Hey Guys, Been a lurker or a while, and a few weeks ago I picked up a 2004 Spider F1. 15,000 miles. Had a great PPI. Recent Belts, Good Service Records, Great Carfax, Im third owner.. I did have fuel smell the first day after taking delivery. Guess what, both fuel pumps with puddles on top. Thanks to the experts on Ferrari Chat, I knew what to look for, and took it to my mechanic. They were covered by the dealership I bought from, which I was happy about. That could have sucked months down the road. A few questions now that I have had the car for a few weeks. 1: The F1 system is quite something to get used to. Are the shifts always kinda laggy? Even when I'm in the revs, it seems almost a slow, shift, like for a second it loses RPM then starts pulling like a beast after the shift change. I have it in Sport mode. I thought they "banged" into gear better. Maybe I need to be higher in the RPM's? I came from a 600HP Roush Mustang, so I think my ears are tuned to shift at 5500 RPMS. lol 2: I get a "vibration" at 80 mph and it goes until 87-88 mph or so. I dont think its the front wheels, because my steering does'nt shake.. Should I take it and get the tires checked and balanced? Is Discount Tire or any other reputable shop OK for this? I my mechanic look at this issue when it was in for the fuel pumps, he felt that the tires were too high on PSI. They were at 45 for some reason by the dealership. He lowered and figured that would solve the issue, but it remains 3: I have been at a light and the car will beep if I'm in first, and go to neutral. Usually after exiting the freeway or a longer sprint. Is that normal after only a minute or so? Never goes to neutral when shifting, which I heard is a sign of a failing clutch. Thanks in advance guys. Love reading the forums. And of course, attached a pic of my new toy Chris Image Unavailable, Please Login
Welcome : OK I can't find it now and its not in the owners manual but my recollection is that the stop light neutral (3) is normal
If you are standing still for a while you should always select neutral, just as you would with a normal manual car (the F1 gearbox is after all a manual with complex electronic/hydraulic actuation). Otherwise you are wearing the clutch unnecessarily because the plates are rubbing all the time, they just have less pressure on them, and the release bearing is also under pressure if a gear is selected when in neutral. The car will automatically go into neutral after some time to protect itself. There is always a bit of a lag, but you should find that changes are more aggressive in sport at high revs.
Congratulations on the car..... The clutch is constant contact so when in N with the engine running the F1 system opens the clutch, so leaving it in 1 makes no difference to clutch bearing wear versus putting it in N. It is like sitting in a manual with the clutch pressed. The changes should get faster at 5.5k and be very quick at 7.5k, both with wide open wide open throttle. You may be lifting as you select the gear. This is telling the system you want to slow down then you are up selecting. If high revs and wide open throttle aren't noticeably much quickly that the standard shifts around town then the system needs some diagnosis (or maybe just a bit of use!). You possibly ducked a bullet with those pools of fuel. That was a fire waiting to happen.
Congrats. I have an '01 Spider and I have a few thoughts: 1. Neutral: Usually, if you come to a stop IN gear, the car will maintain that gear as long as your foot is on the brake. If you take your foot off the brake for, I think like 3 seconds, it shifts to neutral and beeps at you. No harm here - just figure out your driving style. If I know I'm coming to a stop, I'll pull both paddles and select Neutral, then come to a stop on the brakes. Once I'm stopped, I'll put my foot on the brake and pull the right paddle to select 1st gear. I'll sit and wait until it's time to go in 1st gear. Edit: As long as my foot stays on the brake while stationary, my car will not shift to neutral on its own. 2. Laggy shifts? Try some wide open throttle and shift at higher RPM's. If I recall correctly, the F1 system gets some information from throttle position. If I'm using like 75% or greater throttle, it will power shift, which is just awesome. I live for those moments. Other times, sure, it can be a bit laggy, but that's probably relative to what you're used to. If you're coming out of a PDK or other double clutch arrangement, remember that this single-plate clutch technology is like 15 years old now. Enjoy the car in good health!
