Never meet your heroes?: Ferrari 458 Italia- Discussion

[Chris355]

This is the problem of only a couple of laps, being given bad advice and having it in the wrong mode. The 458 is very fast if you drive it right and you are in the right mode. As someone said above, accelerating from 40 mph in 4th gear, in wet mode, is never going to go well! Keep the revs up and it drives like a missile. It’s fast, has amazing grip and inspires confidence.

I’ve driven both in anger and there is absolutely no comparison; the 458 is better in absolutely every way.

[vanman1936]

Driving days like these detune the cars plus forced high gear selection blunts performance (a leading instructor told me this on the QT)......do a Palmer day and really get to drive it like you stole it.

[CitySlicker]

Op if you would like to have a more in-depth experience in how performance cars behave I would higly recommend an amg session at Brooklands. There’s a nice variation of different environments including a skid pad which is great fun and the instructors let you push the cars on their handling circuit if you prove that you’re competant. I wasn’t restricted in which mode I had to be in and I was hanging the arse out on a GTR and the instructor was providing advice without being instrusive to the experience. You also get to learn advance driving techniques which are useful regardless of which car you drive. GTR is the best one to go for obviously but even the c63 is great fun!

I’ve tried other manufacturer days such as the 812 at fiorano and the AMG experience was more fun.

[boxerTen]

_Leg_ said:

boxerTen said:

In your experience how does the F12 compare with the Speciale? I would like a V12, (have a Speciale), but haven't driven the F12 to know what its like.

Chalk and cheese. The F12 is a GT in every respect. Yes you can throw it around but it doesn't flow on a twisty B road like a 458 does. I use the F12 for touring with my wife for which it's pretty much unrivalled. Big boot for her luggage, plenty of torque so fewer gear changes to upset her ladyship, comfy, quietish (I've had the valves locked open on mine, shhh, don't tell her), JBL sound system. It's just a nice place to be too and of all my cars it makes you feel the most special. A real upmarket, special car. Plus then, when she's not in with me, I can still have some fun in it.

But either of the 458s, Spider or Speciale, are different animals to the F12. They're much more nimble, a harder ride, less convenient but more fun, easier to hustle up a mountain pass at speed.

When I get in the F12 I think, "Wow, this is an awesome car" sat still and when I drive it I think the same thing. It's a general feeling and the only specific thing you pick out is the power. The damn thing steps out, going in a straight line in 3rd and 4th. But the over riding feeling is just "wow, what a great car".

Cheers _Leg_, pretty much what I'd guessed, sounds like the F12 is a towering monster of a GT!

[sparta6]

Trev450 said:

The Porsche Experience at Silverstone is as good if not better than most.

+1
The breakfasts are pretty decent too

[LIVENT]

I think I did the same day as you. The instructors get you to shift up the gears before really getting into the power band in the faster cars, which is probably why driving the Porsche and Gallardo was more fun. The 458 is an extremely fast car when driven right, most of the great sound is at the top of the rev range too. The difference is quite noticeable in both performance and sound switching between "wet" and "race"

I just ignored the instructor and kept saying sorry when I changed gear later than his instruction. He was a really nice guy to be honest and did not seem to mind.

I went on the day intending to try the Gallardo with the intention of buying one. The 458 was so good I thought sod it I am going to spend the extra money and get a 458. Then I got the chance to drive a 488 on track and that changed my mind again....

[DanPhoto]

As someone else said, its quite common the cars on these driving experiences are limited or detuned in some way. I was bought one of these as a birthday gift and opted for a Huracan driving experience as the car was relatively new at the time. In the pre-drive briefing the instructor told us all the cars were limited. On track, the car was awesome at low speeds but ran out of guts once the speedo went over 100.

[Durzel]

Mr Gearchange said:

I'd suggest it wasn't the car but the constraints under which you had to drive it.

+1

Some thoughts...

It sounds like you weren't in Race mode, possibly even Wet. Or the car was knackered or otherwise detuned.

You can definitely hear the car when you're pressing on (and particularly in Race when the exhaust bypass valves open earlier and stay open longer)

4th gear at 40mph is completely wrong. 40mph is 2nd gear territory if you're pressing on.

The steering (imo and I'll admit bias) is lithe, like a scaled up go-kart. Perfection.

[BobTurner]

Durzel said:

Mr Gearchange said:

I'd suggest it wasn't the car but the constraints under which you had to drive it.

+1

Some thoughts...

It sounds like you weren't in Race mode, possibly even Wet. Or the car was knackered or otherwise detuned.

You can definitely hear the car when you're pressing on (and particularly in Race when the exhaust bypass valves open earlier and stay open longer)

4th gear at 40mph is completely wrong. 40mph is 2nd gear territory if you're pressing on.

The steering (imo and I'll admit bias) is lithe, like a scaled up go-kart. Perfection.

And the steering is probably the "weakest" part of the 458 "package"...

[BlueIn2Red]

I see this a lot, that the 458 has poor steering, and like Durzel, I don't agree with it at all. It is relatively light, sure, but nothing crazy, and the low ratio does indeed make it very precise and go-kart-like.

