Love my 430 6MT coupe but.....

Clutch pedal on my 355 was heavy and so it remains on the 430, its just the way it is.

I have my valves pinched off and the Tubi tips, I thought it only makes a difference at sub 4k RPM, above 4k, valves are open no matter what.

At highway speeds it all about revs. Put it into 6th at 2.5k RPMs and its fairly quiet, 3rd gear at 7k RPMs, well that's another matter....

 

Buy a different car. Pref not a Ferrari.

R

 

I have a 430 MT also. I don't have a problem with the clutch. Never did. The revs fall off very fast so you have to shift quickly but other than that, no problem.

Granted I had 2 911s before. One of them was a 1987 so I know a thing or two about a stiff clutch and transmission.

 

I'll do you a favor and trade you my F1 430.

 

Ha,

I have my F430 3 pedals for over 10 years by now since new. Actually, I see it differently,

1. I thought my clutch pedal was too light in comparison to my 550/575, I would wish to have it a bit heavier.

2. I am 6 ft tall, and I thought the seats were too high, so I would also like to have it lowered...

Alex

 

Agree..

 

I always liked a heavy clutch myself. I like industrial strength components. My 360 is ideal to me at low revs but one thing I noticed is that is feels really light when you are shifting near redline. I thought it was just adrenaline at the beautiful sound/speed making the sensation feel lighter but now a couple years into this and 7K miles driven I am pretty sure the system is so well designed that the clutch is almost automatic when really pushing the car. It gets so light I almost wonder if you need to clutch at all at high revs. It has that motorcycle smoothness when everything is being used as intended. Really incredible engineering and the feeling is one of surgical precision and euphoria to me. I don't know what you have sharpened your teeth on OP to get your references but I can envision that with the extra HP of the 430 they probably beefed up some of the parts. I doubt it has anything to do with F-1.

 

Strange- I didn't have a heavy clutch on my prior 360, and not heavy on my 355 either? My daily driver is a old BMW (2000 540i)- BMW's have very smooth clutches (at least that era- haven't driven a newer BMW stick) and the effort is less with the 540 then either Ferrari, but the I did not find either Ferrari to be heavy.

The cars I drove that did have heavy clutches include my former 1987 911, and heavier than that the clutch in my 1978 911. Heavier than the 1978 911 was a friend's modified '85 mustang, which may have been the heaviest clutch I've driven...

This is getting off topic but I can't help but comment- when getting on the 360 (I'm sure the 430 is the same)- the light weight flywheel etc brings the RPMs to a perfect point when shifting at higher rps 7-8+K and it's PERFECTLY lined up for the next upshift vs. driving more sedately and shifting at ~4K where you sort of need to match the revs for smooth upshifts. I never noticed the clutch pedal getting lighter in those circumstances but I did notice the car really being in its element. It was amazing! I was ready for a change of cars and wanted to experience something a little different thus the move to a 355 spider...part of the reason to move backwards was the 360 was so capable and felt so good with those high speed shifts and very brisk driving I wanted to take the temptation of speed down a notch

 

Tom- I forgot to make a quick comment on your actual topic/question

It sounds like you need one of a few potential items:
A brake fluid/clutch fluid flush may help things if you haven't been having this done on your car. If it hasn't been done in a long time you may have to flush the system, then re-flush after some miles.

See if your mechanic can check cable adjustment/if any lubrication points.

Finally, if your clutch is good you can just decide to live with it. I have noticed when getting a new clutch over the years that the effort is greatly reduced vs the old clutch- I'm sure that the effort would be reduced with a new clutch, but that is quite an expensive option if the clutch is otherwise working properly.

Are you using a highly regarded independent or the dealer? I would prefer the hgihly regarded independent, or at least check with one if you are otherwise using a dealer..they should be cheaper to deal with, and may know about the stick Ferrari's/be good at diagnosing/adjusting things a little better than the dealer's tech.

