812 SF - Post Test Drive Feedback

I drove an 812 last week and wanted to post some feedback, both good and bad.

Good:

- The throttle response for an engine this size is quite impressive. It is not as responsive as a Porsche GT3, but I'd say 90% responsive that of a GT3 engine - which is a mighty accomplishment given the number of cylinders and large displacement.

- The steering ratio and RWS work very well in the car. It steers (careful use of word here) like a mid engine car. It is very nimble. Very easy to drive around town.

- Shifts are very quick.

- There is a lot of intake/drive train noise inside cabin, so much so that you actually don't hear much of exhaust at all.

- The cabin is very spacious and so is the cargo area.

Bad:

- The ride quality was pretty disappointing. It does not soak up bumps well at all. You get this jarring feeling of you are driving in a large car with long wheel base. Bumps road mode isn't that different at all.

- Overall the way car "drives" and goes over bumps, gives you the feeling that there is chassis flex and as if different parts/panels of the car are vibrating at different frequencies. Its hard to describe this, but basically it drives opposite to a 911 Turbo S or a Mclaren 720S in that those two cars feel like you are riding a singular piece of metal forged from one solid piece of aluminum block. With the 812, it drives too much like (I am sorry to say this) C7 corvette or a BMW M5. To me this was the biggest let down of the car.

- Before reading this next comment, please keep in mind I have never owned a ferrari. I am comparing it to a Porsche or a Mclaren for the following statement. The downshifts and particularly upshifts are purposelessly harsh. I don't understand if this is an Italian thing to provide some sort of a charisma to the car but upshifts on this car are unnecessarily harsh. They are harsh in Sport and in Race, they go from harsh to basically intolerable. Again, this may very well be a Ferrari thing. Porsche PDK-S in a GT3 is super smooth. Mclaren can be as smooth as GT3 but if you put the DT mode to Track, it can be harsh. But the good thing is, you can switch it off. In the case of Ferrari, its always harsh.

- It's a quiet car with stock exhaust. Car sounds glorious from outside, but from inside, its meh. I dont know why this is. Maybe the glasses are too thick?

- The cameras are quite hard to see from the small screen.

Overall, it wasn't what I was expecting. I have been trying to process this as I think part of the problem was lack of good sound. I think Novitec can help fix that. But the ride is probably is what it is. Because of the architecture of the 812 and the way Ferrari builds cars perhaps. I dont know if their mid engine cars drive the same way.

 

GT3 rides stiff, but it doesnt have the second order vibrations that you feel throughout the chassis. My C7 Corvette felt the same way. Perhaps its the magnetic ride system and this is the way it feels. With Porsche (or mclaren), the car feels like its one solid metal cube with no joints/welds/bolts holding the frame and body panels. With the 812, you feel different parts of the body vibrating at different intervals as you drive over bumps. Or this could be because its heavy and long OR it could just be underlying architecture.

I am not talking about damping. I am talking about more chassis rigidity.

 

I took my GT3 to the test drive. I am talking about free revving the engines while in N. I can see a good 1-1.5 second delay from between getting on the pedal till the engine responds. GT3 the delay is much much less. And while free revving, engine is more responsive. I did drive the cars back to back.

By the way GT4RS may have a different flywheel and it does have longer headers hence under 500hp final power figure.

I still love the 812. The problem I have is, its got too many faults for its price tag. Not worth $400-$410k that market is demanding at all. Honestly, its at most a $300k car (to me) considering how much a GT3 and a 720S costs and how they ride.

 

Not looking for a bargain at all. When evaluated as a car with 4 wheels, engine, and transmission based on how it drives and feels, those other cars provide a much more unique experience. They are better at being a sports car. 812 is all engine and if the badge didnt have ferrari logo on it, base price probably be 30-40% less. Everything has a value. I get the brand name appeal and status symbol appeal to some. But if you remove that element (which I dont care for), as a car enthusiast, you evaluate these cars for what they are - just cars.

 

I am not trying to be sarcastic but can you elaborate on what reasons do people usually have who buy the 812? This might actually help me frame my line of thinking.

I’m a pretty hardcore car enthusiast who could most likely be considered purist. I hate electrification. I never use parking aids. And I hate screens and gadgets.

I have had hardcore cars and still do have them. I am looking for a less edgy more comfortable and more easy to live with car. I tried Corvettes and Turbo S and hated them all. Too disconnected, too refined, doesnt sound good, doesnt ride well, feels big and steers big. Obviously some of those words dont apply to both cars (i.e steers big applies to a Corvette and too refined applies to Turbo S).

I thought the N/A V12 in 812 is perfect for me. It also addresses biggest issues I have had with the ZR1, that horrendous steering feedback, unstable rear end. But the problem is, it drives so similar to a vette that what I thought at the time was a GM thing perhaps is a front engine + magnetic ride architecture thing. The way it goes over bumps and how that translates into second order vibrations in A pillar and seat is so similar that if you were to blind fold me and plug my ears, I would not be able to tell them apart. I can absolutely tell a 720S hydraulic setup and Turbo S and GT3 and then there is C7 ZR1 and my god 812 is so similar. Its most likely chevy copying Ferrari of course but this was one thing that annoyed me so much.

And the shifts are so brutal but in a strange way. It feels like they were artificially made that way. I dont see any mechanical reason as to why car should shift so harshly like that. It leads me to think (unless Ferrari guys here can explain otherwise) it was artificially programmed to give the masculine feeling to an italian 800hp car. GT3RS laps Nurburgring in 6:43 and is a beast of a proper motorsport car that I dont think Ferrari makes a competitor. And you’ll never see its transmission slam these gears like this. I just dont get it. To me, mechanical noises and mechanical behavior should have a purpose, no? Maybe if someone explains the purpose of why 812 shifts like that, I will feel better

Please bear in mind I very much love the car. I think I will still end up buying it but I am going through this process and wanted to share my thoughts openly.

 

Thank you. I like your reasoning quite a bit. I grew up watching every single formula 1 grand prix when Schumacher was racing for Ferrari. My passion for Ferrari started then. Interesting your comment on F1, I actually dont know the behavior of Ferrari’s dual clutch for F1 cars that Schumacher drove -
Presumably Ferrari is trying to mimic old school F1 DCT behavior. Do you know if F1 cars shift that hard? Perhaps DCT behaves this way naturally (drop clutches and slam gears) and Germans engineered the PDK to be so smooth to make it easier to drive around a track. This totally turns my line of thinking upside.

I appreciate the conversation.

 

There you go. And do they shift like the ferrari dct in 812?

 

Thank you for the comments. My GT3 is an RS and has a full dundon system. As such its PDK-S.

I am glad others can relate to my comments about chassis feedback. Good to know corner balancing helps with this issue. Can you lower the 812 without springs as is the case with GT3s or you need springs?

Also which wheels are forged/light? Could having heavy versions of the wheels also explain the ride? Usually light wheels have better road manners. Do you recommend lowering tire pressures from 32/29 to lower?