Driving Dynamics: 328 vs 308 Your Thoughts?

Hi Everyone,

Among other models I am considering 328s and 308s for my next Ferrari purchase. I have never driven a 328. I have owned a '79 308, '84 308 QV, '85 Mondial QV Cabriolet, and '90 348. As much as I loved the engine note and style on the 308s they did not feel the greatest driving dynamics wise to me. It is entirely possible their suspensions were a bit tired. They were in stock configuration and tire sizes. They just felt kind of sloppy, didn't hold the road extremely well, didn't turn in quick, etc. They just weren't impressive in handling department. 911s and Lotuses I've had from the era just seemed so much better in the "toss it around on the back roads" type of experience. The '85 Mondial (with 360 rims, thus wider rubber) felt considerably better than the 308s I had. Way better road holding, felt more level on accel/decel, felt better in corners, etc. The 348 was a good jump up from that.

So my actual question is: How do the driving dynamics of the 328 compare to the 308? Does the 328 feel more sporting in the handling department? The 308/328 seems like its overall skinny width compared to length and longer overhangs might inherently hamper it in the handling department. If the 328 is not a SIGNFICANT upgrade handling wise from the 308 then it does not seem worth the higher cost for my driving goals. Also, I am wondering if a set of coil overs or something could drastically change the 308/328.

My main goal is a fun backroads driver... something that can be driven sportingly when desired.... not just cruised in. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the 308 vs 328.

 

Im not sure what you mean by sporting. When I bought my 89 328 GTS, it had 17s with 7.5 wide wheels all the way around with P ZERO s. The car handled incredibly . A car either handles or it does not. With the 308 / 328 , anytime you have bigger and wider wheels the handling is going to increase. Its the same as when you install better coil overs. I have to say the the OEM Konis were so good that when I changed all mine to new OEM KONIS at 100 k miles, the handling did not change that much, the big difference was when I replaced the motor mounts. I also have a second set of Compomotive 17 " wheels that are 9 inch wide in the back , and 8 inch wide in the front, with Conti extreme contact patch tires, and the car still feels like it will rip out chunks of asphalt when you go ripping around a corner. I have drove and rode in a 308 , and I suspect with bigger wheels, and good tires , its going to handle quite the same. For an 80 s car, I dont think there are better handling cars than the 308 / 328 in the 1980s. I have had my car for almost 25 years and that I have always loved the feedback through the steering wheel as well as the handling, its sharp and most of all , ITS FUN AS HELL !! One has to remember that these cars are very sensitive to tire air pressure . Im sure if you have either car , once dialed in, your going to be very happy with driving them.

Big G

 

Buy a Mazda Miata or a Porsche Boxster. You'll have a much better back road driving experience with either compared to a 3x8.

 

328 will never handling better then your mondial QV. The mondial is a much better equilibrated car due the longer wheelbase.

 

"Buy a Mazda Miata or a Porsche Boxster. You'll have a much better back road driving experience with either compared to a 3x8."

Funny, I was considering a Boxter some years ago. I told my wife and her response was, "A Boxter? You gotta be kidding, that's a girls car; buy a 911!" So I bought a 911! As they say, Happy Wife=Happy Life!

OK, seriously...Yes, the Boxter or Miata should out-handle the 328 at 10/10ths but between 1/10th and 9/10ths, which one would you rather have/drive?

 

Make sure whatever car you get, be it the 308 or 328 that the suspension has been refurbed including the steering rack,, That made a huge difference on both my GT4 and 328

 

A child can drive the Miata or Boxster, they are both quite boring. It takes a skilled driver to take a 308 or 328 through the canyons at a rapid pace, and therefore the rewards that the driver gets are way more with either car. Ferraris 1970s and early 80s Formula 1 DNA are stamped all over the 308 / 328. With all due respect, its really that simple. One other item I want to mention, the FUN FACTOR with a 3x8 is in the stratosphere compared to either the Boxster or Miata, so theres that.

Big G

 

Still the Miata or Boxster. Of course, you won't attract much attention in them.

 

We don't need no stinking canyons in New England,

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None that I've ever noticed, the real Delta is between GTS & GTB. GTB wins in handling etc due to being stiffer. I view the GTS as the fun sporting driver, day out maybe get spirited. But the GTB you can push right to 10/10"s and get aggressive where in the S it would get unsettled.

