carcommander

Out of the stuff I have owned or driven a lot. Based on hair shirt to gt.

Scud>GT3RS >F430>599 GTB>Ferrari FF >Z06>360>997.1 turbo>991>Sl65

I own the 599, 991, Z06 and 09 Sl65 now. I have not driven the others RAd listed. I have a 458 coming I am not sure where it will fall. HGTE is aval in kit form for any 599 GTB.

An F430 is a great car. I miss mine at times. Don't listen to the naysayers buy one if you can afford it.

aussie jimmy

rad, the 6 3 should be higher up your list, like maybe 10 places?

NJ-GT

The stock Scud is too soft sprung for my taste. Mine is over 300% stiffer than stock. It is a better street car than a 997 GT3, very stable, doesn't follow the cracks on the pavement, steering wheel is always relaxed.

The exhaust is valved, below 3,200 rpm at any throttle position, and between 3,200 rpm and 6,000 rpm and partial throttle, the exhaust valves stay close, and the car is quiet. When the valves open, the car is loud, much louder than a 997 GT3, very loud but you're running at full gas, very unlikely at normal street driving speeds. I use the open valves mode to give back to the supposedly loud Harley and Sport Bike riders.

I had the Carbon GT2 seats in my 997.1 GT3 RS (same seats as the 2010 GT3 RS), and my Cayman has the standard 997 seats. The Scuderia seats are more comfortable than the Carbon GT2 seats, but the Cayman seats are more comfortable than the Scuderia seats.

One thing that annoys me from the F430 is the bulky (and heavy) Daytona seats, they are comfortable and soft, but I don't fit in the car with a helmet, with a helmet I hit the roof.

Trakcar is 8' tall and 400 lbs on muscle weight, he fits in my Scuderia quite nicely, he won't remotely fit in the F430.

There is road noise from the tires kicking rocks on the front fender well, which are exposed (naked) in the Scuderia. Fiat fixed the complains in the 16M by adding wheel arch covers that eliminate the unwanted noise, these panels became an option for the Scuderia in 2009, the option code is BATA.

My Scuderia has a custom set of floor mats a nice guy makes in Canada, they look great, much better quality than any Fiat stock floor mat. They are cheap, they are made in Alcantara with a nice Cavallino and a carbon fiber weave.

This picture shows the noise reduction BATA option, and the aftermarket floor mats I have. With these two items, the whole interior gets fully upholstered, as the rest of the panels are covered in Alcantara.



There are no cup holders, but you can buy aftermarket cup holders built for this car.

The stereo is crappy (and so is the one in the 997 GT3). Any decent car audio shop can install a small amplifier, a couple of speaker and a small sub, just adding 12 lbs to the car.

The BATA option adds 4 lbs, and the floor mats add 1.5 lbs.

For relaxed driving, use the slippery setting in the manettino, shocks are set to soft mode, shifting is soft.

08 F430 are in the $150k-$170k, same year Scuderia $165k-$185k. The F430 Spider (the Cabrio thingy) has now reached a price point for the 08/09 cars that they might even sell at a higher price than a Scuderia in the current market. Scuderia prices took a big hit the first 2 years, but they have been flat the last 2 years.

A/C blows super cold air, and heater works quite well. It has power windows, power mirrors, Bluetooth, navi, mine has an ipod iface.

My 997 GT3 (when driven hard) hurt my knees with the center console, and so does my Cayman, the Scuderia has cavernous legroom, headroom, shoulder room.

It is very easy to scratch the front spoiler in the GT3, so driving on the streets is annoying. The Scuderia has much more ground clearance, front and rear. I recommend the installation of skid plates to avoid scratches below the bumper, I did not install them to my Scuderia, as anything that adds weight is against my philosophy.

CCB rotors are super long lasting, mine have 23 track days, rears are as good as new (weight, surface, zero cracks, smooth), front ones show wear, probably 40% life left based on current weight, surface smoothness, still great, but I'm playing with steel rotors now. I'm going to install back my rear CCB rotors to save 22 lbs and compensate for the weight added on the front axle, plus unsprung weight reduction on the traction axle is a plus.

