Ferrari F430 Spider
Discussion
PGN said:
That makes sense to me Mark. I guess the other questions are a) are you satisfied that the main dealer does a good job and b) happy that the schedule is adequate or will you do some extra planned maintenance yourself?
I'm not impressed with the service work performed on the car to date; for example the pollen filter wasn't changed at the last annual service (I've also had this on my M3 after a service at BMW). I've heard good things about Meridien Mondena Ferrari in the New Forset so I'll give them a shot for the upcoming 31k service, which is a combined annual & mileage.Schedule and content wise the servicing is very rigorous. The cars are servied annually regardless of mileage and undergo a major service at the folllwing intervals:
6,250, 8,750, 31,250, 43,750, 56,250, 68,750, 81,250, and 93,750.
Mileage and annual based can be combined if they fall around the same time. Full service details are here: http://www.ferraridatabase.com/The_Downloads/The%2...
I don't see any need to reduce the oil change interval on this car unlike the M3 which I reduce by half (my own change inbetween the dealer schedule of 15k miles). The only things I tend to do are the usual fluid checks and a visual inspection.
A couple of photos from http://www.shiltechperformancecars.com/ showing the Hill bearing and new clutch in situ:
Collecting the car tomorrow morning.
So far very impressed with Shiltech customer service.
Collecting the car tomorrow morning.
So far very impressed with Shiltech customer service.
Edited by mwstewart on Tuesday 15th March 13:23
gregs656 said:
Superb read, I think it's fantastic you have the confidence in your self not only to carry out the mechanical side of things but also make cosmetic changes to suit your tastes. You obviously do extensive research and also go into jobs well prepared with quality parts, a good lesson for many of us I suspect!
Thank you 
S3_Graham said:
Had a poke around Meridien Mondena a few weeks ago. Very impressive. Had a LaFerrari and an Enzo hiding round the back.
Hows your trip planning going? I'm leaving on the 18th for mine. Sadly sold the M3 cab so i'll be doing Garda in my little Mini Cooper S! Pretty much booked all accommodation.
Currently Bromley>Nurburg>Munich>Stelvio>Garda>Como>*undecided*>Paris>Bromley
All one nighters other than Garda and Como where we are staying longer for a bit of a relax! Any ideas where to stay going Como to Paris? cant decide....
That's good to know. We'll probably make a weekend of it in the New Forest.Hows your trip planning going? I'm leaving on the 18th for mine. Sadly sold the M3 cab so i'll be doing Garda in my little Mini Cooper S! Pretty much booked all accommodation.
Currently Bromley>Nurburg>Munich>Stelvio>Garda>Como>*undecided*>Paris>Bromley
All one nighters other than Garda and Como where we are staying longer for a bit of a relax! Any ideas where to stay going Como to Paris? cant decide....
Cooper S should be a blast on the mountain passes - can't beat a good hot hatch!
We've curtailed the plans slightly - my girlfriend's Dad wants to book a surprise holiday for the Mum's retirement, and guess what? It's in September. Girlfriend and I can't move the leave we've booked (both work on same project at work) and have no additional leave left to play with, so I said 'ahh well' - we'll cut the RT down to one week to accommodate the surprise. C'est la vie!
Will get back to you with a condensed plan!
It is now approaching the one year mark with the car year with the car so I will reflect on the ownership experience. First a few pics from recent use.
This was a particularly memorable drive in Dorset when mist started to descend along hillier sections of the route.
The first Ferrari I've found out in the 'wild': a California. I was parked next to it in Corfe last Sunday.
The car gets a lot of attention from young children. I've let quite a few sit in it and had one family follow me to ask if their son could look around it. I always oblige where possible.
A few musings about the car now that I have used it for a few thousand miles and some trips away.
Braking
- Given the opposed piston design of the calipers pedal feel is never going to be as sharp as a regular car, but it's not bad. I have found the car to be under-braked for high speed driving: a couple of stops from 150+ and the brakes are very much impaired until they cool. I will upgrade the brakes in due course.
