Best 430 F1 Shifting Technique

I use option (3) because that is how I drive my 3 pedal cars. I also believe it to be less wear on the clutch and F1 than the other two options.

My 430 beeps in "R", I think. I am sure it beeps when I press the button, and its late, but I think it beeps until N or a forward gear is selected. I can check tomorrow...

 

The beep in reverse is normal.

 

Trent is correct. Just drive it like you did your three pedal cars, only one pedal is missing. The fewer things you let F1 do automatically, the better you will enjoy driving her.

Reverse chime. One on the 360 and 575M, too, probably on others, too.

 

That annoying beep is quite literally the sound $ makes as you burn it up when you reverse. I think they did it to remind you to get backed up and out of reverse as soon as possible!

 

This is why I'd recommend option 2. You should really never coast the car, save only below 10 mph or so.

Option 1 for harder, more aggressive or fast driving. Option 2 for tipping along, rolling up to stop lights / signs.

 

Putting the car back into gear from neutral while moving causes the TCU to select a gear suitable for the road and engine speeds (per the drivers handbook -- or words to that effect).
Alan

 

I agree with this. I always like to have the car in gear in case you want to get going again (traffic clears, avoiding a possible accident, etc.). I will downshift through the gears to 2nd as the revs decline to below 3000 rpm if I want to be more active, and let the car downshift for me when I don't feel like shifting. I almost never, however, downshift to 1st. You need to be going very slowly to shift down to 1st and I think it's best to let the car decide when the time is right to take up the lowest gear.

 

Drive it just like a manual - that's what it is!
I doubt very much that many drivers shift to 1st while moving in a stick shift so why would you manually shift to 1st in the F1? With virtually any forward motion the car will happily pick up in 2nd.
I treat the F1 exactly like any other manual, so sometimes I will skip gears up and down the box (shift from 5th to 3rd for an overtake or accelerate hard on an on ramp and then go from 3rd to 5th - both times missing 4th totally), sometimes I will coast to a stop in neutral for a stop junction or if it looks like the lights will remain red (ready to pop it back into gear while moving if the lights change), I always manually change down to 2nd for a normal give way junction and of course in a rapid stop situation let it handle the down changes itself to 1st ready to go again.
Clutch wear occurs when you ride the biting point, just like any other manual, so avoid driving at a speed where the clutch is constantly slipping between engaged and disengaged (that is why the 360 clutch is killed by reversing since the gear is too tall, the 430 reverse is much lower geared and clutch wear is no worse than using 1st) - beyond that just drive.

 

+1. The best way to avoid clutch/transmission wear is to leave the car parked in the garage, but that's not very fun.

 

I hate that annoying BEEP in reverse. Reminds me of when a truck or school bus engages reverse gear. Except ours is in the cockpit and not an audible alarm for the world to hear.

When slowing down for a traffic light or a stop sign, I manually downshift all the way to 2nd then pop it in neutral and coast the remainder to full stop. I don't like being in neutral and coast from higher gears either in case you need to use power to avoid something or speed up quickly.

 

MM- When coasting in neutral, and I do it all the time, you can use either the upshift or downshift paddles to select a gear. This gear is the highest in which the engine will run smoothly, so is almost always too high. So I use the downshift lever to get her back in gear, followed by an almost immediate downshift to a more usable gear. This takes milliseconds to do, so rolling in neutral does not bother me at all. You can even hit the downshift paddle twice if you like and the transaxle will respond with gear selection and an immediate downshift.

Reverse in the F430 is much lower than it is in a 360, 2.73:1 vs 2.565:1, and the dual plate clutch is much tougher, so reversing in an F430 is not as big a deal as it was in the 360. Especially since the F430 has quite a bit more torque at low revs. Still not a good idea to reverse uphill if you can avoid it. In comparison 1st in both the F430 and 360 is 3.29:1.

An old wives' tale is that the clutch slips continuously in reverse. It does not, which you can prove to yourself in a large parking lot, hopefully slightly downhill. The clutch will lock up just like it does in 1st.

 

That is what my mechanic tells me. The issue is that reverse is so tall that it doesn't fully engage in most circumstances.

 

John- Affirmative, most drivers tend to be on and off the throttle in reverse, which makes the clutch engage and disengage so it sounds like it is slipping all the time. Same thing would happen in 1st, except the clutch locks up earlier because of the lower gearing.

 

It takes milliseconds to shift if your fingers are on the paddles and you're mentally prepared to shift. In real-world situations, however, it may take much longer. For example, your hand may be away from the paddle (e.g., adjusting the radio), the wheel may be turned so that the paddles are out of reach of your fingers, in a panic you may hit the wrong paddle or may not have time to reach for it, etc., etc. IMO it's safer to always keep the car in the right gear for the speed you're moving.

 

Dave- I never turn on the radio. If you are fiddling with the radio when coming to a stop, I do not want to ride with you. You have your way of doing it and others have their way. Neither is wrong, so no need arguing about it. The paddles are always in the same place on a Ferrari and nobody is going through turns in neutral so the steering wheel is straight ahead or very close to it. Besides which, I have Challenge paddles and you can reach those from just about any hand position.

You are reaching. There is no right or wrong way, which is why I tell people to drive the way they do a three pedal. No difference in safety, and less wear and tear on clutch and transaxle. If you like downshifting as you come to a stop, go for it. Assume that is the same way you drive a 3 pedal.

Part of these posts is just explaining how things work and then letting the owner decide what he wants to do without preaching one way or the other.

 

Yes, what you said! If I think I will be coming to a complete stop, I will shift into N. But sometimes, the light will change and traffic ahead starts moving, so stopping is not a safe thing to do. In that case, I hit the downshift paddle and the F1 will shift into second or third, depending on the speed. That normally puts the engine at a low RPM at which the car will accelerate smoothly but slowly. If I need a quicker getaway, I hit the downshift lever one more time.

 

Just expressing an opinion, not trying to start an argument. I disagree with you and I expressed that. I thought that's part of what this forum is about.

 

Dave- That is what we just did, disagree. You think everybody should do it your way, and I think either way is fine. Passing on the information about how to do it either way is why I posted. How I do it is irrelevant except as an example of how it works.

 

...and you think everyone should control (or not control) the radio your way. This discussion is pointless. Do whatever you want.

P.S.: I'm not going to invite you to ride with me so no worries.

 

Dave- Fair enough.

 

I've only had an F1 for a few 100 miles so far, and I seem use a combination of just about everything mentioned here. Unfortunately, getting the car into, and out of the garage is an on/off the gas several times ordeal....trying not to hit anything on the way out, or pull too far forward on the way in.
I absolutely LOVE the F1....such a fun experience....can't think I would tire of it.

 

I agree the clutch will lock-up completely when in reverse at speed. But this side of Radiator Springs who does that? (a reference to my best friend Mater)

In my case; I back in the garage very slowly and because I am turning the wheel and checking three mirrors it takes 30 seconds of backing to move 30 feet. In my case, and for many others, the clutch is slipping almost the entire time. Now if I put it in R and hit the gas, I could reverse with no slippage apart from the initial take-up, but I might end up in the kitchen.

My old house had a high drain angle on the driveway, so I pulled in forward and backed out.
My new house is quite flat, so I back in, always ready for the Bat-Signal.

 

Familiarness fades beauty. Habituation won't make you tire of your F1, but it will make you take it for granted. I sometimes wish for a de-habituation pill, but then life would get hard quick!

somberness aside; I am glad you love your F1, a nice change from the die hard 3 peddle flowers. *I love my clutch and F1 all the same.