308 GTB feels "dead" in steering, normal?

compared to a Caterham it would feel like that

 

I guess I dont know what you mean by "dead". Do you mean that the car does not respond to steering input very fast in the center position? Does the car drive fine otherwise? I dont have a lot of "stick time" yet myself, but my recollection is that this would be/is normal. You really dont want a high speed car that is twichy to the slightest steering input.

But another question should be if you are having the car inspected by anyone. I see this is your first post. It is good you came here to ask questions before plunging in with both feet. The other thing you should be careful of is buying a modified car. Unless it is a good deal cheaper than ANY non modified car, I would keep looking. The early injected cars were the slowest cars, so many of these cars have had modifications done. But being a Ferrari, most modifications cheapen the car rather than raise its value. Sure, there are those who have done mods who will say different, but wait until its thier money to spend and suddenly the shoe is on the other foot. From what you are describing, if the car were red and virtually perfect in every way with reciepts and some recording of what exactly was removed and replaced and how it was setup, maybe its worth $20K. Might have been worth $30K if it were all original. And would probably cost you $10K to put it back like its supposed to be if you paid to have it done. Unless the owner is willing to give the car away I would go looking for a real carbed car if that is what you want.

 

My impression of the GTB steering is that it is very crisp and responsive. Much nicer than any other car I have owned or driven. Then again, I have never driven a 7, so I have no comparison there.

Birdman

 

A 7 drives like my Europa: it's wildly quick and responsive because the cars are so light. Not much short of a race car will feel the same. But a 308 should be quite precise too. You should try and drive more examples so you can see the range. No two cars drive exactly the same even if they're the same model. Just a thought: the tires may need some air. Low pressure will make the car seem sluggish in quick manuvers.

Ken

 

First determine if there is excessive free-play in the steering linkage.

If you can turn the steering wheel rim by more than say 1cm (1/2") with only very light pressure, the car could benefit from having it's steering components checked out. Slackness can come from the steering col uni-joints (2), worn shaft splines at the bottom, the rack + pinion teeth, rack end-bushing, the tie rods and/or the rack mounts (have I forgotten something?).

If the free-play is only minimal (hopefully the case), then you should check:
1. suspension alignment (toe-in/out, camber & castor can all affect steering response from straight-ahead)
2. tyre pressures
3. tyre model & condition (some tyres turn-in sharper than others).

From my exp I'd say that you should expect good response from moving the steering wheel at decent speed, less so at say < 40kph, but definitely not as good as a Lotus. The Ferrari is a LOT heavier and longer, with much greater polar moment of inertia, and is much more setup for high-speed stability than any Lotus!! This results in a sig reduction in initial steering response in comparison.