not, things I might change would be the stripe (none, or a lower one instead), red dash, and wheels.

I am not sure I love the black pockets on the PE.

I think I might like one of these better.








AND Lower Body Stripe...make the car look less pudgy.

[sjmst]

Now that more of us have cars, time to bump this.
I'm swapping out my black accent wheels for std gray pocket sport wheels.

That's it for now. BUT, I would love to lower the car a bit if it can be done without making the ride more harsh.

[Fiat500USA]

sjmst wrote

Now that more of us have cars, time to bump this.
I'm swapping out my black accent wheels for std gray pocket sport wheels.

That's it for now. BUT, I would love to lower the car a bit if it can be done without making the ride more harsh.

Hi Sam,

I'm with you on the lowering/ride issue.

Tire rack has a set of H&R sport springs for sale. The lower the car approximately .75" front, 1.3" rear, but are stiffer.  For some applications, H&R has an "OE Sport" that just lowers the car but maintain the same spring rate, however, I don't see that available (yet) for the 500.

When I finally get my car, I'll check to see if there are any spacers or rubber isolators on the the spring perches that I can take out or cut down.

[sjmst]

Thanks, Chris. One thing I would not want to do is make the ride any harsher. This is my daily driver.

[jamesday24]

I would only consider the white ABARTH Esseesse wheels for my PE.

[txdesign]

Lowering short wheelbase cars is tricky as the ride is already on the choppy side. I tried a few things on my 03 Cooper S but in the end had H-Sport springs with Koni FSD shocks. It lowered the car 3/4" and the ride was veru acceptable. Based on this experience I would never just lower the car without changing shocks as well.

[Fiat500USA]

sjmst wrote

Thanks, Chris. One thing I would not want to do is make the ride any harsher. This is my daily driver.

I've been torn thinking about that.  I worked at a VW/Audi tuner and bought one of the project cars that was slammed to the ground with all the usual stuff. It was stiff and I would have preferred a softer riding car, but I did get used to it.

My wife just bought a Jeep Wrangler, so I guess the ride doesn't matter to her, so I'm safe in that department;)

I'd love to see the H&R OE Spring set-up, but there might not be enough call for them to be made.

[sjmst]

I read somewhere that H&R does offer a spring set for the 500 that does not compromise ride.

[Fiat500USA]

I bought a set of wheels, should have them today. OZ Adrenalina...

Now all I need is my car.

[sjmst]

Nice wheels, look great. 17"? The Abarth sits lower? Also the Abarth has the stripe on the lower part of the body. This decreases the look of pudginess and elongates the appearance.

[Fiat500USA]

sjmst wrote

Nice wheels, look great. 17"? The Abarth sits lower? Also the Abarth has the stripe on the lower part of the body. This decreases the look of pudginess and elongates the appearance.

These cars are lowered a bit. 17 is about the largest size you can normally get to fit. There are 18s out there, but there are clearance issues and the roads... you know... NY.

This car has Eibach Pro-Street S Schroefset :

[RacerRon]

OZ makes nice wheels. I had a set of OZ wheels on an X1/9 back in the 70s to replace the 13" x 4-1/2" steel wheels it came with.

[Scorpion]

Tire Rack will be using my car next week to do some wheel fitment and photography. I'll post pics as soon as I have them.

[sjmst]

Great, can't wait to see.

[Giallo Edizione]

Fiat500USA wrote

sjmst wrote

Nice wheels, look great. 17"? The Abarth sits lower? Also the Abarth has the stripe on the lower part of the body. This decreases the look of pudginess and elongates the appearance.

These cars are lowered a bit. 17 is about the largest size you can normally get to fit. There are 18s out there, but there are clearance issues and the roads... you know... NY.

This car has Eibach Pro-Street S Schroefset :

NICE wheels! Where'd did you source those? I found the Eibach kit in UK for about $1,400 plus shipping.

http://www.balancemotorsport.nl/products.asp?recnumber=106507

[sjmst]

Yes, the Eibachs would work.

"Eibach Pro-Street S Coilover System for FIAT 500 offer excellent performance without ruining ride quality. In addition due to it's stainless construction it offers longevity rarely found in a coilover at this price."

[Giallo Edizione]

sjmst wrote

I read somewhere that H&R does offer a spring set for the 500 that does not compromise ride.

I looked a lot at kits for lowering my MINI. What I found was that H&R kits can lower for a modest cost but just about everybody said without proper shocks its going to produce a bad ride. Koni adjustable FSD's were the hands  down favorite for combining with H&R springs, but the price started to approach some of the less expensive coil-over kits. At the end of the day, I was headed toward the H&R FSD combo for cost considerations and the less expensive coil-overs were not rated well. Also there seems to be a generally held principal that coil overs are really designed for competition ( and for cost containment) and thus the ride quality will follow. I ended up not doing the suspension, but the knowledge should carry over to my FIAT. It really begs to be lowered. And if Abarth is a late 2012 intro, well, I have to do something....

There is also a bump-stop issue, if you look under your car. That would need a mod as well.

[Giallo Edizione]

Fiat500USA wrote

sjmst wrote

Nice wheels, look great. 17"? The Abarth sits lower? Also the Abarth has the stripe on the lower part of the body. This decreases the look of pudginess and elongates the appearance.

These cars are lowered a bit. 17 is about the largest size you can normally get to fit. There are 18s out there, but there are clearance issues and the roads... you know... NY.

This car has Eibach Pro-Street S Schroefset :

The US suspension is differnet from EU spec. Do you know if this kit might work on US or could geometry be different as well as spring and shock rates?

[Scorpion]

A word of caution, the UK kits will not fit the US cars properly. All of the suspension companies will have to revise their kits for our cars.

Having been through this scenario before on other makes/models, I would suggest waiting until the dust settles before ordering. There are several US-based aftermarket companies gearing up to sell US-specific parts.

[sjmst]

Scorpion wrote

A word of caution, the UK kits will not fit the US cars properly. All of the suspension companies will have to revise their kits for our cars.

Having been through this scenario before on other makes/models, I would suggest waiting until the dust settles before ordering. There are several US-based aftermarket companies gearing up to sell US-specific parts.

Agreed. Better to wait, the goods for US will be here soon enough.