My first test drive in a 355 -- a couple of questions | FerrariChat
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My first test drive in a 355 -- a couple of questions

Discussion in '348/355' started by Zanzibar, Aug 26, 2007.

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  1. Zanzibar

    Zanzibar Karting

    Jul 17, 2004
    119
    #1 Zanzibar, Aug 26, 2007
    Hi all,

    I am still shopping around for a 355. Yesterday I went to the local Ferrari dealership to test drive a 1999 355 Spider they have for sale. I was very much impressed with the car. Still I have a couple of questions.

    1. There is a mettalic rattle in the RH side door. The salesman says it is just a linkage rod that needs to be tightened up. Easy fix or not?
    2. The car has a Tubi exhaust with the standard (new) Ferrari exhaust manifolds. At idle there is a metallic rattle coming from the exhaust. The salesman says this is normal. He claims the noise emanates from the butterfly valves directing the exhaust flow through the catalytic converters. Correct or a load of crap?
    3. The engine idle speed when the engine is fully warmed up is 1000-1100 rpm. This seems a bit high to me, but I am used to lazy American V8s. What is normal idle speed on these cars?
    4. At idle and when standing still the car has a slight left-right shudder. Again the salesman says this is normal due to the flat plane design of the crankshaft. What do you think?

    This is the first 355 I drove, so I have nothing to compare to. Tomorrow I have another 355 test drive scheduled. It will be interesting to compare...

    Thanks for the feedback
    Rik Gruwez
    Brugge, Belgium
     
  2. rllucero

    rllucero Formula Junior

    Jul 11, 2006
    559
    Santa Fe/San Diego
    Full Name:
    richontravel
    #2 rllucero, Aug 26, 2007

    You have a PM
     
  3. godless1

    godless1 Rookie

    Jun 11, 2007
    49
    Socal
    Full Name:
    V
    #3 godless1, Aug 26, 2007
    let's share the info =)
     
  4. VTChris

    VTChris F1 World Champ

    Aug 21, 2005
    13,259
    #4 VTChris, Aug 26, 2007

    I second that!

    PS: if it is that easy to repair the noise in the door, why don't they just fix it before listing it for sale.?
    It's a Ferrari not a Honda
     
  5. Crawford

    Crawford Formula 3

    Mar 5, 2003
    1,294
    Nashville, TN
    Full Name:
    Crawford White
    #5 Crawford, Aug 26, 2007
    Well, Q2 and 3 are perfectly normal traits of an F355. As far as 4 goes, "shudder" is pretty subjective. It won't idle as smooth as a Buick, that's for sure :)
     
  6. racer17

    racer17 Karting

    Jun 19, 2006
    139
    Calgary
    Full Name:
    Brian
    #6 racer17, Aug 26, 2007
    From my experience Q2,3 and 4 are all normal. Have them fix the rattle in the door BEFORE you buy it.
     
  7. nopiston

    nopiston Formula Junior

    Apr 1, 2004
    273
    Orange County, CA
    Full Name:
    Randy
    #7 nopiston, Aug 26, 2007
    I've noticed a lot of times that metallic rattle from the exhaust is the heat shield (above the muffler) vibrating against the exhaust.
     
  8. gothspeed

    gothspeed F1 World Champ

    May 26, 2006
    10,244
    U.S.A.
    Full Name:
    goth
    #8 gothspeed, Aug 26, 2007
    hmm....mine idles very smooth since I installed the gothshroud...............;).
     

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