Anybody over 6'1" tall driving a 3x8? | FerrariChat

Anybody over 6'1" tall driving a 3x8?

Discussion in '308/328' started by Mondog1, Dec 31, 2009.

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  1. Mondog1

    Mondog1 F1 Rookie
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    Jul 27, 2006
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    Robert
    Yesterday I had the opportunity to check out a 308 and a 355. I was leaning towards the 308 initially. To make a long story short the car is too small for me. I'm 6'1" and a larger bone build. I sat down in it and started to get familiar with it. I wasn't going out for a test drive, just looking initially. I then wanted to feel the clutch petal to see how stiff it was. I'm looking like an ass since I thought I wow this gas pedal is hard and where the hell is the clutch pedal. The guy points out that the gas pedal is to the far right. Turns out my size 12 shoe was blocking my view of the gas pedal. When I put my foot on the gas it was brushing against the brake pedal.

    Are there any guys out there that drive one of these cars that are taller and larger feet like myself. For me I couldn't consider one of these 3x8 because of a safety factor.

    The 355 I checked out afterwards was night/day different comfort wise and safety wise.
     
  2. Mule

    Mule F1 Rookie
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    Jun 25, 2003
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    I am 6'3" and 190 pounds, and fit in the 328 fine after getting used to it. I have size 13 feet, and wear very thin shoes (usually surf shoes or running shoes). Most normal shoes do hit the brake pedal. Can not put the roof behind the seats. My right shin hits the heater vents.

    Just some modifications and forethought when you go drive, but easy to do, and easier each time. I can not drive a TR, Boxer, or F50 because of my legs, though. Probably some others, but I haven't had the opportunity to see.
     
  3. Newman

    Newman F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner Professional Ferrari Technician

    Dec 26, 2001
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    Im 6'2" 235lbs and find it very comfortable but I need to use driving shoes because a regular shoe is too wide. The shoes make all the difference plus the sole is thin so you can feel the pedals.

    The 308 and 355 are worlds apart in every way so your shoe size shouldnt be a deciding factor before driving one.
     
  4. Steve King

    Steve King F1 Rookie

    Feb 15, 2001
    4,367
    NY
    6'3" at 230# and size 13 shoes. I have no problem and enjoy driving it. Happy New Year
     
  5. Newman

    Newman F1 World Champ
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    Dec 26, 2001
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    Safety lol, I bet your odds of dying are higher in the 355 because of the higher speeds you are likely to explore vs the classic 308. Just jump over to wreckedexotics.com and check out how many 355's are shredded vs 308's that simply had an engine fire due to lack of servicing.
     
  6. FasterIsBetter

    FasterIsBetter F1 Veteran

    Jul 22, 2004
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    Steve W.
    I'm 6'2", 215#, no problem in either the 308 or 328!!
     
  7. ClydeM

    ClydeM F1 World Champ
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    Nov 4, 2003
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    6'3" & 185lbs.
    I fit in the '83 308GTB just fine. Go over a speed bump a little fast & the 1/4" clearance between my head the roof evaporates quickly into a bump - but that's about it.

    I keep the seat all the way back, but the incline is not - it's a few notches up.
    Size 9 shoes keeps my feet on the correct pedals including the dead slot with no problems.

    Getting into or out of is never a graceful event though.
     
  8. CliffBeer

    CliffBeer Formula 3

    Apr 3, 2005
    2,198
    Seattle, Washington
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    Cliff
    6'2" and no problems in my gtsi. Somebody here indicated a few months ago that the gtb has a higher roofline, and consequently better headroom, but I don't know first hand. I just take out the spider top on my gtsi and there's all the headroom I need.....
     
  9. 328turbo

    328turbo Formula Junior

    Jun 15, 2009
    306
    nyc
    just about th same size same here. i use very thin sneakers as well. i have to admit, getting in and out is a little tough, but i love the seating position. however, when the roof is stowed behind the seat my head sticks out a bit and makes me feel a bit like a fool looking for attention!! the roof stays in the garage when not in use. haha
     
  10. Paul_308

    Paul_308 Formula 3

    Mar 12, 2004
    2,345
    I have shoe issues (308 or Porche) and started a thread and found it's not an uncommon problem.

    Bottom line...I've learned which shoes I can and can't drive in, light-weight loafers work best for me but I'm still looking for that perfect Puma or Piloti.
     
  11. 328turbo

    328turbo Formula Junior

    Jun 15, 2009
    306
    nyc
    my pumas have the prancing horse on the heel!!
     
  12. judge4re

    judge4re F1 World Champ

    Apr 26, 2003
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    Tod's work very well (and you can spend extra to get the cavallino rampante on it), not a huge fan of Ferragamo's driving shoe. Bang for the buck, Clark's has some great driving shoes which have enough support in them that you can actually walk around all day in them.
     
