While 2 and 3 are, of course, correct, you just cannot notice it on the road. The F8 works so well on the road, it is a bit mind bending really. To be clear, I’m not saying the F8 is a better car, or worse, but different and as big an achievement as the Pista in hitting its intended target. It knocks both 458 Italia and 488 GTB out of the park and is a much better car than both of them. Within a year it is likely I will have a Speciale and a Pista in my garage and the F8 will be gone. The two track cars are very special. But the F8 is just a brilliant car for everything, the best all-rounder they have made and simply has a depth of talent that is far beyond my expectation.
The main point is not to compare two different and brilliant cars, it is this; you can’t order a Pista new anymore. If you are thinking about ordering an F8 because you want new, don’t hesitate. The naysayers are wrong about this car and I believe you will love it.
This is true and I’ve wondered about this. But not everything follows logic. Adding another 60hp to the F8 wouldn’t really make it better, it does not lack for power! It’s the car’s amazing composure and finesse, mated to 700+ hp and brilliant traction that really star. There are some things about the Pista that work great on track but are not particularly relevant on the road. The aero only really makes a difference at autobahn type speeds, you just cannot notice it on the road below about 100mph and maybe not even above. The F8 could best be described as a Pista for the road, with different clothes. The 458 v Scud and 488 v Speciale can’t really be characterised like that - 458 was a different platform to the Scud, 488 a turbo engine to the Speciale’s 4.5 litre n/a screamer. The Pista’s (IMV) over-aggressive gear changes don’t feature in the F8 and, in my mind, it’s all the better for it on the road. They are still lightning fast but don’t come accompanied with an unnecessary jolt in the back; you still know the change has happened through your back but it is smoother. Interesting to note that most say the PDK is the best of all. The change in my GT2RS has about the same level of in-car aggression as the F8, the Pista has much more. It can actually be distracting when you want to get into a smooth (and therefore fast) flow. The track is such a different test of a car than the road. On track you repeat the same corners many times, altering lines, throttle inputs, braking etc. Tenths and even hundredths of a second are relevant. Little details in your technique make comparatively huge differences. Little details in aero, suspension stiffness and rebound, power delivery, wheel alignment, also matter. A good road trip is a 1,000 corners (not 15), all taken once, with people coming the other way. You can’t get anywhere near the level of time-performance out of each corner on the road. If you can get 95+% out of each track corner after, say, 100 laps of a circuit, you get to about 80% max on the road unless you drive a particular road many many times as per the track. You still have to account for people coming the other way with zero run-off of course. That’s not to say you don’t have fun on the road but instead of minute details and repetitive memory being the pursuit on track, on the road it is the flow and feeling over relentless but different oncoming corners that makes you feel great. The flow is important on track but not enough - you need flow+detail, on the road flow is most of what is fun to a driver. There is no stopwatch to make you accountable, you just drive. On the road you need great torque (for instance to get back up to speed and back into the flow when you have to take a tighter and slower line because of oncoming traffic), you need confidence-inspiring handling, smoothness and suspension compliance to make sure the car is not unsettled at the wrong moment with some poor tarmac. In this scenario, you could even argue that the F8 is a better choice than the Pista. I’m not talking specialness, I’m talking about what is really important to drive at faster speeds safely on the road. You also have to caveat everyone’s experience in this regard, with the roads where they live or drive. In the UK we have wonderful back roads, often polluted with poor tarmac. We also have the Alps not that far away. These facts obviously influence my thoughts. Let me conclude it this way, if two of us walked into my garage and I offered the other person first choice for a a road trip, and they chose the Pista, leaving me the F8, the absolute last thought in my mind is that I’m going to have to work hard to keep up.
