| Author | Message | ||
| Alon Dahan (Alon)
New member Username: Alon Post Number: 1 Registered: 3-2003 |
"i don't know about the jet analogy, the F18 does 0-60 in 1.8 sec, that's pretty fast. my best friend is an F18 piolet(he's in Kuwait), and he said that taking off is much faster than the GSXR1100(motorcycle) that he had in college." Actually jets only accelerate fast after they gained momentum, which take a while. It will do 60 in 1.8 only if it's catapulted from an aircraft carrier. I have a video of a drag race between a viper and a US air force F18. The viper won (but in the end the F18 got very close because it gained the necessary momentum to accelerate). Now if a viper can beat the F18 the F40 certainly will. | ||
| Rob Schermerhorn (Rexrcr)
Member Username: Rexrcr Post Number: 362 Registered: 11-2002 |
First step in track preparation is improving air flow properly to the front brakes. The original "deflect in the general direction of the rotor" duct isn't good enough. You'll loose your pedal after just a few laps. Proper ducting is to the center of the rotor/hub assembly, like the F40LM or GTE. I've built these, takes a bit of time and fabrication experience, but not too tough. I added an evaporative brake cooling system, too. This aspirates water into the brake ducts in the nose, giving the water enough time to mix well with the air, kinda like humidifying the brake cooling air. This system adds quite a bit of additional cooling capacity, to the point that when my client forgot to turn the system on at Road America and the pedal went very soft, he flipped the switch and the pedal was back in two corners. Running slotted and not drilled rotors increases component life. The OEM blue Pagid pads are just fine, I've run many brands and there was no true standout, all the leading brands performance is similar. I'd have to do scientific evaluations to see a performance difference. Rebuild the calipers every six weekends. Use good fluid (see my post on brake fluids). The stock brake bias is too far rear for slicks, I installed a proportioning valve and removed the OEM fixed rate valve. The ultimate solution here is the F40LM pedal box available from Michelotto via FNA. But the prop valve works very well. Six point harness modification: the shoulder mounts are in every chassis. I've converted the seats on seven F40's, not too tough mechanically. The difficult part is finding a high quality upholstery shop to sew up the holes you must install in the stock seats. Or install F40 LM seats, available again through FNA, if you need authenticity. Other mods I've done are all for performance improvements, not necessarily track reliability. Like shocks, bushings, springs, ARB links, lightening, chassis bracing, big turbo's, C-C clutch, drop gears, lexan wind screen, fire system, electrical cut-off switch, BBS magnesium three-piece wheels, Goodyear slicks, 2-way radio, etc. | ||
| DWE (Dwe)
New member Username: Dwe Post Number: 2 Registered: 3-2003 |
What is maintenance and parts availability like for the F40? And also reliability at the track? What does ferrari do in general for parts for out of date cars? I'd guess that they's retain molds and such, since so much of their legacy depends on keeping their "heritage" cars running. I remember GM farming out the rights to other vendors for replacement parts for the ZR-1, and the older models. | ||
| Tim G. (Tim)
Junior Member Username: Tim Post Number: 245 Registered: 3-2002 |
BEN: I have the LM exhaust and also the LM "test" pipes. which means not cats, its just a straight through exahust. doesnt get much louder than that and when I say loud, its WAY loud, just the way it should be. | ||
| Ben Cannon (Artherd)
Junior Member Username: Artherd Post Number: 214 Registered: 6-2002 |
