Is it true there is no QA1 adjustable height shock/spring solution for a 89 328?
There is a QA1 adjustable shock with adjustable ride height for the 308 and 328 up to the non-ABS 328. For the ABS 328, the suspension changed so that the front shocks no longer fit the QA1 solution. At least that is my belief.
I think his question is more about why would you want to lower it? One of the real joys of a 328 is it handles quite well and isn't fussy about ground clearance the way Ferrari built it. As for cosmetics every time I see one lowered I look for a teenager with his hat on backward, tattoos and a 5 inch diameter exhaust pipe to go with the really ugly wheels and blacked out everything. Lowering most Ferraris is just confirmation of the lack of taste and good judgement of the owner.
Got it. For some reason my driver side is 1/2 inch lower than my passenger side and I cannot get it to even out. I swapped the springs and shocks left to right and it does not make a difference. I am just looking for adjustability to even it out. It's time to change the shocks anyway. And sometimes I do wear by baseball caps backwards because the beak keeps bumping into the wheel wells when I work on the car.
I'd suggest finding the root cause of the problem and correcting it. Putting on ride height adjustable shock is a band aid in that scenario.
I did this stuff when I was much younger and now I am undoing it all. 25 years ago I installed a Ward and Dean spring kit with Koni sports on my Alfa Spider. It rides like a floor jack. Same with my Scirocco (and that "upgrade" goes all the way back to 1986) The Scirocco is in Atlanta getting all that **** taken off and in my living room this very moment are two boxes with STOCK springs and 4 very factory, very vanilla, very stock hydraulic shocks for the Alfa. Winter project. Turing 50 does that to you...
The aesthetic has changed over the years. Manufacturers now, including Ferrari, "fill" the wheel wells much more than they did in the 1980s. I lowered my 1991 BMW 318i which looked like it was set up for the Dakar Rally. The Dinan Engineering Stage 1 suspension was a known way to both lower the car and improve ride quality. I really liked the change. While my 308 is still at stock height, personally, I think the 3x8 would look better a little lower. "Steve Magnusson" has designed lowering lower spring perches which seem like a simple way to do it. The handling characteristics of the car will remain unchanged. The concern I have, of course, is the reduction in ground clearance.
I never drove a 3x8 on United States roads, but here I'm sure that lowering one even slightly would make my life miserable. Ground clearance of the car is 11cm (about 4'50) and it is barely sufficient with those #¤*% speed bumps that are growing like mushrooms all over the roads... Regarding Mitchell's (= Yelcab) post, I authorize myself to second Brian's advice: I think I would try to find first and foremost why one side of the car is lower than the other...(but perhaps Mitchell has already looked into this) Rgds
Are you comparing the driver side vs passenger side height by measuring from the garage floor to the bottom of the chassis rail or from some other spot? Where are you observing the difference in height?
How do you really feel? Actually, I agree with you 100% and would like to nominate your post for "Tell it like it is" post of the year. Seriously folks, the thing about a Ferrari is they don't need modifications. They are a Ferrari!
I’m sure you’ve done this but if not, try looking at the side that’s the high side or even the opposite corner of the low side... (front). Had similar issue with a Land Cruiser that gave me fits. I also wear hats backwards by the way haha.
Nerofer, I just turned 75 and dropped my QV a little with new springs and shocks. So give 15 years. . . Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
I think my car would look a little better if it were lower. However, the deep front spoiler would last long.