The Complete Abarth 500 & 595 Suspension Guide: From OE Replacement to Full Track Coilovers

If there's one upgrade that transforms an Abarth 500 or 595 more than any other, it's suspension. These cars are famous for their pocket-rocket handling, but factory dampers age, factory ride height isn't for everyone, and a genuinely sharp set-up needs the right parts underneath. Whether you're replacing tired OE shocks, dropping the stance for the school run, or building a dedicated track car, we stock a suspension range that covers every stage of that journey.

Here's a full rundown of what's available, and how to choose the right kit for what you actually want from your Abarth.

Start With the Goal, Not the Brand

Before getting into part numbers, it helps to be honest about what you're building:

• Daily driver that needs new shocks — go OE-spec replacement, or Koni Special-Active if you'd like a bit more responsiveness without changing the ride height.
• Want a lower stance with sharper handling, still comfortable enough to drive every day — lowering springs, or springs plus a matched damper.
• Want adjustable ride height and damping, road use with occasional track days — an entry to mid-level coilover kit.
• Serious track or fast road car — a top-tier adjustable coilover kit with big-bore dampers.
• Suspension feels vague or knocks on bumps — it's probably the bushes and arms, not the springs or shocks.

With that in mind, here's the range broken down by category.

OE-Spec Replacement Shocks

For cars that just need fresh dampers at standard height, Bilstein B4 shocks are the OE-quality option — front and rear, at OE-equivalent geometry and ride quality. They're the straightforward like-for-like upgrade when the originals have given up.

Sitting just above that, the Bilstein B6 is a higher-performance gas-pressure rear shock for a bit more control without changing the character of the car, and the Bilstein B8 Sprint is a shortened, high-performance front damper designed specifically to work with lowering springs — worth pairing if you're dropping the car.

Koni Special-Active dampers are the other route here: front and rear shocks that automatically adjust damping in real time based on road inputs and driving style, giving a firmer response under hard cornering or braking and a more compliant ride the rest of the time — a good option for owners who want that responsiveness without manually setting up a full coilover kit.

Lowering Springs

If the goal is stance and handling without touching ride quality too much, springs are the natural first step:

• Eibach Pro-Kit — one of the best-known performance lowering spring systems around, tuned to lower the centre of gravity and reduce body roll while staying usable day to day.
• H&R lowering springs — progressive-rate springs with a strong motorsport pedigree, giving a firmer, more planted feel.
• Apex 25mm lowering springs — a straightforward 25mm drop, available as a full set or as individual front/rear springs if you only need to replace one corner.
• Bilstein B12 kits (paired with either H&R or Eibach springs) — a matched spring-and-damper combination, so you're not guessing whether your new springs suit your old shocks.

If you've already lowered the car, it's worth knowing that the standard rear bump stops are too long for a dropped ride height — an upgraded rear bump stop is a small, cheap fix that prevents harshness over bumps.

Coilover Kits

For adjustable height and damping in one package, there are three tiers depending on how far you want to go:

• Bilstein B14 — a complete height-adjustable coilover kit, the natural step up from springs-and-shocks when you want to fine-tune ride height precisely.
• GAZ Coilovers — fully adjustable coilover kits for road and motorsport use, including a rear-only kit if you just want to sort the back end, and the GAZ Gold, a serious track-day-spec kit with larger-bore dampers for cars that see regular circuit time.
• Bilstein B16 — the top-tier Bilstein coilover kit, for owners who want the highest level of adjustability and control the range offers.

Suspension Arms & Bushes

Handling isn't just springs and dampers — the arms and bushes locate everything and wear out just as often, usually showing up as clonks, vague turn-in, or uneven tyre wear:

• Front suspension arms (wishbones) are available as direct OE replacements for both halogen and Xenon-spec models, since the two use different arms.
• For a genuine handling upgrade, the same arms are also available pre-fitted with Powerflex polyurethane bushes — in Road Series for a firmer, more precise feel that's still comfortable, or Black Series for the stiffest, most track-focused set-up.
• Prefer to bush your existing arms rather than buy new ones? Powerflex front and rear bushes are sold separately too.
• Finishing the picture are the smaller pieces that keep everything geometrically correct — top mounts, top spring plates, strut top supports, and heavy-duty adjustable anti-roll bar drop links, which let you fine-tune roll stiffness once you've lowered the car.

Nuts, Bolts & Small Parts

Suspension jobs live and die on the small stuff. We stock the fasteners and hardware that go with all of the above — shock bolts, top mount nuts, axle bracket bolts, alignment bushes, and mounting brackets — so a damper or spring job doesn't stall waiting on a £5 bolt.

Quick Reference

Not Sure Where to Start?

If you're weighing up springs versus a full coilover kit, or want to know which arm fits your model year (halogen vs Xenon spec matters here), get in touch — we're happy to talk through what suits your car and how you use it before you spend anything.

Browse the full range: Abarth Suspension at BRT Motorsport