Engine/performance
- The engine is a masterpiece and with the replacement manifolds I have all of the performance I really need for the road. There is always enough torque even at low RPM.
Gear change
- Superb. A joy to use. The best part for me is that the mix of lightweight flywheel/clutch, and high revving cross-plane crank engine dictates skill is requited to drive smoothly and reduce any undue wear on the clutch. This is especially the case when slowing in second gear; I have come to understand why the F1 system wears the clutch prematurely.
Handling
- The balance between ride comfort, steering response, and body roll is what really separates this car from anything else I have driven. The suspension and layout of the car really shine through and it is simply awesome how the car responds to steering input.
- The front tyres are ‘only’ 225 section so steering never feels dull, and grip levels – whilst high – are not ridiculously out of reach as to make the car feel too aloof.
- Standard geo settings are very conservative and will be changed. This however is just fine tuning.
- The front end gets light at high speed. This looks to be addressed on the 16m by the revised front bumper.
Noise/comfort
- The seats are great. Very comfy and very supportive.
- Pedals are offset to the left which would be fine in the LHD car, but in a RHD without cruise control I find my right (accelerator) leg starts to ache a bit after two hours driving.
- Wind noise isolation is better at high speed than the '06 CLK55 I had. There is minimal wind buffeting inside the cabin at road speeds - very impressive. It helps that you sit down low inside the car.
- The replacement manifolds have made the car significantly louder than stock; a standard F430 Spider drove past me at the weekend and made me realise just how much difference there is - it didn't sound like a Supercar at all. My car sounds incredible. I now find 75 mph in 6th indicated constant cruising speed is about the optimum noise level.
- Above 60mph with the hood down, any water that has gathered on the engine lid is fired into the cabin compartment through the gap in the roll over bars. I will look for the optional wind deflector: http://www.crazyhorsebooks.com/upload/a/d4/ad4a074...
Practicality
- The size of the luggage compartment - being sufficient for a couple going away for two weeks - is extremely impressive.
- There is a surprising amount of room behind the seats for additional belongings, and a few cubby holes to store things.
- The the door pockets are very handy and quite large.
- The Bi-Xenons are excellent.
Reliability
- It failed its MOT last Friday for handbrake efficiency. Thankfully the garage is owned a friend of the family and they let me fix it there and then for a retest! I observed that the actuating arm position at rest on each rear caliper was different and this was unbalancing the force applied to each caliper. To rectify I moved the actuating arms on each caliper until the cable was distributed evenly across each when the handbrake was off.
- I had a 'slow down' warning once which turned out to be a defective thermocouple in the bank 1 manifold.
- I had a CEL for P2196, the root cause being an overfilled petrol tank which resulted in the vapour management system being overwhelmed. No work required to fix other than clearing the code and being careful not to brim the tank next time.
Ride
- Really very surprisingly good and in Race mode is less harsh than the M3 CSL suspension in my full weight M3.
- When dealing with poor road surfaces with raised or sunken ironworks I tend to use the low grip mode for its softest suspension setting in order to ease jarring loads on the suspension joints.
- The way the car moves along the road is incredible - it dances over the road. The double A arm suspension works fantastically well.
Steering
- Fantastically weighted. Just right. Think slightly heavier Ford Puma.
What's next?
Despite disliking at first I now really like the 16m tricolore stripe, so I'm going to swap mine.
I have also tracked down some 16m skirts and front bumper.
This was a particularly memorable drive in Dorset when mist started to descend along hillier sections of the route.
The first Ferrari I've found out in the 'wild': a California. I was parked next to it in Corfe last Sunday.
The car gets a lot of attention from young children. I've let quite a few sit in it and had one family follow me to ask if their son could look around it. I always oblige where possible.
A few musings about the car now that I have used it for a few thousand miles and some trips away.
Braking
- Given the opposed piston design of the calipers pedal feel is never going to be as sharp as a regular car, but it's not bad. I have found the car to be under-braked for high speed driving: a couple of stops from 150+ and the brakes are very much impaired until they cool. I will upgrade the brakes in due course.
Engine/performance
- The engine is a masterpiece and with the replacement manifolds I have all of the performance I really need for the road. There is always enough torque even at low RPM.
