Hello everybody!

Hey everyone, I've owned a 97 F355 for a couple weeks now. I've been trying to school myself on the ins and outs of the car for a while before and after the big purchase, but I look forward to learning a lot from the memebers here. A local speed shop, with a former Ferrari F355 Challenge racer recommended that I check this place out. I've got a 15,000 mile car with no real mods, outside of cat removal, and it certianly isn't the fastest car I've driven, but it sounds beautiful and is almost nbeatable in the eye candy department. All my neighbors suddenly know who I am.

 

I just submitted the car to the Registry. It was a one owner (now 2) Eurospec car purchased in Germany as a LHD car by a guy who lived in England and shipped it to the States, so the VIN was reassigned from the Euro VIN to the one I registered it under. They also had to cut into the car to add all the sidemarkers and stuff, which is kind of unfortunate. The only mods are that he lowered it, although I think he did that by removing shims from the factory suspension, and adding a challenger grill as well as some kind of O2 sensor fooler that allows for Cat removal wihtout the CEL. The "Slow Down" light comes on a lot as a conseqence because the sensors read hotter exhaust gasses without the cats, and the car thinks its overheating when its not. I was thinking of adding a K&N filter set or possibly an entire intake system, if it's worth it. I looked into chipping the car, but I've heard mixed reviews. I don't want to give up any of the minimal low end that the car has to get more power and the 7 or 8,000 rpm mark. I also heard some horro stories about pre and post dno runs where almost no peak power was realized and average power was actually lost. All in all, I love the hell outta this car. I've had cars since I was 20 that would have beaten this in a race, but I'd rather lose in a Ferrari than win in the souped up Mustangs, Civics and the like that I've had over the years. I'm glad to be here!

 

I've always loved the look of Black Titanium Burlwood and I ordered a custom dash set for the car. I know it's probably blasphemy to dash kit this car, but so far, I've committed several cardinal rules violations I'm sure, including driving it to work on a nearly daily baisis and driving it in the rain. I do plan on storing it over the winter, but other than that, I bought it to drive it, not admire it in the garage, as the previous owner almost did, with 100 miles a month on it. Anyway, I know the interiors are kind of prone to falling apart, and I thought a dash kit would essentially cover and protect. I was thinking of using much less adhesive backing so that it could be removed later with little or no ill effect. Although I'm sure that people will cringe at the thought, I am only thiking about it. I'll lay it out when it arrives and see if it loks tacky. It should blend in, as it's almost solid black.

 

Anyone here have any feedback on this place? It's very close and convenient and boasts having a Ferrari owner/ racer/ mechanic there.
http://www.currysauto.com/highperf.htm

 

This is god advice, but how exactly do I do that? All of the hard plastic, such as where the A/C controls are seems pretty straight forward to attach to, but the window switeches and those areas are kind of soft and mushy. How do you prepare or alter that surface to make it take better to the adhesive? If there are some threads I can look at I'll be happily redirected. I'm searching on "dash kits" now.

 

It's a Type-R grill. ;-)

 

Thanks! Look forward to it! Over the winter do you rent a private storage garage, cover it somewhere safe or just leave it in your garage? Also, when do you put it away? It doesn't really snow here until late December or even into January. I figure you can get away with Storing in from Jan - March, 3 months tops.