Thanks for all the comments Guys This was the fifth to pass through Maranallos All I need now is a bit of sunshine on Saturday
Wazza, congratulations, she looks gorgeous !!! If it was me I would not be able to sleep for the whole week I hope the weather is good for you on Sat. I wish I could join the meet but I have an exam to study for. I hope I can get to see/hear her, and meet all of you in December ! Philip
Just took delviery today. FFFAAANNTTTAAASSSTTTIIICCCCCCC What can I say. More than met my expectations. Not a bit like the Modena, much closer to the Challenge than I would have expected. Sharp, Light, Responsive. Oh, and the noise. WOW! When you push it down from 3rd to 2nd and floor it -UNBELIEVABLE-. Before you ask. NO I havn't yet tried the Launch button or the race mode. Teasing myself for when the car is bedded in a bit more. It still feels a bit tight. Anyway that's about it. I'm going to lock myself in the loo with the owners manual for half an hour ( sorry- 30 seconds). See you Saturday. Wazza
Your car looks too cool!! I would love to here about your driving impressions over the next few weeks when you open it up a bit. How long do you have to wait (km's) before you open the car up? Did you own a 360 before and does your new car feel any faster?
Loungedog, I'm the salesman really didn't know to much on how it should be run in(not good i know(Salesman, what can I say)) but he did say that the engine had only been run on a dyno(I think this is pretty standard on all cars these days) and to take it easy and that it needs to go back after 1000 miles for the usual checks etc. Not much help ! Oh yes, he also after 5 or 6 Launch control starts you'll probably need a new Clutch!?!?!?!. So from that i've made my own plan of attack. 100 already on clock 150 miles under 4000 revs 250 miles under 6000 revs Same sort of caution with tyres and brakes. I'm told that both will benefit from getting some good heat cycles through them and building up slowly. over the next 500 miles I will start to use the race mode more and more and increase the revs towards the limit. I will then also try the Launch mode.(once) It sounds a bit of a novelty than of any real use. I'm at about the 6000 revs stage at the moment. I have driven both the 360 Modena and Challenge cars extensively this year on tracks days with Club Fiorano and have owned a 355GTB, 360M and 550M in the past. So far I found the CS very different from the 360 Modena. The lack of weight and the extra BHP is really noticable. THe CS is much closer in performance to the challenge than it is to the modena. First the steering is much lighter. It gives very good feed back and is very precise but somehow i'm not sure I like it at the moment(i'm sure i'll get used to it in time). It's definately not as positive or stiff as in the Challenge cars, which is a shame as I think the Challenge has the best steering of any car i've ever driven. And even the 360M is stiffer than the CS. So far this is the only thing that I have found dissapointing from a driving perspective. The Brakes are amazing. They really do stop you very quickly indeed. Especially bearing in mind i'm still being easy on them. They're quite sharp and the pedal only has a short travel before they start to bite but you never get the feeling that they will lock up on you. They give you great confidence and give very good feed back through the pedal. And no squeeking either which is something I had worried about. As for wear I guess only time will tell. There is a very noticeable difference in the suspension, again much closer to the Challenge than the Modena. Quite a hard ride but not uncomfortable with almost no roll. Firm and positive I would say at this stage that is as good as the challenge car. I need more time before I can comment properly on the tyres. I've never used 19" Corssas before. Although i'm told that these are the same as the Challenge cars use as intermediate wets. They dont have very much tread and what there is is not very deep. I am also expecting them to be a relitively soft compound compared to what i'm used to for a road car, so again wear may be an issue. Over all I would really rate the CS over the 360 Modena very highly indeed. This is something that won't be left in the garage for very long. Track days, country roads, motorways, Posing up and down the King's road - you bet. I'll come back with more once i've tamed the beast. Good Luck Wazza
Hey Wazza, Now that is a nice car you got there!! I'm from Belgium and unfortunately still not in the market for a Challenge Stradale but i'm sure that in a couple of years, a CS will be in my garage!! It looks a lot better then a standard Modena and apparently it drives also a lot better! Good luck with it and have a blast! I keep driving my little S2000 for the moment! CIAO...
Wazza: Sales men, eh?? I have the same problem with my salesman... I hate it when they know so very little about the product they are selling. My guy didn't even know what options came on the car and what increase in HP the Stradale had even though he has already sold 6 cars!! I have read some where that it was recommended that a new 360 should have 3000 Km before you let it rip!! I am driving a 996tt and I know that it took about 2000 Km before the seals were set properly and that is when the major oil consumption stopped. I was putting in almost 3 ltr every 1000 Km at first!! Regarding the clutch, do you know if the clutch in the Stradale's was upgraded? That is great to hear that you can feel such a diffrence been the 360 and the 360 Stradale... I have driven the 360 a few years ago and from what I can recall it felt very tight... the fact that you feel that the Stradale is that much better it very reassuring. Regarding the brakes: its nice to hear that the brakes are as good as they are (so far), I was worried about the issue that Porsche is having with their ceramic brakes where they are cracking and unevenly wearing, more from track use. I hope Ferrari will stand behind their product if this occurs. There is a very noticeable difference in the suspension, again much closer to the Challenge than the Modena. Quite a hard ride but not uncomfortable with almost no roll. Firm and positive I would say at this stage that is as good as the challenge car. I truly enjoy hearing about your impressions of your new car. It makes my wait that more bearable. Good luck and keep them coming!!
Loungedog, Sorry mate, no Idea about the clutch. Hoefully someone out there will let us know. It's does not feel the same as the one in the Challenge as that ones whch is quite jerky, aggresive and clunky but very possitive. The CS is much smoother more like the Modena and not as fast the Challenge. I havn't tried it in race mode yet so cann't comment. I got stuck in a traffic jam yesterday, Stop/start for about 30 mins and no sign of overheating like the older paddle shift in the 355/360's. Pouring rain yesterday and no sign of any leaks ( I think that must be a first for a Ferrari) Reasonabley satisfied with the tyres in the wet but I was taking it very easy. Lost grip a couple of times but I think that had more to do with my heavy right foot than anything else. Wazza
