360 steering issue

I am trying to figure out if I am actually having a problem with the steering on my 2003 360 Modena or if I am just going crazy. I have owned the car since December 2013 and have put about 700 miles on it to date. Car now has 13,900. Car had a ppi done at a Ferrari dealer who found virtually no faults and after my purchase I had it inspected again at a local ferrari dealer with the same result.

I felt that when driving at faster speeds the steering was sort of slow to respond or pulling in different directions and the faster I went the worse it became so I had a 4 wheel alignment done about 2 weeks ago. The shop that did it has significant experience in setting up Ferraris and told me the alignment was not that far off when they started and they set it up for street driving, meaning fairly neutral. Tires are new and well balanced.

However the car still has the same feeling, sort of like bad tramlining, which may be part of it at times, but also slow to respond or needing a lot of input to make the car do what I want. Yesterday at slow speeds I would turn the wheel and let go and it was very slow to snap back to neutral, almost like it was stuck for a second. This happens in both directions. Maybe due to the 20mph speed? Any ideas? I am thinking about asking one of you locals with a 360 to drive and see what you think and make sure I am not just making this up in my head. Thanks.

 

Thanks for the responses. I hope it something as simple as tightening a nut and not replacing the steering rack. That would suck. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

Dealer is picking it up on Thursday so will hopefully know by the weekend. Thanks.

 

The update is that Ferrari of LI picked the car up at my house in Westchester, inspected the steering rack, front end and everything else and found absolutely nothing wrong. I was told that several people drove the car and everyone felt that the car was normal. They then delivered the car back to my house at absolutely no cost to me. Great service but I just can't imagine that the car is normal.

I drove it about 70 miles today and to me there is a dead spot from neutral to at least 5 degrees in both directions where I can move the wheel back and forth with no input to the front wheels, just as described in the thread linked to by Alan above. The car feels unresponsive when turning and at speeds around 70 mph and above it really begins to feel unstable in that every little normal correction begins to feel like an overcorrection is necessary, if that makes sense. Right now even my 2004 jeep wrangler feels more stable to me at speed. I just drove my wife's C300 and every little turn of the wheel elicits a response. Is a Ferrari not supposed to be that way?

I am going to try and bring it to another dealer next week but if there is someone local to me that has significant experience in a 360 that is willing to test drive the car I would be extremely appreciative. Any volunteers? I really need another opinion and I am starting to lose my mind over this. Thanks.

 

The power steering fluid was changed just a few months ago but I will check the level just in case the techs did not look at it when they had the car a few weeks ago. Thanks.

 

The tires are brand new Conti DWS.

I am not tall and drive with the wheel pulled out but I did push it all the way in and moved the seat up but there was no difference. I am going to take a look at the column the way it was addressed in that link but I want someone to confirm my feeling before I do it. I should be able to have someone else drive it this weekend and we will see what they think. I posted in the regional forum and have some offers that I should be able to take advantage of. Thanks.

 

Terry-I have challenge wheels on the way and will have Michelins on them. I actually chose and put the contis on so I would have a set of all seasons for driving in the mountains during the fall and winter. Maybe they were a mistake and I hope you are right. Thanks.

Chris-What you describe is a pretty good interpretation of what I am feeling.

 

Over the last few weeks I continued to drive the car and more and more I believed it to be the tires as the symptoms appeared to worsen as the tires warmed. I finally got my 19" challenge wheels back from the powdercoater with new MPSS fitted and was able to put them on last night. Today I drove 100 miles to my home in upstate NY and I cannot believe the difference the tires make. The car is now what it should have been all along and I cannot express how incredible it is to drive, though most of you know that already.

This is definitely a lesson learned, though I can't imagine another car being this sensitive to tires. I've run straight up snow tires on performance cars in the past and they never did to the car what the Conti DWS did to the 360. My plan was to keep the 18's with Conti's for cold weather but they will never, ever go back on this car. I love Continentals and have them on all my other cars but the DWS is incredibly inappropriate for this car. Thanks to all who chimed in to try and help. I'll post some pics of the car later. Now back to tearing up the back roads of Sullivan county.
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