Gear change
- Superb. A joy to use. The best part for me is that the mix of lightweight flywheel/clutch, and high revving cross-plane crank engine dictates skill is requited to drive smoothly and reduce any undue wear on the clutch. This is especially the case when slowing in second gear; I have come to understand why the F1 system wears the clutch prematurely.
Handling
- The balance between ride comfort, steering response, and body roll is what really separates this car from anything else I have driven. The suspension and layout of the car really shine through and it is simply awesome how the car responds to steering input.
- The front tyres are ‘only’ 225 section so steering never feels dull, and grip levels – whilst high – are not ridiculously out of reach as to make the car feel too aloof.
- Standard geo settings are very conservative and will be changed. This however is just fine tuning.
- The front end gets light at high speed. This looks to be addressed on the 16m by the revised front bumper.
Noise/comfort
- The seats are great. Very comfy and very supportive.
- Pedals are offset to the left which would be fine in the LHD car, but in a RHD without cruise control I find my right (accelerator) leg starts to ache a bit after two hours driving.
- Wind noise isolation is better at high speed than the '06 CLK55 I had. There is minimal wind buffeting inside the cabin at road speeds - very impressive. It helps that you sit down low inside the car.
- The replacement manifolds have made the car significantly louder than stock; a standard F430 Spider drove past me at the weekend and made me realise just how much difference there is - it didn't sound like a Supercar at all. My car sounds incredible. I now find 75 mph in 6th indicated constant cruising speed is about the optimum noise level.
- Above 60mph with the hood down, any water that has gathered on the engine lid is fired into the cabin compartment through the gap in the roll over bars. I will look for the optional wind deflector: http://www.crazyhorsebooks.com/upload/a/d4/ad4a074...
Practicality
- The size of the luggage compartment - being sufficient for a couple going away for two weeks - is extremely impressive.
- There is a surprising amount of room behind the seats for additional belongings, and a few cubby holes to store things.
- The the door pockets are very handy and quite large.
- The Bi-Xenons are excellent.
Reliability
- It failed its MOT last Friday for handbrake efficiency. Thankfully the garage is owned a friend of the family and they let me fix it there and then for a retest! I observed that the actuating arm position at rest on each rear caliper was different and this was unbalancing the force applied to each caliper. To rectify I moved the actuating arms on each caliper until the cable was distributed evenly across each when the handbrake was off.
- I had a 'slow down' warning once which turned out to be a defective thermocouple in the bank 1 manifold.
- I had a CEL for P2196, the root cause being an overfilled petrol tank which resulted in the vapour management system being overwhelmed. No work required to fix other than clearing the code and being careful not to brim the tank next time.
Ride
- Really very surprisingly good and in Race mode is less harsh than the M3 CSL suspension in my full weight M3.
- When dealing with poor road surfaces with raised or sunken ironworks I tend to use the low grip mode for its softest suspension setting in order to ease jarring loads on the suspension joints.
- The way the car moves along the road is incredible - it dances over the road. The double A arm suspension works fantastically well.
Steering
- Fantastically weighted. Just right. Think slightly heavier Ford Puma.
What's next?
Despite disliking at first I now really like the 16m tricolore stripe, so I'm going to swap mine.
I have also tracked down some 16m skirts and front bumper.
Edited by mwstewart on Tuesday 15th March 13:28
Beedub said:
oh man i love seeing updates on this thread.. is it sad that sometimes ill pause the sky box, grab a cuppa and like a kid read all the details that most never show us on a car like this!
Cheers - I love car details confucuis said:
The 430 really is a beautiful car, classified time!!
Agreed.Another mod: I've picked up some genuine Ferrari carbon airbox lids. These are marginally lighter and supposedly add 10bhp at speed due to an improved transition from airbox to MAF.
Genuine lids are 1x1 weave and feature a black painted alloy flange to secure each MAF.
The stock lids are thin wall aluminium and incorporate a resonator tube before each MAF; it can be seen underneath the outlet tube.
