School Me

I think re F1 gearbox - i could do with some tips also.
Sales told me not to let go off the accelorator, it also mention sthis in the handbook... BUT i have noticed smooth changes by feathering the accelerator.
On a seperate note - ferrar did say that part of the kick in the head movement was part of the 599 experience...!

 

F1 is pretty much a manual gear box with paddle shifts.
Once you know how to drive with the F1 - u can smooth the jerks out.

 

Feathering can help smooth it but you have to be really light with your feathering- think of moving your toes inside your shoes light. Not lifting your foot off the throttle.


Most 2007s (not all) have an older ECU and TCU (transmission control unit) and thus cannot be upgraded to the HGTE program for the motor and transmission. Thats really it. Some say its undesirable. I have a 2007 and I have no issues with the car at all. You can still upgrade the suspension to HGTE if you want. I don't think the transmission is very jerky- once in a while it will execute a clumsy shift- but its very rare.

 

I have a later 2007. The ECU / TCU can be updated after a certain serial number. Maybe Taz and jump in with that info, although I know it appears in other threads.

Regarding the shifting, just think of it as having a really skilled driver doing the shifting manually, but quicker. There can be a bit of a thump at higher load, but I love that. My Porsche Turbo's PDK is seamless in comparison, but to me that's a negative, not a positive.

 

I have one of the older 07's. I love the car and have absolutely no complaints except all of the bells and dings and such for things like opening the door, taking off the seat belt, or putting it in reverse ... but then again all 599's have this. Other than that, I think it's a good solid vehicle, now with 28,000 miles and still on the original clutch, no leaking shocks, or other issues some are reporting. Dropped it off at the shop last week for major service and got a clean bill of health earlier today.

 

In the F1 models there are two modes, normal and sport on some models, and sport and race on others. In the less agressive modes, full rev matching is not available on upshifts or downshifts, so a slight hesitation on normal upshifts in the lower gears will smooth shifting. In the higher gears or under more acceleration, not as big an issue, but a feather may still help. In the more agressive modes, full rev matching is used on upshifts and downshifts, so lifting is not generally required regardless of acceleration or gear. I do not use Sport in my F1 until I have 70 C/~160 F oil temperature to make sure everything is fully warmed, but that is only a technique.

There is really nothing to avoid in 07 599s. Around September 2007 a major upgrade was made to Motronic 7.3.2 which required a new TCU to match. This was more of a reliabilty and commonality (612 upgraded at the same time) upgrade than an improvement in performance. Min shift time was still 100 ms for early and late 07 599s. The upgrade in 7.3.2 did, however, make the late 07 and follow-on 599s compatible with the HGTE package introduced in 2010. Min shift speed decreased to 85 ms for HGTE and there were suspenion upgrades made at the same time. If an 07 599 has a SN of 156938 or greater, she has the 7.3.2 upgrade and can be fitted with the HGTE TCU.

There is a big sale on HGTE kits right now as dealers try to move inventory. Probably worth checking with your local dealer if interested.

Back to the original question, no reason to avoid early 599s. They have been very reliable and claimed power was not changed, even on the HGTE versions in 2010.

First rule of F1 driving is to drive it just like you would any three pedal Ferrari. Do that and you will love driving F1. Treat it more like an automatic, not so much love.

 

Taz, if you are to drive an F1 like a 3 pedal shouldn't you lift your foot off the accelerator completely when you engage the clutch as you would in any manual vehicle or is the 3 pedal in a Ferrari different from all other manual transmissions?

 

No cruise control, which is a bummer.

Here's my car. Rosso Corsa / tan. HRE S101 wheels.
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Pinky- Not with cars like Ferraris that have a very light flywheel where the engine slows rapdily when the throttle is lifted. Usually only a moderate lift or feather of the throttle is required to match revs on upshifts.

 

Great advice here. I always warm it up before I drive it harder. I still find I ever so gently lift my foot pressure just at the shift point and this helps- Im usually in race mode.

I was just wondering this- given that 599 GTO have really held up- and 599 depreciated so much- and F12 is still flying high- is there not a slight chance that the 599 might actually creep up a little/ stop the rate of depreciation?

 

Watch the 550 and 575M. 599 will follow the same trajectory.

 

Love those HRE wheels. May put those on my 612 some day.

 

I specced the wheels in GTO sizes, so I was able to use GTO size tires. BTW, in the photos the wheels appear to be a bit close to the fender edges. As it turns out that unbeknownst to me the previous owner had installed H & R 1" spacers. They were still on when the photo was taken. I've since removed them.

 

Yeah Terry, you're right. I was just over thinking it- as usual!

 

John- Good plan. Those HRE spacers with threads directly in the aluminum are scary. Hill Engineering spacers have hardened inserts with the threads in them. Have those on the rear of my 575M.

 

Interesting, are there different versions? The manettino on my 599 has 5 different settings, starting with "ice", "wet", "sport" and ending not with "race", but even further with the complete disablement of traction control.

When driving in "sport" or "race" I experience that feathering is in particular important at higher revs, in whatever gear, and under full load, because leaving the foot on the gas pedal under acceleration results in a pronounced *bang* upon upshift (also 4th/5th and 5th/6th). This is as to my understanding intended, since in the faster shift modes elastic distortion of mechnical components is used as a "buffer" mainly (at least my manual says so). I do not like to imagine what it does to the components in long terms (banging mechanics rarely last all too long ), if this *bang* is not frequently avoided by (very short and light) feathering. If doing so (takes some practice), the upshift can be managed really very smoothly, even in "race" modus and under full load, maybe loosing 1/10 of a second or so in acceleration as the downside (it is fast enough anyway, I would say ).

 

Bernard- In race or whatever the mode is on the 599, the F1 system lifts the throttle for you on upshifts, just like it blips the throttle for you on downshifts. It happens so fast, you do not hear it, but lifting is probably definitely easier on driveline components as it actually slows the shifts.

 

Yes, because permanent full load upon upshift would destroy the transmission components quite rapidly.

Nevertheless, when I tried out without feathering at high speed and full acceleration in 4th and 5th, the *bang* upon upshift really scared me. I wonder whether European cars perhaps differ from US cars in the transmission software, the European cars being somewhat more "brute" upon upshift, i.e. the software controlled lift being less pronounced?

Downshift is fine under all conditions, smooth and with minimum impact.

 

I just bought my first Ferrari. A 2007 599. I do NOT let my foot off the gas when shifting. Ferrari dealer salesman told me this was ok. It works smoothly. Car however is jerky sometimes at start fom stand still if you baby it. On braking I almost always am jery. Meaning i touch the break and my passanger lurks forward. Very hard to break smoothly. Those massive breaks just stop so quick. This car is performace... Drive it hard it's smooth. Drive it in traffic, try and drive smooth and it's jerky. Maybe me stil getting use to it. Final tip, buy it! Awesome fun, and drive fast.