Lowering Speciale?

I would neither mount the wheels nor lower it that much.. To each his own ;-)

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i used the Novitec lowering springs on mine but stuck with factory wheels as tire choices for 21/22 combo are TERRIBLE imo. shrews

 

If you want to lower it so that the gap between the tyre and arch is less than the profile of the tyre, you need aftermarket springs, especially if you have the OE lifter. While I'm not into the huge wagon sized wheels, I'd strongly suggest that you lower the car. When the distance between the tyre and wheel arch is much greater than the profile of the tyre, the stance will be way off and the car will look as if it sits way too high. When lowering it, remember that the diameter of the rear wheels are now 1.5" larger than the OE wheels so to get the car to OE stance, you'll need to lower it 0.1" in the front and 0.75" in the rear on top of how low you wish the car to sit. It's a good idea to measure it before changing anything to know how it sits and if it is at OE spec from the beginning. Then install the wheels and figure out what needs to be changed. You might find that you only want to lower the rear to get it back to OE height and that can maybe be done on the OE springs.

Good luck with your project.

 

Depends how you use your car. If you're interested in looks - lowering it may be appealing. If you actually drive your car and go places - I think it's idiotic and asking for trouble with clearances and road debris etc..

 

Si tu as le lift system sur ta voiture il faut mettre les Novitec springs car on peut
seulement baisser la voiture de 15mm si le lift system est dessus.

Donc, j'installerais les Novitec springs puis je baisserais la voiture un maximum
de 20mm pour éviter des problèmes de frottement des pneus sur le chassis.

A plus!

 

I think the car will need to be lowered if you plan on going 20/21 inch wheels. Otherwise it will make the car appear much higher off the ground due to the increase in diameter.

 

Great looking for photos, terrible for driving...the joy of driving will be taken away by constantly scraping, I've done it with my 430 and there are a LOT of horror stories.

Keep Speciale wheels, lower it with H&R Springs which lower it 1" - best of both worlds.

 

+1, or Novitec springs

 

Well said but I would go further to say, Ferrari spends 1000s of hours in a wind tunnel making these cars perfectly designed for downforce, aero etc. The Speciale has active aero that depends on the exact specs of the car as it's manufactured. I don't think you should mess with that at all.

 

Since you've already ordered the new wheels, I would certainly install the lowering springs or it will not achieve the look you are trying to replicate. I would keep all the OE parts, so you can always go back to the factory installed equipment if the ride quality is really poor and you want to return to a stock look. It's your car and these changes are all reversible, so go for it.

Pictures look really aggressive.

 

I agree with the Novitec springs.

Order a set quick and easy here.
Novitec Sport Spring Kit - Ferrari 458 Speciale - Exotica-Motorsports

 

This. I sometimes wish there was a good documentary out there that gave a deep insight into the total development process of a vehicle and powertrains. The degree of calculations, simulations and testing would surely astound many people.... and likely have a negative impact on the tuner market once people understood the resources required to engineer something properly.

 

I think the exact opposite would happen to the aftermarket companies. Ferrari doesn't design and engineer perfect cars, they can't. Are they the best they can be within the specs they are given? Possibly true, but consider this. When any company designs a car they have to design/engineer it within specs whether that is government regulations, internal company specs or budget (Yes, every Ferrari has an internal budget). The European cars are usually a few more horsepower and are lower from the factory than US cars. Which one is perfect?

European noise regulations are tough, therefore exhausts have to be quiet and even tire sizes have to be considered due to rolling resistant noise. Aftermarket companies don't worry about this regulation so therefore an improvement can be made to the car in looks and performance due to a larger tire/wheel package. The same can be said with exhaust systems. Aftermarket exhaust systems can be a big improvement over the OE systems because of the restrictive exhaust manifolds, cats and mufflers that are required to get a car to pass government tests.
EU tire noise rating ? Dunlop passenger tires
Sound level of motor vehicles | European Parliamentary Research Service Blog

Car manufacturers also have to take into consideration different country's roads, driving habits and design regulations and create a more universal car. They aren't going to design a car for each and every country. Front end regulations are getting tougher due to pedestrian impacts in the US and Europe. Therefore, Ferrari is going to design a front end that is compatible to these regulations and everyone in the world is going to get the same front end even though a different design may be more aerodynamic and could be sold to other countries that don't have the requirement. So, those buyers are getting a less aerodynamic design because Ferrari isn't going to design multiple front ends for different markets.
Bumper Questions and Answers

When I was talking to Brembo a few years ago, they told me that they have an OE division and an aftermarket division. The OE division's brake system isn't as good as their aftermarket systems. I am sure that it is due to a cost savings for OE suppliers. By just going from your stock Brembo kit to an aftermarket one, braking is improved.

So, did Ferrari design a perfect car? No. Did they spend thousands of hours to design the best car they could within the specs that were set out for that particular car? Yes.

Now, let's look at the aftermarket. If they aren't worried about sound regulations can a better exhaust be designed? Yes. Can a better handling tire/wheel package be figured out if they weren't concerned with European road noise restrictions? Yes. Could a front splitter improve aerodynamics if front bumper regulations weren't a factor? Yes.

Novitec spends countless hours in the wind tunnel to create parts that improve on Ferrari's design. They don't build parts that have a negative affect. They also work with KW to create springs that are an improvement on Ferrari's design. They can do work to improve an already great car because they aren't under the strict regulations that the factories have. Since their parts are built in Germany they still have to go through TUV testing so they are good, quality parts. As for other aftermarket companies, I don't know what length they go through to build parts but just because it is a Ferrari, doesn't mean it's perfect.

Wind Tunnel Testing Each Car
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At KW Developing New Springs
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Fantastic post, thank you Jason!

This should put an end to all the bickering from uninformed conservatives
with pathetic stock vehicles

 

Thanks. I am learning much more than I ever thought I would due to my current venture. Godsil Motorcars - Manhattan V16 Superluxury Car

 

It's going to sound great! I'm curious if you also ordered O2 simulators? Did you decide against heat blankets?

 

Will that ECU mod also take care of the difference in tyre diameter? Your new rear wheels are going to be 6% larger in diameter than your OE wheels and the OE difference is substantially less at 1,5% than with your new setup which have a front to rear difference of 6%. More so that you don't run into issues with the ESC/ABS/TC system.

 

For looks, you may just adjust the OEM suspension down, it looks to me like those wheels fill up the wheel wells pretty well already and you may not need to lower it too much.

We have lowered a few Speciale this way, with no complaints.

Just a thought.

 

Width and rim diameter has nothing to do with it. You put rear tyres on that are 28.7" in diameter vs. 27.2" so the front to rear difference is vastly different. Several people here have had issues with the ESC system after changing to a different wheel size. Most found out when they put Speciale spec tyres on their Italias and Spiders as they are a different diameter than OE Italia and Spider tyres. The problem occurs because the ABS sensor sees the tyres spinning at a different speed than what it was set up for.

Just something to be aware of if you get a light when driving in Wet, Sport or Race where the TC and stability system is on.

On the TdF it won't be an issue as you don't change the diameter compared to the OE MPSS tyres which it is set up to work with.