Ferrari F430 Spider

[Whatty]

dinsdale said:

Lots of techncial stuff.

there are too many Ferrari poseur owners and not enough drivers so it it is great to see someone apply some common sense to ownership.

cheers

Agreed. Mr.Stewart is, literally, a shining example of why the UK still leads the way in engineering and manufacturing.

I was fortunate paid to visit many factories in North America and was always delighted to discover the vast number of Brits recruited to get things right.

Also met a few Germans.


And one Italian bloke.

Ciao, Whatty

[sealtt]

mwstewart said:

This may help you decide:

Thanks a lot for sharing, I think it suits your colour a lot better actually.

Mine is very black - black scuderia alloys, black interior, black roof and black paint! - so I am not sure that roof would actually suit it that well. Still I love it on the grey example posted earlier.

[mwstewart]

Whatty said:

...
Ciao, Whatty

Thanks Whatty!

sealtt said:

mwstewart said:

This may help you decide:
]

Thanks a lot for sharing, I think it suits your colour a lot better actually.

Mine is very black - black scuderia alloys, black interior, black roof and black paint! - so I am not sure that roof would actually suit it that well. Still I love it on the grey example posted earlier.

The car with the red roof is black Mine is grey. I'm looking for a set of Scud alloys at the moment actually: if you ever want to sell let me know.

[sealtt]

mwstewart said:

The car with the red roof is black Mine is grey. I'm looking for a set of Scud alloys at the moment actually: if you ever want to sell let me know.

Hi, yes I saw yours was grey - I was referring to the photo of the grey f430 with a red roof you posted a while ago. I think the red roof suits it much better than on this black one. Not very clear as I am talking about 4 cars in one badly written message!!

Ha, I will do, maybe if I sell the car. They are a great option. I also saw a 599 GTO style alloy on a f430 which looked very nice too.

[mwstewart]

sealtt said:

Hi, yes I saw yours was grey - I was referring to the photo of the grey f430 with a red roof you posted a while ago. I think the red roof suits it much better than on this black one. Not very clear as I am talking about 4 cars in one badly written message!!

Ha, I will do, maybe if I sell the car. They are a great option. I also saw a 599 GTO style alloy on a f430 which looked very nice too.

With you now. I can understand why you wouldn't sell! I think I've tracked down some wheels but the postage from the US isn't cheap. I have decided to add the skirts and front bumper too:


and the regular stripe:


I'll leave the back end standard as I actually think it looks better on the F430.

How are you getting on with yours?

[sealtt]

mwstewart said:

With you now. I can understand why you wouldn't sell! I think I've tracked down some wheels but the postage from the US isn't cheap. I have decided to add the skirts and front bumper too:


and the regular stripe:


I'll leave the back end standard as I actually think it looks better on the F430.

How are you getting on with yours?

The skirts & bumper would be a great addition, are they easy enough to source (at a reasonable price)? Stripe is a cool idea, though I don't know if it's too much of a Scud signature? I probably wouldn't bother doing the skirts/bumpers on mine as being black the changes would be quite hard to spot. With the scud alloys & carbon ceramics it has a lot of the appearance of the scud already I'd say, in fact a Ferrari tech thought it might be one when he saw it pull up!

I don't use mine that often, maybe once a week at the moment. As such I sometimes consider changing it for a car with 4 seats so all 3 of us (me, my gf & kid) can fit in, and whilst it'd be a second car still it'd be one we can use a bit more. I had an M6 cabrio before which was good as we often go on day long road-trips around the south west. However, as soon as I get in and drive that F430, all ideas of change are forgotten! Such a great experience. I took it on a track day which was the best thing ever. I love the looks (prefer it to the 458 which I'd love to buy next), driving experience is very nice - steering, ride, performance, cabin feels special to sit in and the sound is very exciting. I upgraded the stereo head unit which was a very good move, would just like better speakers now to be able to enjoy roof-down cruising & listening to music when summer comes. Not sure if it's worth investing in upgrading the speakers though, especially as it makes the car non-standard which I can't imagine helping come sale time, but the stock speakers are really just so bad!!!

Are you doing any trips in your F430? Track days at all?

