Track set up for Speciale

The first thing is to have the car's ride height set and corner weighted. If the car is new and has never hit a curb, then it will be rolled onto the platform, measured, and rolled off in just a few minutes. If something is wrong it may take several hours to get it all set perfectly.

The next thing you need is a Probe Tipped Pyrometer. One uses this handy little inexpensive device to measure tire temperatures. The temperatures measured tell you what to do to the suspension.

A) If the temperature profile is not linear across the tire, then you add or subtract air pressure.

B) If the inside edges are running hot, then you reduce camber; and vice versa.

C) If the front tires are cooler than the rear tires, you add toe to alter the heat balance between the axles.

This procedure works for all tires, all chassis, all suspension systems, at all tracks.
In addition, it setup up YOUR car to the way YOU drive it; not someone else's car to the way he drives it.

Mitch

 

I use trofeo r spec too, they are best at 28 psi so try to get the heat right at that pressure, I use 8mm of shims in the front and 6mm of shims on the rear to get the right amount of negative camber. I have checked this with a tire temp gauge as mentioned and it is about right.

 

I would suggest you track the car exactly as it came from the factory. See how it does with your driving style and go from there. Unless you are a professional driver, it is unlikely that the factory setup on the Speciale will be your limiting factor at the track. Using DOT tread bloc tires is not the same as slicks. The tread pattern differs from the inside to outside and often the tread compound is different too. Measuring tire temps on treaded tires is not nearly as reliable as it is on slicks for determining chassis setup. Determining proper hot tire pressures is also very important. If your target is 28, then your morning cold starts may be 19-20. First time you drive the car on 20 psi you will swear you have 4 flat tires. It takes a proper technique to get heat into the tires thru a combination of braking and cornering. Full tread depth is also a no-no as you will quickly chunk tire sipes and destroy the tires in short order. Ideally, they should be heat cycled and shaved to about 1/2 the original tread depth before you ever take them onto the track.

Good luck and please post your track experience in that magnificent car!

 

I have to agree with teachdocs and take it out as-is and see what you don't like about it.

Find a track that you know and drive your car! You may find that it's set up to your experience level.

BTW: What did your Dealership say when you asked them about set up?

Have fun!

S

 

Important to understand the first heat cycling of fresh tires and the minimum 24 hour wait before using them again. Purchase DOT street/track tires that have been heat cycled will save you time, expense, and give you a better tire in the long run.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=66

I have not been able to confirm whether or not the Trofeo R's should be shaved to 6/32nds or if they can tolerate full tread depth on the track without blistering or chunking.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=67


I agree with MuratC about temp matching front/rears by adjusting toe. I wouldn't do that approach at all. Set toe for track conditions, driving style, and how much front "point" you want.

An amateur with poor lines or a pro driving in a specific way can overheat and blister a tire in very short order. You can literally destroy a set of tires in one session. Rather than changing chassis setup on a car that had a lot of design for track use, you would be much better off to invest in a good driver coach and some telemetry data to improve your line.

You can pay $1000-1500 a day for great instruction by a pro coach or spend $2500 on a set of tires destroyed each track session. That seems like a no-brainier to me.

 

I went to the Advanced course also and asked the instructors why the car was understeering so bad, he said they only get so many tires each year and have to make them last and inflating them to 36 psi makes them last. It also makes them not work so well.

Thanks. 28psi is about 1.93 bar. If I am not wrong Pirelli recommends around 2bar which is 29psi. So it's close. But when I asked the Ferrari guys during the advanced course they were keeping Trofeos on Speciales around 2.5bar (36psi) when hot. But of course we weren't driving the cars close to their limits

 

The point to C was that one can make small changes to the F/R heat profiles with toe corrections; and in particular one can add toe to make the fronts hotter.

For track only settings, we typically run toe-out so that the front tires are toe-neutral in the low-mid speed corners (70-80 MPH). This eliminates scrub and makes the car faster at the expense of nervousness in a straight line. Even here, toe changes can more heat to the front or to the rear, just in the reverse direction of the road car settings.

Many drivers early in their learning curve, use too much brake and overheat the front tires. Toe changes can do nothing about this, only wider tires can. As you get 300-500 laps under your belt, you will use the brakes less and end up wanting a different toe setting; and different front tire air pressure settings.

 

Well stated. +1

 

Leave it as is, then figure out what you need to fix. Most likely, you'll have to fix more in your own driving habits. If you do these mods, then take it out to the track, even such minimal changes affect how well you know the car as it is. You'll get a lot more out of the car spending dollars on track time than go-fast modifications.

 

Interesting to note that Ferrari Pilota uses Trofeo R tires for the courses, I was told that using tires other than the factory spec Michelin Pilot Cup2 tires will void your car warranty. Any pics to share?
Please advise

 

So it is proven that Trofeo R are suitable for Speciale under extreme track conditions for the higher advance classes and the R compound will not trigger any errors in the modern hyper sensitive ECUs.

Did you get away with the transgressions?

 

I always tell my students to keep their performance car stock and spend time and money on track time and instruction. Are you a seasoned track driver or is this your first venture?

If it's your first (or close to it), you have selected a 600hp track focused car to learn on. If you are a novice, this thing is way too much car. Things will be happening very quickly and all the electronic nannies in the world can't beat physics.

Before worrying about tire pressures, spacers and the like, enroll in a 4 or 5 day racing school, like Bob Bondurant.

After that, get yourself an old Fiat X1/9 and go auto crossing. This will have you learn mid engined handling in a car with 80hp. You will learn the dynamics and keep yourself alive at the same time.

If you gradually improve your skills, you will learn how to get the most out of that Specialle. If you aren't ready, you had better bring fresh undies to the track!

Either way, its a great car...... enjoy!

 

What size Trofeo R's are you using on the Speciale? I have only seen them available in standard 458 Italia sizes, which is what I run.

 

How would those 20's compare to a set of 19's on the track guys? Great tech talk thread. I know which would be more comfortable, but wonder what that change in tire height would do.

 

I have just mounted 19 inch on my 458 Italia. I will track it on Friday with Trofeo R 265/30-19 and 325/30-19. I can compare it with my speciale wheels with 245/35-20, 305/30-20.

 

Michelin Cup 2 is a good all round tire but Trofeo R is much better/faster on a dry track...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrLQpAt5Mes&feature=youtu.be

Yes, it is a commercial, but my experience is exactly the same

 

Has anyone else run the 265 /30 19. Setup in the speciale. What rims are you running and how much better is it than stock. Thanks.

 

On the Speciale, you'll need to run the 265/35R19-325/30R19 combination to keep the front-to-rear diameter difference stock. If you run 265/30R19-325/30rR19 which has the same 6% front-to-rear size difference as the stock Italia/Spider tyres, you might experience problems with the ABS and and Traction Control system. On the Italia and Spider, the Speciale's 1,5% front-to-rear difference does not work, and I would be surprised if it wasn't the case the other way around.