hi people, Has anyone driven their 599 on a track? How is it? I'm thinking about going to a trackday but not sure if it will cope well as it's fairly heavy. On the other hand Ferrari used to use them in their driver training program.
I have one but never tracked it. I have a buddy who did when it was new and the car is a GT car and it shows on the track. If you push it you will have to deal with its short comings. This buddy was a maniac and was trying for 10 out of 10. He tracked his own 599 not mine.
If you want to change the brakes, let's go to the track. The original 599 brakes are rubbish. As a daily drive - so-so. Track ? Not this car i think. Otherwise, the car is fabulous to drive the track. Balance, grip, full throttle, cornering speed, it's all excellent. Just do not be long, heavy braking distances.
Strange, I have not yet met anyone who tracked a 599 who complained about the brakes, perhaps on a very tight technical track. Its a GT car which can do track work but accept that it will be heavy on tyres and brakes if you drive it on track often.
My car is my 2009 and have 22000km. Original brakes. Our track (Hungaroring) have a big brake killer first corner. Slow down 260-265 to 80-90 km/h under 90meter. When i try first, no more brakes.... Change the brake fluid to castrol srf racing and change brake pads to the original GTO pads. Try again, now i have brakes the whole lap. But the brake effect is much lower. Ok i change the original rotors to brand new SICOM rotors. Now i have a car max. 3 laps. So i think this brake is not enough to serious track use.
I do understand now, a track like that in summer with high temps could lead to brakes issues. That's a very big braking area at the end of the straight so that would no doubt take a lot out of the brakes. 599 must be exciting around that track though!
Oh, as i wrote already, i loved the 599 very very much. Have a great experience to drive. I still can not believe it to be so precise, predictable with 'ct off' on the track and the steering is very-very precise. Of course, if you just want to go around the track will not be a problem. But if you want to be really fast, the brakes will tired very soon.
I tracked my 599 HGTE twice outpacing a 911 4 S and a 2015 corvette... I was going pretty fast and my brakes never tired . In fact the Vette got off the track cause it was overheating ... I drove my car home like nothing happened . I was very impressed at how it handled despite its size and weight. Best car I've owned so far...
Tracked my 612 (with carbon brakes) once in Slovakia, 1.1km straight and then down to second, brakes were very good, even for many laps, but after around 12 I had lost 50% of my pads. When I went to a regular service a few months later, the Ferrari dealer imediately recognized the car was on a track when seeing the front brake pads... In a nutshell, 12 cylinder front engine Ferraris are not made for racing but are still fun to drive on tracks. Downside are much heavier service costs when doing so.
Thanks for the input guys. So it should be fine for just a few trackdays but not as a heavy user. Will give it a go.
Tracking your Ferrari is like a right of passage. Just make sure you check into track insurance, just in case. I tracked a 512 BBi at Road Atlanta - once. Compared to that car, I'm sure yours will breeze through the challenge. Make sure you study the track line and pay attention to brakes. Avoid going on a track with dedicated race cars - you can never stop as fast as they can.
The 599 is fine on track. Some thoughts in addition to the excellent ones above: 1- there is a solid amount of body roll- just let the car settle through it- so you have to give it time for this- its probably a second or two but it feels longer in the heat of the moment 2- Respect the power. Careful not to get too aggressive with the throttle coming out of corners- she WILL bite. Often you are better off short shifting and if you are used to smaller, lighter and less powerful cars, just be one gear higher than you think you should 3- Brakes can get cooked but they will do pretty well unless you are doing many laps back to back at full tilt. Make sure to take a cool down lap. I also found my brakes worked better after tracking! 4- your tires will get gobbled up pretty fast. Overall, you will be shocked at just how nimble the 599 can be. You really can only do this on a track. Its still a big GT but I think you will be pleasantly surprised to discover the car that lurks beneath the pretty sheet metal...
I had my 612 on the track last summer-- I've done it a couple of times. It's lots of fun, but it is a big heavy car and needs to be driven that way. It can produce some very good times, though... no problems with the brakes whatsoever. When I let my brother drive (he's a serious racer), he put in some incredible times, but also managed to crack a seam in the radiator, and we lost a bunch of coolant. He was really pushing it, though.
thanks again guys. I go out on tracks regularly just never before with the 599. Looking forward to it.