  13. etip

    etip Formula 3

    Apr 4, 2004
    2,406
    Washington State
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    Eric
    I'm 6'2, size 12 shoe. I fit fine in my GTSi, but... my head does rub the roof. I tilt the seat back, but still just hit it. It's not a big deal, but I DO touch it.

    As everyone else has said, you'll need some driving specific shoes to fit in the pedal cluster or you will hit all the wrong pedals.
     
  14. Artvonne

    Artvonne F1 Veteran

    Oct 29, 2004
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    #14 Artvonne, Dec 31, 2009
    Last edited: Dec 31, 2009
    I am 6' 7/8", and I probably have the widest feet of anyone. Only 11's, but they are a so wide they go past 4E on the foot scale thingy at the shoe store, so I usually have to go up to an 11 1/2, 12, 13...just to find something wide enough. Puma's are nice, but they are all narrow and I cant really wear them unless I find 12's, then they look like flippers.


    Cant drive a 308? First time I sat in my friend Georges 308 GTSi, I thought I was done. Like you, my legs seemed about a foot too long, and my feet seemed like sheets of plywood, just getting hung up down there in the pedals. And like you I came back to the web and asked about it. You really have to go back and try it again, and re-learn how to drive.

    It sounds silly, but its true. Its just not a car that was made to fit everyone all stretched out like we all got used to. Its not just that its Italian, it was meant to be a small nimble sports car with racing heritage. Cars like that are all small. You have to assume the Gorilla posture. Bend your knees outward a bit and keep moving around until you find the right place. Then youll have to re-learn how to shift and clutch again, while feeling all claustrophobic inside that little car with no outward vision and those tiny mirrors, paranoid in traffic you dont F up and they laugh at you.... Most fun I have ever had with a machine short of flying!

    Some weeks later George invited me to try driving his car, and this time I took off my big goofy tennis shoes and drove in my socks. That helped a lot. And later yet, when I got to drive it some 50 or 60 miles on twisty hilly roads, I fell in love with it. So dont get dishearted, youll fit.

    You may however want to look at a GTB. They do have a bit more leg and head room. I dont really think I could drive a GTS with the top on and not feel completely crammed into the car, though others here disagree. But the GTB is downright roomy by comparison IMHO. You also need to know that the steering column is adjustable via cross bolts under the dash. You cant move it a lot, but you can get it up and back enough (toward you) to work okay. Some have installed spacers behind the steering wheel to push the wheel back at you, that helps. You should also make sure the seat tracks are free to slide all the way back. My two cars didnt and I had to fix them, and maybe the one you tried could use some attention, but its important to get full travel. They get a bit dirty and rusty after 30 years.

    Have fun!
     
  15. Sledge4.2

    Sledge4.2 F1 Rookie

    Oct 19, 2007
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    6'-1, 215lbs. 308 fits me like a leather glove. I actually find a better driving poistion scooting the seat forward a shade. I dont like to drive with the top as it too tight feeling.
     
  16. DGS

    DGS Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    #16 DGS, Jan 1, 2010
    Last edited: Jan 1, 2010
    +1

    6'4" and (was) 195 lb, and I find the 328 quite comfortable with the top on.

    It wasn't like that at first. I've driven a 308 with the top off (and out of the car), and felt that it was a bit tight. I bought a 328 and had trouble finding a way to keep my knees from banging.

    Once I shifted position to heel and toe, everything dropped into place -- it just fit like a glove, that way.

    The seats don't look like they're all the way back when they are. They're angled slightly, since the pedal board is closer to the centerline than the middle of your seat. (To clear the front wheel well.)
    It takes a little getting used to driving while sitting slightly angled to the vehicle direction. But it's not that hard after a while.

    One thing that annoys me is that, if I put the T-top behind the seats the way shown in the manual (exterior facing forward), then I have to readjust all the mirrors, as the seat back gets pushed forward. I also find my forehead uncomfortably close to the top of the windscreen frame. So I tend to stow the t-top "backwards" (interior forward). The passenger seat still gets pushed forward, but it gives the driver seat more room. (Somebody really needs to make a top with a piano hinge down the middle for these cars.)

    I wear calfskin moccasins for driving, to avoid catching the soles on pedal edges, and for better pedal feel. I also keep a shoehorn in the car, when I need to change from "outdoor" to "driving" shoes.

    A 3x8 seems pretty cramped, when you first shift from a larger vehicle. If you're used to an SUV, it'll be quite a shock. (The handling will be a shock, too.)
    But as you get used to it, you acclimate.

    One thing I don't "get", are the people who only drive their F-cars on rare special occasions -- They never really get a feel for the car.