 

Had manual and F1 F430s simultaneously. I sold the manual first despite being a diehard because I had more fun in the F1.

For those with manual F430s, do your cars "hold the revs" on throttle blip to help on downshifts? Mine did (2006 Berlinetta), and I disliked that behavior.

 

I don't think the clutch pedal is heavy.
To my eyes, it has the perfect balance.

Changing gears in a manual F430 is just so magical.

 

I've had mine since new, about 10 years. 25K on it and I think it's pretty light. Definitely lighter than my Porsche Cayman R and WAY lighter than my buddy's 550.

Dave

 

Hi Tom,

The clutch in my 430 manual is a farly light clutch. I would say light-medium. It defintiely should not feel heavy. The pedal travel distance, yes, is lengthy. But light or light-medium clutch.

My 360 before that, which my brother now owns, had just about an identical clutch.

The 355 is known to have not only a very short clutch pedal travel distance but also quite a light clutch. For me the 355 has the best manual transmission and clutch of any car ever produced in the history of automobiles, Ferrari and otherwise.

I agree with you about the noise of even the stock exhaust. When the valves open at 3500 RPMs or so, the thing is really loud. I wish there were a quieter option.

Sorry to hear about the seats. I suppose you can use spacers as you suggested. Wow - I've neither seen nor heard of manually operated seats in either a 360 or a 430. Sure, we all know about the $3,000 option for power seats, but I've never actually seen one without the option. Can you post pictures just for fun?

 

911 turbo S rider here. I went to buy a regular turbo because I wanted a MT. I know how to drive them and have always though a proper sports car has 3 petals period. Let me put on my fire proof suit I sense I'm about to be flamed.

My sales man in building my to order car asked me if I wanted ceramic brakes. I said hell yes if for no reason than NO BRAKE dust. One we checked that box and all the others it was knocking on the door of TTs territory.

He said you need to drive the PDK. I did , because why not get some seat time but I told him. I don't do automatics in sports car. He asked me why? Less control, less fun and so on.

Let me tell you I can rev match, down shift to slow down or speed up, heal and toe and have won my share of auto cross in my Japanese builds over the years. I can drive a stick but I can't shift or execute down shift into a tight hair pin while staying on my optimal line as well with a stick. I just focus on my line and my speed and I let the PDK worry about throttle position based on the gear I grab with the paddle.

Going up in sort Mode equally exhilarating. Mash the gas, hold the gear until you squeeze the trigger and it's like firing and automatic weapon. The gears just hit and the car stays on boost better than any shift that a man can perform with 3rd petal.

I would still own a stick for old times sake but not for fun or performance.

Hope you guys still love me

Again, just the humble opinion of a guy who likes to go fast.

 

Wow your picture just didn't set right with me so I went out and measured mine, its a 360 BTW. I have almost 7 1/2 inches of travel when measuring like you are and of course it lines up with the brake pedal and gas too. Interesting!!

 

My car is a Nov 07 build with 30K and the clutch feels just right, although I prefer to put it in neutral at stops in stead of holding it in. I had the vac lines disconnected from my exhaust and it is a much louder drone at 70 MPH then with them connected. Of course an F1 or PDK will be much faster at the track. You can also get pregnant with artificial insemination but it is much more fun doing it the old way

 

I'm with the majority here.. My 6MT F430 clutch pedal feels light to medium which I particularly like.
As for the seat, I'm okay with it just wished the bolsters were a tad wider at top.
I honestly cannot see the joy driving an F1 car on the street, pales in comparison to a proper gated Ferrari.

 

My F355 clutch is very easy and light to me. I really love it along with my gearbox. Smooth. Drove a 430 stick and noticed how much heavier the clutch was. Felt like a vette from the 80's...

Good luck with the adjustment.

Robb

 

My 2009 F430 stick cutch also feels light- medium light. My 550 feels heavier.

As to the seats- I find those more luxury type seats (vs racing seats) sit too high- I wish I could make it lower and Im average height.