new fiat 500 abarth

[Gaz.]

When are you rolling this one?

 

[Jamie86]

Your better off having the part worns on the front less of the tread blocks left to move about..

 

[lbrench]

Well, had my day at Cadwell park today and what an amazing day!!! Weather couldn't of been nicer, proper blue sky with the sun shinning...got to about 23 degrees at one point, the array of cars were amazing and the track is just incredible....


Got up at 5.30am to get there for 7.30am and ended up in some roadworks so took a diversion and got there for 8.40am, signed on and did the brief, did the sighting laps with my dad as passenger and then did some proper laps, car was great but will get onto that in a minute.

I ended up having an hour driver tuition and my dad had an hour and a half, probably the best £50 I have spent, my laps got a hell of a lot smoother and i was carrying speed much better, my dad had never driven on a track before so he really enjoyed it (abit too much, will explain).......

I picked up the track fairly quickly and was soon overtaking quiet a lot, highlights were sticking with mk2 golf gti championship race car and overtaking the 172 :rasp:

The car felt 10x better than i expected, I went out expecting horrible understeer on every corner but the car performed amazingly, once the tyres and brakes were up to temperature it was amazing.

The feeling of powering round coppice at 90mph was amazing and whacking the limiter coming over the mountain!! my favourite part of the track and where i felt the abarth excelled were gooseneck and hall bends, i was leaving most cars behind on hall bends, such an amazing section of track!

Anyway back to my dads 'incident'.......i told him to go out on his own in the car for a couple of laps whilst i went an relaxed and got a bottle of water, couple of laps went by and he was fine. I decided to watch him at hall bends and the moment i got there he came thundering through the first on the total wrong line then into the left hander full on sideways and onto the grass missing the barrier by about 2-3feet. said he cocked up the entry but was absolutly terrifing watching my pride and joy going sideways towards a barrier, he came in on the next lap, cleaned his underwear and went back out and did a few more laps.

all in all it was an awesome day and i have learnt so much from it and how speed should be respected and i think it has changed the way i drive on the road....keep it on the track and all that from now on. My dad has also agreed that the car needs a driver side bucket seat and some coilovers so have agreed a recaro bucket seat for christmas

here are some pictures and videos from the day.

me and my dad

my dad out in her

And some videos my dad took of me at hall bends





chasing a 172 down



next lap i passed it





Think both me and my dad have caught the trackday bug.


Thanks for reading
Lynden

 

[lbrench]

also forgot to mention towards the end of the day there was only me and about 7-8 cars out so i had a clear run and my dad was timing from the spectator area and said i did a 1.58min lap....dont know if this is good or not LOL probs s**t but oh well, i had fun

 

[jenic]

Best track in the country, brilliant for small low power cars like the 500/clio.

Mansfield is so scary though

Oh, you should of bought that track day from me, got a couple of easytrack days for sale!

 

[lbrench]

Best track in the country, brilliant for small low power cars like the 500/clio.

Mansfield is so scary though

Yeh i wasn't a fan of that one, after the tuition my driving improved so much it was unreal and yeh the track is awesome, felt so much better than silverstone an rockingham because it wasnt as wide as an airfield lol i wouldnt like to drive it in the wet though!

 

[Dean.]

looks awesome buddy!

 

[lbrench]

Best track in the country, brilliant for small low power cars like the 500/clio.

Mansfield is so scary though

Oh, you should of bought that track day from me, got a couple of easytrack days for sale!

you selling any at oulton?

 

[Jamie86]

Glad you had a good time and comments re speed on the road is so true all my non trackday mates drive like idiots compared to thos ethat do them!

Like you say tuition is well worth it especially a technical track like Cadwell, I can wait to get back there next month!

How did the tyres hold out?

 

[Alex H]

1.58 is not bad for a standard road car. I did a 1.53 in the XR2 with a wheel falling off, so not bad at all really. That's an NA 1600 with 77bhp btw

 

[lbrench]

tyres were good, after about 12-15 laps i could feel them getting too hot though but yeh they were really good actually

 

[GiT]

Caddy is great to go watch at - and hoon around on...

 

[dunganick]

lbrench?

 

[lbrench]

old news.

 

[Christopher]

170+

Looks good on track!

 

[lbrench]

It handles terribly on the road but on track it is awesome!! If that makes any sense? Looking forward to getting the bucket seat and some lighter wheels at some point

 

[Dunn]

Cadwell is a good track

 

[lbrench]

I loved it

 

[Ian_182]

Fair play to you...

 

[chris_p]

lol at the hatred towards rs clios.

Looks like you had a good day, I do like these little fiats! I prefer them with the red graphics though.

 

[Martin_172]

It handles terribly on the road but on track it is awesome!!

just what you want from a road car that does a few track days a year!

 

[lbrench]

i know its not ideal really, actually i wouldn't say terrible i would just say abit understeery

 

[jayxx83]

It's easy to bomb into corners too fast on The road which is why you may think it handles terribely. Slow in fast out is best.