This of course is based on driving these little machines with 350+HP so I'm not sure that in stock form it would be the same.

Neither will ever handle as well as the mondial or 348. I actually prefer the 348 over even the 355. But now we're getting too modern.

 

Handling between the 2 didn’t matter to me. That would be more a choice of either version as GTB or GTS.

I picked a non-abs 328 GTS because it has a little more power, a little more torque, galvanized body, and improved steering rack, and some better creature comforts. But the 308 looks better to me in its first form.

You can’t go wrong with either as they are old school fun to drive. Just get a good one. That’s most important — even more than miles.

 

If I can chime in here folks .
Had a lot inc Renault sport spyder ,Various Porsches old air cooled and even a 968 club sport the 94 performance car of the year winner .
Currently a Dino GT 4 , and 987.2 boxster .

The “get a boxster a child can drive fast “ is true .You not gonna beat that porsche steering feel and turn in none electric PAS , mid engined flat 6 experience…..er a MID engine btw .

THE GT4
Bought @ auction and as soon I drove it home I realised the suspension was knackered , baggy lacked precision .So had it polybushed . Yep read around the subject and purchased from a U.K. supplier Bell classic cars there bush kit .Two versions a track or road I bought the road kit .Not as hard as track but importantly equally resilient against wear / tear / distortion / etc etc .
The ride is firmer .Ideal for spirited back country drives .

Totally and utterly transformed the handling .
Put a new rack one of those $ 250 Chinese e bay jobs = new precision steering .
Took it to Quick Fit , £60 and 1/2 hr later after a session on the “ Hunter “ it’s all totally transformed.

The turn in and chassis balance now beats the Porker .
The aural experience with the carbs behind your ears is on par with screaming flat 6 in the Pork .

Conclusion .
3 #8 s series CAN be made to handle .They insidiously wear the OEM rubber bushes and the nylon steering bush , they are geo sensitive. I suspect that’s what’s the OP s experienced a knackered suspension and worn steering rack bush(s) ?


So the 328 might have a few more pony’s but it’s susceptible to the same old knackered chassis components.

It ain’t the car 308/vs 328 it’s the state of the chassis consumables.

 

Thanks for the thoughts everyone. Are there any suspension/steering/chassis changes between the 308 and 328? I probably should have asked that initially. Through some research and books I could not find anything that mentions suspension/steering/chassis changes between the 308 and 328. From what I am hearing it sounds like there is not a difference?

I assumed a GTB would be a bit stiffer. I would prefer a GTB but they seem much more difficult to find. Good to know the handling dynamics are quite a bit different between them.

I am surprised many mention the Mondial to handle better as it is a larger and heavier car.

 

The 328 got updated to the stupid 4 stud single rod upper shock mount as found in the mondial and TR.

If there's geometry changes it's slight, but that would require digging thru the wsm, I don't recall off hand if there is.

The 3x8's are tiny and twitchy too me, can't speak for others but myself as a 6'4" 275lb powerlifter.. they are tiny cars that don't like my weight sitting in that front corner. It's why I own the mondial instead. Honestly the cars just aren't made for people my size.

 

Another thing to compute is the 308 isn’t a bespoke chassis .It’s was a Pininfarina body grafted onto the then in production GT 4 Dino chassis .For parts commonality and production cost reconciliation in financially tough times .They chopped approx 4inches off the wheel base ( happy to stand corrected ) .
This made a noticeable difference to the handling arguably and widely accepted as detrimental .

Counterintuitively it’s the longer WB , Dino GT 4 and it’s successor , the Mondial that takes the “ back road handling” honours . Never mind chop the roof of a SWB version .As said drop the idea of handling with a GTS it’s a fallacy on many levels .Apologies if a few balloons have just been pricked .I can hear the popping across the Atlantic.

 

I have had two 308's, a Mondial, and now a 328GTS. I have also had a supercharged Miata, several air cooled 911's, and have owned a 986 Boxster for 10 years.

I never saw much difference from the 308's to the 328 in how they handled. The 328 is much more satisfying to drive than the 308's, with the extra power over the 308's.