The resonator is deleted on the carbon lids so I am looking forward to hearing if they change the intake sound for the better.
Edited by mwstewart on Tuesday 15th March 11:34
S3_Graham said:
Got back from my euro trip with no issues. You must do Stelvio. It's just such an awesome road. You can't do it fast as there is a decent amount of traffic. It's still just amazing though, views are incredible.
Shout if you want any places to stay. We were in Trafoi. Nice hotel. Found a really good one in Garda too.
Cheers Graham - please do PM me some hotel suggestions.Shout if you want any places to stay. We were in Trafoi. Nice hotel. Found a really good one in Garda too.
f1ten said:
HI Mstewart
did you have the manifolds coated recently I think you said. Who did the coating? I assume the coating doesn't effect the noise production at all ? just effects the heat generated?
sorry I think Im covering old ground here!
another f430 owner on here has just fitted new manifolds -AP manifolds and is complaining about them being ridiculously loud!
Im curious how you are fairing with yours? How loud are they? I have a sports exhaust on my 360 which is significantly louder at idle and revs than the standard 360 exhaust so its not a problem but it does concern me if I buy a 430 if it ends up being "too " loud...
Hello there, did you have the manifolds coated recently I think you said. Who did the coating? I assume the coating doesn't effect the noise production at all ? just effects the heat generated?
sorry I think Im covering old ground here!
another f430 owner on here has just fitted new manifolds -AP manifolds and is complaining about them being ridiculously loud!
Im curious how you are fairing with yours? How loud are they? I have a sports exhaust on my 360 which is significantly louder at idle and revs than the standard 360 exhaust so its not a problem but it does concern me if I buy a 430 if it ends up being "too " loud...
http://www.camcoat.com/main/coatings2.html applied the triple layer external coating, which cost around £320. Ceramic coating doesn't affect noise in any way; the extra noise is liberated by removal of the pre-cats in aftermarket manifolds.
The replacement manifolds are significantly louder than stock and make the car sound like it always should - the stock manifolds are way too quiet for a supercar. The noise mine makes on full chat is incredible.
f1ten said:
thanks for replying!
any vids of yours for audible interest? DVB on here was saying his manifolds were just way to loud... I personally quite like loud - there are vids on my website of my 360 for example!
my 360 is basically too loud for track use with my nouvalari exhaust. therefore was thinking next car choice, that being able to meet the decibel test at least for the first few months of ownership might be a good thing to do.
I've never been ona track day so I've no idea about noise limits etc. I will get a video at some point.any vids of yours for audible interest? DVB on here was saying his manifolds were just way to loud... I personally quite like loud - there are vids on my website of my 360 for example!
my 360 is basically too loud for track use with my nouvalari exhaust. therefore was thinking next car choice, that being able to meet the decibel test at least for the first few months of ownership might be a good thing to do.
For context, when driving in urban areas the car isn't so loud that pedestrians turn around if they haven't already seen the car, and if I'm on the motorway it's quite civilised too. When the valves open however it's a different story, though the noise is easily controlled with either ones right foot or the Manettino.
mattf93 said:
After reading this whole thread its refreshing to see that you aren't afraid to work on your car yourself - were you an engineer or mechanic at some point? Id never have the patience or practical know how to do what you've done.
Interesting point on Graypaul Notts - I was going to mention Shiltek in Loughborough - a friend was quoted £6.5k for repairs from Graypaul, Shilltek did the same work for £3.2K!!! And with much better piece of mind as the mechanics were happy to talk through everything that'd been done, suggestions for changes etc... Not the same at Graypaul though...
Love the tricolore stripe and the 16m front bumper - adding the light strip in the front lights will make a massive difference in the look of the car imo.
How do you think your car feels in comparison to when you first got her?
Cheers. No, I'm a Solutions Architect so nothing to do with mechanical engineering or automotive. I'm just a hobbyist Interesting point on Graypaul Notts - I was going to mention Shiltek in Loughborough - a friend was quoted £6.5k for repairs from Graypaul, Shilltek did the same work for £3.2K!!! And with much better piece of mind as the mechanics were happy to talk through everything that'd been done, suggestions for changes etc... Not the same at Graypaul though...
