Lowering a 360

Hi Bobby!
You dont need to buy a new set of springs because you can adjust your hight since your ferrari is equiped with coilovers. You need 10 turns at the back and 8 turns at front.
This thread will help you a lot;
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=237511&highlight=lowering+360

 

The case is not (quite) closed.

There was no mention of corner weighting when performing this ride height adjustment. Now, if all you want is a lower car, then you can forget about the corner weighting. But if you want the car to drive well after lowering, corner weighting is advised along with a suspension alignment (caster camber toe).

 

You need to use harder springs ...

 

Yeah, you're better off just getting shorter sport springs to firm it up a touch and bring it down. Obviously costs money, but on all cars with coilovers I've heard it isn't a great option, just more like "short-cutting" the solution...

 

Stiffer springs not necessary at all - total bull-sh*t.

Alignment is essential. Everything will be off after you lower it.

 

Are you doing this for looks, or because you think the car will handle better? I happen to be one of the few that think these cars do not look better lowered, and unless your on a track, I think it can be a costly thing to do, unless your roads are a whole lot better than the ones I drive on.

 

I agree entirely with Mitch Alsup, and Ferraritime, regarding the end result if you merely lower the car.

Wheel alignment, camber angle, and to some extent, castor angle will be slightly off after lowering, which will affect the handling of the car, and corner weighting is certainly a major factor in setting up the car for proper handling.

I experienced all this from the fact that my car 'settled' quite a bit downward on the suspension in it's early days, and the steering became quite 'notchy' and uncomfortable to drive. It didn't 'self-centre' very well on the steering coming out of a sharp corner.

I measured the ride hieght and realised that it had dropped a bit.

It improved immensely after the ride height was retuned to normal.

 

I've lowered many cars over the years, including my 360 and my 430. In my opinion, the cars look much better lowered about 1" as I hate the large fender gaps at stock ride height.

As for handling, once the cars are aligned, they handle exactly as stock plus have a lower cg, so actually drive better. 99.9999% of the time, most F-car drivers aren't anywhere near the limits of the car, so high performance handling isn't an issue. Anyway, here are some pics for comparison. IMHO, lowered = race car look; stock = 4 x 4 look

Do what you want/what you like.
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That looks so much better. How did you lower the car in the pic? Any issues with speed bumps, driveways and scraping?

 

Ye sthe look is 1000% better,like mentioned before it is good to use harder springs and re align.

 

All F430s (360s too) come with adjustable coil-overs. Take it to the dealer/reputable capable shop and have them remove the springs & shocks, and simply turn the lower spring perch (collars) down as far as you'd like. Again, I did mine to essentially match the ride height on the Challenge Stradale (about 1" lower). Then, get the car aligned and you're ready to go. Again, no need for stiffer springs. . .unless you want to track the car, in which case I'd recommend stiffer springs whether you lower or not. Street use only, stiffer springs are a waste of money and will definitely make you notice every imperfection in the roads.

Best of luck!

 

Oh, and as far as speed bumps, scraping, etc. . .you do need to pay attention to these things. At my final ride height, I have no proble going over speed bumps, just need to take it very slow so as not to "bounce" the suspension. The greatest challenge in my driveway which is quite steep. A 45 degree approach angle takes care of that though. These small challenges are (again, in my opinion) well worth the improvement in stance/appearance.