rpms vs. speed

[GRZEPAPA]

Hi guys fairly new here. Picked up my 458 spider on July 28th. Been driving and learning about the car. I have a number of other exotics and older cars. One thing I noticed is the revs on the 458 seem to be much higher than what I am used to. For example all the other cars I own rev at 2000 rpm at 70mph in 5th gear and 2200 rpm at 80mph.
The 458 in 7th gear is revving at 3000rpm at 70mph and 3200 at 80 mph. is this normal?? This 1000rpm over than what I am used to and a much taller gear to boot.

[TheMayor]

The 458 gets all it's power in the upper RPM ranges. So, it's geared to maximize the power and torque curves that way.

I used to have a shop that restored race cars. We had an F1 car from the 70's that used a Cosworth DFV. The car idled at about 4000 RPM and redlined about 12. Amazing. The owner/driver said it has almost no power below 7500 but after that -- rocket boosters.

[jcosta79]

At the other end of the spectrum, I got to drive a modified Viper that would get sideways if you breathed a little too much on the throttle just off idle.

Redline was 6,000 RPM but you could do 100 MPH in 6th and be doing 2000 RPM's.

Just different ways to have fun!

[Noblesse Oblige]

Yes. The torque curve on the 458 is such that the engine comes alive above 4000 RPM. You may want to take pains not to tramp on the throttle in a higer gear unless the engine is already at at least say 2,500-3,000 RPM.

[Cavallino 458]

Originally Posted by soon2be

Hi guys fairly new here. Picked up my 458 spider on July 28th. Been driving and learning about the car. I have a number of other exotics and older cars. One thing I noticed is the revs on the 458 seem to be much higher than what I am used to. For example all the other cars I own rev at 2000 rpm at 70mph in 5th gear and 2200 rpm at 80mph.
The 458 in 7th gear is revving at 3000rpm at 70mph and 3200 at 80 mph. is this normal?? This 1000rpm over than what I am used to and a much taller gear to boot.

Thats absolutely spot on - redline in the 458 is 9000 rpm and in 7th gear will equate to 200/210 mph which is pretty close to max velocity.

Cheers

[GRZEPAPA]

great guys, thx. I thought there was something wrong with the car.

Now I can really start to enjoy her. Also not used to such a high redline. I assume part of is has to do with the smaller displacement.

[jcosta79]

Originally Posted by soon2be

Also not used to such a high redline. I assume part of is has to do with the smaller displacement.

Not really. It has more to do with how the engine is designed (shorter vs longer stroke, etc.) and the materials (forged aluminum, titanium, etc.) with which it is built. As long as everything inside can handle the stresses of high revs, you can build larger displacement engines. The V8 in the 355 was 3.5L and now in the 458 has grown to 4.5L, but I believe they have the same redline? The V12 in the Enzo is 6.0L and it revs to 8K.

Although, the more mass you try to move (bigger pistons, etc) will eventually limit how fast the engine can turn.

[PhilNotHill]

Originally Posted by jcosta79

Not really. It has more to do with how the engine is designed (shorter vs longer stroke, etc.) and the materials (forged aluminum, titanium, etc.) with which it is built. As long as everything inside can handle the stresses of high revs, you can build larger displacement engines. The V8 in the 355 was 3.5L and now in the 458 has grown to 4.5L, but I believe they have the same redline? The V12 in the Enzo is 6.0L and it revs to 8K.

Although, the more mass you try to move (bigger pistons, etc) will eventually limit how fast the engine can turn.

redline on F355 (and 360) is 8500 RPM.

[PhilNotHill]

pic of a 360 tach. 8500 RPM redline.

[jcosta79]

Thank you. I wasn't sure what the redline was exactly (hence the question mark).

In either case, it's pretty high.