Tim... car... is... georgeous... One of the nicest looking F40s I've EVER seen! DWE- The F40 is nearly TWICE as fast to 120mph as the 355. (thought their 0-60 times are much closer.) That will give you an idea of what is going on. 600hp out of an F40 is easy<because>, and it is 400lbs lighter than even the lighter 360Modena. It is a RAW, visceral, connected expierence on the track. how the hell it's street legal I don't know, but I'm glad it is! The car that Enzo intended. (indeed, one of the last he approved, and a tribute to The Man.) I've ridden in one that riped the tyres loose around 80mph in second gear at full song. I want one, can you tell? PS: Get 'LM pipes' for yours! Best! Ben. | ||
| Matt (Matt_lamotte)
Junior Member Username: Matt_lamotte Post Number: 223 Registered: 10-2002 |
Tim, If you get a chance post some pics of that mustang in off topic. It looks pretty good also. I remember you saying it was built up pretty well also. | ||
| Greg V. (512tr17teeth)
New member Username: 512tr17teeth Post Number: 24 Registered: 3-2003 |
Tim, that is the nicest F40 I have ever seen!!!!!!!!!! | ||
| BretM (Bretm)
Advanced Member Username: Bretm Post Number: 3269 Registered: 2-2001 |
I like the Marilyn Monroe in the background, lol, nice Tim. I need to get things like that for my garage. | ||
| Matt S (F40only)
New member Username: F40only Post Number: 39 Registered: 3-2003 |
Awesome Pics!!!!!!!! I love the black wheels!! | ||
| Matt Lemus (Mlemus)
Advanced Member Username: Mlemus Post Number: 2882 Registered: 8-2002 |
Tim, I just love your car. | ||
| Tim G. (Tim)
Junior Member Username: Tim Post Number: 244 Registered: 3-2002 |
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| Matt S (F40only)
New member Username: F40only Post Number: 38 Registered: 3-2003 |
I have noticed lately, the quality of the magazine has gone down. | ||
| Matt Lemus (Mlemus)
Advanced Member Username: Mlemus Post Number: 2880 Registered: 8-2002 |
Yes...It would have. I guess the Forza guys have been spending too much time on the p-car mag | ||
| Matt S (F40only)
New member Username: F40only Post Number: 37 Registered: 3-2003 |
It would have been awesome to see three F-40's together like that. | ||
| Matt S (F40only)
New member Username: F40only Post Number: 36 Registered: 3-2003 |
Matt-Yeah, I remember reading about that. | ||
| Matt Lemus (Mlemus)
Advanced Member Username: Mlemus Post Number: 2878 Registered: 8-2002 |
Matt, If Forza would not have dropped the ball, It would have been in the December Forza with Chris's and Rolands. | ||
| Matt S (F40only)
New member Username: F40only Post Number: 34 Registered: 3-2003 |
Thanks for the excellent responses. Greg-That 930 was a beast and I almost soiled my pants when the single turbo awakened. Tim-Do you have any pics or videos of your F-40? | ||
| Tim G. (Tim)
Junior Member Username: Tim Post Number: 243 Registered: 3-2002 |
car is fine in every day traffic. car is very low when there is a dip in the road at all. clutch is a little heavy but not any different than any other car than that. visibility is a little limited. when changing lanes it's, stab it then change. if your asking how the F40 is compared to the 360C on the track well I also have a 360C. the 360C will eat the F40 on a tight course. if its more open then the F40 is the winner. its remarkable how well the F40 does compared to the 360C. its over 10 years older and the 360C is supposed to be a race car. the F40 will definatly hold its own. they are both fun to drive in different ways. the 360C is much faster than the street 360. cant help you with the comparison on the 355. | ||
| Greg V. (512tr17teeth)
New member Username: 512tr17teeth Post Number: 13 Registered: 3-2003 |
Hey Matt, didn't you say that the 930 we rode in was a 200MPH car, and could "keep up" but not beat the F40? | ||
| Rob Schermerhorn (Rexrcr)
Member Username: Rexrcr Post Number: 347 Registered: 11-2002 |
"The rebuild on a 333sp is due after 24 hours!" --For the small valve engine...the big valve rebuild schedule is every 10 hours.  | ||
| Jay P. Ross (Eilig)
Junior Member Username: Eilig Post Number: 103 Registered: 8-2001 |
