F1 vs stick

I have never driven an F1 paddle shift also,but i thoroughly enjoy the stick shift in my 348. The H pattern and the noise/clicking sound going through the gears is cool. So id be hard pressed to ever buy a ferrari F1 model. Well,at least not anytime soon

 

I have a 360 with paddle shift and it has it's problems:

Burst high pressure line-$1000.00 for line alone from Ferrari
High pressure pump can overheat and go bad. $1300.00 from Ferrari
Short clutch life, relative to manual-about 20,000-25,000 miles, on average.

Now having said all of that, I am still totally in love with the paddle shift concept. It is far superior to manual shifting for fun and performance. I track my car a lot and cannot think of going back to a manual stick, ever.

It is the way of the future-all proper race cars have either a paddle or sequential shift of some style- stick boxes are going to be obsolete in another 10 years.

 

I also love the manual/gated shifter in my 328, and I won't be old until next month. Looks good, wonderful mechanical feeling, total control, tradition, etc.

However, Ferrari has positioned itself as the ultimate racing-inspired sports car company, and a proper F1 system (actually Audi's DSG is supposed to be the best right now, according to what I've read) will result in better performance. The costs for this -- increased mechanical complexity, servicing costs and loss of something many of us view with nostalgia -- are acceptable to Ferrari.

So, you might ask if a Ferrari is worth the bother...

Aside: A friend of mine test drove an '05 MINI a couple of weeks ago. She loved the car, thought it was cute, etc., and the negotiated price for a car with very low miles was reasonable. Then she drove it, stalled it, missed a couple of shifts, and called me to tell me that she couldn't drive a manual anymore. This is a really well educated, successful woman not yet 40, always drives imports, and I think in some ways she's a typical driver.

 

I never liked the F1 system in the Ferrari 355 or 360 . But, I recently bought a new BMW M5 with the 7 speed SMG system and I love it...it is fast and has been trouble free so far...and BMW claims it gives you a longer clutch life rather than shorter.

 

I wanted an F1 car for over a year. Then I drove one. Then I bought a six speed.

 

I am in the stick shift camp, a 430 coupe and 328 GTB. This has been debated many times but here is one tidbit to chew on. Our local dealer will pay more for stickshift cars after the warranty is out.

Dave

 

If you track your car or spend a lot of time in traffic jams and stop and go traffic, an F1 is best.

If you don't have those concerns or interests it's really a question of which style do you enjoy more. I'm sure some, or many people, prefer the video-game quality of the F1. Others prefer the total control of the manual.

I recently drove my first Ferrari and it was a 6-speed manual, which I loved. You really do have total control, and since I plan to enjoy my Ferraris at slow speeds as well as high speeds, nothing can beat "the polished gate".

Functionality aside, it's very beautiful.

I may change my mind with the GT V12s like the 612 and 599.


Forza,


Cavallini

 

Might be because the secondary market is (wisely) scared of the repair costs, but still a valid point.

I briefly considered a Maserati Spyder, and the GTs are much rarer than the cambiocorsas.

 

In my experience, this is where an F1 is at its absolute worst.

Gary

 

Performance on the track...I'll give you that, but fun - no way.

Gary

 

I agree. I drove my prior e39 M5 for 6 years and 110k miles in Atlanta traffic...one hour each way to and from work...and often grew weary of all the clutch action. With my new M5 the SMG is a breeze in traffic with gear shifts at my finger tips. I still have my BB512i with its clunky gated shifter for that classic car feel though... I find the SMG more involving that a stick shift, at least to get perfect shifts, as you must be in tune with what the engine and chassis are doing at all times...the SMG rewards finesse more than anything else...While I've never owned a Ferrari with an F1 shifter, I have driven both the 355 and 360 with F1 and find the BMW SMG to be far superior...but, the M5 7 speed transmission was desigened specifically as an SMG whereas I understand that the Ferrari trannys were designed as a regular manual and modified to work as an F1 shifter...

 

You're kidding me right? F1 absolutely sucks in traffic. Sure you have the convenience of not having a clutch to play with but when you have a computer that's not setup for traffic, the car is extremely annoying to drive in traffic. In traffic give me a 6spd over F1 anyday. Otherwise I'll take the F1 personally.

 

Your first statement is wrong because of your second statement.

 

F1 vs Stick.

Now there is a new topic.


Hey I got a question about timing belts.

 

Does the F1 shift faster than my windows move?

 

Only if you have not replaced the timing belts.

 

or the blinker fluid.

 

This came up about a year or two ago and i was a stick guy. Now that i am tracking a lot i'd love to have paddle shifting. Ok, so it is X-box/PSP-like... still... the car takes car of rev matching and other 'housekeeping' and leaves other bits that the drive can now has more personal resources to do other things.

(Said in good humor) Anyone ever install F1 into a 308GTS

PS: enjoyed Watkins Glen today... and tomorrow, and the next day... and the next day.

 

All we are seeing hear is, stick (old tech), slowly giving way to, (new tech) F1. There is going to be resistance, both good and bad, from a number of people. That is the one thing we can count on, change.

 

I was a diehard "stick" fan until I experienced the Stradale's F1 "race" mode. The regular F1 is not very exciting in the regular 360s. It can be "too soft" and not aggressive enough. However, the race mode on the Stradale is programmed like the Challenge race cars and is very aggressive. There is nothing like it. I personally keep the Stradale in race mode all the time. Nothing shifts faster and more aggresively. In short - I would choose the F1 race mode system in the Stradale over a manual system BUT would choose manual over the regular F1 system.

 

Actually, they are both similar, technically. Both are the usual manual transmission with single clutch, only clutch and gear changes are electronically controlled. No denying that BMW's SMGII works better than Magneti Marelli's F1.
What you're referring as "being designed specifically" is actually the Audi DSG, with twin clutches. It is the way of the future.

 

Finally Ferrari got rid of that silly T knob for reverse, much cleaner looking now. I love the gated shifter but have to say, I'm leaning towards the paddles
now. As long as they never go to a fully automatic it's ok.

 

FYI, BMW now has SMGIII in the M5 and M6 which is 20% faster than the SMGII in the e46 M3...

 

Yep, see these from a Toyko Ferrari club meet. Of course, the rest of the 355 drivetrain is there too...
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