Hello, I am taking the jump from Porsche ownership to buying my first ferrari. I truely love the look of the 308 GTB QV but am a little worried about all I have read about the A/C worthless. Being in the Washington DC area requires stop and go traffic often so it is a concern that the wife might get uncomfortable. Is it as bad as people say? Are any upgrades available? Should I just go with a GTS or forget the 308 all together and go with a F355? Thank you in advance. Chris
Can't speak for the 308 but the 328 ac is "not bad." Mine had a 134 conversion from the PO and it works quite well. One of the critical things I discovered is the orientation of the dash outlets. Turning them toward you, as you would THINK makes the most sense, doesn't work nearly as well as turning them toward the windshield. I learned that here on this site from a post by someone who had tried that. I thought he was nuts but he was right! NO, the ac isn't going to run you out of the car like it will with any US car but it's not bad at all. A few days ago it was well into the 90s here and a good bit of humidity. 15-20 minutes after starting, the cabin was reasonably comfortable. It's worth noting that before I read a post on this site re the orientation of the dash vents, I called the ac "just barely marginal - more comfortable than NO ac but poor compared to US AC. Changing the orientation of the dash vents changed it to "not bad." But OTOH, even at its best, it may not be adequate for a critical wife. My wife loves to drive the car/ride in the car with the top off so she's probably not a good example to go by as far as an AC "junkie." She thinks it's fine but she loves the car. That makes a huge difference in the "acceptability" quotient!
The a/c isn't great, because there aren't enough vents and the ones there are too small. Also, the windscreen is steeply raked, so the sun pretty much hits the whole interior and the hot air builds up. Also also, you will get engine heat intruding in the cabin when the car is stopped. I would suggest a GTS, but I'm biased and (a) like convertibles and (b) don't care as much for the four-window look on the GTBs. I rarely use the a/c in my 328 GTS -- usually have top off and/or windows down. But I live in San Diego... At the risk of sounding too simplistic, I would say wear lighter clothes when you drive a 308 with the top in place, and don't buy a black GTB. Also, use R12 freon in the system. It costs more, but my 328 a/c blows cold. It doesn't put out the volume of a modern car, but it's OK. I wouldn't take a 355 over a 308 or 328 at this point, for many reasons unrelated to a/c. EDITED per Pippo's comment in next post.
I would only add that when Bull says "freon", Im sure he means R12, and NOT R134a. Freon has come to mean any refrigerant, much like Xerox meant any copier, and Kleenex , any tissue paper. Also, depending on how bad you really want a 308 vs say, another 3x8, you can improve the ac in these cars, I understand, by upgrading the components. The biggest factor here would be a good/high efficiency condenser together with R12. Also, you can use ES 12, which is mostly propane....much more efficient than R134a, and you dont even need to evacuate the system, believe it or not. You just add it in!
Yeah, youre talking about work, but if you really want the car, its doable. And as far as the "flammability" of this propane, dont believe all the Dupont propaganda against propane. Yes, htere is a small risk of this, but not what you might guess. Heck, havnt you heard how the 308's catch fire from other means......LOL!!
I've had my '85 308 QV for about a month now and driven it on a few 100+ days. I had heard how bad the ac was but found it surprisingly effective when I kept the top on. The cabin is small so it doesn't need a lot, but if you can get the vents situated I found it quite livable here in OK. As has been stated already, it is not going to be as effective as ac in many other cars, but it can and will do the job at an acceptible level. Don't let it be a dealbreaker. The 308 is a fantastic car that you don't buy for the air conditioning. PDG
Thank you all for your fast and informative replies. You have all helped me alot. I think I am going to go with a 84-85 GTS (euro prefered), maybe look at the 328GTS while I am at it.
Chris - One more reply if you will... My '83 308 QV has excellent A/C. So good in fact, that I turn it off after just a few minutes because it gets too cold inside. I can run it constantly with no problem, but it isn't necessary. Seriously, it is as good as a new car. I too, live in the Washington, D.C. area. If you visit or call Competizione http://www.competizionecars.com/ , they know my car and can verify as to my testimony about the a/c. They can also recharge your car's a/c system for the same effect, as well as help you find the car you are looking for. Michael
Re propane for ac You are carrying around a good bit of gasoline which, last I heard, was still flammable! (Despite the EPA's attempts to make it almost unusable as fuel! ) Using propane in the cooling system is not nearly as hazardous as that tank of gas and its related lines. I wouldn't hesitate to use propane if it works better than other refrigerants...
My A/C is in perfect working condition. With outside temp 85F+ here in Dallas, it's virtually useless.
I live in Northern VA. My AC works pretty good and if the car starts out cool (i.e. not parked in the sun for an hour) it will maintain a comfortable temperature. Right up to the point where I start worrying about engine temperatures and I shut off the AC to keep the engine comfortable.
