Who cares?? Are you a good enough driver to detect and execute on 150lb difference??
Now we are getting there. Doors and bumpers. I agree using carbon doors does not make sense on a street car. Is there a source for the GTC bumpers? I could probably modify the stock US.doors. Or maybe source some Euro doors but the cost and effort might not be worth it for the roughly 50lb.??
I know the GTC doors are still available thru Eurospares. Never checked on the bumpers. You’ll have to hunt down these parts. I’ll most likely install euro doors at some point. I have a current 355 weight goal of 2800 lbs.
2nd attempt at trolling in the same thread. We get it, you don't have the feels nor driving abilities to detect 150lb difference in a car. Many of us can, and enjoy lighter weight applications
Racers generally say 10lbs lost = 1 hp. Where weight is removed can be as important as how much. Unsprung weight is much easier to feel, but also a lot harder to realize weight savings. Wheels are one of the best places to "feel" weight loss, but since the 355 wheels are pretty light for their size to begin with it really isn't practical.
If you can't tell a difference don't bother going down that path. The people who care would be the person who started the thread and the people responding to it.
Yeah I definitely care. And can feel it. I love how loosing weight changes the whole dynamic of a car. Crisper is how I describe it. It made such a difference in my 911, and all the sports car I’ve owned. The 348 (like the 355)is so close to that sweet spot of 3000lb and 350hp it’s hard to just leave it be. for a guy like me who likes to modify as much as own great cars. And discussing it on forums with like minded enthusiasts is always a good time. Thanks for all the constructive comments. Cheers
In my case, yes I can detect it. It's very easy to test. Have a 150lbs passenger ride with you, then have them get out. I can't really feel sub 100lbs difference, but I can feel 150lbs. My son is around 100lbs, my wife is under 150lbs, I can tell the difference with her in the car but not really with my son. It depends a bit on where the weight is, but that's an easy test and the weight is in one of the harder to detect places as it's centered and fairly low. As to execute, a lighter car will be faster, and as long as you're consistent you can execute on it, whether you feel it or not and whether you're a fast driver or not. On an average 90 second a lap track, 150lbs would be worth 1-2 seconds on a 3000lbs car depending on track characteristics. I know from experience I can lap within .3 lap to lap, so yeah, I could definitely execute on it. That's probably not the first place I'd go looking for lap time, though. Usually the cheapest weight loss is from your own gut, so that's where I'd start. If you do it via eating less, it actually saves you money instead of having to spend it and makes all of your cars faster .
In my younger years I would have probably spent a fortune to source FHP components, fit Recaro PPs, dump the A/C and what nots to reduce weight and sharpen the handling but at this stage and even though the F355 is not the most precise handling car because of the over assisted steering I think that the hammock style stock suspension and weight distribution make for a hilarious and exhilarating drive in all the glory of its imperfections. It is the softest sprung of all my cars but perhaps the one that delivers the most thrills when driven in anger. I have no doubt I would fall in love with a lightened F355 and a sharper suspension but I am still pleasantly surprised how the car never ceases to bring a smile to my face just the way it is without any fancy parts apart from a Capristo muffler, to the point that even if I could source all the fancy FHP bits for a good price I would probably just not bother and sell them along with a profit. Go figure.
Your own reality, not the majority of enthusiasts in this thread. If weight reduction has no appeal to you, then why comment in a weight reduction thread TWICE about how this thread is pointless/irrelevant. That is the definition of trolling. If you cannot feel the driving dynamic shifts of 150 lb weight loss in a car then your driving senses are incredibly poor.
Comparing a 1991 348 to a 1996 F355 is a bit slanted. A better comp would be a 1994 MY TB TS and Spider since I believe all 3 were available in the US, against the 1995 F355. My guess is the the 1996 F355 is slightly less due to consolidated intake and computer systems. If you want to get picky, you might exclude outlying specialty models, like the 348 Challenge and Serie Speciale. The SS, Challenge and 1994/95 Spiders all have the single-can Spider exhaust (on street models) - which is really the Serie Speciale exhaust by date of appearance. The Speciale and Challenge cars also came with Kevlar seats (as an option). These 2 items alone account for a significant weight savings. I think we measured 50 lbs difference between the 1993 TS/TB exhaust and the SS system. The seats are maybe 75-100 lbs less. In track trim, a Challenge has more weight savings, since it swaps mufflers for essentially a straight pipe "muffler". My guess is that, depending on year and model and maybe options, the two cars are essentially the same within a few lbs. I am biased, but I feel we can mod our 348's to be lighter and more efficient more easily than a F355, however, which is what we have to do to run with you guys on the highway.
355’s have carbon seats as well and they are roughly a 30-35lbs savings over standard seats for the pair.
No way a standard 355 is lighter than a standard similar trim spec 348. Even tho a 348 has two exhausted cans a 355 has a more complicated exhaust path that adds weight. 355 has a less complicated ECU system but more complicated intake system. Wheels are the only thing that a 355 has that is significantly lighter. So my conclusion after all the input here is a 355 is not lighter no matter what Ferrari said. US cars.
Here’s an early non-airbag euro 355. Bone stock with 5 gallons of fuel. 1340kg =2,954.194 lb Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
