I'm wondering if I should replace my springs & shock absorbers as part of my next major coming up? Do the shocks ever go bad if they are not leaking? Even if the springs sag over time is there any adjustment that could be made to compensate? My intent is to have the ride height & rake front to back set at the factory specs. The car is already low enough, I don't want to make it any lower. Has anyone done this an noticed any difference in ride quality? I intend to take it to the track this summer.
I had DeltaVee rebuild my shocks during my last major and it made a big difference. Just had rear springs replaced before our Fall Foliage Tour this year and that helped as well.
Springs sag over time. F355 can simply turn the spring perches to raise the car back to spec. 348s can install spacer washers in the spring towers. Shocks can go bad without leaking.
Did you also notice a difference between the normal and sport setting (I'm talking about the 355)? I never noticed much of a difference.
So if there is enough adjustment room on the 355, then no need to replace the springs? (I know nothing about this stuff, but want the car to be perfect, and I hope to be able to experience a better ride quality, even w/ my less than talented professional driving abilities )
The only reason to put in new springs is if you want a different spring rate. You can get the car set a factory ride height with a ride height and corner weighting adjustment (which is followed by an caster, camber, toe alignment.) The mechanic will end up charging you from 4hr-6hr to do this job.
Thanks for the info, I plan on getting the shocks rebuilt and do all the adjustments you mentioned. Cheers!
I just spoke w/ Rob at Delta Vee and he told he something very cool that I did not know about the 355. He said that there are vertical and lateral accelerometers that along w/ throttle position and car speed are used to create a 3D mapping program that continuously adjusts the shock damping. I previously thought that there were only 2 positions for the shocks sport and normal. How cool is that? He said that this was the most sophisticated suspension system on any road car at the time. That along w/ the F1 system makes these cars truly special!
Let us know how it affects the ride after all is said and done. Dampers (shocks) lose effectiveness gradually so it's not obvious that the car feels different, but it becomes very obvious when you install fresh ones. About the only way to know for sure is to have them dynoed to see how they compare with new, but if you're going to that effort it probably makes sense to freshen them up anyway if they haven't been done recently.
You should be very happy with the result once Rob gets them rebuilt. It really helped my car be much more planted. I second the need for checking the bushings, had to have mine redone in September, the cars are getting older and it is definitely hot in the engine compartment.
I will definitely check and replace the bushings also let you know how it went. I'm looking forward to an entirely new feel.
The WSM states that the damping is speed (MPH) controlled with two maps, one map in the comfort position, the other map in the sport position.
Maybe. From personal experience: I have twice, over my 10 year ownership of a 1997 F355 Spider, had to have the car raised on the spring perches to get the car to the correct height due to spring sag. During the second adjustment (at around 58k miles) Ferrari of Seattle warned me that the front shocks were out of adjustment and I was still about 3 or 4mm low (not a big deal). The rear still had sufficient adjustment available. As Mitch states, it can be a 4 to 6 hour labor charge to get it set up correctly. Raising the car requires shock removal, or you risk galling/stripping the threads on the aluminum shock bodies....thus the extra labor time needed to do it right. Be aware that the great majority of F355s have been adjusted (or simply sagged) to the point that they are at least 15mm lower than factory already. If you raise it to stock height, it may look weird with the large fender gap. I had some steep driveways to negotiate near my home, so wanted the stock height. (surprisingly no issues with the 430 Scuderia) FoS told me they set up F355s for track use with the front 10mm to 15mm lower than stock to improve aerodynamics and reduce high speed lift. Due to concern what I would do the in the future if the car continued to sag, I bought a set of used factory oem F355 springs with only 14k miles on them. Sold the car a couple years ago...going to sell the springs now that I don't need them. I will make a listing in the ads section
BTW, if the car is a "keeper" and you intend to track it, I would definitely consider having the shocks serviced by DeltaVee. I always thought the F355 is under damped and could use some help there.
Frank, If you are in colo why not make a trip to see DaveHelms of SRI fame. Why reinvent the wheel. If you want to track the car but still still drive on the street much needs to be done for gas and oil reliability to have painless fun. Everything needs consideration from tire selection to shocks to alignment. Dave has been there done that and still doing it. He has got the knowledge and it is as close as Boulder, Colo.. You can figure it out yourself but it takes real interest and time with a few mistakes along the way. You can avoid all that with the right guy.
FYI, He moved to Erie CO just east of Boulder. I used him when I first got the car. He went through everything including getting rid of the Fabspeed headers for the proper heat shielded 4-2-1 OEM ones. I got the gold kit, hoses, hyperflows, top to bottom major, etc, etc. In the 7 years since I have not had 1 single problem, the car has been rock solid reliable. He did a fantastic job overhauling everything. I think this time I'd like to tackle the springs & shocks myself though. Cheers
OK then here is your starter list: 1) shocks out to DeltaVee. I have used him too for 348 racecar. Very good product and service 2) Tires! I don't think there is a good street tire. I hate them all. YMMV but tires should be new or near new not unused 7 y/o p-zeros. if you are only driving dry days a cr@p DOT race tire like R-888 is a pretty good choice for street/track. It might not be legal to run a R888 on the street. Do your homework. You can't use a good DOT racetire like Hoosier A7 because it is just too much like racing slicks but somehow DOT legal but Hoosier says you can't run them on the street. Yeah sort of a double standard. 3)get corner balanced and track aligned at oem rideheight 4)all fluids should be current. don't run old brake fluid that you are going to beat on and change after the trackday. have good fluids in the car 5) bleed your brakes and if more than 1yr flush the brakes with all new fluid. Fluid does not need to be exotic. Exotic fluids mask underlying brake problems of marginal systems. You are better off fixing the problem than masking it in the long run 6) prep the car so your trackside tools are a lawnchair, wheel lug torque wrench, 1qt of oil, and a tire guage.
