First Ferrari. Can I drive it in the rain?

There is supposed to be a drain tube connected to the antenna "cup" that goes out to the wheel well

 

I drove my 308 in the snow - not on purpose, got caught in a late April snow storm in north west PA... - that is not an experience i really want to do again... it did not like the slushy snowy roads... i think the wide tires accounted for a lot of that... thankfully it was only for about 15 -20 miles, then turned to rain then stopped.

308's did not like icey roads! but just shifted into 5th gear, low revs, and it was ok, but you really had to think ahead unlike in other "regular" cars.

 

Partly the wide tires, but also that the tires most Ferraris wear tend to go well "off" in cold temperatures.
You'd want narrow tires to "cut through" snow, but for ice you'd still want wide tires.

My EVO came with a door sticker warning against driving in winter with the stock Advan A046s. I got those in the snow once and it was like driving on marbles. (For MA, I did go from 235 down to 225 width for the winter Nokians.)

I got caught in an early snow taking my 328 home from a long major service. There's minimal traction, but good balance.

Driving in the snow is like pushing on a fast track .... just a lot slower.
Driving at the limits of traction is driving at the limits. The principles are the same whether the limits are at 100 or at 35.

But then, you don't see a lot of handbrake turns at 100.

Before they moved it into stadiums, the RoC was usually won by a rallye driver.
Racing is about handling at the limits.


I had one shop ask my why I keep the Alfa Spider, since I have a Ferrari.

I told them it was for refresher training. I could drive the 328 (or the Celica All Trac, for that matter) in Metro West traffic half the year without getting near the limits. That lets you pick up bad habits, such as a sloppy line through corners. The kind of thing that will catch you out in winter.

The Alfa tends to be extremely unforgiving, and, with that solid rear axle and flexy chassis, finds its limits a lot slower.
It also has the advantage that the tires start to scream when still short of breaking loose, so the car will tell you when you don't get it right.

I used to drive a GTV-6 year round in MA. A sports car handles just fine at the limits of traction. Weight distribution counts.
(You should see how annoyed (nose-heavy) Wagoneer drivers get when they get dusted off in snow by a (WRC based) ricer. )

 

+1

Not that I've driven the snow but I tried to pull the 328 out on a snowy driveway and it only drifted sideways the more I pushed on the accelerator pedal.

I have driven at high speeds in the rain but I would highly recommend to never drive in the snow/ice.

-F

 

My 308 is a rust bucket. Looks good, but there are bubbles all over it. (Yes, I'm getting it repaired this summer).
They are old cars: going on 30 years. There's gonna be rust. Don't sweat it too badly that you don't enjoy the car.

As for tires: pick up a set of Gotti's or old Enkei's off of e-bay for a couple hundred bucks and put some newer, cheaper rubbers on them and enjoy it!

I have a GTSi too, don't let anyone dog you about it being a "lesser" Ferrari- They are all a gas....

 

No it does not Melt... But I avoid the rain when ever possible.

Yesterday was my 5 year olds' birthday and it looked like rain so I told her no Ferrari to today... she gave me a look that I made me melt. "But I thought Ferrari's were the best cars in the world.. daddy." Needless to say I drove her in the Ferrari and we had no rain....

This was shot shortly after it came off the transport I let the light rain rise off some of the shipping dust. Funny it rained in Vegas the day I test drove the car... Rain is good luck, so far it holds true!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQkSEJnaI-A

 

Of course your engine can get wet.

Obviously none of you gays have ever owned an Series 2 XJ5.3. I used water to check that everything had been put back in its proper place after working in the engine bay. First complete whatever task was underway. Then take a large bucket of water and pour it over the top of the engine. ..... wait a few seconds ........ then look under the car from the side .......... if any water hits the ground you have forgotten to put something back !

 

Last summer I met a fellow who is the original owner of an early 80's 400i. Car was beautiful. It was his daily driver when he was in town. I asked him about keeping it clean. As his daily driver he drives it in every weather and runs it through mechanical car washes if he want's in clean in a pinch. He had owned many Ferraris, and always as daily drivers. This was in WA state so this car saw a lot of wet. Didn't see any rust but I wasn't looking for it either.

 

Absoulutely! Immediately...tires pretty much are done at five years.....surely they show surface cracking?????

As far as rain, well just don't STOP in the rain, as long as you're moving forward the rain cannot enter the vents!!!

 

Last month I drove from NJ to Canada in the pouring rain. 600+ miles. Pics below.
Yesterday I drove from Canada Grand Prix back to NJ in Sporadic rain 400 miles.
Mine is a GTB. The rear quarter window does leak some. I do have some rust from the PO who didn't have the antenna drip tube in the tire well. Oh well. And I fixed the first lower door rust bubble (dime size) in my 6 years of ownership. And I wash her when she's dirty - which is fairly frequently as I drive her a lot.

