nkhalidi

Ferrari 430 coupe, with emphasis on the "regardless of price" factor. I got some hot laps in a stock 430 F1 with CCBs at Sebring last month. Zero mods, not even brake fluid.

The amount of grip the car generates is unbelievable - I don't know if it's attributable to downforce or what - but it's so intuitive, so easy to drive, so easy to change lines mid-corner. The car goes exactly where you point it, with handling bias a little toward oversteer, which is easy to control with your right foot. Steering is always accurate, no matter how early/late you enter a turn.

Brakes are bombproof; it's just an issue of pounding them late and hard in braking zones while clicking off downshifts with your left hand. Power is of course terrific: very linear, very strong all the way to redline, great noise.

The kicker is that I didn't get any of these impressions by driving the 430 on the street. Driving the 430 on the street and saying you "know it" is like shaking hands with a supermodel and then saying you're her boyfriend.

I don't know how well Ferraris hold up to track abuse, but this one was an otherworldly experience. The kind of car that makes you believe in god, then in the fact that the 430 is god's own car. Apologies for the effusion.

frayed

nobles suck IMO. Such a kit car with lots of weird mechanical problems.

Interesting. Did you feel the F430 provided more grip than a 997S or a 997 GT3? My 360 always felt skittish and didn't generate that feeling of hand-of-god grip level, like a light race car with Hoosiers up to temp.

How'd you like the F1 trannsmission? I'm afraid I'd miss having involvement of that beautiful gated shifter, despite the fact that the F1 is surely faster on track.

nkhalidi

YES. The 430 was on street Bridgestones and it had MUCH more grip than a 7S on 19" PSCs or a 6TT on 18" PSCs. I could carry an easy 115mph through Bishops (long smooth left turn at Sebring) whereas 115 feels like the ragged edge in the 7S. I don't know if the 430's hand-of-god grip level is attributable to downforce, aero, suspension, mid-engine layout, or what - I'm not an engineer - but the proof was in the MUCH higher speeds I felt I could safely carry through turns. I haven't driven a 360 or a 7GT3 on the track, so I can't compare.

F1 is great on the track. I don't like on the street much - makes me feel detached from the car - but on the track it's amazing. In manettino Sport, the 430 upshifts at redline; in Race it'll bounce against the rev limiter. Either way, it's absurdly fast and competent; so easy to drive, just lets the driver concentrate on reeling in whatever car is in front (and I do mean WHATEVER car is in front) and on stringing together apexes.

Even with stock seats and belts, I could feel what the car was doing beneath me. It's easy to alter the understeer/oversteer level of the car - especially in Race where the ASC/ASR/whatever has a higher threshold of intervention.

Seriously, I thought of Ferraris as nice street cars - not track cars - before I drove the 430 out there. 10 laps changed my mind. It's almost become a series of mental leaps for me, I ask myself: "What can I do to snag a 430 as a track car?"

TRAKCAR

Erik,

Thanks for telling me about Rennlist!

I know, but a 996 does not do it for me. If a used 04-05 is 60-70K a new one for $110-$120 seems like an even better deal to me. I have written off /paid more for leases in the past on cars.

If it was not for the Cup cars, you would not have a rabbit to chase.
As for me, no rabbit, no speed. Always great to find somone that you can run similar speeds with. Not you, I only see you 2 corners

if there is no one around me on the track I get so distracted I start turning on the radio and I start using my turn signals....

We will both be at Sebring Thursday - Sunday.

Its going to get colder, so I might make it 21 minutes.
New windshield, new allignment, new tires, new pads - What could go wrong??

Maybe I can find a buyer for the Mustangs...

frayed

Damn, thanks for the report. This is going to cost me.

Nice street cars. . .this is what I thought of my 360. All show and no go, and in fact my 997 S was a better performing car. Interesting to hear the F430 is such a badass car. By your account (comparing to the 997S) and my experience with the 360, it sounds miles ahead of the 360.

TraqGear

Peter, what kind of times where you turning at Roebling with the stang?

mooty

so erik, are you firing on 2 cylinders or is trakcar running a turbo

mooty

aha, you got me. that's is one and Z06/viper acr possibly the other two.

i have driven 430, not on track, but i am very impressed with it. i wish there are more of those on track, then we can get more data point as to reliability and durability after 15k track miles.

i know garyB flies in his F430 and never had any prob. but that's just one hard driven F430 i know about.

Erik

LOL, very funny Mooty. I really hate that turn in the beginning of the video (I actually hate half of that track) since I've seen more cars get totalled there in the last 6-7 years then any other turn at any other track. With the walls on both sides, most people go off while tracking out, then correct and bounce off the inside wall. Almost every event someone crashes their car there (or turn 10 at the same track).

allegretto

Interesting to note the new-found 430 interest.

I did not find the 430 that much better than the 360 for the track. Oh, yes it is more powerful, but I didn't find its limit that much above the 360's in terms of grip. And in distinction to the experiences of some, didn't think the brakes that much better either. It was my opinion that the GT-3 (in either form) was a better track car right out of the box. It is of note that when they show up on track days, they only last a few laps in the faster groups. But this could be a pilot issue after all.

This opinion of mine is shared by the mags (and you can take that either way) in that C&D and MT left the 430 out of their shoot-outs due to it being non-competitive.

But I'm still learning about driving, so perhaps in the right hands...

TRAKCAR

http://www.bekkersracing.com
Scroll down the page for my laptimes, Roebling I did in 1:24.

TRAKCAR

Mooty,

Erik was still breaking in is shiney new RS, I think, not Turbo here.
He was not up to us 996 speed and sidewayness.

TRAKCAR

Turn 10 is pretty tricky; guys passes me sideways through the grass in his Boxter S.

I went to see him afterwards and explained seriously that he did not brake because I did not!!

He did a bunch of damage underneith the car, he actually passed me just before I turned in and I saw him catch 3ft of air over the curbs.

OldGuy

the reason you dont see more 430s on the track is because even the owners dont trust them to stand up to repeated track abuse. There is a reason no matter what kind of track event I show up to, informal get together or highly organized event, there are a ton of 911s. And lots of GT3s. You just cant beat a 911 for that purpose.

tdf360

Frankly, that's BS. The reason you don't see them at the track is concern for effect on resale, and lack of trust in their own abilities on the track. Porsche drivers tend to have more motorsport background than Ferrari owners. Modern Ferraris (360 and later) hold up perfectly well at the track. Ferrari of San Francisco had an open house last year at Infineon where they hired Russell school instructors to give rides in the 430, 599, and 612 to Ferrari owners. They ran the cars hard all day long with breaks only to change passengers, with absolutely no issues with any of the cars.

Gary