Sorry to specifically pick on this particular group, but it's the one I look at most... Excluding the later 355s w/F1, how difficult is it to shift your 348/355 quickly? I only ask because the gear shifts displayed in all of your pics make the shift lever 10 feet long with that giant chrome ball stuck on the end. While pretty, it's doesn't exactly appear very "short shift" in nature that many other makes brag about. Is this much better than I am suspecting?
348s are from the old school of Ferrari in that shifting is a delibrate affair and takes skill and patience to execute. It is not a Honda NSX/S2000 snick snick gearbox. But it is mechanical and a real pleasure if you get it done just right. The 355 has a smoother, easier to use gearbox.
the 355 is not a high effort shifter, but the throws are long and dont feel very precise by modern standards,ie, honda s2000, porsche 997, etc or even the 360 tranny, which is better than the 355 but not as easy or short as hondas, modern porsches, etc....but i still found the 355 fun to shift and drive, .....the main down side was the damn pedals are too close to each other, a big problem for my 11EE feet...very annoying...the main reason I upgraded to the 360, which did not have that problem...
...more "clinky" than clunky - the result from the metal to metal impact between shift gate and lever - sweet reminder that you are driving an older Ferraria that requires your full attention. Not much in term of efficiency of movements or slickness a la Miata, but that's why they build the F1 tranny and Playstation PS3 - makes shifting like MS a breeze
I wear a size 9 and I thought they were pretty close together too, I kept catching my left foot on the dead pedal. Piloti's would definitely be in order....
When my 348 is warm, it shifts very very very quickly. I think faster then my toyota. However when its cold.......... it could take about 8seconds to put it in 2nd.
once I learned the gate on my 355 I could shift just as quick (warm) as my 996 911 (99), but I find the 355 much more fun to drive, obviously! Everytime I change gears it feels like a fine italian switchblade being opened. An S2000 or similar car might shift easier, but that doesn't matter when they are a 1/4 mile behind, and you have a huge sh*t-eating grin on your face.
Perhaps the photos exaggerate the shift throw & height of the lever. IMHO it is perfect. I've test driven a few cars with short throw shifters (Porsche Carrera 4s, 350Z, Ford Bustang, etc) and wasn't impressed. Vague, lifeless things that can be shifted by whoever steals your car. The 348 takes talent to shift, and after owning too many commodity cars I highly value the idea of a car where the owner has to have SKILL... not just cash
Hell yes. I love my 348, but the shifter sucks. I've owned and shifted many sports cars and this is almost as bad as my 914. At least they have the same shift pattern, so I'm not confused between the two. Best shifter....Mazda Miata. Bee Jay
The shift lever on my 348 is 7 1/8" tall, from the top of the gate to the top of the knob. The stock black plastic knob is 1 1/2" in diameter. I wouldn't want the lever any longer or any shorter. It's just fine the way it is. Some people like the aftermarket knobs that are a bit larger in diameter. I haven't tried one. Yes, it takes some skill to shift a 348 cleanly, but it isn't anywhere near as difficult to shift as the magazine articles would have you believe. Next time you're in MIlton, come on by for a demonstration.
328 owner here, but I think it's the same box. It's like a different car once it's warm - absolute joy. In fact, I find non-gated shifters annoying now.
Shifting my 348 is easy, but 2nd is much easier to get into after it warms up for a few minutes. Double clutching helps. Definitely do it on every down shift and up as needed. If the lever doesn't snick into position, I DC and in it goes. I run Redline. Even warm, you cannot speed shift this beast nor would you want to. I make deliberate shifts, no forcing. Rating this gearbox, I'd put it average. Hey, it's a race car, what do u expect?! Best shifter, BMW E36 5-speed with short-shift kit. Stock E46 6-speed with ZHP (performance) package is even better. Porsche? Heh, don't get me going, although the 997 version is way better than the 996. I guess the factory discovered shorter linkages and better bearings. Japanese? Yech, wet noodles. Corvette? Notchy, but greater throw than there should be. The NSX was pretty nice as I recall. Still like those bimmers though...
You *can* speedshift the 348 box, but you've got to do a few non-stock things first. 1. Drain the old gear oil when hot, fill with automatic tranny fluid, rotate wheels in air with tranny in 5th, then drain out the auto fluid and fill with Red Line's Superlight Shockproof. 2. Lube the stick shift tower itself where it hits the metal gate, and lube the 2 levels of mechanicals below the gate with white lithium grease. 3. Install a slickshift gate or dremell down your stock gate so that your stick tower makes no 90 degree turns while changing gears. 4. When you start your 348 the first time in the morning, hold down the clutch pedal, shift into 1st gear, then press down the stick and smoothly shift into Reverse and let out the pedal to back out of your garage. Next, make your first forward motion shift be 2nd gear instead of 1st gear. This just matters for your very first motion forward. The rest of your driving day will be fine after this "reset" of your tranny. 5. Speedshift into gear only as your RPMs are **INCREASING**.
I just tryed tis and realized that I was already backed into the garage---dang you No Doubt I ran into the back wall while in reverse...
Coudn't have said it better myself.. my other car is a high performance Miata, and shifting it is as effortless as you could possibly get. My Redline fluids arrive tomorrow, so a gear oil change is definately on tap for this weekend... I sure hope it improves shifting effort as much as ND raves about... you'd think he was the marketing dept for Redline! lol Honestly, I dont see how guys can possibly race these 348's with this $hitty shifter setup. my biggest fear when driving is, not an engine fire... not the slow down lights... its when suddenly this whole POS cable shifter setup blows apart on me. I cant believe that after 18 years of these cars being on the road, that nobody has come up with a replacement, revised, improved, or other permanent solution for this whole shifter setup. I'd buy it in a heartbeat! At any price!!
The car I referred to in my earlier post was a 355, which is admittedly a much lighter shifter feel. I've only driven one 348, and it was in traffic at normal speeds, but I didn't think the shifter was that bad. It was heavier and you had to be direct with it, but I could get used to it.
Not all of the Red Line gear oils will improve your shifts (but most will). In order of best shifting: 1. Superlight shockproof (awesome shifting improvement!) 2. 75w90NS (some improvement) 3. MTL (slight improvement) 4. 75w90 (no shifting improvement) Be sure to drain the tranny fluid hot. Be sure to flush the tranny prior to refilling. Grease up the cockpit shift box mechanicals from top down to the very bottom (use *lots* of white lithium grease!), plus stickshift where it clicks on your shift gate, too.
Nah, it just has some mild detergents in it. Best to start your new gear oil in a clean gearbox. No big deal.
