328 Performance Modification Recommendations

Personally this would be my list of things to do;

Better dampers/springs, improved brakes (probably 355 calipers/discs), ITB's and modern injection and probably a bump in compression + cams, free flow exhaust

 

This should get and easy 320-330bhp without going too wild on compression or cams, if you stroke and bore as well 400bhp. Certainly in the UK the size of the 308/328 makes them perfect for A/B roads where the modern cars are just too wide to hussle.

 

As noted, we art talking about 10 HP between the US and Euro car. A 10 HP difference is totally unnoticeable in any situation that can be encountered on the road.

A "free-flowing" exhaust is one of those marketing terms that capitalizes on the "louder is faster" myth. If you want a loud exhaust for whatever reason, that's fine but do NOT confuse a loud exhaust with automatically providing more HP. I once observed an engine with "straight through," "high performance," very loud mufflers from a well-known aftermarket supplier produce less HP on a dyno than the same engine with a stock mufflers...

Unless you make specific modifications that have been proven objectively on a dyno to produce the power you are wanting, be sure to test each change on a dyno before making it permanent. The results may be surprising! Pay no attention to a dyno chart from a company trying to sell you something. It is really easy to publish 'results' that, while not exactly a lie, ain't exactly the truth. For example, the muffler I mentioned above was advertised as producing 13 more HP over the stock mufflers and they had a dyno chart to prove it. Not mentioned (of course) in the ad was that the published dyno chart was a pull with the "performance" mufflers against old, partially clogged stock mufflers. The performance mufflers did, indeed produce 13 more HP than the old mufflers. But new OEM (and much quieter) mufflers produced 7 more HP than the high performance muffler.

So...be methodical, logical and 'scientific' as you proceed with your efforts to get more power. I'll say it again, a supercharger can deliver all the power you want and you don't have to do anything except bolt it on and limit the boost to around 5 PSI. No need for "free flowing" exhausts or any other mods...

 

elms...as has been stated and restated, it's your car, do whatever the heck you want with it. You asked for pointers from others who have some experience with these cars. I don't think it's fair to be critical of the input just because it may not be what you wanted to hear about power increases.

Everybody is pretty much saying that there is little/no power to be gained UNLESS you either go to forced induction OR you make serious engine mods, to include pistons, cams, maybe fueling, possible displacement increases, etc. Bolt-on mods are not going to produce any noticeable power gains on your 328; they just won't!. As RifleD pointed out, Ferrari already made the necessary mods!

I'm sure everyone is interested in whatever you choose to do and looks forward to posts showing the progress. Again, good luck with however you choose to proceed.

 

I never believed the performance claims and I had a very high failure rate on OBD2 cars. The warranty coverage was never honored.

 

There are only 2 differences in state of tune. The US car has a lower compression ratio, not easily or inexpensively changed and the ignition advance curve is different. Relocate 1 wire on the plug to get the base curve but you will never notice the change.

 

Compression and advance curve are the only 2 changes that effect output.

 

There are a few here who have done modifications for performance on the 328, I am one. I was also factory trained on them, have worked on 328s since 1986 and own a modified 328. I have a little experience with them. What you are being told by multiple experienced people is, what you want is not possible and you just do not like our answer. All of the "Stuff" added to an American version with the exception of the catalytic converter costs not one single horsepower. The cat is at most a single digit loss. The ignition control unit is set for our market and from direct experience is at best still single digit horsepower difference. The compression is lower and that accounts for most of the lost 10 horsepower. If you want more than ten or so horsepower it will get very invasive. Thats the full story like it or not.

 

Very invasive, indeed...
Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Your hood struts are all upside down.

 

It was the distraction we were going for..

Honestly, it's not something I've payed a bunch of attention to. I don't remove them so it's how they show up.

 

Age has perhaps mellowed me but I'm one of those guys who is perfectly satisfied with the stock performance of his thirty-eight year old 308. There is a stigma attached to these cars stemming from a magazine spread maybe ten or so years back, can't remember if it was C&D or R&T, where the author half jokingly wrote that a modern Camry could blow it's doors off (or something along that line) and people have been repeating it like a mantra ever since. I just know that when I'm carving along a twisty mountain road in my 308 I am not routinely using the turn-outs to let Camrys by so I'm not sure what context "blow the doors off" was supposed to be taken in. I think the 308 is a well balanced and spirited GT sports car that got plenty of praise when it was introduced in 1976 and still delivers a thrill today. I know there are guys and gals out there with 700+ hp Challengers and Shelby Mustangs but can't help noticing they are all driving like they've got 4 1/2 points on their license and a hair's breadth away from losing it. Seems it would be terribly frustrating.

 

1936 Mercedes 500k Roadster can be blown off by a Prius too but I doubt most owners care. No car is fairly judged by being compared to the latest and greatest.

The fact that old cars, any old car is still coveted says all any real enthusiast needs to know.

 

Believe it or not, I have never driven a 328 until about 3 weeks ago. For some reason in all these years I have never gotten behind the wheel. A nice 88.5 became available here in town. I know the owner well and the mechanic in Atlanta is the same one I use. The car was perfect and the price was kinda too good to be true. I called a friend and he bought it.

I drove it to Atlanta from Birmingham for him the next day.