There's a cool video tape available that has a ton of in-car F40 footage on the German Autobahn. It also has some super high-speed fly-by's as viewed from inside a slower moving 360 Spider. If you are intrigued by the F40, I highly recommend it. You can hear the turbos kick in, the "chink-chink" of the shifter, etc. Check it out: Only thing missing is the smell of the exhaust and the feel of the G forces :-) www.EuropeanFerrariRental.com ...click on their "New Video" link. | ||
| James Glickenhaus (Napolis)
Member Username: Napolis Post Number: 765 Registered: 10-2002 |
DWE The rebuild on a 333sp is due after 24 hours! | ||
| DWE (Dwe)
New member Username: Dwe Post Number: 1 Registered: 3-2003 |
I'm sure all of us here have read the recent F40 forza article, so how about addressing a question they presented, but never answered? Given my planned useage as a 60% track car, 40% street car: How does the F40 compare to the 360, or the 355? I know it's easy to say that in that order, they go from fastest to slowest, but what about the intangible things? I have a 993 that I've modeled after the rs. When the opportunity came to trade for a 993tt, I didn't b/c a lot of the fun of driving on track was lost w/ the 4wd. The 996 I took similar issue w/ because the twitchy, more visceral driving experience was lost in the refinement, even though it too is a faster car on track? I'm also interested to know some things like parts availability for the F40 (now and in the future), as well as reliability and maintenance comparisons between them. A mechanic friend of mine told me once that when the F50 engine was stretched out from the 333sp engine, the clearances became so tight, that rebuilds are common around 20k miles. Opinions? | ||
| Rob Schermerhorn (Rexrcr)
Member Username: Rexrcr Post Number: 343 Registered: 11-2002 |
1) Stock clutch is close to race clutch in that it takes practice, more on/off than progressive F355. 2) Gawkers and rear visibility are the greatest challenge 3) Not too low, even on lower suspension mounts 4) Not even close to bottoming on every bump, but you must drive carefully, it's not a 1972 Caddy. 5) Typical Ferrari wonderfully notchy, similar to TR, 512TR. Careful hands and practice. Overall very rewarding and fun car to drive. Most fun on the track though. I love pulling off a perfect redline 1 - 2 shift. | ||
| Matt S (F40only)
New member Username: F40only Post Number: 23 Registered: 3-2003 |
Tim-That was an awesome description of "The Beast." Also thanks, to everybody. I have a couple more questions: 1-What is the clutch like-(Difficult to ease off?) 2-How is the car in everyday traffic? 3-Is it too low to be taken out on public roads? 4-Does it bottom out on every bump? 5-What is it like to shift? (slow, sluggish, etc?) 6-Tim-How often do your drive yours? Thanks. | ||
| James Dixon (Omnadren250)
Member Username: Omnadren250 Post Number: 391 Registered: 7-2001 |
Greg, those old 930's have tons of turbo lag, even with the k27 turbos. I can imagine it's worse with a k29. A buddy of mine has a radically modded 930.....big turbo, huge intercooler, motec engine management..makes close to 700hp on the high boost setting. | ||
| Rob Schermerhorn (Rexrcr)
Member Username: Rexrcr Post Number: 342 Registered: 11-2002 |
I used to give rides to Make a Wish Foundation children at lunch hour during the two big vintage race events at Road America in my customer's race modded F40. Typically, there were so many riders that due to the four mile lap, all I could give was out of the pit lane and back in without crossing start/finnish on track. There usually was other traffic out there, and I behaved myself, but one of the best rides I gave went to a seven year old who couldn't see directly out the window 'cause he was a bit too short. I watched out the corner of my eye as he was flung back and forth against the six-point harness, the sides and back of the seat like a roller coaster ride. He was all smiles!! I told the car's owner the child could have received the same sensations if we put him in a box and shook it around for two minutes! | ||
| Greg V. (512tr17teeth)