    The more you drive it, the more you get used to both the interior and the handling, and the more enjoyment you get out of driving it.
     
  17. twright

    twright Karting

    May 15, 2005
    225
    Indianapolis USA
    #17 twright, Jan 1, 2010
    Last edited: Jan 1, 2010
    I just bought a 1091 308 GTBi and I am 6' 6" tall (190 lbs). I also have a size 14 shoe. I could barely drive it home because my leg would get stuck between the shifter and the steering wheel. But I have discovered a couple of things that make it quite drivable, even if its not as roomy as a Cadillac Escalade:

    1.) The steering wheel is adjustable! Take off the small cover below the steering column and loosen the two 13mm nuts. Move the steering wheel up.

    2.) A 50 mm (2 inch) spacer between the steering column and the steering wheel will give you a lot more room, also.

    It will still be tight inside, even with these two modifications. But these modifications are certainly easier than any surgical modifications that I could have had done to my legs!
     
  18. DonJuan348

    DonJuan348 F1 Rookie
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    Aug 5, 2008
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    don't know how you guys do it. I'm 6'2 210 and mi 348 is tight . If the dead pedal was not so high it would be more comfortable.

    I found the 328 to be too tight. I'm ready to trade mine for a 360 just to have more room
     
  19. Hans

    Hans F1 Veteran

    Feb 17, 2006
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    #19 Hans, Jan 1, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    The GT4 is SOOOOOOOOOOO much roomier than the GTB/GTS!!!

    6'4" and 220 lbs. Size 11 shoes. Always driving bare-footed. The GT4 is VERY roomy. Even more so than my 3 series BMW. My (now ex) girlfriend's 328 GTS, I couldn't live with. With the roof off and stored in the garage, it is bearable. Otherwise it's torture. I could never feel what that car is doing because of the silly angle I'm sitting/laying in. I really didn't care to drive that 328 or be a passenger in it.

    Again, the GT4 is VASTLY more roomy. A foot wider and all the legroom and headroom that you could wish for.

    Plus it's so much better looking....
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  20. Hans

    Hans F1 Veteran

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    #20 Hans, Jan 1, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Note the diffrerence in width.

    Really, driving in the GT4, it's hard to put your elbow in the open window. It's just too far away. In the GTS, it's hard to turn the steering wheel since you're hitting the door all the time...
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  21. RAMMER

    RAMMER Formula 3

    Feb 20, 2004
    1,187
    Miami
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    I am 6'1, 300 pounds, size 13 eee shoe. I dont need the seat all the way back but I do recline the seat for head room. There is plenty of leg room and the pedals are fine as long as you dont wear bulky shoes. The gear lever in 1st gear rubs against my thigh but you are are hradly ever on 1st for long. After a while the car fits like a glove and everything comes automatically. I had sat in 308s and 328s and I thought they were a tight fit....it kept me from buying one. It was only after I got to sit in one for a halve hour that I realized I fit. You have to play with the seat and remember the gear lever is almost never in first!

    That said I would not like to drive one every day.....3-5000 miles a year is just fine!
     
  22. akimmel

    akimmel Karting

    Aug 13, 2009
    189
    Dallas, TX
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    Art Kimmel
    I am 6'4" 220lbs and it's much more enjoyable with the top off - except for looking at traffic lights. I understand that the 355s fit you better because the wallet that you sit on is MUCH thinner.
    Happy New Year!
     
  23. Neroqv

    Neroqv Rookie

    May 8, 2004
    2
    Yorba Linda, CA
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    Craig Griffin
    I am 6'3", 230 lbs. have size 13 feet, and love my 328 GTS. Just take the top off the car, your shoes off your feet, and drive.

    One trick I have learned is to put the top behind the seats with the interior of the roof facing the seats and the latches on the bottom. Shift the roof to the left of center, so that the curve goes around the drivers seat, and move the passenger seat forward so it does not interfere with the roof. That way you can rake the driver's seat as far back as you like.

    Of course, you really don't need a roof at all. One time I got hit with a sudden thundershower while on the freeway with the roof off. Although the rain was coming down fairly hard, the airflow of the car kept the water from coming in. (If I would have hit traffic, though, I would have been in big trouble.)

    Too many people do too much worrying before buying their first Ferrari. Stop worrying and buy a well-maintained 328. I have had mine for over three years now and put about 10k miles on it (now at 73k). It is very reliable and a heck of a lot of fun (especially when you pull it to redline with a stainless steel exhaust) The 328 is much cheaper to maintain than a 348, and unlike some 308s, does not overheat in heavy traffic on a hot day or have rust issues. (Of course, 348 and 308 owners will, as evidenced by numerous other threads, disagree on model choice.)
     

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