Love the tricolore stripe and the 16m front bumper - adding the light strip in the front lights will make a massive difference in the look of the car imo.
How do you think your car feels in comparison to when you first got her?
I’ve actually made the decision to break the full Ferrari history and use Shiltech for the 31k service. The car is booked in for next week. After giving it a lot of thought I’d much rather have a car that’s kept in optimal condition rather than one that isn’t, but is perceived to be worth more.
The car feels a little tighter than when I got it due to the worn track/tie rod end replacement, and the manifolds have made a huge difference to sound and also made a noticeable performance increase.
m3jappa said:
Just read through the whole thread. Excellent! Would love to see or hear a noise clip
Thanks! I'm taking a GoPro on the road trip so should have some footage online in a few weeks.A couple more modifications.
16M wheels. Cannot wait to get these on - hopefully next week!
The wheels are my first step towards a 16M/Scud brake conversion. The 16M and Scud wheels are required to clear the 398mm front CCM discs which are specific to those models; the 'regular' F430 CCM are 380mm to suit clearance of the standard wheels.
Both 16M and Scuderia wheels are lighter than regular F430 wheels, too. More so if using the Ti wheel bolts (not strictly required).
Scuderia/16m coolant reservoir lid to match the new airbox lids.
16M wheels. Cannot wait to get these on - hopefully next week!
The wheels are my first step towards a 16M/Scud brake conversion. The 16M and Scud wheels are required to clear the 398mm front CCM discs which are specific to those models; the 'regular' F430 CCM are 380mm to suit clearance of the standard wheels.
Both 16M and Scuderia wheels are lighter than regular F430 wheels, too. More so if using the Ti wheel bolts (not strictly required).
Scuderia/16m coolant reservoir lid to match the new airbox lids.
Edited by mwstewart on Tuesday 15th March 11:13
Shadow R1 said:
Its a good day when I log in and one of your threads has been updated.
Craikeybaby said:
Good work!
AntiLag1 said:
I like the route this is taking, credit to you for taking most jobs on yourself!
Thanks all!chillo said:
Not sure you are correct, I have challenge 398mm CCM's on my 430 with Scud 'style' wheels.
No issues with clearance.
Ps
Love those 16M wheels! Where did you get them from?
Scud 'style' wheels have the same inner clearance as the actual Scud wheels, the only difference is reduced rim width to suit standard F430 tyre sizes.No issues with clearance.
Ps
Love those 16M wheels! Where did you get them from?
Cheers. They came up on eBay, but Eurospares have them in stock too.
Craivold said:
Bulbarrow? Some nice driving roads round that way- although I'm usually on my bike.
Always have enjoyed your threads from way back in the fiestaturbo.com days! The Ferrari is lovely - great spec. Was going to say I doubt you'd be disappointed by Meridien Modena - I live just across the forest from them and their cars always look impeccable, and usually plenty of exotica at their workshop (seen several F40s and F50s over the years there too);
Having said that I doubt you will 'de-value' the car in too many people's eyes whoever you use as it's clear you've looked after it in the best way possible. Awaiting Go Pro vid clip!
Thank you. It was near Tyneham.Always have enjoyed your threads from way back in the fiestaturbo.com days! The Ferrari is lovely - great spec. Was going to say I doubt you'd be disappointed by Meridien Modena - I live just across the forest from them and their cars always look impeccable, and usually plenty of exotica at their workshop (seen several F40s and F50s over the years there too);
Having said that I doubt you will 'de-value' the car in too many people's eyes whoever you use as it's clear you've looked after it in the best way possible. Awaiting Go Pro vid clip!
I haven't had chance to write up the trip yet, but here's a tunnel video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzMeK42nFoE
A quick write up of the recent road trip. In the end the route we took was as follows:
This had to be condensed into one week as my girlfriend's Dad was planning a surprise retirement holiday for the Mum, so we changed our plans to fit around that. It was quite an ambitious route for a week!
