Gearshift lever too long?

Is it just me or is the 328 gear lever really too long? I have never really got used to the wide travel when shifting, especially the right hand movement when shifting from 1st to 2nd. I have never driven any other car with as long a throw.
Has anyone fitted a shorter gearshift to reduce the throw? I might look for a secondhand lever and try it, keeping the original for reversion.

 

They were shorter up until 1980 when Ferrari made them taller. You can retro fit a shorter lever from a carbed 308 into an injected one. I am assuming the same is true for the 328.

 

Really? I thought they were all the same length. You learn something new every day! I'll have to check it out at next Saturday's car gathering. The carb'd 308 shifter seems to be the perfect length.

 

thats the first i have heard of anybody not liking the stock 328 shift knob set up.,.,,i love mine ,,and dont ever think twice about it.,,its in perfect position,,,im not sure if you knew,,but their is a different shift gate available for the 308 / 328,,its called a quick shift set up,,,the slots between the gear postions are curved..and made for making the shifting between gears a little easier,,,not sure if that would help in addition to what your trying to modify...i saw the aftermarket gate on evil bay..you can also get a large aluminum shift ball thats made to replace the crappy factory plastic ball...

 

The idea is your hand does not stay off the steering wheel longer than required.

 

I think its just about right for the position vs. my arm length. For me (5'11), the ball is right where it should be. I don't want to grope around for the shifter while watching traffic. Maybe for tall guys, its too close...but I'd think that for tall guys who drive a 308 that would be the least of their issues.

 

Yes I agree its pretty much in the right place. Just wondering if shortening it would gain an advantage in having to move it around less far albeit less than ideal position. Not sure....

 

One thing is sure is that it will significantly increase the effort required to change gear. Next time you drive the car grab the gearstick some way down the shaft & see how you get on with it.

 

That's why Ferrari changed it. (Aside from the soon to come jokes) It was actually an attempt to make the car more appealing to females. It simply shifted easier so Ferrari thought they could market slightly more to women than before. I am not kidding.

 

Interesting! Two inches is exactly what I was thinking it should be cut down by! I will look for an early 308 one to try.

 

Guys,

Does ANYONE K-N-O-W if the levers are interchangeable?


There were some differences in them over time; NOT just the length.

 

Other than the question if it fits: are you willing to pay big $$$?? A friend broke the shifter in his 355 (don't ask how, we're still wondering), and ended up paying 1100 euros for a replacement. That's US$1600!!! Cutting the current shifter down a bit and cutting new threads on the end to hold the knob will be a lot cheaper... And in terms of resale value, having a spare shifter in the box of parts that goes with the car will not make a $1600 difference, given that the prospective buyer even notices that the one in the car has been cut down....

 

You can make the lever shorter, but it's not going to make it a "short throw" shift. Not with that external gate.

There's a huge difference between a "wrist-action" shifter on the track and living with one every day.

I find the EVO's shifter action to be short enough that I wouldn't mind one of those heads up displays you see in rallye cars.
(An STi crashed out of the '04 Sno*Drift rallye when the driver accidentally hit 5th instead of 3rd.)

The 328 isn't a superfast shifting car. But, with the cable operated clutch, it's faster than the EVO's hydraulically dampened clutch.
It's just a matter of getting the feel for the gearbox, and working with it instead of against it.

(Besides: a double clutch downshift just sounds really "cool" on the flat crank V8. )

 

By that logic they would have had to increase the size of the steering wheel as well. Come to think of it I recall reading one of the reasons Joanna Lumley sold her 328 was because she found the steering too heavy driving in London.

 

Injected 1980 GTB. Short lever and slick shift gate. Just a tad over 6 inches from gate to top of shift knob. Works for me. I am not a fan of long shift levers. Shorter ones feel like less throw because they don't move a foot at the top. I had a 69 Roadrunner with a long shifter and I was always hitting my hand on the dash. A 308 is not that kind of car but I still like a shorter shift lever. Does this make it shift a lot faster? I don't think so. Rebuilt trans and new oil does. If you want a shorter lever, the easiest and cheapest way is shorten the one in the car and thread the end.
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"Come to think of it I recall reading one of the reasons Joanna Lumley sold her 328 was because she found the steering too heavy driving in London."

Heck, I find it too heavy for Chester, MD (population - around 4200)!

To me this the steering effort seems out of proportion (way-too-heavy) for the car. Obviously a larger wheel would reduce that effort but then it would be difficult to get in/out and I suspect that's why the wheel size is what it is.

 

"Too Heavy....?"

You guys are scaring me.

Are you not old enough to know "Cars?"


I'll take "manual" anything over "power" anything, ANY DAY.



I HATE NOT "feeling" the road that "power" provides. Especially steering.

 

Absolutely. Thats one of the benefits of a mid-engined car, no heavy engine over the steering so you can get away without power steering. Thats one of the features that gives these cars the go-kart like driving experience.

 

Ferrari's way of making up for a steering wheel that is too short (depthwise).

I gotta say that it took all of 2 minutes for me to get used to the slightly off sizes of things in my 328 once I fired her up, took off down the street, and dove into the first corner. The little quirks just sort of faded away and I remain in love with the experience.

 

"I HATE NOT "feeling" the road that "power" provides. Especially steering."

I would agree with the comment if it was written about PS circa 1965 but power steering systems have been on all sorts of performance cars for many years and work extremely well with all the road feel you need and comfortable low speed operation. I wish the 328 had it.

And yes, I want the air conditioner to make the cabin cold too!