Tracking a 458?

[acey81]

Hello,
In this day and age when politicians are trying to kill the Supercar as we know it with legislation, I feel that time has come to explore a few unicorns and scratch a few itches before it is too late.

My car history consist of mostly Porsches and Porsche GT product, currently a 991.2 GT3. I'm contemplating switching it out to a 458 Italia (Speciale out of my price range).

The GT3 sees track quite a lot, and I would call myself an "advanced" driver. From what I gather, using the 458 in the same manner wouldn't really work, so I have some other plans for the heavy duty track stuff (Radical, or similar). But I would love to be able to take it out on at least 2-3 track days just to get a feel for the car.

So my question is, would it handle it? Are there K-specific MPSC2 tires for the 458? How does it handle setup changes? Is it possible to get enough camber on to do any meaningful track work done? How is brake wear with all the fancy electronics? Should I keep the stock pads?

Any other tips when looking for a 458? How valuable is the service pack? Can you run one out of warranty?

Thanks!

[acey81]

Thanks chaps! Intersting comment "Taffyt66" as I was prepared to take a "loss" of performance switching to the 458, glad that in the real world it will feel as fast if not faster.

It seems like that 458 is not as sensitive to mileage as previous Ferraris, and that the overall quality has gone up. I can't for the really understand how they have fallen so low in price, that they are almost Porsche 991.1 GT3 prices or slightly above...

How important will it be to keep servicing it at the main dealer when it falls outside of the free servicing period? How sensitive is the car to proper K-spec tires instead of generic Michelin / Pirelli?

Pointers to buying guides / other threads on this forum or any other general information is much appreciated.

[acey81]

Thanks! Will have a look at Ferrari-chat, I did a find a thread from a couple of years ago, but it quickly became a pissing contest regarding which car is the fastest, if a Ferrari should be tracked, Ferrari false advertising (car on track in sales brochure, but not covered under warranty etc), that you should buy a Speciale, that you shouldn't buy a Speciale, that you should but a Porsche GT product... Seems like the vibe is better here.


The search shall begin!

[acey81]

Pistonheads at its best. Thanks guys, will keep you informed on the journey ahead. But already some excellent advice here.

The only scary thing is owning a "semi old" car. Looking at 2012- cars and as my wife said "are you buying a 7 year old car Ferrari (face filled with scepticism)", it made me feel both old and realise that 2012 indeed was a long time ago...