Winterizing the 599 | FerrariChat

Winterizing the 599

Discussion in '612/599' started by Edgemontvillage, Dec 15, 2014.

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  1. Edgemontvillage

    Nov 19, 2008
    14
    Vancouver, Canada
    Full Name:
    Lloyd
    #1 Edgemontvillage, Dec 15, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    I've been in the process of winterizing my recently acquired 599 (November, 2014) and as the car is my daily-driver I thought I would post a few early observations on my experience. I live in Vancouver Canada and our winters are reasonably mild, much like the Pacific Northwest (Seattle WA and area), with lots of rain and generally mild temperatures normally above freezing with very few snow days. My daily commute is about 13km/8miles each way from an enclosed/heated garage to underground/heated office parking so the car will get relatively little exposure to harsh winter weather. On those true winter days (maybe 10-20 annually) I will drive my wife's SUV to the office and leave the 599 in the garage. Given the car is Nero and every road hazard encountered will show up on the paint I decided to have 3M paint protection film applied. I've used this product on several other vehicles I've owned with overall good results. It does however need to be re-applied every few years depending on mileage and driving conditions. In my climate its life cycle is 4-5 years. I had the film applied on the full hood, full front bumper, full (front) fenders and both mirrors on the 599. I probably should have both rocker panels done as well. As the car won't see track duty I didn't do the A pillars or (rear) quarter panels. As for tires and wheels, the factory original Pirelli P Zeros still have ~50% tread however their date of manufacturer is mid 2009 so they are now 5+ years old and are hard(er) than new and temperature sensitive therefore on the margin below 7 C /45 F so for safety I opted for a winter tire solution. On my previous car I had very good experience with Pirelli Sottozero's. They offer a comfortable ride, perform well in most any winter weather including in our rain and are high performance rated. They aren't however available in a front tire size that is compatible with the 20" Challenge wheel. I was able to locate a set of OEM pentas in the (standard) 20" rear and 19" front size that are winter tire size compatible. Tire Rack was a good source for the tires. From my Porsche ownership days I discovered a couple of go-to dealers who are both price competitive and more importantly knowledgeable and true enthusiasts. My experience with Ferrari of Tampa Bay (FTB) has been very good so far, their Parts Manager Mick has been very helpful and their prices are competitive. I had the pentas media blasted and painted black for a different look, installed 245/40/19s and 305/35/20s on the rear together with new TPMS sensors and OEM center caps all around. As I travel frequently I decided to use the factory CTEK trickle charger on those occasions and discovered the battery wasn't fully charging. It turned out to be a faulty charger so I purchased a replacement from FTB and decided to replace the battery as well (inexpensive insurance for a DD). After reading several opinions and recommendations on FC I opted for an Interstate battery which was a easy install.

    Summer wheel/tire combination followed by the winters:
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  2. simsko

    simsko F1 Rookie

    Feb 5, 2012
    3,635
    The wheels make the look of the car go from elegant to track spec.
     

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