Im buggin trying to guess or figure out what my 850 is suppose to ride like???
@ the time of inception at its pinnicle what was this car ment to ride like?
Who was this car meant to battle?
The only thing i know is that this car is heavy , heavy like the 1996 impalla SS with the police package, which is even if id be wrong a good start being as these cars are geared high and also haul ass, a friend of mine had one very comfy you couldnt tell when you were speeding.
When i send off my shocks to be rebuilt
anything is better than Bilstein sp.

INPUT PEOPLE!!!
:help:lol

Short answer: The ultimate GT car.


..circa 1991.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_tourer
Now thats what i needed to know more of...Its all coming together now,
thx.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_tourer
Now thats what i needed to know more of...Its all coming together now,
thx.

Honestly I always pictured the car in my mind as the precursor to the 550M, and to a lesser degree 456. Owners of such that I know who moved to either car after the E31 echo these sentiments wholeheartedly.

Honestly I always pictured the car in my mind as the precursor to the 550M, and to a lesser degree 456. Owners of such that I know who moved to either car after the E31 echo these sentiments wholeheartedly.

Ooooh I would be careful there! Any F-car owner hearing that would go nuts!!! I have driven the 550...there is no comparison with an 8. Love my 8...but you can't compare that to a Ferrari.

Ooooh I would be careful there! Any F-car owner hearing that would go nuts!!! I have driven the 550...there is no comparison with an 8. Love my 8...but you can't compare that to a Ferrari.
I might disagree- try a 1000+ mile trip at speed and it could be questionable. Damn sure quieter in the 8!
Grand Touring Machine, not a "sports car" per se

Ooooh I would be careful there! Any F-car owner hearing that would go nuts!!!

Incidentally, I am a moderator on the main online Ferrari board...

Guys test drive a 840ci and I'm sure you know how a 8 series should feel and drive like. Just Gorgeous.

The 456 is a lovely car and i believe you can compare with a 8 series. Both GT are great cars. I have never driven one however will be soon.

I have a 96 850Ci with ACS springs, ACS 18' Type II Racing wheels and low profile tires, Bilstien shocks, a StrongStrut front strut brace, and custom Greg K sway bars.

The car I drove before it (and thus tend to compare it to) was about 1/2 it's size and 1500lbs lighter (a 01' VW Cabrio with Eibach springs, stock shocks, and 17' wheels with low profile tires).

The Cabrio was very tight with alot of front end push. It had very little body roll, but would beat you to death on rough roads due to very little play in the suspension. It was also very skittish (would hop around a bit on rough surfaces).

My 850Ci is extremely planted and stable. Body roll is almost non existant and it stays planted on rough pavement. It seems very balanced but I haven't driven it hard enough for it to really push from the front or to have the back end break completely loose.

That said, I do get a little lean then a hop in the back end under high speed cornering (70/80mph on a curved ramp), which I attribute to the fair amount of weight in the trunk (couple of batteries, spare tire, jack, stereo equipment, etc.)

Straight line high speed driving feels like you're sitting in a living room recliner. If it weren't for the wind noise of those non-aerodynamic mirrors I have, you'ld almost not notice you were moving.

Incidentally, I am a moderator on the main online Ferrari board...

Not stirring things up with you Auraraptor, and great that you moderate the Ferrari board...I run EuroSunday and have had the opportunity to drive numerous exoctic cars in a "spirited" manner for hours each - still that makes me no expert. Since I have have driven both, I would not classify them as being similar...other than both being GTs. Both have (had for the 550 - thank you Corvette) unique looks, feel, heritage, character, and cult like following by the owners. Someone mentioned "quiet" for the 8 - very true...the 550 owners tend to want to hear the exhaust. Both unique and beautiful cars but IMHO they are not similar in ride.

My reply (in jest) was simply to say "be careful" most Ferrari owners would cringe hearing someone say the $20k BMW 8 is similar to a $70k 456 or $ 120k 550.