 

[Feirny]

Can't believe you know Cheungy.

Looks a good day, I love Cadwell.

 

[J333EVO]

Glad you enjoyed it, but really hope you didn't go out with front tyres cold at 27psi. When I worked for Abarth on the Trofeo cars, we ran them at 28psi on Michelin racing slicks which have solid sidewalls, not soft road tyres which will roll on turn in, overheat the tread block as everything moves about, and generally destroy the tyre.

You should go out at highest cold pressure recommended by the manufacturer as a guide, I think the 500 is 34psi for traveling at speeds exceeding 160klms, then build some heat into them then lower to stabilize. Track day tyres like 888 again have much stiffer sidewalls for this purpose, hence you can run slightly lower pressures.

I believe you have the car mixed up. It's a brilliant car at 7 or 8 tenths, but push it beyond and it unravels. Hence it being a great road car to make swift entertaining travel, but not a true drivers car or track orientated car in the slightest.

Having driven the 500 Abarth round Rockingham International long, & Jamie86's Clio round Cadwell, TBH if the Clio is driven to it's capacity the 500 wouldn't get near. It understates terribly, has overservo'd brakes that fade badly and get so hot the red painted calipers turn black, the rear end goes way too light under braking as well, the steering wheel is far too thick and has too many shapes to it, and gearchange not very slick.

And Dave Quinn (i know you go on Abarth forum so know who he is) in his 215bhp 500 couldn't keep up with me in our 160bhp 500, so wasn't hanging about when I made these conclusions. Though to be fair he was such a poor driver he overheated his brakes on the sighting laps at Rockingham which is a first for me.

 

[lbrench]

Glad you enjoyed it, but really hope you didn't go out with front tyres cold at 27psi. When I worked for Abarth on the Trofeo cars, we ran them at 28psi on Michelin racing slicks which have solid sidewalls, not soft road tyres which will roll on turn in, overheat the tread block as everything moves about, and generally destroy the tyre.

You should go out at highest cold pressure recommended by the manufacturer as a guide, I think the 500 is 34psi for traveling at speeds exceeding 160klms, then build some heat into them then lower to stabilize. Track day tyres like 888 again have much stiffer sidewalls for this purpose, hence you can run slightly lower pressures.

I believe you have the car mixed up. It's a brilliant car at 7 or 8 tenths, but push it beyond and it unravels. Hence it being a great road car to make swift entertaining travel, but not a true drivers car or track orientated car in the slightest.

Having driven the 500 Abarth round Rockingham International long, & Jamie86's Clio round Cadwell, TBH if the Clio is driven to it's capacity the 500 wouldn't get near. It understates terribly, has overservo'd brakes that fade badly and get so hot the red painted calipers turn black, the rear end goes way too light under braking as well, the steering wheel is far too thick and has too many shapes to it, and gearchange not very slick.

And Dave Quinn (i know you go on Abarth forum so know who he is) in his 215bhp 500 couldn't keep up with me in our 160bhp 500, so wasn't hanging about when I made these conclusions. Though to be fair he was such a poor driver he overheated his brakes on the sighting laps at Rockingham which is a first for me.

over heated on a sighting lap, that is bad driving!!! only time i felt massive brake fade was coming down the hill into Mansfield and off the straight into Park but other than that the car felt good, does a decent set of coilovers cure the understeer on the tighter corners?

 

[Jamie86]

Funny you should ask said car now has some, will let Aaron respond

 

[daydotz]

why are they so bad on the road ? seriously its got to be more fun then a polo gti

 

[lbrench]

They are fun!! Most fun car I have had they just bounce about, the suspension is very stiff so on uneven roads it's not great.

 

[Short Norman]

Koni's will sort the ride out

 

[lbrench]

i dont want knois as they arn't height adjustable, and everyone has got them....ideally a set of KWs are in the pipeline, fully adjustable so i can get my 'stance' on if needed

 

[J333EVO]

Our 500 runs AVO height adjustable mono-tube dampers with integrated bump stops & ride/control is improved beyond measure. Also some Eibach front camber bolts with -1degrees camber & 10mins total toe out. It also has 17" team dynamics ProRace wheels which are lighter than the OEM 16" wheels. The 17" OEM wheels are ridiculously heavy blunting front end feel even further.

One issue is the strange steering which although a quick rack is devoid of any feedback or feel, and feels like you are fighting magnets, not an issue on track but obvious on the road. It's further not helped by a steering wheel far too thick & with too many panels in its construction, it really should be thinner & simpler to aid feedback.

