Do we have a thread on this? Search isn't working well from my mobile. Was wondering what the exact changes all were. Was the chassis the same, or was it upgraded? I know the engine and gearbox was thoroughly updated, as was the body and interior... What else?
The 355 is a much stiffer platform. The wheelbase, and suspension were changed, making it far more stable. However, some of those changes happened to the 94-95 348s, so the evolution was in both models. Having owned both, I can say that on the limit, the 348 was very twitchy, very. The 355 not so twitchy. Art
Have a link that explains some of the 348 to 355 chassis differences? I know there were changes, but I am having a hard time finding what exactly they are.
I haven't found the exact changes, but the 355 was stiffer and lighter. I do know the front spring perches were modified in '95 to make them stronger. Unfortunately, my car did not get that change.
The panels used to make the chassis are essentially identical. The welding process results in a significantly stiffer chassis; something on the order of 30% stiffer. The suspension geometry is identical to the 348 Specialé. The track increases due to different wheels and tires. The wheelbase is identical. The springs and shocks are in a different league statically and dynamically, and the front uses power steering (for some unknowable reason). The motor makes 40-60 more HP (depending on which 348 it is compared to) an there is another gear in the box (5->6) linkage changed from cables to rod. Brakes use different calipers, pads rotors: 348 used 2 different ABS systems, F355 used 3 different ABS systems.