[mwstewart]

sealtt said:

The skirts & bumper would be a great addition, are they easy enough to source (at a reasonable price)? Stripe is a cool idea, though I don't know if it's too much of a Scud signature? I probably wouldn't bother doing the skirts/bumpers on mine as being black the changes would be quite hard to spot. With the scud alloys & carbon ceramics it has a lot of the appearance of the scud already I'd say, in fact a Ferrari tech thought it might be one when he saw it pull up!

I don't use mine that often, maybe once a week at the moment. As such I sometimes consider changing it for a car with 4 seats so all 3 of us (me, my gf & kid) can fit in, and whilst it'd be a second car still it'd be one we can use a bit more. I had an M6 cabrio before which was good as we often go on day long road-trips around the south west. However, as soon as I get in and drive that F430, all ideas of change are forgotten! Such a great experience. I took it on a track day which was the best thing ever. I love the looks (prefer it to the 458 which I'd love to buy next), driving experience is very nice - steering, ride, performance, cabin feels special to sit in and the sound is very exciting. I upgraded the stereo head unit which was a very good move, would just like better speakers now to be able to enjoy roof-down cruising & listening to music when summer comes. Not sure if it's worth investing in upgrading the speakers though, especially as it makes the car non-standard which I can't imagine helping come sale time, but the stock speakers are really just so bad!!!

Are you doing any trips in your F430? Track days at all?

Used skirts fetch between 1.5 and 2, and complete front bumpers between 2 and 2.5. Neither are particularly easy to source but do seem to crop up every month or so. I know what you mean about the stripe - controversial...

Do you still have stock manifolds on yours? I completely agree about the speakers but since I replaced the Mk2 manifolds with some aftermarket versions I've forgotten all about the crap HiFi. For your next car it sounds like the California may be a good fit?

My car has been in hibernation since September which is something I always planned to do, but I really miss it! I expect to start driving it again around April time, and then later on in the year I want to visit Maranello for an owners factory tour. There was discussion about Ferrari relocating following the spin off by FCA so it seems like a pertient time to do it. I've not been on any track days in it.

[sealtt]

mwstewart said:

Used skirts fetch between 1.5 and 2, and complete front bumpers between 2 and 2.5. Neither are particularly easy to source but do seem to crop up every month or so. I know what you mean about the stripe - controversial...

Do you still have stock manifolds on yours? I completely agree about the speakers but since I replaced the Mk2 manifolds with some aftermarket versions I've forgotten all about the crap HiFi. For your next car it sounds like the California may be a good fit?

My car has been in hibernation since September which is something I always planned to do, but I really miss it! I expect to start driving it again around April time, and then later on in the year I want to visit Maranello for an owners factory tour. There was discussion about Ferrari relocating following the spin off by FCA so it seems like a pertient time to do it. I've not been on any track days in it.

I think the manifolds are stock, yes. Haha, I already love the noise so would be anxious to change it in case I don't like it as much - plus I am sure as stock it already drives the whole neighbourhood crazy when I go out for a drive!

The California T is a great car, I went to launch in Italy and to millbrook proving grounds track day with Ferrari for the Cali T and I really rate it well as a GT car. Thing is I'd still rather be driving the F430! The car I want doesn't really exist - basically just a F430 with a seatbelt in the front trunk to make a stowaway kid a legal passenger!!!!

Yeah that sounds a good idea, I visited the museum but not been to the factory, would be cool to do. I'd also love to do one of their owner's driving courses, but as they start at about EUR8k-10k (something like that), it will have to be a special treat!

[mattyc69]

Love the car, love what you have done to it.......

But Scud strip on a normal 430 is as bad as an M badge on a 520d.

[Stinkfoot]

A superb thread. I love reading threads about owners of high performance super cars who aren't afraid of getting their hands dirty rather than letting a garage or specialist do all the work.
Please keep the updates coming Mark

[mwstewart]

I found out that my car was within the VIN range for a recall on the clutch master cylinder. The inlet union on the original part can degrade over time and allow air into the system, so whilst I'm changing the clutch I may as well do this myself, rather than faff around having it taken to a main dealer for them to do.



Work has been taking up a lot of my time so I need to book some leave to get the car finished - I'm missing some decent driving weather!