I have estimated that the CCB rotors last 40 track hours in the front axle and 80 track hours in the rear axle based on the weighing I did last month on all my 4 CCB rotors, and pro-rating the two print-outs on the center bells on each rotor, indicating weight when new (in grams) and minimum weight (in grams). My car is tracked on sticky tires (Hoosier A6 most of the time), so it wears out brakes more than a car tracked on street tires. I also tested 2 sets of front brake pads that were too aggressive on the rotors: the XP20 Carbotech that lasted less than 4 track session, and the stock Scuderia pads that overheated and disintegrated.

With street use, the CCB rotors should last 100,000+ miles.

The Scuderia has multiple personalities, 5 of them dictated by the Rain/Sport/Race/CT-OFF/CST-OFF Manettino setting, and the two sound volume from the valved exhaust.

Mine has seen autocrosses (many, including national level), ProSolo, drag races on sticky dragways, track days including 7 days at Sebring, and it is rock solid, no repairs done in 13,000 miles and 3+ years.

Most Fiat owners drive like *****, so they have a self-perception of reliability. Doing ***** droving with a Yugo or a Kia Rio makes those cars reliable too.

A F430 would not last 6 track days at Sebring with my droving skills, I would make it enter limp mode in 25 minutes, I would lose the brakes even if swapping to track pads (the F430 is almost 300 lbs heavier than the Scuderia in U.S. trim, and brakes are smaller), and I would have to buy replacement headers after 6 track days at Sebring.

For comfort street driving, and zero track time, get a Spider with a manual tranny, or save up and get a 16M. Open Top Fiat have great resale.

Personally, I think the F430 is currently overpriced, as the Scuderia is more car than the $15k-$20k price difference (same year same mileage).

For pure street droving, you could also consider a R8 V10 GT and Lamborghini Gallardo LP570/4 Super Trofeo Stradale.

NJ-GT

HGTE your 599 and you will love it even more. I was instructing last month in one, and the car blew my mind. I prefer the 599 HGTE to the 458 Italia.

I have driven 2 458, and I can only take the engine, the style doesn't grab me, the isolation doesn't go with me, and the car feels too GT, heavy car too (almost 3,500 lbs).

MP4-12C blew my mind too, and it is very likely my next toy.

SL65 is out of control what a monster fast car on public roads. I have yet to drive the 991.

azmurciev12

i finally got to see and drive one yesterday. although it didn't blow my mind, i like it very much. it does its thing very well. mine arrives in about 6 weeks. but for sheer driving pleasure, i think i'll still take my RS 4.0. there's something about the mechanical feel and manual tranny of the bug that has me hooked. but for everything else, i think the MP4 is the best car i've driven.

kk2

This thread was worth the read.. you guys are too funny. Great issues to be having!!

tdf360

+1

BTW, I have a 2005 3-pedal F430 for sale, the price is right, and I'm the original owner. Ad here, or PM me for more info.

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/vbclass...?do=ad&id=9663

- Gary

P.J.S.

You had a defender 90 - you are all man with nothing to prove to anyone... Love those

I had a white 97 d90 sw and regret having sold it

As to ktm - the best is the one that gets ridden and sadly my se does not get much... For the record however, hot blond will fit on an se :-)

mooty

i was of that camp.
drive a sequential.... stick is kind of very boring all of a sudden.

mooty

LMAO

mooty

after monday, i fully agree.

mooty

damn. i am selling my poseur RS4.0.
i need to learn to ride a motorcycle.
and can i take redheads instead of blondes?

TNetworks

Sounds like you're looking for a flashy, fast, phenomenal-sounding commuter = F430. Particularly if you're wife approves! My wife would rather roll naked in glass than be caught riding in a Ferrari. And I get it. The GT3, on the other hand, is not a daily driver (despite protestations to the contrary on this forum), it's a track car, albeit one with cup holders which can be fun to hustle around town for short periods of time. In its natural habitat (Infineon, THill, Laguna) it's sheer bliss. The F430's natural habitat is a well-shaded stall at the country club. The only car I'd trade my GT3 for is the F430.............Scuderia.

996FLT6

With your past history- any street car does not fit your style. Long
live the 100% trackcar!!! Mike

BBMGT3

So true, a proper semi-automatic sequential box is fabulous. The super-smooth, PDK or DSG boxes feel more like good triptronics, sucks the life out of it.