Storming backroads in any of these cars is fun, although they are all different. The Boxster is super easy to drive very quickly, but is not as much fun as the 328. The air cooled 911's were the most challenging to drive fast, but were the most fun at the limit. I would also have to add that back road trips in a Lotus are hard to beat.

The 328 is by far and away the most satisfying of the bunch to drive. The sights, sounds, and feel of the car can not be beat. I don't get near the satisfaction from driving my Boxster or even my Porsche 997 4S .

 

There was some change to the suspension in the 328 when ABS was added that also allegedly improved some aspect of handling though I don't recall what.

 

I think you're slightly exaggerating the difference between the GTB and the GTS. Yes the GTB is stiffer due to having a roof section, but they're not "night and day" different - The GTS is noted for suffering some scuttle shake and not being quite as sharp as the GTB, but it's not noted for having some sort of useless wobbly chassis.

The 348 benefits from having a longer wheelbase and a wider track than the 308/328. Added to that, the 348 has a stiffer chassis, plus wider tyres front and rear, that are lower profile than the 308/328's had.

The 348 also has much stiffer suspension than the 308/328, which keeps the car flatter through corners than the 308/328, but also gives it a harsher ride (308's/328's absorb road imperfections where 348's tend to thump and crash over them).

With their higher profile tyres and softer suspension, the 308/328's are more forgiving and more "driver friendly" than the 348. The 348 is a very busy car, with very direct steering - Like a large go-cart. Where you can have a relaxed drive in the 308/328, the 348 always feels very darty, like an over-eager puppy sniffing out everything possible.

That's not meant as a criticism of the 348 - It's a highly entertaining car, and very rewarding to drive, but sometimes it's nice to have a drive that's not so busy and "full on". For many, Ferrari went too extreme with the 348's handling, especially at the limit, where it can punish driver's who either take liberties with it mid corner, or simply don't understand how to drive the car to get the best out of it.

I've owned a 348 TS and a 328 GTS, and In their own way, they're as good as each other. The 348 is the faster car (just - It's actually closer than you might think), and it's more edgy than the 328, making it slightly more rewarding to drive, but the 328 feels like the more more classic car, and is slightly easier to live with.

 

We do have some great driving roads in New England.

 

In stock trim you're very likely correct, I don't know. My experience is based on updated racing suspension and an engine putting down 350-500+ HP.. really really changes the dynamics and really exposes the difference in chassis stiffness.

 

I would venture a guess that a 308 / 328 would be better with 300 to 350 HP, but thats it. I would love 325 HP in my 328, with that being said, the fact that the 3 x 8s are SLIGHTLY UNDERPOWERED , that does not detract from the overall driving experience in any way , shape, or form. I was driving my friends Audi RS5 today for a bit, it was fast, comfy, and thats about it. HP does not equal fun when it comes to a Ferrari, its that simple.

Big G

 

My understanding is that the 328 got the 288GTO steering rack.

 

I don’t know about you guys but after I upgraded all my suspensions to the adjustable coil overs shocks, bigger sway bars with Polly bushings front and rear, 17 x 8 front wheels and 17 x 9 rear wheels, lowered, rebuilt steering rack, and properly aligned, I can say now that my 84QV handles like not quite like GoKart but very close.

 

This^^.. what Mike said.. and if you’re really into it modify the lower control arm forks (start with the fronts) for more camber. I’ve just been running 225/16 200 treadwear tires on my autocross/track 308 for years and have just been in awe of the cornering ability. I did ultimately have to go to a dry sump and I did end up snapping a stub axle in 2019 but it was after 15 years of autox and I should’ve been more aggressive on inspecting that part. Instead of retiring the car I built new rear bearing carriers that used all modern components. Here’s a pic of some lower suspension forks I made for the 348. The stock ones couldn’t be modified like the 308 because they’re all one piece.

Cheers

 

Here’s a video from 2019 with the Alfa club at laguna seca. The nsx club was there so if you can sit thru the it long enough you can see how they compare to a well prepped 308. At around the 15’ mark there’s a 911 that just romps away from me in the front straight… but the story doesn’t end there … enjoy.. watching it got me pumped.. might of posted before..