F40 issues, any resolution that make sense?

Let me start it this way, i love that f40. Thing just looks right. Sounds the same. Drives even better.
After logging some miles, though, i have really just two concerns. well, i question some other things like the weight and heft of the rear bonnet/engine cover....the almost unreachable-when-engage seat belts.....

but the two that concern me involve the driver cockpit.

first, i find the seating area, well, tight. im not THAT tall. 6 feet. normal legs, but its just "snug". i dont mind snug, but i cant seemingly get really comfy, get a good angle on the wheel, etc. and i feel like im angling my legs to reach the pedals.

which gets me to my second concern...the pedals. i dont have huge clown bloppy feet, they are you standard 10.5 (or 44.5 euro), not overly wide...but man, they dont fit great on those pedals. I feel like i'd go to hit that clutch and i'd stomp on the brakes in error. it gets better after you drive it a bit, but it kind of robs you of some confidence, and when you drive that f40l you gotz to have confidence or that beast will take advantage of you big time!

is this a normal concern? anything guys have done to address those a bit without devalueing the car? are there seats which are lower profile that grab you a couple of inches?
just figured i'd ask. i'd love to drive that thing more and getting more comfortable in it probably makes that happen.

thoughts? thx in advance.

 

6ft is big for an F40. Some guys get custom race seats made, you should find someone w racing seats in their F40 and try it out before buying.

There are special F40 race seats which are very hard to find, not sure if it would be better or worse for your fit

As for the pedals, you get used to it, no fix, wear slim driving shoes

I would suggest you upgrade the brakes to Brembo F50 brakes bcus the stock brakes are awful

 

Stop whining you baby and sell me back my CGT.

 

Being comfortable is extremely important. There are several things you can do. You can definitely fit lower seating and can even go as far as having custom seating made that will help even more. As this will be bolt in it won't change originality at all as the original seats can simply be put back. Keep in mind that this custom seating will likely not be adjustable as the adjust ability tracks take up room but it will fit you much better.

There are several things that can be done with pedals and the pedal box to help but radically changing the room therein may involve modifications that will require some work to put back to original.

I've been modifying cars for years and always try to do it in a way that can be put back. That said I really don't worry as to me the ability to comfortably drive my car is more important for me. Fitting a smaller steering wheel will also help. There are several good race shops that can help you and if you want to go the whole nine yards my friends at Pininfarina can do anything that you can dream of.

 

ha! funny on the brakes. its actually sometimes pretty dangerous becaus eyou get so used to the braking power of your driver, that you stomp on that f40 and it feels like you're halting a bread truck. i drove the RS to the warehouse and that thing stops on a dime, scrubs speeds if you sniff at that brake pedal. hopped in the f40 and was cringing the first few pokes of the middle pedal. or shall i say the middle pedal and like 20% of the clutch pedal since i did not wear slim driving shoes.

i cant believe im asking this, as my wife would chuckle, but where does one get a pear of f40-approved driving shoes???<G>

 

Maybe try to find a set of Euro spec racing seats?

 

I'm 5'7" 175lbs with size 8 foot and everything fits perfectly. The seats hold firm with no moving around. I can toe-heel downshift very easily. But MAN, those seat belts SUCK big time.

 

sweet, so what we're saying is i gotta find the magical 25% shrink potion. sackey, u got a source for that??

 

I closed down the shrink potions and snake oils division of my enterprises years ago

Seriously though I have 3 thoughts:

Pedals - driving or racing shoes are the way to go. The problem with the F40 is the foot-well space renders it almost impossible to space the pedals without infringing upon the dead-pedal which itself is fairly essential for operating this car without tiring. Therefore, it comes down to slim shoes + practice.

Seating - F40LM seats sit lower, are easier to climb into, and interestingly don't give you that "wedged-in" feel the USA seats do. I know a handful of guys that use these.

Steering - Napolis makes a fine point about a smaller steering wheel which by itself gives you more knee-room and easier entry into the car. But, beware, if you typically operate your F40 in a metropolis, a smaller steering-wheel rim circumference will make dead-weight operation of the 'wheel in parking situations pretty unbearable...

 

I'm 6'4 with size US13 feet so imagine how I find it! On the road its not a problem, I always wear race boots or Todds driving shoes and the pedals are fine. On track I have a problem as with a helmet I really don't fit although it is drivable its damn uncomfortable with my head wedged against the roof. I would have the seat taken off its runners and mounted lower but its not my car so needs the adjustment left in. I'd happily fold myself in half if it means I get to keep driving it!

 

The car for sale at Sheenan claims to have a new pedal box I assume to resolve issue you mentioned.

http://ferraris-online.com/pages/carintro.php?reqcardir=FE-F40-90568#P028

 

Man, that car is nice. Is that pedal box different? The throttle pedal looks different though....

 

It has a slip-plate riveted on to the throttle pedal, as you will see in the LM race cars. The spacing of the pedals is standard.

