250 GT 2+2 vs 330 GT 2+2

Boxer42 · Post by **Boxer42** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 3:45 pm

I would appreciate any owners opinions and experiences with the 250 GT 2+2. Also how much of a difference is there between the 250 GT and 330 GT 2+2 ? Thanks Boxer42

Post by **tyang** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 6:14 pm

I tend to think the real difference between the 330s and the GTEs is the shape of their bodywork. I listen to a lot of owners talk about their cars, and what they like about them, and they usually bought what they did, because the preferred the asthetics of their respective cars. The mechanicals became more advanced, with changes in the brakes, engines, and transmissions, but these don't mean much if you don't like the way the car looks.

I would suggest you look at as many cars as you can. See if the owners will let you ride in them, and maybe even drive them. Form your own opinions, and emotions, and buy from there. Whatever you do, DO NOT listen to the journalists!!! These guys do more damage to a car from a 20 minute test drive, and 1000 words of text!

Good luck!
Tom

Post by **330GT** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 12:26 am

Body style was the main difference between the GTE and series 1 (4HL) 330 GTs. The series II cars (2HL) had a number of mechanical changes including a 5 speed transmission (no O/D that seems to cause people problems), A/C and P/S as options. Most also had power windows.

Enzo250GTO · Post by **Enzo250GTO** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 1:26 am

Boxer42,

I'm glad you found this site. As you can see they have the answers I didn't. Always an education on this site.

330GT,

What do you mean by O/D? Odometer?

Boxer42 · Post by **Boxer42** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 1:33 am

Enzo250GTO, Thanks for the tip. This is a great site with a very knowledgable membership. I believe O/D is Overdrive and was fitted with the 4 speed gear boxes. Boxer42.

Enzo250GTO · Post by **Enzo250GTO** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 1:37 am

Boxer42 wrote:Enzo250GTO, Thanks for the tip. This is a great site with a very knowledgable membership. I believe O/D is Overdrive and was fitted with the 4 speed gear boxes. Boxer42.

Isn't overdrive typically for Automatics, ie to save gas. The car had a 5 speed manual so how would overdrive account into this?

Boxer42 · Post by **Boxer42** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 2:04 am

Not sure how it works but I am positive that the 250 GTE 2+2 was fitted with a 4 speed manual gearbox with overdrive. Jaguar used a similar system on the XK 150.

Post by **tyang** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 8:49 am

Hi Guys,

Overdrive is often the highest gear on a transmission. Often on a 5 or 6 speed gearbox, the top gear is overdrive. What makes an overdrive gear? When the top gear spins the driveshaft faster than the engine. In other words, a regular top gear will spin the driveshaft at 1:1, but with an overdrive gear, top gear is spinning the driveshaft a little more. This saves in gas and revs, taxing the engine less because highway cruising needs less power. Highway driving doesn't need the engine to be in it's optimum torque range. I hope I'm making sense.

With GTEs, they fitted the gear box with an electric Laycock DeNormanville overdrive. Almost a misnomer, because it's actually a hydraulic unit that is operated electrically. This unit fits on the end of the transmission, and took the output shaft of the transmission, and gave you an overdrive gear when the switch was flipped. The electrics can be troublesome, but when it's working, it's not a bad set up. It's just more convenient to shift directly into overdrive with the gear shif lever as opposed to flicking another switch.

Tom

kare · Post by **kare** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 2:37 pm

It is largely a matter of opinion, but I wouldn't say a traditional gearbox to be an overdrive just if the final ratio was above 1:1. I think it is logical to save the term "overdrive" for drivetrains with a separate overdrive unit. On the other hand gearbox ratios are designed in relation to rear end ratio, so basically you can reach same total ratio with different gear ratios by adjusting ratio used in the rear end. In the end it is the total ratio that counts...

I, however, totally agree with your point not to listen to journalists. Most test drives of 250 GT 2+2 include nagging about understeer, missing amp-meter and small glovebox. Some journalist never got to drive the car and even those who did wouldn't necessarily have noticed these features, had they not rear earlier articles on the car. Besides, I personally don't understand why journalists complain about minor understeer; a powerful car with a tendence to oversteer sound like a nightmare to me!!!

Today most sources warn of overdrive problems. I think this is quite ridiculous too as I haven't ever heard of anyone having real trouble with such system; it wan not that exotic - Volvo and Jaguar (among others) used it too. I define "real trouble" being something else than a loose wire or a blown fuse... Of course a true 5-speed is a more advanced design, but I wouldn't be afraid of overdrive.

Best wishes, Kare

Enzo250GTO · Post by **Enzo250GTO** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 2:59 pm

Tom & Kare,

Thanks for the great info, I understand now!

Regards,
Andrew

jsa330 · Post by **jsa330** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 7:43 pm

For what it's worth, no problems with the overdrive in the 2,500 miles I've driven my SI 330 in the last 18 months.

Rudy van Daalen Wetters · Tue Jul 06, 2004 9:19 pm

I have had many cars with overdrive and never had a problem. I really enjoyed it on my Austin Healey which had overdrive in third and fourth gear. It was so easily controlled by a little toggle switch on the dash.

Rudy van Daalen Wetters
1963 GTE s/n 4001