355 front springs

Fabspeed headers

 

Are you sure they did not just lower the car by using the adjustible spring perches?

 

The factory measures off suspension points from below...fender gap can be less accurate. OEM springs are going to be expensive, if you can find them. I would suggest considering H&R springs, which manufactures them specifically for the F355 application. I will warn you that lower will cause your bumper to catch on stuff more frequently, so you definitely will want to add some aftermarket skid plates. Your under trays will take a beating as well. I have had my car for close to 10 years. After having the under trays repaired once, then the bumper replaced, I decided to have my ride height checked, and it was found to be about 2 cm lower in front that spec, and about 5mm low in back. Had it all raised back correctly...may not look great, but greatly reduced scraping. Seattle streets are in very poor condition. My fender gap is around 3", with suspension set up at factory correct ride height.

Be aware that it is common for the stock front F355 springs to take a set and sag. Most F355s suffer from this and why many F355s appear lowered, when no one has touched the adjustment. I had to have mine raised in the front as it sagged a bit more a few years later, after being adjusted 4 years ago.

 

My wheel arch/fender to tyre is dictated via my ride hight to floor measurement.
My lower wishbone bolt ( center) to floor measurements are.
158mm front & 180mm rear.
Measuring from the same points as you have in your picture, today. This gives a fender to tyre measurement of.
45mm ( just less than 2in) front & 50mm (2in) rear.
The springs i use are the superformance springs. These are longer than standard springs fitted so i adjusted the platforms for the correct ride hights. Which FYI are 9mm from the bottom of the threads at the rear, and not far from standard at the front.
Unfortunatley i scraped a set of my standard springs last winter.

 

I used the same method of measurement as you used in your photo. My car was set up at Ferrari of Seattle to be right on the money using the specifications out of the factory workshop manual, just a little over a year ago. Your car is likely already lower than specification....most F355 are, as I previously stated, the front springs are known to take a set. The only way to know for certain if your car is too high or not, is to park on a flat surface, and take measurements from the ground to the suspension points noted in the WSM (center of bolt on the wishbones as stated by Dino Chang). I am traveling this week and don't have access to my copy of the WSM...someone here may able to post the correct specifications for ride height.

If you wish to lower the car, entirely up to you.

 

That would really depend on whether Dino Chang is using the factory ride height settings, or simply one that is his preference.

 

Mine was just set up by Ferrari of Atlanta. Measured at the fender well, I'm getting about 3" with brand new super sports.

 

Factory = Front 162-171mm
Rear 182-191mm

Mine = Front 158mm
Rear 180mm

My Fender gap = 45mm front
50mm Rear

In case you don't know F129b, 3 turns of the spring platform equals 5mm up or down.

 

It will, but that is the "correct" setting per the Workshop Manual. As I previously stated, I measured, based on the example you photographed, so I mimicked that.
I just got tired of scraping everywhere, and catching the undertrays on stuff. I am very careful too...so it just got to me that with such care, I was still having issues.

It is up to the individual if they prefer a slightly lower nose, whether for aesthetic or performance reasons. I know at my dealer, they say for tracking, some of their clients prefer the nose dropped on the F355 10 to 15mm as it reduces lift at speed.

 

As is mine, As i also did, its there for every one to see. Apart from the front which is 4mm lower, my set up falls into the factory specs and are "correct" (as are yours). However my car is no were near 3 inch, and i think i may have a theory as to why.
Clearly there is an 11mm margin between the lowest and the highest, so maybe a higher car has been set to the highest point of the factory spec.
Its also clear that there is a seated difference between the factory springs and the various types of after market springs on the market. As stated mine are the uprated superformance units.
Finaly, could there be a marginal difference between the various tyre profiles out there? Factory settings were set around standard factory spec tyres. I am running 235/40/18 front & 295/35/18 rear (Pirelli P zero).
Shame no one else has thrown there own measurements in the mix to help f129b out.

 

I'm running standard suspension, wheels and tyres.

My car was at the dealer less than six months ago so is more than likely at factory standard spec.
I just measured the "tyre to fender" gap, and without being too anal about it it seems to be about 60-65mm.

In some pics it appears high, and in others it appears nice and low.
In a perfect world I'd like it maybe 10-15mm lower, but as I already occasionally scrape the front I don't think I'll bother.
I do have the Hill Engineering plates on, thank goodness.