Do 355s have kind of weak mid-range?

if it was the first time either of you have driven a 355.. then your findings are correct more or less. this is the common opinion after first time test drives.


the 355 is high revving but not much torque.. so to get the most out of it.. requires keeping the rpms higher.. in the 4k+ rpm range.. before making a full throttle pull..

but once you get used to driving the car (there is a learning curve), the 355 is a very rewarding car to drive, and will quickly forget its shortcoming in the lower rpm range..

 

I don't feel that at all but as Tony said you need to keep the revs up. It's rare that I shift under 5K - usually 7-8K.

 

weak mid range? lack of instantaneous response to the throttle?
No.....maybe the car you were driving had issues.

 

weak bottom range, yes. Weak midrange, no.

 

Most cars are quitting at 5K RPMs. Ferraris are just getting started.

 

Ahhhhhh.......
The glorious sound of a 355 at 8000 rpm
Talk about a sweet spot.

 

Also they have unusually long throttle travel which can encourage this sense by not letting them get near full throttle

 

+1. It just get a bit of getting used to.

 

Some here will say yes, some will say no, it all depends on what you are comparing it to.

IF your coming from other low displacement, naturally aspirated engines, then no, the 355 is pretty peppy.

If you're used to America V8s, etc. Then yes, the 355 is quite lacking in the low end. All my previous toys, CTS-V, Z06, camaro and my current E55 etc would light the tires up in in 1st, 2nd and in the case of the cts-v, even in 3rd at 60 mph in the 3000-4500rpm range. Can my 355 do that? not a chance. Having said that, i still like the 355 the best lol.

keep the RPMs above 6K

 

The E36 M3 was tuned for low end torque, and it is a straight 6 with larger pistons. The 355 is tuned for high end power so those are very different cars. Above 5K RPM, the 355 will trample all over the E36 M3.

Different cars...

 

Gearing might play a role here, Tommy. My e36 M3 track car has a shorter final drive so it's pretty punchy in the midrange but even with stock gearing the 96- e36 M3s were skewed toward torque so they probably still have a powerband/gearing advantage over the 355, which *might* help explain what you felt. Might be worth running the numbers on both car's gears if you're interested.

If you or your friend are considering purchasing the car there are plenty of reasons to bite the bullet and pony up for a comprehensive PPI, including compression and (perhaps) leakdown numbers.

 

We need to change your username to Mitch Rocks

Rock n roll

 

I agree with Mike on what gear you are in... that is pretty important. Then anything 4,500 up the car comes "alive"... especially the '95's...

I kid... maybe

Robb

 

Show me any naturally aspirated engine of 3.5 litres that has the grunt of a 6.0-7.0 litre engine ! On the other hand, the last time the Americans did a 7.0 litre engine it only made 505 HP while the half sized 355 engine makes 380 HP. 75% the power from 1/2 the size.

 

That's not a fair comparison...

 

Well, to be fair, with 8750 fuel cutoff what do we consider mid range? (because 2500 isn't it)

Should be very responsive and hit hard at 5k rpm. Low end, which I would say is under 4k with this engine is a bit soft but well worth the trade off for the high rpm power IMO.

A friend drove my car once and was driving it like his mustang, rolling on the throttle hard from 2k-5k and it felt dog slow. Switched seats and banged through the gears at 8700, it's a completely different car.

The one you drove could have some issues, cam timing, damaged cats, low fuel pressure, inoperable bypass, among others. Not sure if the seller would agree but you could always run it on a chassis dyno to give you an idea if it's in the ballpark of correct, or not.

 

Please don't miss my statement: "...Having said that, i still like the 355 the best lol"

It was very common internet criticism... anytime there was an Z06 review, people would chime in about the displacement, or liter to hp ratio, poking fun that it took the americans 427ci to get the same HP that [Fill in any European manufacture] got out for 3.8L o 3.5l etc...

Pointless

I dont care if an engines has 1.2L or 14.0L .. it comes down to the numbers it puts out.

Example
My Z06: 7.0L, 505hp/470 TQ, My actual MPG 24-35, Reliable and maintenance free for 200k+ miles
My 355, 3.5L, 375hp /268 TQ, My actual MPG 10-17, And we all know about the maintenance and reliability.
Even a 993 TT,: 3.6L, 408 hp/ 398 TQ, MPG 11-17
An and era equivalent, F430: 4.3L, 490hp / 340 TQ MPG 11-16

So what the point of having a small displacement if it if doesn't get you anything like fuel economy?

 

Agreed that specific output isn't everything. Weight vs power is another to consider but can't mention LS7 and 200k+ maintenance free when so many have dropped valves catastrophically.

I wouldn't say they are -all- affected, but after seeing them come apart for cams at our shop on a daily basis, I wouldn't own one without replacing the valves and guides. (we do on all of them).

Also, if we are talking on track reliability, I don't put much faith in a "dry sump" system designed as if it were wet sump, with a huge open oil pan and a single scavenge stage. (increasing the external sump size over the years tried to compensate for but didn't fix that problem).

Don't get me wrong, I love the C6Z. No longer have it but I bought one new. Great car but like most, it's not without it's flaws.

 

My understanding was it was just a few 2008 with valve issues.
My roof de-laminated lol, but no engine issues whatsoever, many track days


Hp/weight is a huge factor, however the z06 was actually pretty light at 3130hp, basically the same as a 355

 

It's well know that many cars have more HP than a 355, especially modern Corvettes.

But, Ferrari is about passion from the entire package. I owned a 96 Vette. For the money it was a great car. But, my 355 smokes it in every way. The Vet (in comparison) was a boring car - dime a dozen.

A 355 is a road going race car. The people that own them truly understand what makes them special.

 

Sounds like there's a very real possibility that something is indeed wrong. Do get it checked out by someone who really knows 355s before plunking down any $$.

Good luck and let us know what you find. You might consider posting the VIN in this section to see if anyone knows the car.

 

New Ferrari owner here and the one thing I found out is you have to really depress the throttle to get the engine to rev. If you are just pushing it down a little expecting the revs you won't get them.