Thanks guys for the advice! Sounds like its normal things for the car. Yes, I may be taking my foot off the brake at the lights, got to be more aware for that. Im going to try to get the wheels balanced today. Just have to find a shop used to exotics. Chris
No sweat. This is a really fine machine, crafted with an emphasis on enthusiastic driving. Mine hates being driven like a "normal" car. But, that's why I bought a Ferrari - so I could drive something special that really thrives when you push it, and really makes you a better driver for it. It's all about finding your style and getting used to how you drive it - specifically, this comment relates to the throttle and shifting. Takes some time. Think of it like learning how to dance with a new partner.
Mike01606: "It is like sitting in a manual with the clutch pressed." Exactly: with a manual gearbox, to maximise clutch and CRB life you should never sit at rest in gear with the clutch pedal pressed if you can avoid it. Foot off clutch in neutral is best
Since I have one of those old fashion manual transmission shifters mounted in between the front seats, I will add a piece of input on #2, the tires. lol These cars came from the factory with 1 of 3 tire options. All of which had different air pressures. Bridgestone, Michelin, and Continental. The Michelins are not made any more. Check which tires you have, hopefully, one of the original options. The manual will tell you the appropriate pressure. Not about the vibration. One area to look at is since the pressures were so high the tires could have some tread damage. High pressures will cause more wear on the center of the tire vs. on the sides. Then when put back to lower pressures, the inconsistent wear will definitely become apparent. I know this because this was an issue with my car. My car came stock with Michelins (these carry a lower pressure). A previous owner put Bridgestones on it (which carry a higher pressure). However, they inflated the tires according to the sticker on the door jam which was for the Michelins. The lower pressure wore out the outer edge of the tire. When I inflated to proper pressure for the tire, a very nice vibration appear. The resolution was I replaced all four tire with new Bridgestones at the appropriate pressure. In addition, the date code on the old tires were over 6 years old. They definitely had some dry rot in them. I would check these few things out on your car and see if that may be the cause. Also, consider a 4 wheel alignment on the car, that might sort it out also. Don't do the Discount Tire option, go to a Ferrari dealer or a shop that knows the proper alignment specs and has the proper equipment to perform the alignment. Your Discount Tire option are not the most careful when working on the car and taking care of your rims. Good luck!! Deiger
You are wrong on your suggestion because you don't understand how the F1 works. The throwout bearing is constant contact so it is ALWAYS in contact with the pressure plate. It doesn't matter if you are in N or 1, foot on the brake or off.
Thanks Deiger. You were dead on with these suggestions. Went to Grand Prix Tire today in Newport Beach, Burge took good care of me. The car has the Pirelli P Zeros Nero. The backs were fine, but out of balance. The fronts.........original to the car! 10 years old. Got some new tires, all matching, and the car drives like a dream now. Between the balancing and old tires, we are good now! What a difference it made. And thanks to everyone else for the kind words, and welcome. Chris
Glad to hear things worked out. Now since you are new to F-Chat, I will let you know how our payment system works. If you use someones advice you have to call their vendor of choice and put money on their account. I prefer Ricambi or Exotic Car Gear or Fabspeed. Looking forward to helping you more in the future!! Happy travels with your new tires!! Deiger
Depends on when you joined F-Chat. Prior to 2007 you are correct. 2007-2015 it has been vendors. Thanks for clarifying that. You should see the new houses I just bought Daniel (Ricambi) and VR Surgeon for all the help they have given me. You all though buying the cars were expensive!!! Deiger
Welcome fellow Spider owner! You may want to look into getting a CS TCU, i'm told it transforms the F1 shifting, but others here will know more about it than this stick shift guy..
bought a 02 Spider almost like yours (light Blue) had a new clutch installed by the dealer. When I finally found the time to drive the car it seemed like it was slipping not really shifting very good. I had a wobble on one wheel (rear). Took the car to Austin Ferrari they did a reset on the Clutch with the computer now the car shifts very well got all wheels re-balanced by a independent tire shop. runs good now suggest you take it to the dealer or equivalent shop with a computer and run a reset for the shifting problem. I saw a Roush Mustang last week a car meet they are really nice.
Yep foot hard down means it will snap into gear. It's a feeling like no other................almost. It took me a few weeks to really work it out, and to not lift off when changing. I recently bought a new MK7 GTi as a daily driver and the DSG is simply awesome, so I can only imagine what a 430 or 458 would be like to own. For the time being though I will just have to put up with the strain of owning a 360.