I always like your posts and enjoy reading them, however, some of the things you have said here just don’t coincide with my experience. The Pista (at least my Pista) does not shift smoother. It’s nearly impossible to tell these days if faster - they’re both basically instantaneous. But the Pista is not at all smoother. In fact, it could even be the weakest area of the car for me. It was the same in the Speciale so it is obviously something they tune in to make the car feel more like a race/track car. I don’t think it’s needed and I doubt many racers would say that is what they look for in a race car. You don’t need a jolt for a DCT change to be quicker - just ask Porsche. And Pista feels completely different? Hmm. GT2RS and GT3RS, they’re completely different to a Pista in feel. But the F8 and Pista feel very much from the same family, which they of course are. Clearly their transmissions and chassis are tuned differently but the engine feels the same (because it is) and despite the different tuning, you cannot disguise the DNA that links them. A better name for the F8 in terms of description of how the car feels would be Pista Stradale. As for ESC, on the road you can’t notice any differences (I usually drive in either Race or CT off, never ESC off, whether on road or track). As I said in a previous post, totally different story on track, which for most of what you said I take is what you mean - on track, where the Pista is out-of-the-park good. I haven’t put the F8 on track but according to Shadowfax there is a big difference and I would be inclined to believe that (otherwise what do Ferrari know?)
I almost forgot, the steering on the F8 is not less lively. It is full of life and a real feature in the car. It feels great to hold but also faithfully keeps you informed about what’s going on underneath, it helps the car to dance around beautifully. I didn’t notice that about the 488 GTB. It’s not old-school feel like older 911s, but it’s brilliant at letting you know what you need and its feel is just right for fun on the road with the F8. Obviously the Pista has more front end grip and sharpness, but the F8’s helm has a more fun feel about it. The Pista’s steering is about business and good it is too.
@Lukeylikey thank you so much for your excellent posts, for me you have the highest credability as you own both, and now I really want a F8 even more
I'd be inclined to upgrade to an F8 personally if we're talking about a 488, if a Pista then more understandable..The smaller diameter and thinner rimmed steering wheel on the F8 felt amazing in my hands and its very beneficial at all speeds..However a lot of the improvement of the steering feel and feedback over the 488's will be down to other factors in the F8's design, both software and hardware..These benefits can't be transplanted merely by changing the steering wheel itself. Interesting that this thread had again deteriorated into a personal F8 vs Pista debate in the same spirit as 458 vs 488 !..Why can't both cars owners accept they are both equally brilliant with slightly different priorities depending on use..Pista is optimised for track with slight road compromises and the F8 very much vice versa..My GT3 RS WP is a sublime car on track albeit with some compromise for on road cruising...No right and wrong, just different.! Based on my drive in the F8 i feel its a better garage companion to my RS in the same way that a Pista would be better if i had a 992TTS instead of the RS..
Of course I will take the F8 on the track and I have little doubt that it will perform at a high level. I still will not know how it compares to the Pista while Lukey can make that comparison. I totally disregard the assessment of some particularly vocal individuals on this forum since their description of the F8 bears no resemblance to my own.
I recommended the Cup 2 tires to Brooks since he lives in a hot climate- Florida and he preps his tires prior to his drag races.
Purposely mapping the transmission to provide a jolt in gear changes, is not appealing and is a synthetic attempt to create driver involvement.
Thanks @Lukeylikey for your review of Pista versus F8 and other cars you own. I have always enjoyed reading them and appreciate the objectivity. There are definitely a couple of naysayers on this platform who cannot see any good in the F8 because they own a Pista
100% Correct. Ultimately the F8 is totally amazing for the money and you can drive it everyday too. So if you missed out on a Pista then just get an F8.
I never claimed the F8 was faster than the Pista spider. I did conjecture that due to the extra weight and compromised chassis rigidity, track times between the F8 and Pista spider would be close.
I agree it would be too close to call. Interesting question; With the roof on is the rigidity of the Pista Spider less than a coupe?
Roof up is better but still not as stiff and rigid as a coupe. Tracking with the roof down would logically compromise the aero dynamics.
Congratulations Brent as the Rosso Scuderia 812 is mine getting a new hood Xpel piece due to a rock hit while driving out in the country from a lawnmower. Beautifyl spec and I will be looking forward to seeing you on the road in the future. Indy Clear Bra does immaculate work!
There are several including myself that are in ore at the feel of the F8 ( well new ) steering wheel. Do you get the same feeling ? It just feels perfect. Subtle changes but it feels way different to the 488 wheel.
Yes that's why I said ( well new ) because as you pointed out the Lusso and 812 both have the new wheel.