False sense of security, plus the need for a 1st person experience and learning I think....... - approaching a drive entry/exit - what goes through your mind..... - 'hey I'm OK, I have lift' - SCRAPE - 'wow, I really should have used it' I mildly touched the rubber fins on the 812 this way, so lesson learned for me.
I ordered the lift for my F8. My 458 had a lift also. I am big supporter and always used it when coming out of a curbed parking lot or speed bump. The last time I used the lift was after a track day at Lime Rock. My right front tire was toast and would not hold air. I had driven the 458 2.5 hours there and had to get a tow back to Boston. The flatbed tow truck, using boards to lessen the angle was still too steep as it pulled the car up onto the bed due to the totally flat right front. I engaged the lift and it just made it without scraping.
They have been around for decades....ahem...the Lowriders have them all the way around. A person can install them on their Ferrari and make their car jump across the driveways...forget about crab-walking the car! Liberty Walk also has a kit. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I destroyed a diffuser fin on my 488 spider backing out of a space. There was a low planter surrounded by stones about the height of a parking stop. The sensors didn't alert them and the backup camera didn't show it. I heard this CRUNCH and thought OH ****. When I got out I was relived to see it was just one fin but still, it cost $1780 to fix.
Since the suspension lifter only lifts the front, for things like speed bumps, would be better to not use the lifter and possibly scratch the front bumper rather than get over it with the lifter, but then hear a crunch further down on the underbody or rear defuser?
My experience is to activate the front lift when needed, then immediately deactivate as soon as the front is clear. It seems true that if the front comes up an inch, the back tilts down an inch, so you have to make sure when the rear axle line hits the bump to deactivate the lift. Of course it depends on the bump, but the risk to the rear is dropping both rear wheels down simultaneously. If you can be at a slight angle it mitigates the drop to an extent.
I live in a city that roughly translates into ancient Chinese as "Many Mountains" (Busan). So yeah, I need it a lot. I was exiting the brand new, flashiest hotel in the city the other day, and very stupidly lowered the lifter as soon as I had made it out of the basement parking lot. Headed down the mild incline out of the compound - very light, quick SCRRRAPE. Felt around under the front splitter and sure enough, a few minor battle scars - hoping the PPF took the brunt of it. You'd think, of all places, the fancy hotel would have designed its compound to accommodate Ferraris... In Korea all 488s and F8s come with the lifter as standard. The Mac 675LT isn't road legal when specced without the lifter.
This car is currently on Autotrader UK. Looks like the diffuser has been crunched... Image Unavailable, Please Login
If you had the Carbonio Number plate holder you could have stopped when you heard the crunch. It sits about an inch lower than the front splitter
That's a very good shout. Although I've never had a problem using the lifter, even with some pretty nasty inclines - just got lazy with it this time and paid a (thankfully) negligible price. Wouldn't dare get it lowered around here though.
Amusing, very amusing, this ongoing discussion about the 458/488 lifter system. I am about to provoke some with the following: 1. ironic from people (mainly guys) who are obsessed with kerb weight of their exotic car (lifter system weight, ~22 lbs.) 2. same guys who pay $7K for a mostly impractical CF steering wheel that starts flashing over 8,000 RPM 3. same guys who repeatedly pay the monthly fee for the gym membership without using the gym for months 4. same guys who often neglect (or forget) to use their factory installed lifter system when warranted May I suggest cheaper (previously F-chat discussed) alternatives, front bumper protection kit: https://www.fabspeed.com/ferrari-488-front-bumper-protection-kit/ https://www.scrapearmor.com/products/scrape-armor-front-bumper-protection-ferarri-488 It'd be always activated, not needed a driver to turn it on before engaging a bump
Lobekay, post a picture of the Fabspeed bumper protection on your 458/488 please. I would like to see how it looks.
You realise on thing is that if it crunches HARD it will push the bumper and i dont fancy drilling holes into the spoiler i wish to protect. There is another one but the brand escapes me as it has raised sections that decrease the surface area of the scrape thus having less of an effect on the bumper/ spoiler. Point 4 is the one that i have seen so many cars suffer. Go figure ?
I've installed a number of front bumper protection options and without a question the scrape armor units are the best. https://www.scrapearmor.com/collections/ferrari/products/scrape-armor-bumper-protection-ferrari-488-pista They are thermal molded to fit exactly, not straight material, install kit and instructions are far superior. They also relieve the bottom to reduce the surface area and friction when you do end up using it. Not affiliated but I love their stuff.
Ooohhh... I love pot stirrers... I do not care about the weight. In fact to CF in the exterior. I asked Ferrari to paint my air splitters in Nero to match the roof and I got charged the same amount for CF. nearly all interior CF, not because I like CF but because I do not like the silver/aluminum items, makes it look cheap (in my opinion). Yes, I also got the impractical steering wheel. Again, not for weight or for specifically liking CF, but because I did not like the alternatives. I do not pay for gym membership. I have my own bad@$$ gym. And I will use my lift system because my GT2 doesn't have it and I already had to change the front lip once. So that.... I won't forget to use. And get the final kick... I will also get Scrape Armor, once it's available for the F8.
I believe you are referring to Scrape Armor, which is the lowest profile protective item in the market and works with factory holes and screws.
Just looked at the web site. They are CDCéd to reduce the surface area but they still are the screw down type