Edited by mwstewart on Tuesday 15th March 11:28

[mwstewart]

Some more goodies:

16M stripe.


Hill Engineering upgraded front track rod ends - to match the rears I already fitted - and front skid plates.


The latest version of Scud Ing DRLs


Which do this:


I have next week off work to tinker with the cars and hope to get everything fitted. I miss driving the thing now - speaking of which we have a road trip planned for September. My girlfriend has been excitedly planning some of the finer details:


I've booked us onto the owners factory tour which should be interesting.

Edited by mwstewart on Tuesday 15th March 13:19

[JakeT]

Looks like a brilliant trip you've got planned. Do be sure to update the thread when you're back!

[McSam]

I've just read through this whole thread with a childish little grin on my face, brilliant work. Your car looks superb and I'm extremely impressed by your approach. You seem prepared to do pretty much anything to it, and you've certainly done your research on the common issues and fixes.

mwstewart said:

For what reason do you think the shield will increase fluid temp rather than decrease it?

I notice Max didn't come back to this. Despite thinking your clutch block heatshield and pipe re-routing was a lovely neat solution, I would agree that the main thermal path will certainly be from the engine block, rather than any significant radiation from the manifolds. I imagine there is a lot more radiation with these new (gorgeous) manifolds than the standard ones, but I still wouldn't expect it to be anything like as significant as conduction from the block.

If that's the case, the clutch block is heated by the engine directly and then radiates out into the engine bay. Adding a heatshield around it reduces this dramatically, trapping more heat in the clutch block than before. Looks like you could still get in to measure the clutch block's temperature with the heatshield around it, so perhaps it'd be worth testing it with/without the heatshield?

[neilbauer]

Did you go with red inserts on steering wheel and red roof?

[rainmasterb]

Looking good Mark. Will we get chance to see it in the metal at Horsepower at the Hall this coming Saturday?

[mwstewart]

JakeT said:

Looks like a brilliant trip you've got planned. Do be sure to update the thread when you're back!

Thank you. Will do!

McSam said:

notice Max didn't come back to this. Despite thinking your clutch block heat shield and pipe re-routing was a lovely neat solution, I would agree that the main thermal path will certainly be from the engine block, rather than any significant radiation from the manifolds. I imagine there is a lot more radiation with these new (gorgeous) manifolds than the standard ones, but I still wouldn't expect it to be anything like as significant as conduction from the block.

If that's the case, the clutch block is heated by the engine directly and then radiates out into the engine bay. Adding a heatshield around it reduces this dramatically, trapping more heat in the clutch block than before. Looks like you could still get in to measure the clutch block's temperature with the heatshield around it, so perhaps it'd be worth testing it with/without the heatshield?

Ahh, OK. The block is actually mounted to the transaxle aft of the bell housing and sits on a boss that is approx 20mm in diameter and 25mm proud of the casing. This particular part of the gearbox - behind the clutch block - can be touched comfortably following a spirited drive hence there's no issue with conduction. Radiated heat from the nearby cats and manifolds on the other hand is significant...

neilbauer said:

Did you go with red inserts on steering wheel and red roof?

Not yet. They are on the list…

[hughcam]

Enjoy Switzerland! Make sure you do the furka and Sustain passes. They are the best roads in the world!

[McSam]

mwstewart said:

Ahh, OK. The block is actually mounted to the transaxle aft of the bell housing and sits on a boss that is approx 20mm in diameter and 25mm proud of the casing. This particular part of the gearbox - behind the clutch block - can be touched comfortably following a spirited drive hence there's no issue with conduction. Radiated heat from the nearby cats and manifolds on the other hand is significant...

Ah, I see! I've found a photo that seems to show its placement a little bit better now, and see what you mean. If the casing really does stay that cool, then I expect the shield will be working as intended keep it up!

[mwstewart]

hughcam said:

Enjoy Switzerland! Make sure you do the furka and Sustain passes. They are the best roads in the world!

Thank you - neither are on the list actually! Are they better drives than the Gotthard Pass?

McSam said:

h, I see! I've found a photo that seems to show its placement a little bit better now, and see what you mean. If the casing really does stay that cool, then I expect the shield will be working as intended keep it up!