First Ferrari: 488 GTB - what do I need to know?

Congrats and how cool was it that the dealer had a new one available for buying right away. Well done.

Enjoy and drive it in good health. I just took delivery of mine as well and simply love it. The torque is truely astonishing.

Not much to know beyond enjoy the car. Maintenance is paid for for 7 years and the car is very easy to live with. No surprises for me so far.

 

Congratulations! Mine is new as well. Latest "discovery" was that the race setting, which the manual promotes as just for the track, also causes the muffler valves to open at a lower rpm and causes the shifts to be much more solid. Kind of a fun thing to know when putting about town.

 

Gas pedal on the right makes the car go.

Brake pedal on the left makes the car stop (if you choose to use such pedal)

Other than that- congratulations on your car and I hope you enjoy the hell out of it.

 

In case you're wondering, the brake squeal (even when not pressing the brake pedal) is normal. Don't use silicone based tire shine products at all, due to carbon ceramic brakes.

Make sure your insurance is up to par given the price.

That's it.

 

It’s a fantastic car. Congratulations. Pics? Specs?

 

pics

 

Congratulations !!!!!!!

 

Congrats
The car is a *****cst that turns into a tiger just flex your foot on that right pedal. You will hit the rev limiter very quickly and shift accordingly. I use race mode all the time except in the cold and wet
It is otherwise a mature well sorted out car that will put a smile on your face each time you start Er up!
Enjoy!


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When you are comfortable with Race mode, if you’re a reasonably competent driver (only need to be reasonable) it’s worth progressing to CT mode. This changes settings to be even more aggressive and removes traction control (interruption of throttle, never nice) but keeps ESC which is an important safety system for when you do lots of stupid things at once (everyone does that on occasions) and introduces SSC (side slip control) which replaces the TC as a means of allowing you to break traction but still retain control without interrupting power. Sounds technical but feels brilliant. The 488 is so fast that it really does need some of these systems on the road and Ferrari’s software is the best around - they enhance yours and the car’s dynamic ability to be able to cope with the power rather than limit the power.

If you find an empty space of tarmac and turn everything off, you will find that the natural balance of the 488 is phenomenal - it has no vices and it so well sorted from a chassis development point of view. Don’t know how sophisticated your driving is but this car, despite it being fine for anyone who has no real skill, still rewards drivers who know some driving technique. A pilota course or equivalent form of driver training is a good idea and will allow you to make an even greater connection with and understanding of the car.

The standard of all the supercars these days is just so high. Remember the 348, the 964 and the Aston Vantage of the early 90’s? Heavy steering, poor grip, rubbish tyres, less than half today’s power, not great reliability, slidy seats, poor and basic driver aids. Great in their own way and very pure, but the engineers have really been busy since then!

 

I went from Aston to Ferrari. I bought a 360 Spider in addition to my coupe DBS. That was 8 years ago, but it ruined me. Sold the DBS and never bought another Aston and have had 8 Ferraris. The 488 is so good, can’t think of any Aston I would rather do your road trip in and I have done plenty of them. GF on the 488 is beautiful.

 

I live in Berkshire and visit London a few days a week.

In my black wingless GT3 I am but invisible to other road users. Just another 911 variant. No girls ever checked it out.

In my discretely coloured 488 I've got white vans tailgating me, people trying to race and homeless guys yelling "Hey Mr Ferrari!" at junctions.
Also got pretty girls checking the car out, and sometimes waving!

Pros and cons...

 

I drive in RACE all the time, I found that out right away as well.

 

Been fine for me and I take my cars most places.

 

Congrats
Note that (that's my personal opinion of course) the Ferrari courses are not the best use of your time and money if the only goal is to improve your driving; the Ferrari courses include a 'life style' part, which is nice but make them less efficient than the more intensive training you may get from going to track days with professional coaching.

 

Just drive. I picked mine up one week ago and have almost 1000 miles.

 

Congratulations and welcome to the family!

 

Congrats on your new 488 !

Maybe a course on a nice circuit like Silverstone or Spa with a qualified instructor may give you far better results than a Ferrari pilota course …

Just my 2 cents ….

 

Congrats. Stunning color combo and spec!

 

Congratulations on your purchase, lovely colour and great specs. There are five very important things you must know.

Firstly, you can drive in the rain, it is allowed, the car will not melt and you will relish at the traction you have on a wet road. You will also have a great bonding session afterwards washing and pampering her.

Secondly, the more you drive, the engine will respond better the car will go and feel better you will also have a more reliable car. In discussions with my Tech he tells me that the problems owners have all come back to a lack of use. Attending cars and coffee and then back home to the garage is not what ownership is about. Now, track days, long drives and I mean 250 to 350 miles in a day, doing doughnuts that is driving. Maybe doughnuts is not for everyone but I have a great time when I get the urge and do a few.

Thirdly (and related to the second) forget about the mileage you clock up, enjoy the benefit of your hard work you have rewarded your self with. When you are old and frail and look back on your life do you want a regret in your life to be "I should have driven my Ferrari more but I was an idiot and didn't" ?

Fourthly, regular maintenance at all times. You have the 7 year maintenance program so use it.

Fifthly, keep her on the battery tender when not in use. The 488 electrical system does put a strain on the battery even if you drive on a regular basis.

By the way, apart from your family, approval from anyone else is not required.

 

Yeah took delivery of mine brand spankers and drove it straight up on a 650km round trip on some amazing roads. Rained most of the time too so it was baptism by fire. The only way to do it!! Agree best to enjoy and not worry about getting the cars feet wet and dirty. Too many of these cars make their way into precious hands and rarely get used for the designed purpose intended. Don't waste it is my motto. You only live once! 98% of my mileage has been open country backroads and mountain switchbacks. Perfect for this car. My best advice is to avoid main roads and freeways and don't waste any mileage in the city. There are other cars for that.