The difference between it and my 84 is impressive. Of course it isn't berserk with power but it is what I would like my 308 to be. For 150 miles all I could think about was how fast it seemed compared to my car. One thing I really noticed was how much better the clutch/shifting was vs mine. Smoother like how hydraulic assisted clutches feel.

I don't understand why people cannot be happy with how they are stock, keeping in perspective that the newest one is 32 years old now.

A 328 is a pretty ******* good car bone stock.

 

328 does not have a hydraulic clutch. It is exactly the same in every way as the injected 308s. It is one thing that was not changed.


Most of the 328 is just a 308 improved. Cosmetically many things are different and some just do not like that.

 

I called Ron in Atlanta and asked if these cars had them because I wanted to see if it was possible to retrofit mine. No luck with that obviously. Everything just felt much better than mine and I have always thought my car was great

 

I believe a GTO is the car you're looking for. Same (well, similar) great looks and definitely more power.

 

I rented 308's twice back in the day and was impressed with how much lighter the clutch felt on the 328 in comparison. Whether that was due to the 308's clutch adjustment being incorrect or a change in the leverage of the 328 clutch mechanism, I don't know.

 

Identical to injected 308. All the parts are the same. Proper service goes a long way.

 

Tommy, next time we cross paths in ATL, or if you feel like a road trip you can check out the clutch on my car. I posted the following a couple of weeks ago in the “Stiff Clutch” thread.

“I have 84 QV, and I have been dealing with a horribly stiff clutch since I got the car the car about 13 years ago. This car had 150,000 miles on it when I bought it and was in rough shape then. I don’t know who the previous owners used for mechanics but I have not been pleased by what I have seen and found over the years.

About 2 years into ownership my clutch cable snapped and I replaced it with a part from Rutlands. It went in OK but where it makes the 180 it was hard against the frame, almost as if the housing was a bit too short. Needless to say the clutch was still extremely stiff.

About 2 years ago my clutch started slipping so I replaced the clutchassuming that after 160K it was shot. First, a big shoutout to Birdman for his great write up on 308 clutch changes on his page. Upon removing the bellhousing the first thing I noticed was the tube that the throw out bearing carrier rides on, the carrier itself, and the fingers that push the the carrier were all bone dry. Reading Birdman’s write up this wasdefinitely a problem. I then pulled the pressure plate and disc. The disc was in great shape and had less than .010” wear compared to my new one. I assumed that there was so much drag on the carrier that the clutch couldn’t over come it causing it to slip. Being this deep into it I went ahead and but in all the parts (pressure plate, disc, throw out bearing, pilot bearing) lubed the carrier and shaft and fingers and put everything back together fully expecting to have a much lighter clutch pedal. Wrong! It was still stiff as ever but at least now the slipping was gone. Oh well I guessedthat is just how it was supposed to be and I just had to deal with it.

So about two months ago I was driving around and in the middle of a 1-2 up shift I heard and felt a “pop” and the clutch pedal was jammed about halfway down. Crap, now what? Had the car towed home and got it up on jack stands . This time I found the housing around the cable had an odd lump in it where it had been riding against the frame. I pulled the whole cable out and sure enough the cable itself was OK looking but the inner Teflon sheath was split and the outer cover had come apart internally and the metal reinforcements were loose and binding the cable. I ordered a new one from Ricambi,followed up by a call from Daniel toverify the part number (can’t beat the customer service from him). I put the new cable in last weekend and the first thing I noticed was the housing was a wee bit longer resulting in a more gentle radius of the 180 degree bend and it now clears the frame nicely. And the best thing about all this, and the point of the whole story, I now have a nice properly light clutch pedal and no longer get leg and foot cramps when driving. Happy days!!”

I haven’t driven another 308 or a 328 or any other Ferrari for that matter except my 360, so I have nothing to compare it to.

 

I'm printing this out.

Many many thanks.

 

When we talk about dyno numbers I think there is too much fixation on peak HP and too a lesser extent peak torque, often overlooking the changes to the torque and HP curves. This, to me, is what really matters in day to day street driving. If , and not talking specifically about Ferrari engines, you put in radical cams and a massive carb you can gain significant HP but loose a bunch of low end “grunt”. Sure the dyno numbers look great for peaks but the curves suck for street driving.
As an example, back in the late 70s I built a SB Chevy 283 for a buddy. He insisted on a 327-300 HP cam, a Holly 650, and Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake and Edelbrock headers into a pair of Hush Thrush mufflers. All against my better judgment and vehement protests. Put the engine back into his 66 Chevelle and as suspected it was a dog and a half below 4000 RPM but once he hit 4500 it was like hitting the afterburners on a F15. But it really wasn’t much good as a street car. I am sure if we had access to a dyno the HP gains would have been impressive but the curves not so much.
I believe most engines will fatten up the torque curve, but not gain much peak with some mild improvements in intake and exhaust breathing which will translate into better throttle response at lower RPMs and all around better drivability, especially for those of us who are more used to large displacement (relatively speaking) ‘merican engines. Unfortunately our 308/328s we are rather limited in our options as there aren’t a lot of options to improving the inlet side without scraping the whole CIS system.
So for me the bottom line is to keep my car stock and try to make it run as good as the day it left Italy.