Driving a 328

I just bought a 328 and it is my first Ferrari. I have read all the posts about maintenance and modifications. What are your recommendations related to driving the car? For example; warmup time? fuel grade? street driving tire pressures? gated shifting technique? downshifting?
Thanks,
Barry Walter
Fremont, CA

 

congrats, welcome aboard, you'll find plenty of answers here......

 

congrats, before you drive your new car, you are required to post PICS of your car

john

 

Congrats on your purchase...the 328 IMO is one of the best cars that Ferrari ever built. I had a 328, but sold it because maintenance was just to expensive and I don't believe any car is worth the prices they are charging for parts or labor. I always used at least a 93-94 octane gas, car shifts hard when cold, downshifting sounds awesome, oil changed ever year (driven approx. 800 miles per year), and just becareful of the belt service intervals. If possible find a good independent mechanic in your area because it will save you a fortune.

 

Most important make sure its warmed up before hitting high rpms or you will blow your oil cooler and it makes a big mess.

 

Warm up time is only about 3-4 miles for water temp but 10-12 miles before you see oil temp. Assume another 8-10 miles before the gearbox is properly warm. If it takes much longer to see water temp or the water temp varies a lot while running then chances are you need a new Thermostat. Common problem, not difficult to fix. Operating Water temp is around 175, Radiator fans should cut in around 195. Make sure you have a 1.1 bar cap on the expansion tank.

Keep it under 4K revs & don't use full throttle till you see near normal operating oil temp - 140 Deg+

Tire pressures say 33F & 36R in my manual. I don't run my rears quite that high. Much under 33 at the front makes the steering heavy so keep them up.

Fuel Grade as good as you can get. Here in the UK we tend to use 98 Ron.

Not sure what you mean by downshifting & gated shifting technique but learn to go from 1st to 3rd when its cold - just ignore 2nd for the first few miles. Its not the worlds fastest G'box so don't expect to be doing any fancy "speedshifting" as you 'merkins call it (!) & remember it really does take 15-20 miles to warm the gearbox up.

Just work the gearbox & always allow that extra fraction of a second to make your changes. It'll thank you for learning to double-declutch your down shifts but its not completely necessary.

Its upto you how hard you work your clutch - they cost a few bucks to replace so you may wish to take that into consideration. The less you slip it & the more you can match road speed to engine speed in any given gear the longer it will last.

 

I have an 89 328 that we have had since 1989 I always warm the motor up to at least 150 before I go i also keep it under 3000 rpm untill i get some heat in the oil it shifts best arond 4000 rpm an up treat it good it will last along time dont let it sit for a long time either they need to be driven keeps seals soft etc . the only gas i have luck with is shell v power and nos octane boost keeps the crap gas popping away if you use bad gas car will flatten out and pop

 

Congrats. I have an '87 and I love it.

On startup, watch the oil pressure gauge - it should move right away. After a few seconds, tap the accelerator to rev the engine lightly and turn off the "battery" light -- your alternator isn't charging the battery till you do this.

I give the car maybe 30 seconds to a minute, then back out. My housing development has a long, 15mph road leading to the exit, so I can warm the car up for a few minutes while moving forward in 1st and 3rd (skip 2nd till its warm.) Alternatively, this is a good time to remove and stow the top.

Never force a gear. 2nd gear is always reluctant on startup, but with the right gear oil it is available fairly soon. However the entire drivetrain works much better on longer drives where all the oil is up to temperature -- then it's a genuine pleasure to drive and shift.

I use Chevron premium. The Techron seems to help, and it's a Ferrari - I don't need to save 20 cents a gallon on gas.

The above comments on matching revs on downshifting are spot on.

And yes, post pics!

 

If you take your time to warm her up properly then she allows you to be thrown around really good. It is all about discipline to warm up the oil (not the water).

 

You will notice that the original headlights, tail/brakelights, and instrument lights are very dim. These can be upgraded to modern/adequate levels. See this FChat thread in particular:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65424

And also contact/consult with the guru on this topic:

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/home.html

 

I could not agree more, what a fantastic drivers car I owned one for about three years ar 15,000kms. Warm up the engine oil, then drive it like you stole it.