I'm not a fan of driving in the rain as you always have to clean her well afterwards. She needs to sparkle. The folks in Montreal this weekend appreciated it. She is, after all, a Ferrari.
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and a 328, and a 348 . . . Need I go on?

Oh, and your mechanic says he changed the belts, which belts? Maybe all he changed was an alternator belt and an A/C belt. If he didn't do the cam belts, and there is no service history (reciepts) for a major service or a belt service, you need to get the cam belts changed ASAP.

Just my 2 cents.

 

My left arm will probably get a bit wet on the drive home from the office tonight, but she needed a wash anyway
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Hay, I own 3 Avanti's, they are all garage/show queens and never see any water, cleaned with a damp cloth and lots of wax.
However, eventhough they are fiberglass cars, the inner rocker panels which are frame and roll bar mounts are very prone to rusting out, not to mention the all steel frame and suspension.

 

This poor guy drove HIS in the rain... and YES...

It melted. If it can happen to a Benz.... I'm just sayin




Jedi
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I just barley fit in mine as it is, if I get it wet and it shrinks....the wife gets the car to drive and I become a passenger.

 

Now THAT'S funny!
Moreover, I live in the Gulf South also, so I know how much it rains!

 

That's not just from a regular rain, It's from the acid rain

 

rain:
Drove it from Germany (where I bought it) to Spain (where I live) in heavy rain at times, no problems.
Now I avoid it because it doesn't rain so often anyway.
Told my three year old kid it will break down if it goes in the rain.
Living close to the sea it's just as important for me to know the size of the waves and the wind force and direction.

tires:
the old tires looked like new, someone even asked if they were new, still replaced them for safety reasons because they were 8 years old. Also have much better grip now.
Look for the code behind "DOT" three digits 318 means 31st week of 19x8
four digits (not sure when it changed to four) 1409 means 14th week of 2009.

I would be happier if I did not care so much, just can't help it.

 

NO DOUBT ABOUT THIS!!! Have that checked if you have ANY question about it at all. I would not feel comfortable driving until I knew for a fact. Otherwise, you have a pretty lawn ornament.

From what you described I would seriously doubt the mechanic knew what to do to change the cam belts, particularly given that he didnt think you should drive it in the rain.


PDG

 

Drive mine in the rain, and don't even have the silly cap covers on.

 

You made it to Safe Harbor, then!!!

 

My post was not a dig at Avanti's...just a sarcastic response to the original question.

And if you are happy with garage queens...

 

I didn't take it personal, I enjoy the Avanti's I haven't driven mine since it was totaled back in 84, it took 10 years to do a nut and bolt restoration the paint it in black laquor which is difficult on an old fiberglass car and has probably 2 miles driving on and off trailers at show or in moving from home to home. The tires on it are nearly as old as the car. Very early Goodyear Speedway Bluestreaks, from the mid to late 60's. I have a very rare engine sitting next to the car refered to as an R3, they were all hand made at STP/Paxton factory by Andy Granatelli. Only 9 cars were produced with this supercharged engine, the rest, probably 100, were crate motors. Very few of these engins still exhist.

The black car is by far the fastest car I own, tour shelby is by far the one that can bur the most rubber, and the 308 has been the most fun to drive.

The other 2 Avanti's are the wifes and were daily drivers each for one year and use soley for car shows.
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FWIW,

Of the people I know who drive their older Ferraris in the rain, most have had to deal with rust issues. If that is not a concern for you, drive away.

There are other concerns as well, such as older seals which are not as water resistant as they once were, allowing water to get into places they shouldn't be. Not to mention parts and seals that may have been removed or improperly reinstalled by overzealous owners or shade tree mechanics.

Among the worst things you can do to an old Ferrari, I have been told by a Master Ferrari technician, is wash it and put it away. Apparently, water gets its way into the wheel bearings and by not driving the car a bit, it just sits there and rusts. I imagine to a much lesser extent, parking the car outside in a deluge would have a similar effect.

I have personally noticed that water has a way of getting under the rubber gaskets in the trunk and hood of my Mondial when I wash it (and all of my gaskets are brand new OEM). My solution is to always drive the car for twenty minutes after a wash as the heat, wind, and rotating parts get the water out of everything. When I pull into the garage, I recheck the gaskets, door jams, wheels, and in the crevices under the hood and trunk and they are bone dry.

I guess my bottom line would be, its your car and you can do what you want, but you have to be willing to accept the associated risks. I consider my Ferrari a driver's garage queen. I put just under 3K a year on her, but keep her as pristine as I possibly can.

I NEVER drive my Mondial in the rain. The thought alone makes me sick. I have other cars for driving in the rain, I save my Ferrari for beautiful sunny days, mountain roads, and NO traffic.