Poor ride

[Nigelgough]

Does anyones 500 suffer from poor ride over bumpy surfaces? On one particular corner on a road out of Henley the back of the car bounces and jumps so badly, it feels as if it might loose control. This is travelling at less that 30 mph. I wouldn't dare try it at a higher speed

[Il Presidente]

Originally Posted by Nigelgough

Does anyones 500 suffer from poor ride over bumpy surfaces? On one particular corner on a road out of Henley the back of the car bounces and jumps so badly, it feels as if it might loose control. This is travelling at less that 30 mph. I wouldn't dare try it at a higher speed

yes they do that, nothing to worry about

it is 'cos the springs are stiff and the rear skips about a bit over uneven surfaces

part of the character

[KevinB]

It's a problem other 500 users have mentioned a few times on fiatforum and elsewhere!

The bouncy bouncy ride doesn't bother some people,but
Its the reason I havent bought a 500 - too rolly/bouncy for me, but then I am disabled,
and its this poor ride quality which Ford are saying they will improve
when their version (the new Ford Ka) comes out. .

I can assure you that its a problem Fiat and some of the dealers already know about!

New aftermarket springs dont seem to help much, there again some people
don't seem to think its a serious problem for them.

I know someone who enquired about 2 secondhand 500s and both sellers have mentioned
the ride quality on poor roads is not brilliant.

Is it possible that with traction control the bouncy ride and handling improves?
I havent tried a 500 with traction control yet, and I'm not technically minded enough
to know if it could improve the ride quality as well as the general handling.

Recently a disabled driver's organisation
said they couldn't recommend the 500 or the Panda 100hp sport
because of their poor ride quality.

Fiat will probably fix it in a few years time, by altering the suspension somehow.

[Tino]

Originally Posted by KevinB

Its this poor ride quality which Ford are saying they will improve
when their version (the new Ford Ka) comes out

Is it possible that with traction control the bouncy ride and handling improves?
I havent tried a 500 with traction control yet, and I'm not technically minded enough
to know if it could improve the ride quality as well as the general handling.

I think the general ride quality will be slightly better on the Ford, but hard to say by how much. The general ride is a both skittish over bumpy surfaces and corners, and bouncy over undulations. My Audi A2 is better in that respect, but the ride is rock hard and very crashy, so in most respects I prefer the 500.

I have ESP and I still get the same kind of bounce / bump behaviour. My hope is that with some ageing and wear of the springs and dampers, they will be more compliant and the bouncy behaviour will settle, although I might get a bit more roll.

[KevinB]

I'm not sure there is much anyone can do about the skittish characteristics and it
doesn't seem to bother a lot of 500 owners which is just as well because IF it was easy to sort out Fiat would have done it already IMO.

I am sure they are working on it. Fiat will know from dealer feedback
that it is losing them a few sales.

The Ford version (the Ka) is supposed to have alerations to the torsion beam
to improve things (an idea Ford say they got from Abarth and the Abarth 500).
If it IS an improvement, Fiat will no doubt use the new set-up on ALL 500s eventually.

[James]

Originally Posted by Nigelgough

Does anyones 500 suffer from poor ride over bumpy surfaces? On one particular corner on a road out of Henley the back of the car bounces and jumps so badly, it feels as if it might loose control. This is travelling at less that 30 mph. I wouldn't dare try it at a higher speed

That would probably be gravel Hill, mine does it as well on that piece of road, you would have thought that after the council spent all that money doing the pot holes then they would have sorted that as well!

But i think its the ride that gives the car a bit of character! it would not be the same if it was plain and boring!!

[Mr H]

I find the rear end a bit skittish when i go over a cobbled area on the way out of Tesco's. It feels as if its kicking out a bit, which it probably is! Makes it more fun!

[gumball]

Originally Posted by Mr H

I find the rear end a bit skittish when i go over a cobbled area on the way out of Tesco's. It feels as if its kicking out a bit, which it probably is! Makes it more fun!

Noticed that when I attacked a bend, the front tucks in and the rear slips nicely

[ensonricky]

Agree with all the comments regarding the skittish rear end that does feel rather disconcerting at first. As stated the ride can also be bouncy over rolling undulations.

Contrary to a few opinions I don't consider body roll to be an issue as this is well controlled by all but sports car standards.

[bexx]

My fellas saying ' your not trying if you are not sliding' lol! I dont mind it, handles as well as any other car I have owned if not better. I love the hardened suspention and the 16 inch wheels too. I have even asked my passengers what they think and they dont seem to think is overly bumpy. I agree the jumpy sliding thing is worrying at first but it is not like you loose control at all. Is just the way the car is and I love it!