Some of you had asked me for my initial comparison in regards to my 355 and the recent purchase of a 360 (both spiders) First of all the most noticeable for me is the view from the drivers seat. The 360 has very defined front wheel arches that remind me of the view sitting in my brother in laws Dino GTS. Not sure if anybody has noticed this before but I think its pretty cool. The 360 spider top is a dream compared to the 355 top, one button to press and automatic latching. Also the 360 has substantially more power. It really slams you back into the seat..more so than the 355. HOWEVER.......the engine sound of the 355 is unmatched. I honestly dont think you can duplicate the screaming sound from a 355 under full throttle. These are my initial thoughts.......
True about the windscreen view of the front wings being reminiscent of the Dinos view. The 308/328s are the same. Yes the roof of the 360 spider is fantastic in terms of ease of use, its so cool to use The whole interea feels altogether more refined. I have to disagree with the 360 power being "substantially" more than a 355s, its only about 10 BHP i believe. To me Substantially more power can be said of the 355 over say the 328. Though i initially thought the same when i first had my 360 last year. Now i have got used to it and still own a 355 i can tell you the margin is quite small though distinctive. Drive safely and enjoy.
It's not the hp difference you feel, it is the torque. The 360 as significantly more torque, as that was the plan.
Oh yes the whole 7 ft lbs extra ( F355 363 Nm / 268 ft lbs V F360 373 N·m 275 ft ibs) and at lower revs,my bad as they say Still does not feel significantly faster to me. But i am planning to take them out over the next couple of days so i will try and convince my self to think otherwise
Not to rain on anyones fun parade but if the 360 breaks down half as much as a 355 I'd buy one if it had 250hp......Ask me how I really feel!
I like the 360 but the perfomance difference is marginal especially aince I have a 95 355B which has more power than later 355s plus with the bosch 2.7 you can run straight by pass pipes with no error codes thus not needing the high flow cats which still create back pressure, 360s do feel much bigger as they are
I believe the 360 numbers are around a 12.6 quarter mile vs the 355's 12.9. Not a significant difference, but I do agree that the improved torque makes the 360 more drivable. It just makes sense.
It's not just the max torque numbers, it is the area under the curve. The peak torque of the 360 is some 1500 rpms lower, and it is fatter all the way down. It is the feel at 3000 rpms, where the 360 makes significantly more torque, even though both cars are below peak (something like 200 foot pounds in the 360 vs 150 for the 355). The performance numbers are not that different, because in testing you keep both cars up in the zone. But that is not the same as the "feel" driving around.
Do you feel like the front end of the 360 is lighter and fidgety in comparison to the 355? To me they (360's) feel less like a go-kart than the 355 and def. lighter in the steering and front end feel. How do you feel about the lines of the 360 compared to the 355? I have driven 360 F1 Spiders, an F1 Coupe, a 6speed Spider and a CS. The 6speed spider I drove had a really nice feel to the shifter and clutch...shorter throws and smoother/less notchy than my 355's box. The CS was perfect.
Hmmm...well we need another opinion. I'll stop by your place and drive them both to help with the analysis
I would say yes that the 355 feels more like a go cart...... Havent driven the 360 enough yet to be able to comment on the lighter front end feel of the 360. As far as the lines go I think the 355 GTS/GTB look nicer than my 355 spider. I chose spiders because in Ohio we dont get that much nice weather...so I wanted to takle advantage of it whenever possible. 355 vs 360 lines? I honestly like them both, Im a big fan of the 360 headlights and the upper engine scoops but Im also a big fan of the side profile of the 355's. I will say that I need to do something in regards to my 360 exhaust sound, it doesnt compare to my 355
BS!!!! You wouldn't drive a go-kart with 250hp. You'd be calling..."Hey, can you get a supercharger for this turd?"
........... I drove a 360 and it had a bit more mid-range power than my 355. IMO due to the variable length intake runners and the active exhaust cam timing ......... but the 360's top end acceleration was definately not enough to give up my hair gel for a jelly bean ............... here is a video for reference ....... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urm67bsGZSY
i prefer the 360 because i like my cars like i like my women...curvy also,i've never been a fan of flip headlights...boring down and ugly up
Keep us posted. I find the comparisons very interesting, as I was thinking of a 360 in the future. Thanxs
........ unlike women ............. headlights is not a big factor on how attractive a car is ...............