 

very cool car; I briefly considered that as a second car to play with, has some nice upgrades. But I'm saving my pennies for an F50

 

A good remedy for the particular issues mentioned in this thread!

 

When we talked as you were researching and looking for your F40, it never occurred to me to discuss ergonomics - really my oversight, so sorry for that.

I should have noted to you that it's a snug cockpit, no doubt. I'm 5'9", so I fit the interior just fine. When I'm in the right position for the pedals, I'd prefer to have the steering wheel closer, but since it's angled away like a truck steering wheel, I accept that arms/wheel ratio will never be ideal. I still am enamored with the lively and direct steering feel of the car, the way the wheel dances with every change in road surface. IT'S ALIVE, IT'S ALIVE, that's what I keep telling myself when going down the road. The way the steering loads up so linearly into corners is magic too, much more communicative than my RS or Scud for example.

So I should have asked you if you were taller than 5'10" and then suggested that you were not going to be really comfortable in the thing, especially for more than an hour at a time. But's the seating position and head room are fine for me.

The foot box, on the other hand, is a joke. I will not modify the car, I'll modify my body. I wear the tightest, skinniest Sparco track shoes in my closet. My shoe size is also 10.5. The dead pedal is pretty unuable - ini order to avoid conflict with the clutch, I'm only able to get the ball of my foot on the dead pedal, no more than that.

Have you noticed that if you put your normal foot position on the clutch pedal in parking lot maneuvers and started turning lock to lock, the universal joint in the middle of the steering rod turns in an eccentric manner so it hits your toes as the wheel goes around? The first time that happened to me, I was quite surprised. I'm used to that little quirk now.

As for the brakes, this thing goes better than it stops, no question. The technique that works for me is to feather the brakes, get a little heat into them, and then when entering a braking zone, i manhandle them. I push like a mother on the brake pedal and the retardation is decent, it will never be great in stock form. But again I won't mod the car, I'll just live with the quirks. Unlike the RS, the brakes are unboosted, so you've got to use your well-developed cycling muscles to work that sucker.

Amongst my cars, I think of this one as more of kinetic art than a fine performance car - a pleasure to drive, but not the kind of all-day road-eater like many of your other more modern rides. Have fun!!

 

$30 http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/browse/browse.aspx?c=11&s=361&b=PILOTI&ra=false&search=GO <-- F40 approved shoe size. Or do what I did. I was a wrestler in HS, so I bought a newer pair of Wrestling shoes. They are even snugger around my foot than driving shoes. The downside: they are a pain to stand in all day.

 

I'm screwed... 6'6'' and a size 17 shoe... basically means that I will never be able to own my favorite Ferrari supercar of all time...

 

You and me both! At a slightly smaller 6'3" and 230 lbs. with height pretty evenly distributed between legs and torso I'm finding that my dreams of owning my 3 favorite F Supercars is down to the Enzo. Not that this is a bad thing but I recently "tried on" a 288 GTO and now with this thread I don't have a great deal of hope for the F40 either. Comfort (as much as is possibly available) is of primary concern for me.

The issue has even stretched itself to my daily driver selection. I was looking to replace my E55 today and sat in an SL 550 and felt it to be pretty snug. I thought we outgrew the little people a while ago. Surely the average height/weight of a normal male has seen some progress since the 1970's?!?

 

Dont stress young fella.......




























Just start 'binding' your feet. By the time you get around to owning an F40, you could shrink your feet down to about a size 10 I reckon.

 

LMAO I would rather cut off my toes

 

Hacksaw, a lead bullet and a big box of sterile bandages.

 

Wasn't the F-40 originally sold with 3 sizes of seats? Small, Medium, and Large?

Maybe you got one with small seats and they'll just never work for you.

Regarding the shoes, try some narrower shoes. Tennis Shoes, loafers, dress shoes will never work b/c they are simply to wide. I believe PUMA has a Ferrari branded shoe that looks like a race show or even try somthing from Pegasus Auto Racing (Simpson). They fit snug, but are comfortable and will give you some more room in the footwell.

 

The LM seats are wider but they actually sit slightly higher than the US seats (The distance between the bottom seat cushion and the roof is about 1/4 of an inch difference). I had both LM and US seats for my f40, I am 5'11" and with a helmet I could not sit straight up with LM seats. My US seats were modified for 4 point belts. I tried other seats but I never found a set that truly fit better than the factory LM or US seats. If you are too tall for US seats, then you are too tall for LM seats as well....

If you are 5'9" or shorter the LM seats are great, anyone taller might not want to make the change. I still have a set of US seats. I mounted them on office chair chassis' and they make great play station seats!

There is almost zero room between the floor and the bottom of either seat and the construction of the car does not allow direct bolt down.

As Joe states, the LM pedal box will not increase the pedal spacing.

This is a small car, no way to make it bigger unless you do a "Gurney" bubble.... might look cool, but I am not cutting on a F40.

 

There are the original seats I've been looking for. Have the OEM seat belts too?