The gearchange is not as slick as the 6speed in the 1.4 500 as it's an Alfa box with long throw, plus I find the articulation to be bit off as you reach over the top of the arc going vertically through the gears. The position is similar to an EP3 Type-R but with none of the positive action or precision across the gate.

but main issue is stupid rear bumpstops which give approx 15mm of rear suspension travel on a normal car and about 10pm on an SS car. It therefore bottoms out and bounces about at the rear. It is also underdsmped as standard almost like the fequency of the dampers is out of synch with the springs. The Koni dampers are good but don't fix bump stop issue. You can either remove & throw away or fit the shorter Fiat Coupe items which fit & are about 50mm shorter & just rubber, as standard they are really long and made from 80% solid plastic neaning no give when car bottoms out.

The chassis has bags of grip and you learn to believe in it, & engine is a real peach being really punchy if a bit asthmatic at higher revs meaning you drive on the torque & change up early not chase the redline like you do in a Clio, but it's not a true drivers car.

The Clio on track was much more adjustable, much more feedback given, with more predictable brake pedal & ultimately more fun and rewarding to drive both on track and the road.

The 500 is a real laugh out loud funny car up to 7 or 8 tenths, but unravels above this and gets rough round the edges as it's flaws are harshly exposed.

 

[JonnyK]

i dont want knois as they arn't height adjustable, and everyone has got them....ideally a set of KWs are in the pipeline, fully adjustable so i can get my 'stance' on if needed

so Koni's arent good if everyone has them?

 

[wayne r26]

so Koni's arent good if everyone has them?

I can't see where he said they aren't good? He said they aren't height adjustable.

It looks good mate.

 

[lbrench]

Our 500 runs AVO height adjustable mono-tube dampers with integrated bump stops & ride/control is improved beyond measure. Also some Eibach front camber bolts with -1degrees camber & 10mins total toe out. It also has 17" team dynamics ProRace wheels which are lighter than the OEM 16" wheels. The 17" OEM wheels are ridiculously heavy blunting front end feel even further.

One issue is the strange steering which although a quick rack is devoid of any feedback or feel, and feels like you are fighting magnets, not an issue on track but obvious on the road. It's further not helped by a steering wheel far too thick & with too many panels in its construction, it really should be thinner & simpler to aid feedback.

The gearchange is not as slick as the 6speed in the 1.4 500 as it's an Alfa box with long throw, plus I find the articulation to be bit off as you reach over the top of the arc going vertically through the gears. The position is similar to an EP3 Type-R but with none of the positive action or precision across the gate.

but main issue is stupid rear bumpstops which give approx 15mm of rear suspension travel on a normal car and about 10pm on an SS car. It therefore bottoms out and bounces about at the rear. It is also underdsmped as standard almost like the fequency of the dampers is out of synch with the springs. The Koni dampers are good but don't fix bump stop issue. You can either remove & throw away or fit the shorter Fiat Coupe items which fit & are about 50mm shorter & just rubber, as standard they are really long and made from 80% solid plastic neaning no give when car bottoms out.

The chassis has bags of grip and you learn to believe in it, & engine is a real peach being really punchy if a bit asthmatic at higher revs meaning you drive on the torque & change up early not chase the redline like you do in a Clio, but it's not a true drivers car.

The Clio on track was much more adjustable, much more feedback given, with more predictable brake pedal & ultimately more fun and rewarding to drive both on track and the road.

The 500 is a real laugh out loud funny car up to 7 or 8 tenths, but unravels above this and gets rough round the edges as it's flaws are harshly exposed.

yeh the wheels are stupidly heavy and i have just taken my rear bump stops out for now, the car feels 10x better with them out on an uneven road surface, have you got any pictures of yours?

I can't see where he said they aren't good? He said they aren't height adjustable.

It looks good mate.

cheers and yeh they are good but like i said i want to go lower not just handle better

 

[jayxx83]

You know my mini was the same. Short travel stock dampers which utilized the bumpstops. I have kw coilovers and the increased travel has improved comfort massively. The handling was night and day after this but the trade off was having to still accept some roll. I dialed it out with some eibach anti roll bars and it is amazing now.

You get the benefits of increased stroke and super tight handling.

 

[lbrench]

Romeo Ferrari have released a new abarth nicknamed 'the wideboy'.....Runs the same 1.4 turbo engine but is putting out 300bhp, super wide body kit and amazin interior

Like the R26.r to the 225 interior wise.

want that dash!!

[/IMG]

not a fan of the front bumper though

[/IMG]


Just WOW!

from what i can gather its the standard steering wheel and dash just wrapped in alcantara

Seats look like Recaro pole position but leather and alcantara

[/IMG]


thanks

lynden

 

[Naith]

how the devil are they getting 300 bhp from a 1.4... lairy stuff.

 

[lbrench]

no idea, apparently it has loads to do with the intake, there is a guy on the abarth forum who is running 320bhp on his 1.4 without a filter but asoon as he tried any sort of filter it drops to 280bhp, he has had to cut a hold in the bonnet and run like a snorkel like the groupe M one for the hondas and is still only getting 300bhp, its insane, i think im in love with the interior on this one

 

[Goodj]

Wow, that's really try hard.

Like someone protesting too much about their sexuality.