The first real stop was Switzerland, having already driven through France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. For a short while en route we were in convoy (and making good progress!) with a Nero F430 and a Silverstone 458, which was fun. I also came across a modified E90 335i, which kept up with me from 70 to 135 - really impressive - but when we hit some sweeping bends at that speed it really made me apprecite the gulf between it and a regular car. The saloon was not on the same playing field.
In Switzerland we stayed in a Hotel near to Lucerne; it is a beautiful place and to make things better the temperate was up towards 30 degrees (C).
Some nice jugs in Lucerne.
The Swiss are very law abiding and any kind of speeding is viewed even less favourably than elsewhere in Europe, hence there are many speed cameras.
Scenery around the lakes is stunning.
Next stop was the Gotthard Pass through the Alps, on our way to Italy, and to get there from Lucerne, we took the original Gotthardstrasse which avoids the new E35 motorway. This allowed us to drive through a few towns and villages on the way up. I passed, and drove with many Toyota GT86's on the way, and some of them gave me a run for my money in the twistier sections.
The Hotel Stern Und Post is on the Swiss Historic Hotels list and is like a time warp inside. Their vegetable soup is worthy of a mention - it's exceptional!
Having been distracted by some nice food we got to the top of the pass around 6pm, the bonus being traffic was very light and I had most of it to myself!
I met a friendly Dutch guy at the top of the pass; he'd driven over in his 350z to spend a few days on the various passes (Gotthard, Furka, and more), so we had a chat and took photos of each other with our cars.
Part of the pass.
The descent highlighted even more one of the limitations of my F430: the steel brakes are utter crap. 150 in 5th down to a 2nd gear hairpin and they are toast, literally. They are a real limiting factor and limit me utilising the performance of the car to its fullest, so are near the top of my list of things to address!
We set off from the pass at 7pm and were supposed to be checking into our next accommodation that evening, only it was 480 km away in Tuscany! I can say that the F430 is able to cover ground at an impressive rate and is a joy to use at high speed for hours at a time.
We hired farmhouse in Tuscany for a few nights, and it was a beautiful respite.
The temperature was great, however there was a problem...
Despite being advertised as 'accommodation with the best access road in the area', one has to appreciate what constitutes a bad road in Tuscany: it is something only suitable for a 4x4 with big ground clearance. I braved the 2km access road but it was not something I would ever want to try again in the F430! We only got so far before abandoning the car and walking!
The farm owners were typically Italian and very helpful, and leant us an old Fiat Panda so we could park the F430 in a village close to an actual real road.
I fell in love with the Panda. There are 4x4 versions and I'd love to buy one.
It wasn't all bad - the farm produced wine (and cheese).
Eagle eyed readers will notice that I am missing the front number plate; well, the rear also fell off in the 42 degree heat. I put them in the luggage compartment whilst we parked in the hillside town of Fiesole, planning to buy some new double sided tape whilst we were in Florence for the day. We arrived back at the car to find a group of locals and Carabinieri! It turns out everyone thought the car was stolen, so after an explanation to the Carabinieri we reaffixed the plates and were on our way.
Florence was great.
We had a few days driving around the Tuscan countryside and visiting villages and towns. Siena was particularly beautiful but for actual driving I wouldn't take the F430 back here: I am really glad I experienced it but the road surface quality is just too poor.
The packing tape we used to reattach the number plate can be seen here
After Tuscany we made our way over to Manosque in France, via Pisa.
I've been to Pisa before and wouldn't come back if it wasn't en route. It's not great. Next was Genoa on the northern Italian coast, and again I can't recommend it - it's a bit of a dirty port town compared to other places we'd seen.
Back in France I could have my fill of a particular favourite: baked goods and patisseries!
We had a day trip to the Gorges du Verdon, touted as one of the most beautiful gorges in Europe, and I can attest it's worthy of the accolade.
It is well worth donning your walking footwear and spending an afternoon 'rambling' through the gorge. There are miles of walking routes in the area. We also made it down to the water and hired a boat to navigate some of it - breath-taking scenery.
More importantly there are some great roads in the area, and I found many of the locals really like to push their cars! It's great to see.
