What are some options to make a 308/328 handle at its best?

get some lightweight wheels like kinesis, some super sticky modern road tires that are 1/2 slick, then Nick who sponsors here has some cool coil over shocks, you have to modify the A arms a tiny bit for them to fit.

1 danger w 308s & modern sticky rubber is the rear stub axles will snap if they are overloaded enough leaving you w a 3 wheeled 308, happened to me twice. So find a source who can manufacture stronger, lighter, better designed stub axles while you are at it

 

Another issue to consider- increased grip will exacerbate the oil surge problems common to wet-sump 308s.

 

First thing I did to my 308QV was to "upsize" my tires, putting 225/50-16's on the fronts and 245/45's on the rear. Made a noticeable difference in handling.

Next thing I did was to put 15mm spacers to widen the rear track. Again a noticeable difference, though not quite as much as when upsizing the tires.

Next I changed out the a-arm bushings to ES polyurethance. A noticeable though minor difference, since my rubber bushings were still in pretty good shape.

Most recently, I put on new lightweight coilover shocks, heavier springs, and heavier anti-sway bars. BIG difference, though I'm sure most of it comes from the heavier anti-sway bars. I got all that stuff from FCA sponsor www.fca-se.com/sponsors/tristram/

 

I'd compare it to a 308 in great shape.
Look, as beautifull as a 308 may be, no matter how much money you may throw at it to make it handle better,
The truth is, it's still a 30 year old car!
And there is no way you can compare it to the handling of a modern car like say a 360 CS.

 

Do you have pic's and source? I want to do this

 

I am not kidding about this: A good driving school.

You will be amazed at how much better your car handles afterwards

 

Here's the thread with some pics in the old FChat archives:
http://70.85.40.84/~ferrari/discus/messages/256120/206162.html

I got the H&R hubcentric spacers and longer bolts from ECS Tuning
http://www.ecstuning.com/HR/appguides/app_search.cgi?qt=spacers
The price is still $82/pair for the spacers and $5.50 for each bolt.

Of course FChat sponsor Paul Hill now makes spacers and bolts also (his bolts are better chrome but also about 3 times the price, though the spacers are just around 50% higher than HR's) which can be purchased direct or through sponsor www.RicambiAmerica.com

Notice in the pics below how nicely they fill out the wheel wells.
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That is VERY true... it's amazing how much driver skill affects what you or someone else can get out of the very same car by comparison.

 

Dr Tommy is spot on.

Decide what your budget WAS to spend on going faster. Now spend just 10% of this on driving instruction from a TOP driver IN YOUR CAR.

Now, once you've done this, you'll better understand where the money needs to be spent.

But to summarise... Front brakes... just track pads here and all 4 steel braided hoses is fine for 90% of people.

Tyres. Too much choice here. Up to you.

I'm a purist, and can make the std Koni's do just about anything I want them to do for the price of a rebuild and adding platform adjusters.... about AUD $800. Change the springs too. Add around 50% to the front and 30% to the rear as a nice compromise. But go MUCH more (300-400%) if you want a track car only.

Seat and belts. Just a 4 point harness with a std seat will do wonders. Change the seat if really serious, but a bit squeezy in a 308.

 

Thanks Mike.

Are they on the front as well? 15mm all around?

 

You stole my thunder! A good driver in a Neon will be faster than an average driver in a 308 if the course demands skill. Work on your skills before you throw money at the car. I doubt many 308 owners are driving at the car's limits as it is, let alone modified.

Ken

 

Rears only... Fronts with my "upsized" 225/50-16 tires would stick out past the wheel wells if I added spacers there. They would probably be ok with stock sized tires, but I'm not sure. I'd rather have a larger contact patch than merely making a wider track.

 

You guys are still missing the most obvious thing:

Check the tire pressures.

So simple, yet so many people forget to do it.

 

You're trying to compare apples and oranges. You have differences in weight, power and width that can't be "forced" into a 308 car, especially just from a handling point of view. You can turbo the QV and get F40 HP, but you're not going to be able to change the basic suspension geometry... and you shouldn't worry about it. You can bring it up to date with some modernization, but a 308 is what it is.

 

Add $300K to your 308 and it'll handle AND accelerate just like an F40.

It just ain't gonna happen. My GTS is like a wet noodle, there's no guarantee that any car can be made to handle like another.

 

Can someone help me?
On my 328 I've installed 4 spacers (0.6 in = 15 mm) on my OEM 16" wheels.
The tires are Bridgestone Potenza S-03.
Wheels and tires setup done by a specialist.
Tire pressure ok.

I've felt a big difference from the old situation (no spacers, old stock Goodyear tires): the car stability is terrible!!!
It floats, changes direction every second (with my hands firm on the steering wheel and no Parkinson disease) and I feel it unstable and unsecure from 120 km/h (75 mph).

Could you tell me the cons/pros of the use of the spacers:
1) all around
2) only on the rear
3) only on the front

Any advice?
Thank you all
Vittorio

 

Lose those front spacers, they've jacked your scrub radius all wrong. Take them off and things will go back to normal. It's unclear if you had the car aligned, but excessive negative camber could also contribute.

 

thanks Don. I'll try
Take care
Vittorio

 

As could castor being different from side to side or too much toe out. Castor most likely will make the car wander gently i.e. pull to one side where as excessive toe out will make the car dart.

Get those front spacers off and get the car aligned if it hasnt been.

John

 

The thing that astonished me most was that I had the alignement done few minutes before the problems appeared!!!
In any case I'll follow your advice.
Thanks
Vittorio

 

When you say "handle at it's best" do you mean maximum lateral G (namely cornering force) or improving the way the car feels in corners?

From the 348 series onwards, the engine went from transverse to longitudinal. This meant that the engine no longer had to sit on top of the gearbox, so could be mounted lower to reduce C of G and therefore the roll forces during cornering. This allowed higher cornering forces, although the 348s have a bit of a reputation for not being so friendly on the limit.