How can I make my 2002 Ferrari 360 handle better?

What do you mean by handling not great? Traction? Balance? Ride quality? Steering response? Etc etc...

 

I'm sure you'll get better replies, but what do you mean the handling wasn't great?

Understeer, oversteer, sluggish steering response-- what wasn't great about it?
Most obvious thing -- what are your tire pressures?

 

The best thing you can do is put good tires on it and then tune the suspension to get it to handle how you like. What tires does it currently have and how old are they?

 

Best cure for that issue would be to trade in for a 430!

 

or a 360CS. I heard they handle better than the "regular" 360 (but I don't have any direct experience).

 

Not very useful. I've heard red is best handling too.

 

Go read this thread.
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/360-430/409670-keep-totally-streetable-but-get-rid-snap-oversteer-track.html

 

By not stiff you mean you can feel the chassis flex, or do you mean it seems to lean in the corners?
Did someone change the sway bars?

 

As was mentioned earlier, what tires do you have? (Example being you could put a set of 80 compound Kumhos on there that stick fine but handle worth a ****)... I say that because there is a world of difference in response depending on the tire construction. (Unfortunately before a car is sold some folks put a cheap solution on there, and that alone is a killer with wheel response, no matter how they may stick to the road). A huge majority of the tires out there have horrible sidewalls.

BUT before you do anything, I'd strongly suggest taking it to a good tire shop that knows these cars and get a proper alignment... then work from that point forward.

 

After tires, check ride height, suspension settings, sway bar, corner balance ...

 

Did you check your tire pressure before you left? Silly question, but something that often gets overlooked.

 

The CS handling is miles beyond the standard car.

Get stiffer springs, bigger anti roll bars, performance bushings and lower the car. Then there is always corner balancing. But allot of times the best place to start is a high performance driver's school.

 

From your description, something sounds wrong. The car should feel very responsive and not have a lot of body roll. Sounds like maybe start by checking all the wear items in the suspension to see if any are shot: shocks, springs, bushings, ball joints, etc. Any of those being shot would make the car sloppier. I say start with the obvious before going to more advanced upgrades so you know what you are building from.

 

+1 This thread has a ton of info on optimizing the 360.

 

Check anti roll bar links and bushings if it feels like it's got too much roll. Also check your tire pressures and let us know what they are. I have Conti extreme DW's on my car and there is a distinct pressure at which the handling changes on them. For example, when I first take the car out and the tires haven't warmed up at all, they feel a little mushy but once they are up to temp they feel great. If you have your pressures too low, you could get that mushy feel. My 355 is very sensitive to tire pressure changes, I can tune the handling balance just by adjusting the pressures, but I made sure it was properly aligned before I played with them at all.

 

How is taking driving school going to fix obvious suspension problems?

 

Driving school in my 87 sentra lemons car with blown bushings will make anything feel good

 

This is obviously not related to needing an upgrade if his old 360 did not exhibit the same issues.

Check for blown shocks, worn out suspension bushings (Control Arm / Trailing Arm), if factory roll bars are in place, etc. Also adjust tire pressures to factory settings, and tire size was same as OEM correct?

 

The solution is NOT "just trade it". You have a great car. Take it to knowledgeable facility, be it Ferrari dealership or private garage and get the problem rectified!

 

Good point!

I keep going back to the symptom "top heavy" and the only diagnosis that feels right to me is weak shocks. I'd say sacked springs but that does not seem plausible, unless the car is really high mileage. Could whatever ECU controls the shocks have failed?

 

Low front tire pressure might feel that way.

What's the car's mileage and usage history? Any trailer towing? (Kidding)