I took this to show how much luggage space the F430 has. It's impressive, but if making use of it be careful with the steel brakes!
From Manosque we headed north via the Route Napolean.
More great scenery abounds.
We detoured off of the Route Napolean to have lunch on the shore of Lac de Serre-Ponçon, which is one of the largest artificial lakes in western Europe. In doing so we missed the gilded French Imperial Eagle outside Gap, but the roads around the lake were much better anyway
I was pleased to spot another RN landmark, though I forget now where this was.
Our final stop before the Ferry and drive to London, was Dijon. It's a beautiful, clean city that is well worth a visit. We stopped at http://hotel-lacloche.com/ which I can wholeheartedly recommend. Valet parking in a secure car park.
A few points about the car:
This had to be condensed into one week as my girlfriend's Dad was planning a surprise retirement holiday for the Mum, so we changed our plans to fit around that. It was quite an ambitious route for a week!
The first real stop was Switzerland, having already driven through France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. For a short while en route we were in convoy (and making good progress!) with a Nero F430 and a Silverstone 458, which was fun. I also came across a modified E90 335i, which kept up with me from 70 to 135 - really impressive - but when we hit some sweeping bends at that speed it really made me apprecite the gulf between it and a regular car. The saloon was not on the same playing field.
In Switzerland we stayed in a Hotel near to Lucerne; it is a beautiful place and to make things better the temperate was up towards 30 degrees (C).
Some nice jugs in Lucerne.
The Swiss are very law abiding and any kind of speeding is viewed even less favourably than elsewhere in Europe, hence there are many speed cameras.
Scenery around the lakes is stunning.
Next stop was the Gotthard Pass through the Alps, on our way to Italy, and to get there from Lucerne, we took the original Gotthardstrasse which avoids the new E35 motorway. This allowed us to drive through a few towns and villages on the way up. I passed, and drove with many Toyota GT86's on the way, and some of them gave me a run for my money in the twistier sections.
The Hotel Stern Und Post is on the Swiss Historic Hotels list and is like a time warp inside. Their vegetable soup is worthy of a mention - it's exceptional!
Having been distracted by some nice food we got to the top of the pass around 6pm, the bonus being traffic was very light and I had most of it to myself!
I met a friendly Dutch guy at the top of the pass; he'd driven over in his 350z to spend a few days on the various passes (Gotthard, Furka, and more), so we had a chat and took photos of each other with our cars.
Part of the pass.
The descent highlighted even more one of the limitations of my F430: the steel brakes are utter crap. 150 in 5th down to a 2nd gear hairpin and they are toast, literally. They are a real limiting factor and limit me utilising the performance of the car to its fullest, so are near the top of my list of things to address!
We set off from the pass at 7pm and were supposed to be checking into our next accommodation that evening, only it was 480 km away in Tuscany! I can say that the F430 is able to cover ground at an impressive rate and is a joy to use at high speed for hours at a time.
We hired farmhouse in Tuscany for a few nights, and it was a beautiful respite.
The temperature was great, however there was a problem...
Despite being advertised as 'accommodation with the best access road in the area', one has to appreciate what constitutes a bad road in Tuscany: it is something only suitable for a 4x4 with big ground clearance. I braved the 2km access road but it was not something I would ever want to try again in the F430! We only got so far before abandoning the car and walking!
The farm owners were typically Italian and very helpful, and leant us an old Fiat Panda so we could park the F430 in a village close to an actual real road.
I fell in love with the Panda. There are 4x4 versions and I'd love to buy one.
It wasn't all bad - the farm produced wine (and cheese).
Eagle eyed readers will notice that I am missing the front number plate; well, the rear also fell off in the 42 degree heat. I put them in the luggage compartment whilst we parked in the hillside town of Fiesole, planning to buy some new double sided tape whilst we were in Florence for the day. We arrived back at the car to find a group of locals and Carabinieri! It turns out everyone thought the car was stolen, so after an explanation to the Carabinieri we reaffixed the plates and were on our way.
Florence was great.
