I've only gone and done it !!!!!!!!!

[doza]

Hope the rain stops for your pick up on sat make sure you take a camera nothing like getting your first ferrari

[dvb247]

Yes it was Indy serviced 2013 and 2014, Stratstone last had it 2012 3k miles ago, has had clutch bearings, plates, top balls joints etc etc

[Fattrader]

Have a wonderful day picking it up - get the camera clicking and give us some shots. Even if the weather is not great today at least you know when the sun does come out you'll have the car to enjoy it in. Just remember to keep the battery in tip top condition

dvb247 said:

Collecting Saturday, tick......tock.......!!!!

[Durzel]

So, how did it go? Has your heart stopped racing?

[br d]

Think he's still out there somewhere with a fixed grin!

[dvb247]

Well yesterday was all about getting the car home, survival mode, didn't feel much other then fear, it all felt very alien, especially the F430, I'd go so far to say it drove like a pig, go-kart like, having just come out of a Jaguar XK convertible I'd hope you'd all understand haha

But today the sun was out, the roads were dry and my love affair started with my first Ferrari, it has been an incredible learning curve today, to actually drive these cars smoothly was top of my to-do list,

My experience of the F430 F1 transmission is as follows and having only driven one F430 I hope my findings are the standard characteristics of all F430's

Yesterdays first drive home had me head butting the screen with almost very upshift at any revs really, I even tried Auto mode which helped but only a bit, it seemed to me that I was experiencing massive power failure between gears for a second or so, enough to send you forward and back when the new gear was selected.

This mornings first run I quickly worked out that if I feathered off the throttle ever so slightly at the same time as I upshift then the change became smooth as silk, at lower revs I was getting this gorgeous popping sound as I upshift and if I hit the pedal to the floor I still feathered the throttle and again the result was silky smooth upshifts, rather hoping this is the correct way to drive my F430? if not then I need to drive another one to see how that one behaves when upshifting.

Regardless, today was a day I'll never forget, sun shining on my first weekend of Ferrari ownership, hope their are many more to come )))

[HamidQ]

Congrats on the car. I also found the F1 gearbox a little alien but do what you did and things got much better. On my car, changing the mannetino switch to "race" actually leads to smoother shifts

[br d]

HamidQ said:

On my car, changing the mannetino switch to "race" actually leads to smoother shifts

Careful with that until you get used to the car!

[Fattrader]

Very interesting description on your first drive. Would like to hear more about driving the F1 box and general characteristics. I am still 4 weeks off picking mine up and as much info the better. Lovely colour and great day for it today.

[red_duke]

Your F1 gearshift experience doesn't sound normal to me. My 2005 F430 shifts smoothly but aggressively in any manettino setting without having to lift off the throttle. More of a thump in the back than being pitched forward in the seat when accelerating hard.

Edited by red_duke on Sunday 15th February 22:24

[Anjum]

Congratulations! Enjoy your car!

A

[Fattrader]

"it drove like a pig, go-kart like"

Can you expand, what mode weer you driving in. When I test drove my car I was in Race. Took everything relay smoothly (driving miss daisy) and never noticed what you described. Just wondered whether it was related to the mode you were driving in.

[dvb247]

Most people probably don't remember how their car drove when they first collected it, when you learn how to drive it it then becomes second nature, I was in Sport mode and or Auto mode, not tried Race mode yet.

What I would like is to meet a fellow F430 owner in the North West and swap cars for a couple of miles, if that's you and you then please PM me, only then will I know for sure if everything is fine or not,

[Fattrader]

let us know how it progresses. i'l report back when i pick up mine, but i'm sure you would of got to the bottom of it by then.

[dvb247]

Most people probably don't remember how their car drove when they first collected it, when you learn how to drive it it then becomes second nature, I was in Sport mode and or Auto mode, not tried Race mode yet.

What I would like is to meet a fellow F430 owner in the North West and swap cars for a couple of miles, if that's you and you then please PM me, only then will I know for sure if everything is fine or not,

[Fattrader]

not me unfortunately but we'll see how it is when I drive it. As said I drove it gently on the test drive but in race mode. Not sure if that would make a difference.