I took my 599 to Dominion Raceway in Virginia last week and had no issues at all. I have had the car, a 2010 599 HGTE for 2 years and have always been interested in experiencing what the car could do. I think a racetrack is the only real way (safe) to do that. The car has plenty of straight line speed and develops surprisingly good cornering force before understeering. The brakes are powerful and consistent and the car is well balanced front and rear. It is a little unsettled feeling when driving through "esses" (left-right-left transitions). I drove the car only in sport and race mode, I didn't try turning everything off as there is a lot of concrete immediately next to the driving line at that track. I wanted to experiment with the braking, as I have never even engaged the antilock brakes on the street. At Dominion Raceway, the highest speed difference is probably 135 mph down to 60 on the front straight with multiple 80 or 90 down to 50mph braking zones on the 2 mile course. After 7 or 8 hard laps in the afternoon heat, I developed a noticeably longer pedal. The car doesn't have any cooling ducts for the brakes, so maybe that's what hot carbon brakes feel like. It didn't feel like fade, and didn't develop the "grinding" feeling some brakes do when they get very hot. Afterward, the brake pads where white, but no measurable loss in thickness and the rotors are still mirror smooth. Threshold braking is consistent with the antilock brakes engaging slightly on downshifts, the car is very flat and planted. Trail braking into corners helps the front end bite, otherwise it pushes and you can't get back on the throttle at the right time. I would highly recommend taking the car to the track occasionally, as it is really the only way to see what the car can do. Now I have a better appreciation for the handling and braking, and feel like I should be able to use it, when the need for speed strikes
Lap times at Fiorano Pos Make / Model Time Speed (km/h) Year Power (hp) / Weight (kg) Driven by 1. Ferrari LaFerrari 1:19.90 136 '14 963 / 0 2. Ferrari F12 Berlinetta 1:23.00 131 '12 740 / 1725 3. Ferrari 599 GTO 1:24.00 129 '10 670 / 1495 4. Ferrari Enzo 1:24.90 128 '02 660 / 1365 5. Ferrari 458 Italia 1:25.00 128 '09 570 / 1485 6. Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE 1:25.90 127 '09 620 / 0 7. Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano 1:26.50 126 '06 620 / 1748 8. Ferrari 360 CS 1:26.50 126 '03 425 / 1280 9. Ferrari 430 Scuderia Spider 16M 1:26.50 126 '09 517 / 1350 10. Ferrari F50 1:27.00 125 '95 520 / 1270 11. Ferrari F430 1:27.00 125 '05 489 / 1450 12. Ferrari F430 Spyder 1:27.00 125 '05 489 / 1599 13. Ferrari F40 1:29.60 121 '87 479 / 1270 14. Ferrari 612 Scaglietti 1:30.50 120 '04 540 / 1919 15. Ferrari 360 Modena 1:31.00 120 '99 400 / 1390 16. Ferrari 575 Maranello 1:31.51 119 '02 515 / 1760 17. Ferrari 550 Maranello 1:32.53 118 '96 486 / 1690 18. Ferrari F355 1:34.00 116 '95 380 / 1350 19. Ferrari 512 TR 1:35.00 114 '91 428 / 1473 20. Ferrari 456 GT 1:35.00 114 '92 442 / 1690 21. Ferrari 288 GTO 1:36.00 113 '84 405 / 1160 22. Ferrari 348TB 1:39.30 110 '89 295 / 1380 23. Ferrari Testarossa 1:40.60 108 '84 396 / 1640 599 times are quite impressive. Base 612 is right on the heals of the legendary F40. I would bet the HGTS / HGTC, HGT2, or OTO models would be a tick faster.
These numbers are really interesting and made me think: 1- 612 time, knowing it was 12years ago. Imagine the time with actual tires such as MPSS or better. 2- the weight difference between 599GTO/F12 or the upper/lower part of the list, confirming that automobiles are getting fat. Much fat. 3- 360CS faster than the SCUD Spyder? WAW 4- the difference between 599 and Italia is tiny! Impressive, seeing the difference in weight and vehicle architecture. 5- the difference in times between the LaF and the 612 is about the same as with the Testarossa
