Abarth Cars => Abarth 500 => Topic started by: S11JPG on February 15, 2021, 11:53:52 pm
Title: Steering problem?
Post by: S11JPG on February 15, 2021, 11:53:52 pm
My 2020 595 145 with 16” wheels has what I think is a steering issue.
When taking long corners I am finding I constantly need to re correct steering inputs. It doesn’t feel particularly stable or confident. Is this normal? I gorget about it on short journeys but really notice it on larger roads.
It’s going in for its so first service in a couple of weeks and I want to know if it’s something I should be asking them to look at or if it’s a trait of these cars. I didn’t notice it on the test drives I had in other Abarths, or in a standard 500 I used to own.
Other owner’s experiences would be very appreciated. Thank you.
Title: Re: Steering problem?
Post by: GTMartin on February 20, 2021, 10:44:42 am
Have you checked the tyre pressures and wear across the tread of the tyre? You may have hit a kerb or pot hole and tracking knocked out of alignment.
Title: Re: Steering problem?
Post by: Borderline on February 20, 2021, 03:57:07 pm
Are you running with the torque transfer control (TTC) switched on? I find that this makes the car feel more "squirrelly" on poorer road surfaces, as it seems to constantly search for grip across the potholes and patches.
I agree with GTMartin that your first call should be tyre pressures, then wheel alignment. I've had a continuing issue with a slow leak from one wheel which was finally traced to a small chip out of the inside of the alloy rim, so that the tyre sidewall wasn't completely bedded against it. A dollop of mysterious gunk applied to the inside of the wheel solved it. The 500 series is also very sensitive to wheel alignment, due to the hefty weight on the front and the tendency of the rear end to "hop" over lumps and bumps in the road (Powerflex bushes in the suspension beam helped to sort this out on mine). Hope you get sorted soon!
Title: Re: Steering problem?
Post by: S11JPG on February 20, 2021, 11:02:14 pm
Thank you for the replies, I am going to get the alignment looked at, will ask the main dealer to check at service time in March, failing that get a proper front alignment done, it just doesn’t feel right, even though I might be over thinking it.
Title: Re: Steering problem?
Post by: Borderline on February 23, 2021, 11:49:32 am
A further thought - the 500s are very sensitive to tyre patterns. When I first got mine, it had Pirelli P-Zeros on the front and they tramlined terribly. A switch to Avon ZV7s significantly reduced the wandering and smoothed out the steering inputs. Just a thought but might be worth adding to your list of possible causes.