Not stirring things up with you Auraraptor, and great that you moderate the Ferrari board...I run EuroSunday and have had the opportunity to drive numerous exoctic cars in a "spirited" manner for hours each - still that makes me no expert. Since I have have driven both, I would not classify them as being similar...other than both being GTs. Both have (had for the 550 - thank you Corvette) unique looks, feel, heritage, character, and cult like following by the owners. Someone mentioned "quiet" for the 8 - very true...the 550 owners tend to want to hear the exhaust. Both unique and beautiful cars but IMHO they are not similar in ride.

My reply (in jest) was simply to say "be careful" most Ferrari owners would cringe hearing someone say the $20k BMW 8 is similar to a $70k 456 or $ 120k 550.


Just to clarify so no flames start...the original post was in reference to "What is a true E31 ride like".

When the comparison was made to a 456 and the 550, my point is simply that I don't believe that to be any type of comparison other than both being GTs (having driven both and my opinion only) I also believe most Ferrari owners would not make the same comparison with regards to ride and most likely to any other comparison - that is really all I was pointing out.

Not stirring things up with you Auraraptor, and great that you moderate the Ferrari board...I run EuroSunday and have had the opportunity to drive numerous exoctic cars in a "spirited" manner for hours each - still that makes me no expert. Since I have have driven both, I would not classify them as being similar...other than both being GTs. Both have (had for the 550 - thank you Corvette) unique looks, feel, heritage, character, and cult like following by the owners. Someone mentioned "quiet" for the 8 - very true...the 550 owners tend to want to hear the exhaust. Both unique and beautiful cars but IMHO they are not similar in ride.
The only reason I mentioned it is, I too am not just speaking without any basis.

I have been an active part of the Ferrari community for quite a few years now. I wouldn't consider myself and expert of either of those models either, as frankly I'm more interested in the classic/pre-Luca models, but I digress.

I do have more experiance with either of those cars then with E31s, from knowledge of all their minor faults, er I mean quirks, to strenghts, though I am gaining more everyday on the E31 front.

We all have our opinions, and to me, both cars set out to meet very similar design goals as the E31. The approach taken was a tad different, with a definate Italian flare, but when you compare either of the cars to proper, I mean, pre-Luca Ferraris, they both are much more inline with the E31 design in terms of comfort, userfriendliess, ease of drive, and evel realiablity and maintaince costs (not parts costs) then they are with their predecessor Ferraris.

In short, a 550 is far more like a E31 then a 512TR.


My reply (in jest) was simply to say "be careful" most Ferrari owners would cringe hearing someone say the $20k BMW 8 is similar to a $70k 456 or $ 120k 550.
In aside, maybe it is a westcoast-eastcoast thing, as here we could care less about such (speaking of proper Tifosi that is).

Just to clarify so no flames start...the original post was in reference to "What is a true E31 ride like".

When the comparison was made to a 456 and the 550, my point is simply that I don't believe that to be any type of comparison other than both being GTs (having driven both and my opinion only) I also believe most Ferrari owners would not make the same comparison with regards to ride and most likely to any other comparison - that is really all I was pointing out.

And again, (in my opinion only), the cars are very much of the same vein, big front engine V12-6spd GT cars more adapt at high speed travel then auto cross twisties. However that is not to imply the Ferrari's can't handle their own on a track, after all, there is a reason they cost as much as they do...:shifty

See if I was a "Porshe-phille," I would most likely comment on how the car is very much like the 928 or something, and how the 928 was a departure from the usual 911/914/944 style of car. But I speak from the area I more familiar with. So replace 928 in that sentence with 550 or 456, and 911/914/944 with BB512/TR/512TR/348/etc

Its more info than i needed , I was just trying to figure out how i should tune the suspension to my E31 as far as which car it was made to go up against . You must remember the $100,000 850csi was the one that was the top of the heep Aston Martin and or Ferrari was marked to be the competition.
So they got no reason to dis that car comparing cars from the same year of course.:alright

At some point soon I'm going to replace my OEM struts with Bilsteins. But I will def. have them revalved for comfort since the roads here in Los Angeles are in seriously ridiculous shape.

Werd!!!