tford

Beautiful car. I have an F430 and a GT3 RS. My only complaint about the F430 is the clutch for the F1 transmission. Since you were smart and got the manual, it shouldn't be as big of a nuisance for you. You were modest and left out that the Ferrari is a magnet where ever you go--a pro and a con, whereas many people don't know the difference between a boxster and a GT3. And, I'd agree with your analysis that the GT3 is the superior track car. Clutch aside, you'll be surprised to see that the maintenance for the F430 really isn't that bad. Enjoy in good health!!

Cheers,
Tford

jenk12m

Beautiful car, glad u got a manual

Aerokitted

siq lifestyle swag upgrade. can't blame ya.

pls disregard my PM since i was way too slow on the button. congratulations!

TrackDays247.com

That's a looker. Ferrari took a weird step backwards with the new one...

masmole

Congrats V!

Sweet looking ride, and in the right color

Get those brakes upgraded and see you at the track!

vf430

Thanks for this info. GT3 weight above is with adaptive seats? I will check into the brakes and shocks. I will pm you. Been reading all your posts , you really motivated me to look at Ferrari scud , the prices were higher than what i wanted to spend so i settled for this one.

vf430

Thanks man! Let me see what i can do to these brakes first...they really suck compared to the GT3

vf430

Thanks Jenk.

vf430

Thanks and I Agree the maintenance costs aren't really bad at all. Are you on F chat as well?

vf430

The F458 is a whole new level in performance but i am not feeling the looks from the front end yet.

911dev

Congrats! Beautiful ride. Love the look of the gated shift as well. I had heard that used six speeds were in more demand in part because of the low volume.

10 GT3

The standard brakes on the F430 were a direct carryover from the brakes on the F360. These are basically the same brakes as the standard brakes on a 997 Carrera S/996 Turbo: Brembo 330mm/13.0" all the way around with 4-pot calipers. With street pads, there are indeed only good for a few hot laps as are our P-cars. With upgraded pads and fluid, they are fine at the track.

Brembo street 6-piston front kits are over $4K. Rear kits are even more. Calipers are the same as Nissan GTR calipers, which have smaller pistons than the standard caliper on the 10-11 GT3 and OEM F430 ceramics. Since the rotors are the same 380mm as a GT3 and a 430 has less brake cooling, I fail to see you logic of how these will be better than OEM GT3s. In addition, the Brembo kit comes with softer/street oriented pads versus the RS-19 pads that are standard on the 10+ GT3.

There is a beefier braking option that really will create track dominating braking, Brembo GT-R brake kits and adding F430 Challenge brake cooling. For $8-9K an end you can get the same braking capability as a Challenge car. Not cheap, but fantastic brakes.

NJ-GT

Brembo Kit for F430: 380mm front and 380mm rear, stronger rotors than a stock GT3, either cross drilled (mistake) or slotted. Brembo brake pads compound of choice when ordering, silly to order street pads for track use.

I agree that GT3 has better cooling (F430 has none), Bolt-on F430 Challenge ducts available from Ferrari. Anyway the F430 sits 1.5" higher than a GT3, so more airflow for the brakes.

I agree, stock F430 brakes with track pads and good brake fluid are fine at the track, for the majority of talent out there.

carrering

beautiful car! last of the traditional manual V8 Ferrari's. I would love to get a manual spider F430 myself for weekend fun. I race in race cars and I don't commute in my RS making me start to think about making the switch. can't really bring myself to give up my GT3 though… i think I need both :-)

enjoy in good health!

silverboy

I've always liked the way the F430 looked contrary to some. Love the sound and the fact that you got a manual.

One day I'll own one...