 

I have owned 2 of these beasts, currently an 89 GTB which I plan to keep until I am dead. I also have a 430, but it is still on probation as far as keeper status goes. 308-328's offer a driving experience you really can't get with any other car.

Anyway, no need to really sweat it about operation. These are pretty robust machines. After starting, just drive very easy until things start to warm up. Shift at 3-3.5K, etc. Some cars will shift into 2nd when cold, others will not. Double clutching helps ease things in a cold tranny. Make sure you have good oil temp before really driving hard and this can take a while depending on outside temp. The gauges should be considered approximations as they are not overly accurate. The water temp will tend to look too cool in colder weather, but it is the gauge or sender, you'll fing the heater will cook the inside of the car anyway if you want it to.

As far as gas goes, these are not high compression motors and will actually run on regular, but the manual advises premium. There is no need to buy very high octane gas or get octane boosters, a waste of money in these motors.

Tires come down to personal choice, price and how long will they last. There are a ton of choice in the stock size tires.

Congrats,
Dave

 

These are exactly the kind of recommendations I was looking for. I will try to post some pictures next week. It is a red 1986 GTS with black interior and 20,000 miles. A gift from my wife of 30 years. I bought her a 1987 Jag XJSC a few years ago and she said it was now my turn to get the Ferrari that I've always wanted.
Barry

 

My car shifts into 2nd when cold, so can do that right away.
Once i'm moving, i stay between 3000-3500 revs, until i
see the water gauge popping up, then no more than 4000
until oil temp starts moving.
After that, maybe 4000+, but don't really hit it until oil is
well warmed up.

3000-3500 in 2nd gets temps moving very quickly, don't
need anything like 10 miles, more like a couple, then oil is
warming in another mile or two.

Can basically get up to speed fairly quickly, so the fun comes quickly.

 

1. [size=+1]As often as possible[/size]

2. See 1.

3. Don't try to be Schumacher when the oil is cold, but otherwise, Just Do It. The car likes to be driven better than it likes sitting around. Even a boring run on slow roads is better than leaving it sit.

I have to admit, I resist using the Ferrari for two mile trips to the store: it doesn't get fully warm, and mixing exhaust with condensation is a quick formula for sulfuric acid in the muffler and cat.

But this is a car where the "Italian tune-up" works. (Warm it up and rev it up.)

4. Tire pressures -- will depend on the tires. I started at a generic 32psi on my S03s, and adjusted by its footprint on dusty surfaces (for contact patch flatness) and adjusted front/rear difference for neutral handling (using a calibrated butt in the driver's seat. ).

5. If you haven't learned to heel & toe or double-clutch, now's the time. The 328 is actually easier to drive heel/toe. (And blipping the throttle during leisurely shifts just sounds cool .)

When cold, double clutching and a feel for the machinery will get it into second. Or just skip second when cold: the engine has gobs of torque.

For warm shifts, speed comes with practice.

6. That last is good general advice: Don't try to break any land speed records your first week. Learn to drive it right, even if you're slow on the controls; speed will come on it's own, with experience.
(The only problem with this approach is that, after 35 years of experience with Italian sports cars, even when I'm "taking it easy" I look like a speed demon compared to the kiddies in their first Camry. )

 

You might want to check the age of your tires. Many 328s have relatively little odometer mileage, and accordingly show little or no tire wear. Yet you are today driving on 20-year-old rubber if you still have the original tires. This is not good from a safety standpoint, particularly in performance driving, and the tires can also have become harder and more brittle, resulting in a harsh, noisy ride.

There are several threads here discussing this topic; do a thread search for "328 tires". See for example:

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53089

If you decide to get new tires, consider upsizing them. I did this, and am very pleased with the ride/grip. I chose 225/50R16 Bridgestone front, 245/45R16 Bridgestone rear.

Had this done at WheelWorks in San Francisco (415) 346-2300. With an alignment and a new set of Bosch 18" wiper blades [that rubber ages/hardens too], the whole job came to about $950. You may be able to find better prices in your area.

 

My secret to eliminating frustration with these old gauges is to imagine they are go/no-go gauges. For example, not “what is the oil pressure?” but rather “is there oil pressure?”; not “how much gas is in the tank?” but rather “is there gas in the tank?”. And so on. Changing your attitude is a lot cheaper than replacing all the senders and shipping the gauges to Palo Alto Speedometer.