We had a few days driving around the Tuscan countryside and visiting villages and towns. Siena was particularly beautiful but for actual driving I wouldn't take the F430 back here: I am really glad I experienced it but the road surface quality is just too poor.
The packing tape we used to reattach the number plate can be seen here
After Tuscany we made our way over to Manosque in France, via Pisa.
I've been to Pisa before and wouldn't come back if it wasn't en route. It's not great. Next was Genoa on the northern Italian coast, and again I can't recommend it - it's a bit of a dirty port town compared to other places we'd seen.
Back in France I could have my fill of a particular favourite: baked goods and patisseries!
We had a day trip to the Gorges du Verdon, touted as one of the most beautiful gorges in Europe, and I can attest it's worthy of the accolade.
It is well worth donning your walking footwear and spending an afternoon 'rambling' through the gorge. There are miles of walking routes in the area. We also made it down to the water and hired a boat to navigate some of it - breath-taking scenery.
More importantly there are some great roads in the area, and I found many of the locals really like to push their cars! It's great to see.
I took this to show how much luggage space the F430 has. It's impressive, but if making use of it be careful with the steel brakes!
From Manosque we headed north via the Route Napolean.
More great scenery abounds.
We detoured off of the Route Napolean to have lunch on the shore of Lac de Serre-Ponçon, which is one of the largest artificial lakes in western Europe. In doing so we missed the gilded French Imperial Eagle outside Gap, but the roads around the lake were much better anyway
I was pleased to spot another RN landmark, though I forget now where this was.
Our final stop before the Ferry and drive to London, was Dijon. It's a beautiful, clean city that is well worth a visit. We stopped at http://hotel-lacloche.com/ which I can wholeheartedly recommend. Valet parking in a secure car park.
A few points about the car:
- It's an absolute pleasure to drive;
- It does understeer in some situations. Maybe I need to work on my driving a bit, but regardless I think the stock geo is way too safe;
- The steel brakes are awful;
- 8.5k in a tunnel with the roof down hurts our ears
- It holds its own with lighter cars on very twisty roads but I sometimes found the steering ratio a bit too low;
- The steel brakes are awful.
- The throttle response is incredible as is the torque/response from idle; the car will idle in 1st gear up the ferry loading ramp, which must be a 10% gradient!
K14A said:
Fantastic pictures and lovely car, thanks for sharing. Would have one in the same spec as yours.
Thank you!bassett said:
Another great thread and expert attention to detail applied although I think the fiesta just about pips it for my favourite
Really interesting to hear about your road trip and will definitely take note of some of those tips for mine next year. How do you find leaving the car in all those different locations for sight seeing and hotels etc especially when youve put all that effort into getting the car to that level, my OCDness would go nuts and I'm in nothing as special as the 430.
Adam
Hi Adam,Really interesting to hear about your road trip and will definitely take note of some of those tips for mine next year. How do you find leaving the car in all those different locations for sight seeing and hotels etc especially when youve put all that effort into getting the car to that level, my OCDness would go nuts and I'm in nothing as special as the 430.
Adam
I like to look after the car but I try not to let that get in the way of visiting places and seeing things. I will park away from other cars if possible, but on the trip it was left in multistories close to other cars, and sometimes in deserted areas if I really couldn't avoid it. Not worrying about the car is easier said than done but I try not to.
Cheers,
Mark
rainmasterb said:
Are you around for a run out to sunny Lincoln tomorrow Mark?
Afraid not. It's currently without it's air boxes as I'm due to fit the carbon replacements. Are you in Lincs?Shadow R1 said:
Superb write up.
Cheers.rainmasterb said:
Yes, a village between Lincoln and Newark just off the A46.
I run 'Horsepower at the Hall' at Doddington Hall just outside Lincoln, and our next gathering is tomorrow afternoon.
Bring the M3 or the Fiesta if the Ferrari isn't fit!
Ahh! I would like to come to one, but I'm back in London. When are the next two?I run 'Horsepower at the Hall' at Doddington Hall just outside Lincoln, and our next gathering is tomorrow afternoon.
Bring the M3 or the Fiesta if the Ferrari isn't fit!
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