500 Abarth shock/strut questions

JKIDD

JKIDD

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The 2012 500 Abarth I bought in Oct came with recent brakes, rotors, shocks & struts (all shiny & free of rust). The car is definitely a blast to drive, but I've noticed some squirreliness changing lanes or hitting any pavement lines. I had an alignment done & my toe was out & it made the car better. The other night & was merging onto a highway under construction & moved over 2 lanes under heavy acceleration. The car was hard to control as moved across the lanes. Went down the rabbit hole of suspension mods but when looking at upgraded shocks for the rear, the Koni Excel-G's that are on it are not listed for the Abarth. Not sure what struts are in there (will investigate when it stops raining) but I assume the shop that did the wrong rear shocks also f'd up the front. My question is what are the problems would come from running regular 500 shocks/struts on the Abarth?
 
Hi JKidd, the first modification I did to my 2013 Abarth Cabrio was to swap the suspension for Koni Strut/Shocks and Einbach springs. I have been pleased with this combination. The stock Abarth struts and shocks are Koni licensed and designed but are not as good in my opinion as the actual Koni adjustable product (yellow). My car which I purchased used had some unknown brand lowering springs and an Einbach upgraded rear sway bar. The springs were horrible. The Koni/ Einbach combo is good, though it can be pretty harsh on bad roads. I believe there are some KYB products that are not listed but have been discovered to work. Check the 500 forum. I would not recommend a swap with basic 500 suspension. I think it would be too soft, and lack the desired control.
 
Pulled the front wheel & confirmed the front strut is an API 2701-709682. This is for the regular 500, not the Abarth... *sigh*
Good news is once I get the proper suspension on it should handle a whole lot better!
 
Good news, I found a guy who had brand new Koni adjustable struts, yellow shocks, and Neuspeed performance lowering spring kit all still in their boxes. He also had new rear bump stops & a 500 Madness Sport mode always on modded switch. Got the lot for 700 bucks. (over $1250 bucks online) Just waiting on the new strut mounts and bump stops to arrive before I dive in.
 
Bump stops & bellows came in a day early, I had the day off, & it was over 50 degrees today. Perfect storm to swap the suspension. O...M...G... WHAT A DIFFERENCE!! Torque steer is gone. Car stays planted in the corners. No more squirreliness on the highway or under heavy acceleration. Seems the standard 500 struts & shocks the PO put in weren't up to the Abarths power. Can't wait to drive it to work to compare the difference. There's a good mix of highway, twisties, & bumpy roads to get a good feel of the difference.
 
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