New member Username: 512tr17teeth Post Number: 11 Registered: 3-2003 |
The most insane turbo boost I have experienced was in a neighbors RUF tuned porsche 930. (Which made it 500HP and a K29 turbo), and I have to say that when he boosted her in 2nd, the speedo went from 30-130mph before you could respond to the acceleration. Also 130MPH in 2nd gear isnt bad for a 930. I would love to get a chance to ride or drive an F40. Now I know what to expect I think I would emjoy the boost more!!!!!!!!!!! | ||
| Kevin Butler (Challenge)
Junior Member Username: Challenge Post Number: 109 Registered: 9-2002 |
Noel, I never said fighter jet. I'm sure that almost nothing compares to that. I compare the thrust of the F40 to a passenger jet's X 10. My CBR600 does 0-60 in 2.8 sec and this type of quickness is hard to describe unless you've done it. Damn, Tim...I am so jealous. | ||
| Tim G. (Tim)
Junior Member Username: Tim Post Number: 242 Registered: 3-2002 |
I have an F40. Turbo lag is HUGE. when you get to 4300 rpm's hold on. if you keep the R's up of course there is no lag. the car excelerates violantly compared to the Porsche TT which is very linear. straight line it will break loose but you dont need both hands unless you are being stupid. on the other hand, I always drive with both hands just to be safe as I would hate to wad up my F40 by trying to drive with one hand. I have driven a lot of different cars and far and away the F40 is the best. its raw, no creature comforts, very loud (I have straight pipes only) and I love it. my son has heard me over a mile away from our house. F50 in my opinion is much to nice. kinda like the Porsche TT. too refined. the F40 is truely a race car licensed for the street. 1st gear isnt half as fun as second on up. 1st you only get about 2 seconds of exceleration, 2nd really snaps and can use a lot more of the power of the car, 3rd also pulls hard and by now you are way, way, way over the speed limit. I have broken the rear loose stabbing it at 80mph on the freeway. hope this helps | ||
| noel smith (Noel)
Junior Member Username: Noel Post Number: 72 Registered: 2-2003 |
i don't know about the jet analogy, the F18 does 0-60 in 1.8 sec, that's pretty fast. my best friend is an F18 piolet(he's in Kuwait), and he said that taking off is much faster than the GSXR1100(motorcycle) that he had in college. | ||
| Tenney (Tenney)
Member Username: Tenney Post Number: 323 Registered: 2-2001 |
Matt S re: powerband. While a stock-turbo'd F40 has less lag than an early 930, for example, there's not a ton of torque off boost so there is still plenty of indication that you are at the helm of a turbocharged car. Ever ride a 125cc motocross bike? | ||
| John G (Heat_seeker_ws6)
New member Username: Heat_seeker_ws6 Post Number: 17 Registered: 12-2002 |
I've been fortunate to have several rides in an F40 and it feels so unlike any other car I've riden in. The surge of accelleration is just brutal and doesn't let up, and the WHHOOOOSH of the turbos is unforgettable. On one occasion, we were in a pack of cars that belong to some of my friends that run low 12 second times in the quarter and we simply walked away from them at various speeds. | ||
| allan fiedler (Allanlambo)
Member Username: Allanlambo Post Number: 347 Registered: 6-2002 |
Actually i drove it on the track, at Moroso, in Palm Beach. Spinning the tires in first gear does not constitute scary fast, where both hands are needed on the wheel. Or spinning tires in the wet? The car was very fast, and handling was incredible.Would it scare you? NO. | ||
| Kevin Butler (Challenge)
Junior Member Username: Challenge Post Number: 108 Registered: 9-2002 |
Staight line acceleration in the F40 is like taking off in a jet. ...times 10. | ||
| Rob Schermerhorn (Rexrcr)
Member Username: Rexrcr Post Number: 339 Registered: 11-2002 |
