458 VS 488 on Track VIDEO and what I bought after driving both

Hey guys,

I thought I would share my thoughts on driving the Ferrari 458 and 488 on the track. I went out to Exotic racing in Las Vegas because I wanted to add another Exotic to my garage I have a Scuderia and have absolutely loved the performance, sound, and overall emotion it delivers to the pilot. With my next exotic, I was looking for something that was a bit more comfortable with more performance than the Scuderia. I wanted something with some newer attractive exotic styling. If possible i wanted something that would retain or go up in value like the Scud. My choices where between the Ferrari 458, the 488 and the Lamborghini Adventador.

When I arrived at the track I was 90% sure I was going to buy the Adventador. By the end of day, I had decided on something completely different. To keep the story short and not get to much into why not the Adventador, Ill just say the Adventador sucks on a track and was not a real blast to drive. Yes it looks bad azz and sounds insane, If I where single, I would have one in the garage. Other than looking and sounding good, it is not the drivers car. So the real choice for me was between these two sweet F Cars.

I jumped into the 458 and began laying down some laps. I was really impressed with the performance increase of the 458 over the Scuderia. It was quite a bit faster and was much more comfortable. The suspension and steering was very smooth. The double clutch made the shifting much smoother, and was still pretty dang fast. The 9000 RPM sure is a blast to get up to as you go through the gears. The exhaust and sound of the 458 is quite pleasing to the senses. Its not the Indy car sound of the Scuderia, but it sure sounds Damnnnnn Good. I will mention, this 458 had straight pipes which increased the sound quite a bit over stock. All in all, the 458 was a blast to drive and a big improvement over the Scuderia in performance and comfort, if those two can even go in the same sentence hehehe. Seriously, it was so fun, I could have ended my day there and would have been satisfied. As far as track time, I laid down a fast lap of 57:43

I then hopped into the 488. I have a Cayanne Turbo S and I really hate the Turbo Lag of that thing. I did not know what to expect from the turbos of the 488, but I was crossing my fingers that it wouldn't lag to much. I pulled onto the straight and it took all of a few seconds before I started laughing and grinning ear to ear. Gosh dang those turbos where awesome, When that 488 spooled up it pulled like a raped ape. I found myself getting up to the rev limiter very fast. There is so much torque from this motor that you can almost go around the track in 1 gear lol. You will see in the video, that I am having so much fun in the car. I was driving VERY cautiously and held back quite a bit. I didnt want to loop the car around my first time out so I was a little smoother. You notice that I went full out in the 458 and was very comfortable in it as it felt a bit like the Scuderia in the way if gave feedback through the steering wheel and through the sound. But this 488 was something new and different from what I was use to. Ive heard people talk about how cars feel like they drive themselves. I totally get what they mean now. The 488 is so easy to drive. Just look and steer where you want to go and it just tracks and follows. It never felt like it was getting close to breaking loose, it just gripped and pulled with enormous power. It was so so fun to drive, the sound of it was just awesome I know people dont like the sound, but it sounds pretty damn good to me. This car was by far leaps ahead of the others in overall performance. I had immediately fallen in love with the 488. I think you can tell from the video that I thoroughly enjoyed the 488 over anything else. As far as track performance goes, even with my timid driving, I was almost 3 seconds faster in the 488 with a fast lap of 55:06

I was so impressed that I went right back home and ordered a 488 Spider from Newport Ferrari. 5 months later, that bad boy arrived and I have not had a second thought of any other car.

I had wandered what the 488 would feel like if I where not to hold back and be as timid on a track. I have since taken the 488 on another track (Thermal in So Cal), and got a chance to drive it like I stole it. No matter how hard I pushed it, it just kept asking for more. This car is an absolute beast on the track. The stock exhaust sounds freakin awesome and I just cant get over the sweet sounds of the turbos. I dont care how loud the 458 is, it will never have the turbine howl of the 488's blowers. For me, thats the icing on the cake with the 488. The torque sensation pressing you into the seat as you bang through the gears and the sweet sound of those turbos spooling is music to my ears. In the spider, you can roll the rear window down and the orchestra of the exhaust and turbos is right next to your ears for one heck of an immersed driving experience.

I thought that when I want to hear the high pitch of an Indy car sounding Ferrari, that I will just take the Scud out. I can honestly say that the Scud is collecting dust and I have no desire to drive it over the 488. I took the 488 out at 3 am the other night to run up to my office. I didnt really need to go but I couldnt ressit the thought of an open freeway at 3am. Im not sure what top speed is, but I can tell you the 488 Spider will do at least 183 I look forward to getting into this car all the time. Its not because it just a new bad azz car. It is because the 488 delivers so many different emotions when your behind the wheel. The Scud sounds amazing as does the 458. But sound alone can not make up for all the other aspects the 488 surpasses them in. Before my 488 Spider arrived, I thought I would always keep the Scud as a collectors piece and it was my first Ferrari. After having my 488 for a couple weeks, I am already thinking of just selling the Scud as I just dont have any desire to drive it over the 488. If I want to feel the rush and experience of an exotic, my go to is the 488 and I dont see that changing anytime soon. While at the Ferrari showroom, I mentioned how quite a few just dont seem to like the 488. My dealer told me, the majority of those that "Dont Like" the 488, simply have not gotten the chance to drive or own one. I do not know how accurate that statement is. For me, the 488 ticks all the boxes and delivers one hell of a good time I would urge anyone looking at there next Exotic purchase to go take a 488 for a spin. Get in one, put your foot down, and let me know if it puts the same smile on your face as it did on mine





Here is VIDEO of me driving the 458 and 488 on track

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqEyYrMTAPs




Here is VIDEO of my initial thought of the 458 VS 488 VS Adventador

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGX0_rPUvKE&t
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Brother, you where puttin it down Very nice driving, loos like you have had a day or two behind a wheel Zach Smith?? Im Patrick Smith, could you be my long lost brother hehehehe

 

Automatic, what do you mean, these cars have automatics??? Just kidding, Mine is Always in race mode and Auto off. I will say there is a huge difference between Auto mode in the 488 vs the Scud. In the Scud, auto mode has a big delay or lag when it shifts, so annoying. I forgot to take auto off in the 488 one time and noticed right away it shifts pretty quick and smooth. Although I do not use Auto, I could see Turing it on if I where stuck in LA traffic.