No, it probably can. Fix/adjust/tune the shifting so it is as good as the internals of the transmission allow, then, learn how to shift it properly, or, dig into the gear box and fix what need fixing in there. I learned on an XKE crash box (no synchros) double declutching up and down the box.
Occasionally when going into 1st gear the transmission will actually be in 3rd gear. I put the 348 on the lift to check the shift cables up front. Surprised to find what I think was a rats nest. Cleaned the sunflower seeds out, and the shifter moves more smooth, but still has the missed gear issue. Image Unavailable, Please Login It feels like the shift cables are just bias towards the higher gear. Is there a good guide to adjusting the shifter cables? The front cable nuts looked tight, clean, but the cables were slightly offset. I didn't open up the back end of the shifter cables yet because I was sure cleaning out the nest would solve all my problems. I could use some advice on tuning before going back on the lift. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Here's a spanner in the works question I've been pondering . Does the second gear or the transmission in general gets markedly better in a GTS or GTB or competzione. If so, I'd be willing to buy . Thanks
The transmission was pretty much the same in every important way for the entire production run. It still pursued the old Ferrari design methodology used since the early 308s and used in all cars through the 348/TR/Mondial series. They had heavy, large and sturdy gears with conventional design syncros made of iron instead of brass. Also the 348 and Mondial t used a cable shifter which was not a complete success and combined to make a transmission many complained about. They are old enough at this point many have been poorly fixed, poorly maintained and possibly bad cables so many do not work as well as they should. Reason I asked at the beginning if the OP had driven any others. Without a basis of comparison it is impossible to know if any singular car is right, or a victim of time and poor repairs. 355 and newer cars mostly went away from cable shifting and went to an entirely different design philosophy correcting the reasons for much of the dissatisfaction of prior cars. To this day I personally consider the 355 in proper order one of the very beast shifting manual transmission cars ever built.
Ferraris have never had great gearboxes. In fact they are the only ones consistently subject to varying performance with different gear oils. Don't forget, besides proper adjustment, the gear oils can have surprisingly positive results.
Thank you for thinking about this and your thoughtful reply. Yes, exactly. When first setting off (cold) or an hour into a drive (hot) Yeah, I have mostly the same experience except I tend to use 2nd gear when setting off. I can drive the car w/o first honestly. The issue with 2nd is, as you said, shifting into it when cold. I always double clutch and rev-match. Agree. Thank you. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
What do you like? Or are you suggesting different cars get on better with different oils? Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
Welp, this whole “I get to be obnoxious because I have experience” personality some people have is something I’ve experienced many times professionally, and when I was young I thought it was cool, but I have the experience now to no longer admire it. Want to impress me? Be talented and kind.
We all have our 1st go to’s. Some like redline some like M1. Try different ones until you find what your box likes best. Gear oils are not magic but can make quite a nice difference in Ferrari boxes. I never believed it until I tried it myself going all the way back to my 308 in the late 70’s