[Taaaaang]

it's one of those cars that just feels better to steer the faster you're going.

Licence losers for sure.

[flyer911]

The fact that no crash helmets were being worn for this track experience rather suggests that the speeds were low - probably no more than 70 mph. A 458 would only just be getting into its stride at that speed and would have to to be in first or second gear for the driver to get any sense of its performance.

[franki68]

BlueIn2Red said:

I see this a lot, that the 458 has poor steering, and like Durzel, I don't agree with it at all. It is relatively light, sure, but nothing crazy, and the low ratio does indeed make it very precise and go-kart-like.

Poor is a harsh word ,it’s not poor but personally I don’t like any Ferrari steering that I have experienced and ultimately it stopped me buying one .
But that’s a subjective preference ,it’s too light and fast for my taste .

[Durzel]

I drove mine up to Thruxton to go karting and it really did feel like I was in a scaled up kart once I'd got back into it. I can see why people might not like it though, you don't so much feel the road through it, or any real resistance, but rather point and squirt. I love the fact its such a short turn to turn too.

[gcpeters]

you simply didn't get the experience of the car on the day, I have done those myself and the instructors never let you drive the car to its full potential (or even revs..)

458 is well known as one of the all time greats

[K50 DEL]

gcpeters said:

you simply didn't get the experience of the car on the day, I have done those myself and the instructors never let you drive the car to its full potential (or even revs..)

458 is well known as one of the all time greats

I read this regularly but my experiences (I had regular use of a spider for 18 months or so) are somewhat of the opposite...
I found the gearbox awful, the steering over sensitive and the large wheels and rubber band tyres made the ride quality (even on Dubai's smooth roads) less than brilliant.

I suspect the car would have been a lot better with a manual box but all-in-all I wasn't impressed.

Maybe I'm just a luddite though, as I wasn't impressed with the California that preceded the 458 nor the F12 that came afterwards.... in fact the only motor that I genuinely lusted after in that stable was the MP4-12C which, whilst being auto, did at least have a semi-usable manual mode unlike the F-cars

[WCZ]

K50 DEL said:

I read this regularly but my experiences (I had regular use of a spider for 18 months or so) are somewhat of the opposite...
I found the gearbox awful, the steering over sensitive and the large wheels and rubber band tyres made the ride quality (even on Dubai's smooth roads) less than brilliant.

I suspect the car would have been a lot better with a manual box but all-in-all I wasn't impressed.

Maybe I'm just a luddite though, as I wasn't impressed with the California that preceded the 458 nor the F12 that came afterwards.... in fact the only motor that I genuinely lusted after in that stable was the MP4-12C which, whilst being auto, did at least have a semi-usable manual mode unlike the F-cars

the steering is super sensitive, most modern ferraris are like this though

also nice that you got a 6,000 mile 360 for £28k!

[K50 DEL]

WCZ said:

K50 DEL said:

I read this regularly but my experiences (I had regular use of a spider for 18 months or so) are somewhat of the opposite...
I found the gearbox awful, the steering over sensitive and the large wheels and rubber band tyres made the ride quality (even on Dubai's smooth roads) less than brilliant.

I suspect the car would have been a lot better with a manual box but all-in-all I wasn't impressed.

Maybe I'm just a luddite though, as I wasn't impressed with the California that preceded the 458 nor the F12 that came afterwards.... in fact the only motor that I genuinely lusted after in that stable was the MP4-12C which, whilst being auto, did at least have a semi-usable manual mode unlike the F-cars

the steering is super sensitive, most modern ferraris are like this though

also nice that you got a 6,000 mile 360 for £28k!

I was lucky really, I took something of a punt on a car that was a real unknown quantity (It was even sold as having no service history, though thankfully I found that tucked in the doc wallet post-purchase) and as it hadn't been on the road in years it cost another £10k + to bring it fully into shape.

Having said that, it turned out to be a good, straight car and has served me well for the last 5 years. financially I expect I'd be OK if I sold it now, but as I can't afford to replace it with a 12C yet I think it'll be in the garage for a while longer!

[Zadkiel]

K50 DEL said:

I read this regularly but my experiences (I had regular use of a spider for 18 months or so) are somewhat of the opposite...
I found the gearbox awful, the steering over sensitive and the large wheels and rubber band tyres made the ride quality (even on Dubai's smooth roads) less than brilliant.

I suspect the car would have been a lot better with a manual box but all-in-all I wasn't impressed.

Maybe I'm just a luddite though, as I wasn't impressed with the California that preceded the 458 nor the F12 that came afterwards.... in fact the only motor that I genuinely lusted after in that stable was the MP4-12C which, whilst being auto, did at least have a semi-usable manual mode unlike the F-cars

I'm not sure if there was something wrong with the 458 you drove but I'm not sure where you are seeing the difference between the 12C and 458 gearbox as one being usable in manual and the other not. I don't have issues at all changing manually in my 458, that's all I ever do, same with the 12C.

[anonymous-user]

Could be worse, you could have a condescending woman making you drive at 30mph in 6th gear the entire time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCuJanH0HMw