How hard is it to drive a 360 F1??

I have a good friend who is very sick and I will be visiting him to take care of his 360 Modena. It is an '01 and has the F1 paddle shift. How hard is this car to drive? I have a Porsche Turbo, but have never driven a "modern" Ferrari, only a 275gtb. I need to take it for a ride for it has been sitting in the garage for a couple of months. What do I need to look out for? Thanks in advance.

 

wow.

gas is on the right, brake is on the left.

drive it like you just stole it.

the rest will come natural.

the car is forgiving if you do not have a lead foot, otherwise, prepare to buy some tires and clutch plates for your friend.

sorry to hear he is sick. perhaps you can get a deal on it?

 

Sorry your friend is not doing well, wishing him a speedy recovery.

If the car has been sitting for a couple of months, I would be suspicious of the fuel in the tank, other than that car should start and drive fine. Many people store their Ferrari's over the winter months without issues. Do a quick search using the words "winter storage ferrari" and you should get some useful threads to help your friend out if the car must sit longer.

Driving is a piece of cake! First, place the key in ignition and turn 1 position, the car will go thru a qick check and give you an "OK". Then pull back on both paddle shifters to make sure the car is in "N". Then turn the key and let her run for a few minutes. There is a little "T" handle in the middle console, with foot on brake, pull up and back, the car is now in "R". To shift thru the gears right hand is up, 1,2,3,4,5,6 and left hand is down, 6,5,4,3,2,1. Apply gas and have fun!! Don't drive over 4500 rpm's until you see the oil temp rise a little.

He should be able to fill you in on the rest.

Robert

 

Only squirrels!

 

That is what I was looking for...Thanks. He unfortunatley is not able to speak or write for that matter and his girlfriend has no clue. I hope I to find an owners manual...but who knows. Then it is on to his '03 575. Thanks much.

 

the only non-intuitive aspect of driving the Ferrari F1 system is to steady your right foot. This allows the computer to match clutch slip, throttle and shift speed to a known value. If your right foot is moving, you'll get a bit of the herky-jerkies. Otherwise, it operates just like any "regular" car

 

All the best to your friend, it sounds like he has it pretty rough right now.

 

good post!

 

If you can walk and chew gum, you'll be fine.

 

No problem at all. I drove my neighbors 360 spider to lunch on Saturday in return for washing it. I learned and was driving F1 in a matter of 2 minutes? You can do it too.

 

Just make sure the alarm is turned off or the car won't start, by pressing the button on the remote. If the LED on the left side of steering wheel is blinking, then the car will turn over, but will not start.

Good luck!

 

Oh also I learned this the hard way at a stop light, you have to have your foot on the brakes before the car will shift into first gear.

 

+1 on both parts:

- I hope your friend recovers quickly.

- Robert's post is dead-on. Especially the part about pulling UP on the little "T" handle before pulling back to get the car in reverse. This part is not intuitive and had me completely baffled the first time I drove a 360 (I didn't have the manual).

Also, when you're driving it, don't lift your right foot when you're up or down shifting... the car's computer will take care of everything.

One last thing... do not turn traction control off. If you do, you'll find there are 400 horses behind your right shoulder just waiting to ruin your day. If you're not sure how to turn traction control off... good. Just leave it alone.

Enjoy.

Frank

 

A rather suspicious question to ask someone how to drive a Ferrari with F1 as, if his friend never showed him how to drive it, given him access to the manual, nor explain how it works. Did he have an authorized permission to drive the car? I hope this will not end up like Ferri Bueller's Day. I'd be wary giving out such details to persons not authorized to operate other's personal property without their consent.

 

Maybe he is just helping out his friend, and at the same time, learning to drive a 360, to prepare himself for his next purchase: a CS!

From another thread:
Looking for another CS
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showpost.php?p=136941007&postcount=4

 

He didn't ask how to hot wire it, and look for where he mentions his friend is unable to communicate I think that is why he is asking here to make sure he doesnt hurt anything.

Pabforfun, the only thing I can add to others suggestions is that it is likely the battery is either disconnected or is dead. First in the 360 if it is disconnected open the trunk (odds are you will also find the manuals here) and look on the passenger side. I believe that it is a dial that you simply rotate to turn the power on or off. It may be a T handle type key which you would have to insert and rotate into position. Now if the battery is dead don't boost the car, you will want to charge it. I believe there are hook-ups in the engine bay and if not the battery is located behind a panel in the passenger side footwell.

The 575 has a battery shutoff which I believe is located in the engine bay on the drivers side near the hinge for the hood, again a simple dial that you rotate to turn the power on and off.

Big thing to avoid is holding the car in place with the gas pedal, your just smoking the clutch. Hills in reverse are a bad idea as well. Otherwise the modern cars are really simple to drive. Enjoy and your a good guy for taking care of your friends possessions while he is ill.

 

Thanks for the response guys...as for the member who suggested that I may be trying to do something illegal....shame on you. I have driven numerous exotics, as well as owning more than 10 Porsches in my 41 years of life, but have not driven a modern Ferrari with the F1 gearbox. I would be very impressed if anyone knew that the "T" in the center console needed to be lifted up and then pulled back to engage reverse in a 360 if they were to sit in a car for the first time without any instruction or manual.

Great tips! I arrrived in Florida today...will be visiting my friend soon.

 

welcome to the board, pab.... you'll find many types of people here... don't take their comments/questions personally... there are plenty of posers who come here and make up stories, so they were just guarding the gates

You responded with a straightforward answer... (the posers/liars usually get angry or threaten to leave, or make up more stories)

Back on topic: after you get comfy with the 360 F1, will you be getting a CS? If so... make sure post your first impressions, and pics of course!