Hey JRV, a former co-worker did just that with a customer car, spun it in the wet on the highway, no damage other than ego (no names to protect the guilty). Had to change undies after. We had a customer spin his own in the wet while trying to blow off a 'Vette. Lost traction as boost built up quick in fourth gear. Put it up onto the embankment within a foot of freight train tracks. Had to run down the tracks frantically waiving his arms, trying to flag down a train. They slowed and found the clearance was indeed one foot. Car had to be lifted with straps by a crane. They slipped the straps through the wheels to lift. Damage only to the wheel's rims, slight cosmetics, what a miracle. | ||
| JRV (Jrvall)
Intermediate Member Username: Jrvall Post Number: 1114 Registered: 11-2002 |
>>Allan, sounds like you drove on the street only in a straight line. << I think so also, and he must ave forgotten to put his foot into it, or driven one not hitting on 8 cylinders...LOL. With a good fresh tune and the trottle mashed to the floor, they will definately go sideways in first gear...on dry pavement....no telling how bad you could scare yourself in the wet. | ||
| Rob Schermerhorn (Rexrcr)
Member Username: Rexrcr Post Number: 333 Registered: 11-2002 |
Allan, sounds like you drove on the street only in a straight line. Try one on the track, better yet, all racecar sensations and feel. Quick reactions, firm controls, really unique experience if one has never driven a racecar before. | ||
| Jordan Witherspoon (Jordan747_400)
Member Username: Jordan747_400 Post Number: 498 Registered: 12-2002 |
There are a couple F-40 owners here than can comment on this too | ||
| allan fiedler (Allanlambo)
Member Username: Allanlambo Post Number: 346 Registered: 6-2002 |
I think you guys went a little over board on the explanation. I have driven an F40, and yes it is very fast, uncontrollable fast,...no. Do you need both hands on the wheel....no. It is a fast car, very fast, especially for its day. | ||
| Matt S (F40only)
New member Username: F40only Post Number: 17 Registered: 3-2003 |
Sounds completely awesome!! Thanks for the responses. Do the turbo's just bang on all at once, or is there a smooth, linear progression? | ||
| Andrew Menasce (Amenasce)
Member Username: Amenasce Post Number: 671 Registered: 10-2001 |
I had the chance to drive one , and i never felt so scared in my life when the turbos woke up ! As JRV said , u better have both ur hands on the steering wheel . The ride is preety tough as u can imagine , but seriously , you really dont care ! you are overwhelmed by the whole experience .The brakes need to be really pressed to work and its a bit scary at first when you are used to more modern cars which requires a light pressure to work.. The best is when you are on the highway , leaving the toll and u push the pedal down !! | ||
| Rob Schermerhorn (Rexrcr)
Member Username: Rexrcr Post Number: 330 Registered: 11-2002 |
JRV hit it on the head. That's exactly as my experience the first time I drove...BAM, big boost rush of torque and there are more gears to go. Handlings great, too. Takes discipline to get the most out of this chassis, that's why its my favorite. The handling dynamics and ergonomics of the F50 is superior, but IMHO, the F40 is more rewarding, more of an adrenal rush. | ||
| JRV (Jrvall)
Intermediate Member Username: Jrvall Post Number: 1099 Registered: 11-2002 |
Far and away better than an old Porsche 930...more like tweeked 930 X 10 (some of the Joest Bros Tweeked DP 935's are in the ballpark ;-)). In first better have both hands on the wheel and be ready for blast off...correct as it starts going sideways and breaking the rear loose and prepare to shift to 2nd...2nd your fully launched on the acceleration that makes you say...Holy •••• and you have 3 gears of rush/fun left ! | ||
| Matt S (F40only)
New member Username: F40only Post Number: 12 Registered: 3-2003 |
Can any F-40 owners or anybody has been fortunate enough to ride in an F-40 describe what it is like to ride in? Specifically, what it is like when the turbo's come on at full throttle openings? Is it similar to anything, such as the venerable old Porsche 930 turbo? |