[4kids3fish]

Anyone have any idea what the ground clearance of a 308GTB or Mondial is? I'm gonna look very stupid driving the new toy home and get "beached" on the kerb-crossing at the top of my steepish driveway with all the neighbours watching (gad - I'm going red just THINKING about it already!)

None of the specs pages around the web give this info. Would it be 4", 5"?
If all else fails I will try to scale off a photo!!

 

[Dermot]

I can only relate to you that my old 355B used to ground all the time on my driveway (which dropped steeply to the road) The only answer was to approach the driveway from the road at an acute angle (say 45 degrees), and progress very slowly letting the suspension rise with the driveway. That seemed to work everytime. The reverse operation is needed for pulling off the driveway.

I imagine this trick should work with a 308 which if anything looks to have more ground clearence then the 355, but you may want to ask your local Ferrari dealer to clarify

Regards
Dermot

 

[360 Spyder]

I was going to say approach at an angle as well. Or, back-in. The rear wheels are closer to the back than the front (less overhang), therefore less body to touch.
I used to live in a neighborhood in which my driveway dropped steeply after the curb. The only way I could avoid scraping was to back-in and park at the top of the driveway. If I went in farther...SCRAAAPPPEE!!
Either way...Approach at an angle slowly!!

 

[Stradale]

Take a ruler to the dealer showroom. Simple. :lol:

I had to redo my driveway when I bought the 328 way back, because it was scraping the driveway all the time. It's the angle or incline of your driveway that's important. So beware.

 

[4kids3fish]

Thanks for the tips, guys.

Unfortunately Stradale, the car is about 500 miles away, and nowhere can I find the 308 ground clearance specified. Our driveway drops steeply from the kerb - I know the clearance of our other cars, they have a similar wheelbase and I can park them on top of the "hump" and see how much gap remains underneath. If this is greater than the difference in ground clearances then I should be fine.

500m is a rather a long way to go to collect a car that won't go down the drive!

ps: I note you have 97 posts - nearly a Pit Crew?

 

[Andrew]

Thanks for the tips, guys.

Unfortunately Stradale, the car is about 500 miles away, and nowhere can I find the 308 ground clearance specified. Our driveway drops steeply from the kerb - I know the clearance of our other cars, they have a similar wheelbase and I can park them on top of the "hump" and see how much gap remains underneath. If this is greater than the difference in ground clearances then I should be fine.

500m is a rather a long way to go to collect a car that won't go down the drive!

ps: I note you have 97 posts - nearly a Pit Crew?

You can always add a 2x4 on the curb. I've seen this done on lots of driveways. The second option is to buy a simple 1in (3cm) PVC pipe the width of your driveway. Put this just below the curb and buy a $9.95 bag of concrete mix it with water, pour it over the pipe to create a slant from the street to the driveway. The pipe allows water to still flow. Very easy fix for $20 USD and about 45 minutes of time. Please do not make a driveway be the deciding factor in owning or not owning a Ferrari.

 

[Pete04222]

Can you post a pic of your driveway? It sounds like your driveway drops away from the road and you are concerned about the "breakover angle", the car scraping in the middle rather that the front. The clearance on my car, at the lowest point between the front and rear tires (this is the seam where the rocker panel meets the floor panel) is 3 1/2". Now my car is lowered and has different sized tires that stock. I would expect a stock 308 to sit about 1 1/2" higher.

My driveway rises up from the road. No problems getting in the driveway but I have to back the car out. If I try and drive the car straight out the front spoiler will scrape.

 

[Stradale]

Sorry 4kids3fish, I didn't realise the object of your desire is so far away. In my case what I did was to change the driveway after I got the car. OK the front chin may scrape the driveway for a little bit but don't let that spoil your enjoyment of seeing it at "home".

I have a Porsche GT3 and that car is the lowest that I have ever owned. It has a "air dam" attachment underneath the chin and that thing scrape road bumps and ramps all the time. The sound of the scrape really hurts but luckily it's just a fibregalss piece and it just wears off bit by bit. It probably is quite cheap to change, which I'll do when the time comes. But I still drive it around because otherwise I'll be too scared to take it anywhere but the track.

My point is get the car and worry about things later. :wink:

 

[360 Spyder]

Or you could call whoever has the car and ask them to measure the clearance. (Phones know no distance...phone companies do though when it's time to pay for it)

 

[Stradale]

Or you could call whoever has the car and ask them to measure the clearance. (Phones know no distance...phone companies do though when it's time to pay for it)

Now why didn't I think of that ?

 

[360 Spyder]

Don't feel bad Stradale...it took me a while to think of it too. :lol:

 

[Stradale]

Don't feel bad Stradale...it took me a while to think of it too.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Andrew]

Rulers, phone calls, guesses?... hell I thought my idea was pretty clever and easy, like Stradale and I said, don't let a driveway dictate what you buy. Go with the simple fix.

 

[Dermot]

Rulers, phone calls, guesses?... hell I thought my idea was pretty clever and easy, like Stradale and I said, don't let a driveway dictate what you buy. Go with the simple fix.

You must live in a very understanding area. I would be lynched by my homeowners association if I started pouring concrete into the road (Not to mention the local council)

Dermot

 

[4kids3fish]

I would be lynched by my homeowners association if I started pouring concrete into the road (Not to mention the local council)

Homeowner's association?? Do you live in a "communal" style development or is this sort of thing common in SF? Here only the local council gets a say in what you can/can't do unless you live in a development which has its own private roads, etc.

 

[Dermot]

I would be lynched by my homeowners association if I started pouring concrete into the road (Not to mention the local council)

Homeowner's association?? Do you live in a "communal" style development or is this sort of thing common in SF? Here only the local council gets a say in what you can/can't do unless you live in a development which has its own private roads, etc.

Yip, Homeowners associations are very common. I live in a "gated community" which means there are a set of private rules I have to keep to, upkeep of the house and road etc. Bit of a pain to be frank, but it seems to attract Ferrari owners (There are three 360's in my road including mine) so can't all be bad!!!

Dermot

 

[DonPablo]

RE: 308 Ground Clearance

I scrounged up an old 1986 issue of Car and Driver magazine
that tested the 328 GTS. In the article they had a chart which
compared the specifications of the '86 328 GTS with the '83 308
GTS Quattrovalvole. The minimum ground clearance
for the 308 GTS-QV is listed at 3". The min ground clearance
for the 328 was listed at 4". They did not however list approach
and departure angles. The interesting fact is that the 328 has 1 inch
less headroom than the 308. It seems like Ferrari just raised the
floorpan and seats up an inch to get more ground clearance in
the 328 at the expense of headroom.

I hope this helps

 

[fradefa48]

The sound of the scrape really hurts but luckily it's just a fibregalss piece and it just wears off bit by bit. It probably is quite cheap to change, which I'll do when the time comes. :wink:

The clearence of my 348 Spider is 4.9 in. and I scrape all the time I enter the garage

The front spoiler is in fiberglass but I strongly believe that it will not be that cheap to change, because the spoiler iand the front are a single solid piece

Did anybody think about fixing a thiny metal liner on the lower side of the spoiler in order to protect the fiberglass? The clearence would not be significantly affected, the weight of the liner would be irrelevant and the substitution cost (of the liner) much lower.

If the scrape occurres both on the lower face and (partially) on the front of the spoiler, the liner could be bended to protect 1 or 2 mm of the front side of the spoiler?

Anybody want to try first? :work:

 

[mchferrari]

Anybody want to try first? :work:

Give me a Ferrari and I'd be more than happy to try it first. :green: ha:

:work: