| Author | Message | ||
| Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member Username: Doody Post Number: 1171 Registered: 11-2001 |
progress! Lee168 - fabulously interesting news! if you'll permit me, i may very well pick your brain a bit. Dan / Manu - those rumors about the journos not quite knowing what they had is what concerns me about those reviews. maybe it's true. maybe it's false. but let's just say it's a big investment to let rest on the shoulders of some fairly random journaliests! thanks guys! anybody else? doody! | ||
| Manu (Manu)
Member Username: Manu Post Number: 745 Registered: 2-2002 |
Dan - I have it on good authority (make of that what you will) that these journos actually drove upgraded STOCK 575s with the new suspension and suspension ECUs - they did NOT drive cars with the FHP..... although they THINK they did... (duh)... As a result every LATE model 575M should have handling characteristics as described in that article.... The FHP is different all over again.... I think the information is reasonably reliable, it came from a well known Ferrari dealer. | ||
| Eddie Lee (Lee168)
New member Username: Lee168 Post Number: 30 Registered: 1-2003 |
Doody, I have the FHP on my 575 and the ride quality is more comfortable than that of the 360. It is still quite compliant and not harsh. The 360 and my Alex Zanardi- edition NSX are stiffer by comparison. BTW, I have the std seats. | ||
| Dan 360 (Dan360)
New member Username: Dan360 Post Number: 44 Registered: 2-2003 |
Doody, I'm sure this is a copyright violation, but here's a C&P from evo.co.uk as I couldn't do a hyperlink... I love this mag, they're complete enthusiasts and shun most comfort oriented stuff. There are pictures on the website for this story. I also have the magazine with the subsequent car of the year test in which the 575M Fiorano comes 3rd behind 996C4S and NSX-Type R (but ahead of SL55AMG, Lotus Elise, Evo VII, 350Z etc). A quick excerpt form the 575 summary in that article: "The Fiorano pack transforms its A- and B- road ability. 'it shows just how important suspension is any car 'says vivian, 'and if it goes from being wrong to being right the everything else falls into place. Ferrari should swallow its pride and make this the standard setting. The other one can be the option.' The Florida pack,perhaps". From EVO.CO.UK website: Ferrari 575M Maranello 'Fiorano' Can the 'Fiorano' handling pack turn the 575M into a top-flight supercar? hocks come no bigger than the Ferrari 575M Maranello's poor showing in our recent supercar showdown (Special Forces, evo 047). After all, its predecessor, the 550 Maranello, pretty much defined what a great front-engined supercar should be. We loved it. For its more powerful, more sophisticated successor to be walked all over by the Lamborghini Murci�lago, Porsche 911 Turbo and Aston Martin Vanquish was nigh on unthinkable. But bludgeoned it was, partly due to the clonky paddle-shift transmission on our test car but mainly due to limp damping that proved unable to keep the Maranello's proud nose off the tarmac. The roads in north Wales are a stern test, that's why we use them, but for the 575 to be left so vulnerable by its damping when driven hard was unforgivable. So, why are we driving another 575M? Well, amongst the juicy 'Carrozzeria Scaglietti' options list for the 575 is a Fiorano handling pack. Aimed at press-on road drivers and occasional trackday goers, it comprises 15mm lower and stiffer springs, together with software changes to the ECUs controlling the dampers and steering. Red brake callipers and harder pads complete the upgrade. So when we discovered Ferrari UK's latest demo car was fitted with the �2115 option, we had to put it to the test. Naturally, after weeks of mild, dry weather, on the day we choose to collect the 575 from Ferrari UK's Surrey HQ, torrential rain and high winds are lashing the roads. Not ideal conditions to stretch the legs of a �163,000, 508bhp, 202mph supercar, least of all photograph one, but unfortunately beggars can't be choosers. With gritted teeth we splash our way to some nearby roads I know well from my youth. With so much rain it's futile trying to gauge any increase in roadholding the Fiorano pack may yield, but there's a long straight peppered with some tricky bumps and dips that would surely have bloodied the original 575's nose. Hardly scientific, but it's a fundamental test the 575 needs to pass. The first run is a bit weak, as I've eased off and scrunched my eyes in early preparation for the inevitable scraping and scraunching. It doesn't materialise, so I embark on another, more committed pass. I can't stop flinching as we approach the undulations, but again the 575 keeps its nose off the road. Granted it still feels heavy on its springs (1730kg is a lot of weight to keep in check), but there's a new tautness and composure to the previously saggy 575. There's also less dive and squat under hard braking and acceleration. Thankfully then, it's safe to conclude that despite harming low-speed ride quality, which is now aggressive and uncompromising, the Fiorano pack puts the evoness back into the 575M. Better still, we've learned that the factory has responded to criticism of the standard 575's damping voiced in the pages of evo and Autocar, and has made changes to the electronic damping software in an effort to beef-up the body control without harming the low-speed comfort. When Ferrari UK gets one of these cars, we'll put it through its paces. But I digress. Back to the Fiorano-equipped car. Although there's been no word on improvements to the transmission, this particular test car's paddle-shift gearbox feels significantly sweeter than that of the car we group- tested. In Sport mode the downshifts are cleaner, with punchier throttle-blips to better match road and engine speed. The overall refinement and smoothness of the upshifts is also better. Although I still prefer the ultimate control and satisfaction of a well-steered gearlever, I'll admit a decent paddle-shift transmission is an appealing alternative. While we're talking transmission, I have to confess to discovering a low-speed manoeuvring/hill-start mode that all-but eliminates the jerky, kangaroo getaways and clutch-singeing uphill reversing that can dog such semi-auto systems. All you do is engage 1st or reverse gear and then pull back once on the downshift paddle. A beep and a '- -' symbol on the dash indicate that the mode is engaged, then when the sensors detect the car's speed is sufficiently high that the low-speed manoeuvre has been completed, normal service is resumed. It's not a new development, apparently, we've just not been aware of it. Still, as none of you Ferrari/Maserati owners out there have put us right, I'd guess we're not the only ones in the dark. Heartened by the improved damping and transmission it's easier to concentrate on enjoying the 575M. It might sound like I'm stating the bleeding obvious, but it really is an astonishingly fast car. Savagely fast in fact, with such instant, overwhelming reserves of power and torque that in wet conditions you have to summon considerable courage to give it the beans in second or even third gear. A word of advice: if you ever get the chance to drive one and it's wet, stay well clear of the Sport button, for in conjunction with faster gearshifts it ups the threshold of the traction and stability control to a mouth-parching degree. With Sport engaged and the traction control resolutely on, you can still encounter significant wheelspin in third gear, enough to require half a turn of opposite lock in a straight line. Magnificent fun, if a little hair-raising. To be honest, we need more time in the car, in better weather and on 'those' Welsh roads to decide whether the Fiorano handling pack restores Ferrari's flagship to five-star status. For now it earns the 575 a half-star improvement, but more importantly rewards the mighty Maranello with a place in evo's Car of the Year contest. Guess where we're going... Words: Richard Meaden EVO magazine | ||
| Erik (Teenferrarifan)
Junior Member Username: Teenferrarifan Post Number: 157 Registered: 2-2003 |
Carbon Fiber Sport seats and I loved them, but if you are over 200lbs or 6ft they wouldn't be as comfortable. I was so excited just to be in a Ferrari that I couldn't complain  I like the sport seats though, they are very supportive and great for spirited driving, but if you are on the highway for about an hour I can see how it wouldn't be nearly as comforable as the standard ones. Also I love those modular wheels. Also the carbon Fiber interior package really looks better then the black plastic again IMHO. Erik | ||
| Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member Username: Doody Post Number: 1169 Registered: 11-2001 |
thanks dave. i just pm'd efwun. he hasn't been on since late february  . doody. | ||
| Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member Username: Doody Post Number: 1168 Registered: 11-2001 |
erik - that's the closest data i've heard so far! followup - did it have the sport seats:  or the standard seats:  ??? i've heard told from more than a few people that the sport seats won't cut it for any real distance. thanks, doody. | ||
| Dave (Maranelloman)
Intermediate Member Username: Maranelloman Post Number: 1786 Registered: 1-2002 |
Dood, I could have sworn Efwun had one or had driven one. I think he was the one who had given me thet anecdotal info I passed on to you offline. In fact, he hasn't posted here in quite a while. I wonder where he is? | ||
| Erik (Teenferrarifan)
Junior Member Username: Teenferrarifan Post Number: 156 Registered: 2-2003 |
I never drove one, but I did ride in one for about an hour. The ride isn't as rough as people make it out to be IMHO. It is just as comfortable as a corvette ride. About the same. I didn't ride in a Ferrari without the fiorano package so I really can't comment on it compared to normal. I think it can easily be driven everyday use. It really comes down to what you consider ROUGH. I hope this is helpful . Erik | ||
| Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member Username: Doody Post Number: 1167 Registered: 11-2001 |
see - if this guy had the FHP his car would be okay today :-) doody!  | ||
| Mr. Doody (Doody)
Intermediate Member Username: Doody Post Number: 1166 Registered: 11-2001 |
I have searched the archives and the member list, but have come up empty. Has any human being here actually, themselves, gotten seat time in an FHP-equipped Maranello? 550 (option for MY 2000 and 2001) or 575. I've spoken to many folks who have passed along the conventional wisdom that it's just too damn stiff for daily use. But I have yet to talk to a person who has actually driven an FHP-equipped Maranello to give a real live first-hand opinion. I know there was some confusion in Europe initially where people (reporters, etc.) thought they were driving FHP cars, but apparently they were not. So - any actual seat time? TIA, Doody |