348 Suspension problems

Man, one of the things I enjoy most about my 348 is the compliance of the suspension and the higher profile tires. I have cleared driveways in my car that I would not have thought possible. If yours is actually grounding out I might buy new springs and send the struts out to be rebuilt. You don’t need to go aftermarket, of which options are extremely limited anyway.

 

Stock, a 348 is going to have about 4.2" of ground clearance--which is about as low as a road car gets--most are closer to 6".

Stock, a 348 is going to have a compliant suspension--are you sure the springs and shocks are original ??

Secondarily, a 348 uses 17" tires with 45% sidewalls, are you still on 17" rims ?? with near stock tire sizes and sidewall heights ??

But:: Your mechanic is wrong, the 348 suspension can be tuned in all sorts of ways, more-or-less understeer-or-oversteer, higher or lower ride height, faster or slower steering--mostly it just costs money, time, testing, and effort. Factory settings are pretty good as a starting point.

Also note: Pre-Specialé 348s have the older 348 suspension whereas post-Specialé have (essentially the F355 suspension). The older suspension wants a driver with more verve (more power on turn exits--slower in, faster out).

 

are you sure you are at stock ride hieght; as per the figures in the manual?

roads in the uk are dire and I only bottomed out a few times and the “pot hole” were scary size!

if the roads are that bad, you could increase ride height a bit. it will compromise handling; but a tradeoff maybe worth it. (ride height on my 355 is slightly higher on front due to french speed bumps; does affect the handling but its all a compromise!)

 

The figures in the manual are not to the first thing that contacts the road surface !
They are to the center of the chassis side lower rear A-Arm bolt.

 

If the suspension hasn’t been touched in 35 years it’s well overdue for a rebuild.

 

Anytime the color of the springs is the primary choice your suspension provider offers you should take that as a sign you’re buying something for a teenager. That stuff looks like crap. Get your factory stuff fixed.

ps, anytime I’ve put coil-overs on a car I’ve regretted it. They will never ride smoother than a good pair of Bilstien shocks and a nice set of lowering springs.

 

Typical Chinese suspension product. Anything worthwhile for your car and better than factory will be much more expensive.

 

Now this… THIS… could be interesting…

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/nose-lift.704116/

(tho I doubt it rides plusher… if only we knew someone with experience….)

 

The factory dampers are built just like any other coilover setup. Its all in the valving and spring rates, nothing wrong with a coil over design. Ive used lots of super high quality coilovers that a set of bilstiens cant compare to.

 

Haha yep. They are very plush actually when in a soft setting. But getting the ride height tall enough might not be possible, maybe they can be speced with a longer spring.

 

Of course not, just sharing my experience with aftermarket coils I’ve had before. From KW to BC. Not inherently bad, but the ones I’ve had, the way they were setup, etc… I would have been better off with springs and dampers. Just sharing my experience.

 

Right, so if compliance, travel, and cost are a concern I am guessing you would suggest rebuilding the OEM?

 

Yeah, that would probably be best. Just my opinion tho. My old factory stuff was pretty good. Matbe the OP just needs a better mechanic ?

 

Agree. If your mechanic isn’t feeling what you’re feeling get a new mechanic. Probably just doesn’t want to deal with it.

 

My point is; check the car is at stock
settings. 348 bottoming out with stock settings; the roads must be dire!

 

After settings ride height with not much of a difference in ride, I had my shocks rebuilt and replaced the springs with factory ones, I had to search quite a bit. The car felt showroom new. The old shocks loose nitrogen and the oil has long since broken down. It was a definitely a different experience driving than before I did that. I am in NJ.