Any 355 owners here had a 430 and gone back to their 355. I have a 355 spider and my dealer has offered me a lovely 430, the exact spec I would want. My 355 is a cracker though and I'm worried I'm going to regret if if I let her go!
I would ONLY consider getting rid of a 355 if you had a gated F430 spider with the steel brakes.. SUPER RARE, and the last of the gated cars (or so they say) IMHO CG
Cost of repair is in the hundreds Vs thousands, both totally overkill for street use and steel is totally adequate for normal track use.
I had a 355 spider stick and I traded it in a few years ago for a 430 spider stick with steel brakes. The sweet sound of the 355 is like nothing else and it may be something that you'll miss. I've gotten used to the much more powerful sound of the 430 (with Capristo headers and always open exhaust valves) and now don't miss my 355. The 355 is a super fun car to drive but the 430 is just sooo solid. I do on occasion, look at 355's for sale on-line, but I know I wouldn't pull the trigger on one. I also have to say that my 355 was the only car that I felt a little sad letting go, and seeing it go kind of dampened the initial excitement of getting the 430. Good luck in whatever you decide!
I went from 355 to the F430 and don't regret one minute of it. Only thing is the F1 sound. That is unique to the 355. But once the valves open on an F430...wow! No looking back. CCM brakes are far superior to the steel brakes. Only expensive to repair if somehow you manage to damage a rotor. Otherwise the rotors should last a lifetime. But I agree, unless you track your car, you really don't need. Mine just happened to come with them. The F1 system in the F430 is also so much more refined. So much less clunky than that of the 355 and more reliable. I would say do it. But I am biased
Thanks for your replies guys. I have just put a capristo sound 3 on my 355 and LOVE it! As you said the 430 I am looking at is a manual spider in the same colour combination as my 355 - red, crema! But will I miss the F1 howl!? I'm stuck! Here in the UK it's difficult to find good 355s without paying £55k up wards!
I had a 355 B, then a 360, back to a 355 spider and never plan to sell it, 360/430 better in so many ways but 355's are just so special. I will have another 360 or 430 but wouldn't sell the 355 to buy it, I am sure you will love the 430, feels much quicker as torque is so much better, regards Scott,
The F430 is a much faster and more capable car in driving fast than the F355. The improvements in stability, cornering traction, power, and functionality of the F1 transmission are significant. The sensation of speed is much more in the F355 in comparison to the F430. In the F355, you will be struggling and fighting to keep in the > 5000rpm power band, repeatedly rev match downshifting into 2nd, and will have the throttle pedal all the way to the floor and you will feel like you are really hauling as the sound of the Capristo 3 is howling and bouncing off of the canyon walls, as everyone around you is smiling for the wonderful sounds that you are creating. While your driving companion in the F430 F1 is following you with no problem in 3rd gear, bored to death in the relatively quieter cabin , never braking as much as you do, not even breaking a sweat, and playing the radio to be able to keep him awake. You will be at 9/10ths to the F430's 6/10ths while traveling at the same speed. When the f430 driver wants to go 9/10ths then good luck in keeping up with him. Both cars are fast enough for the street, but the F430 is that much faster! Does this make the F430 the more enjoyable car? Many people would answer, no. The F355 pushes so many buttons and makes the hair on the back of your neck stand at 8500 rpm. The car is just perfectly beautiful, aging very well. The F430 is just much faster.
Great post Albert, so true! The 355 is a very, very special car and I wouldn't replace mine with a 430, but may add one somewhere down the line.
Last Friday, I took my F355 spider with the top down into the tunnel underneath the toll booth of the Golden Gate bridge. I blipped the throttle midway through just for half a second, and the amplification of the noise by the tunnel was so intoxicating that when I emerged on the other side, people were looking and waving at me expecting Mario Andretti to emerge instead of little old me. I am happy to drive my F355 at 9/10s compared to 6/10 for the 430.
If you liked that, try the Bunker Road Tunnel into the Marin Headlands... If you haven't done it already it's a small single lane "one-way" tunnel that is about 1/4 mile. Sounds INSANE in my Berlinetta, can't imagine what it's like in a spider.
Maybe I should not be posting on this thread, because I don't like how the 430 looks at all ... .... but since I have a few moments and I love the 355, I'm gonna post anyway ..... IMO without spending 3-4 times as much .... there is nothing better than a sorted 355 on the planet!! NOTHING!!!! With the right bolt on mods the 355s HP can be brought up to most modern super-car standards ..... the 355 has the best of two Ferrari production eras ......... it has the last and IMO best of the classic styling ... with the first great leap in modern engine technology ...... from the record breaking 108 HP per liter, the exotic titanium rods, to its F1 inspired 5 valves per cylinder, topped off with an aural 8,750 RPM limit ...... the 355, then and now ...... is without a doubt, a living legend .....
There is nothing, I mean nothing like the sound of a 355 revving to red line. The 430 sounds much louder and has an angry growl, but it's nowhere near as sweet as a 355. The 430 is much quicker and much more solid than a 355, but if you love the sound of a 355 (and who doesn't), you will miss it.
I have both. I wld say its a lot like the e30 m3 versus the e46. you own them for different reasons. im taking the 355 to the grave with me. cant say that for the 430 but its a fun car.
