Maxhouse97

For those that have had the pleasure of driving both, which is better? Mechanical feel, sound, precision, pure enjoyment?

thxbuff2001

If you are only wanting to get either the F gated or Gt3, you need to ask your self what are you going to use it for?

If you are going to track it, just get the GT3. Much easier to maintain and better in the track.

If you are going to use it as a DD or GT car, I would get the Gated F car. Much more comfortable.

depending on what you are going to use it, even if one is better than the other, that might be the mo st appropriate to buy.

IMHO compared by Gated 360 with my 997.2 RS

Mechanical feel-RS, but 360 is very near. My 360 is the last analog modern V8 Ferrari.

Sound-It depends on the day, I would say a tie.

Steering feel-Fcar, but RS is close. The steering feel on the Fcar reminds me of the old cars.

Precision: RS

Pure enjoyment: They are 2 different cars. Maybe in 1999 to 2004, my 360 can hold on to the track with most out there, but right now, an RS seems like a much better machine on the track, I would say even my 997.1 TT MT is ahead in my 360. But for Gt driving, I would rather be in my 360 or my TT MT.

Clutch: I like the Fcar. I would say the heavy feel of the RS clutch is an unneeded characteristic. There is no reason it has to be this way, and I have driven MT all my life and still drive it today.
Interior: Tie, or I it does not really matter to me that I dont notice.

Brakes: RS, but the 360 is enough for the winding roads.

Maintenance: RS, easy like any other porsche.

When you buy these cars, you need to ask yourself what are you going to use it for. If you buy it for the wrong reason, you will regret it.

GWTurboS

I owned an F355 6-speed for almost 7 years before selling it this year to purchase a 997.2 GT3. Here's how I would characterize what is similar and different between the shift feel/effort of the 2 cars:

F355: Long shift lever and round factory **** give an impression of a delicate mechanism which takes medium effort to move between gates, then a firm shove forward or aft to put it into gear. Its a long throw between 1-2, 3-4 for example compared to the GT3. When making a fast shift in the F355, I always felt like I was somehow going to break something.

GT3: Heavy effort in all axis of movement, but with a feeling of heft and precision as if everything in shift mechanism was made from billet. A fast shift in the GT3 is also made with a firm, deliberate effort but I feel like that was the design intent of the system.

Modena 1

The 6 spd ferraris that I drove while at the company and through friends could not be driven in anger. They were a little clinky (not clunky like a vette) and hence the F1 was borne.

Maxhouse97

Ok thanks, pretty much lines up with what I've read about the cars in general. Was curious though specifically about the shifter.

C.J. Ichiban

The 997 GT3 gearbox is a tank.

I had a 599 stickshift. Loved it. A little more dainty than the manwhich of a gearbox the 997 GT

Never driven a 360-430 stick

thxbuff2001

My experience, the shifter in a 360 is similar in a 997 TT, easy and light. In fact, if you drive a 360 and transfer to a TT, muscle memory would be thesame.
But when you transfer from a GT3 to a 360 or a TT, you will have to readapt muscle memory.

You have to do the adaptation as the car would not do it for you, other wise, you will start speaking explicitives(?) about it, which makes you wrong.

Its a jeckle and hyde comparison. Life is a box of chocolates, one for every occasion.

INTMD8

What problem were you experiencing?

I have not driven a GT3 (or many other Ferrari's) but have no problems shifting my F355 as quick as possible.

I used to own a 993, both cars being a rod linkage shifter, I would say they felt rather similar shifting but I really love the sound and feel of the gate.

dwe8922

I had a 360 manual for 9 years that I loved, and have a 997.2 GT3. The 360 has a really light flywheel, so it wants to be shifted fast, but the gate is clunky and does not want to be shifted fast. You had to feather the throttle on "normal" upshifts to be smooth, but one you got the technique, you're fine. Like was said above, "hence F1 was born", and the car was really designed for the F1. The pedal were spaced perfectly, and the clutch was weighted perfectly. The 1-2 shift did not like to be rushed. Gated shifters feel like you "steer" them into position.

The Gt3 is a better shift feel I think. The pedal is unnecessarily heavy. The shifter has a positive feel to it; maybe a little notchy. Gt3 shifter can be shifted faster than the heavy flywheel wants to. Both cars are great; I miss my old 360.

Suitcase

I drove Ferrari Challenge Series for 3 years in an F355. I also owned MT 360 and a number of 355 street cars. There is just no comparing a Porsche gearbox to the "gate" in a Ferrari. The Porsche is just better.

I don't own any more Ferraris.' And that world, which was really fun at the time, seems far away to me now. But the thing I miss the most about all of it is "click-click" of the gated shifter.

ZMC-ZH

What gated F car are you talking about/after? They have mainly produced gated car for over 50 years so there are a lot of differences

I got into the P world because F stopped doing car for people like me a long time ago, in other words with 3 pedals.
360/430 are hard to come by with the stick and are not really appealing to me visually.
355 I love the sound/design but it cannot match the performance of a .2 GT3 RS.

My experience is limited to 2 older ones (512TR/F40) where performance still matters, both with dogleg gearboxes.
Those cars are way less forgiving that the P, gbox must be warm before you can actually start pusching the car, a test drive around the block won't give the car enought time for that. When pushing the car hard, you MUST do heel/toe properly, otherwise the gear will not get in etc. Get it right though and it can be very fast and definitely rewarding.
The trickiest part would be gear changes from 1st to 2nd, rev it to the redline and it will be hard to get the gear out/in, rev it sligthly bellow redline (1k-500rpm lower) and it can be butter smooth and fast. Same on the downshift, if you try getting it in 1st gear while too fast/near readline speed on 1st gear, it will be hard, wait extra secondes to drop back in 1st and it is OK.
Might be what DWE8922 refers to as feathering the pedal .

Bottom line, the overpolluting Volkswagen car is more forgiving and there is no driver learning curve involved. You might need to change your ways to get the best out of the glorified fiats from the late 80s/90s but they are worth it.
I love the P car but it cannot match the 2 others when it comes to sense of occassion or sheer performance against the 40 (previous owner sent it for an internship at Michelotto for an extra 160bhp).

cgfen

I have a 3 pedal 360 and a 996 GT3.

GT3 is both more accurate and precise.
has better feel gate to gate (internal)
I don't really get the whole "external gated" thing, but i do like grabbing the big chrome ball.
the clack clack noise is kinda cool, but not why i bought the car.
and not what you asked, but the 360 clutch feel is much softer than .7 GT3, that makes my knee happy.

Ideally 360 would shift like the GT3, then go back to the "gated" thing when it came time to sell since that get's the people on FChat hot-n-sweaty.

Igooz

I think that cgfen has said it well. I have a Buick 612 MT otherwise known as the Spaghetti or is it Scaglietti? The gate is cool and pretty and chrome...but I much prefer my 997GT2 or GT2RS after they are warmed up. IMHO:GT cars shift like a Mack truck until things warm or 10min of driving and then man alive.

Much prefer the Porsche.

Spyerx

there is nothing better than a 5-4-3-2 heel toe downshift under heavy braking in a 997 GT3.

ScottArizona

To throw another data point in there, I have a gated mt gallardo and have a 996 gt3 (and formerly had a 7.1). Gallardo feels smoother and the action requires less effort. As others have commented, gt car shifter feel is a bit "truck ish". I prefer the action of the lambo.