How does 430 drive in winter conditions?

I'm thinking of getting a 430 as daily driver. This means I will also drive it in winter conditions, sometimes snow. Winter tires are a must for sure but how does the car handle in these conditions?

Thanks

 

if u can find snows for it u shld be good

 

Actually prolly look good with a set of chains on her... Road salt is also great for getting any wax build up removed from surface removed also. Road salt LOVES aluminum too!

 

If its on top of a flat bed its great. The visibility is even better.

 

Are you freaking serious? I would suggest buying a 360 then and a 4x4 Suzuki.

 

Why? The F430 is/was a mass produced car. Not like we're talking about a F50 or something here.

OP, I suggest getting an awd car (i.e. Lambo). Roy Cats, one of Fchat's sponsors, put some snow tires on his Murcielago and didn't have any problems with a good amount of snow on the ground. I've driven a rwd sports car in slush and light snow with high performance summer tires, but nothing too serious.

 

I've had it in snow a couple of times accidentally, but not real slick conditions. The mannetino does have a snow/ice setting that greatly reduces power and IIRC eliminates 1st and 2nd in paddle cars. Anyway, it wasn't bad, but I would certainly avoid it. A great deal of caution is necessary. Also, the clearance is very low, so snow more than a few inches won't work at all. On one occasion, I got into deeper wet snow in my mine climbing a pass. Not recommended.

Dave

 

Why? Let's see, what do the Road Departments put on the roads during snowy and icy conditions? Sand, gravel, and the new horrible deicer fluid. I never drive my sports cars during the winter to prevent rock chips. If you can afford a Ferrari, then you can afford a reasonable 4x4. .

Now if it was a race spec. Rally car, then ok, driving in the winter would be fun. Maybe you should contact Bernie Eccelstone and ask him to hold an F1 race in Alaska, or Antartica, just put some snow tires on and your good to go, right?

 

There are two locals here in Norway driving their 360 Modena and F430 Spider (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG1CRw5SnHw) every winter with no problems (except that you can get stuck sometimes, but that's 100% normal for rear wheel drive cars).

Just wash the car every time you take it out if they salt your roads... For this very reason, to keep the car in great condition, I wouldn't though...

 

I wouldn't take my F430 out on the snow for the reasons others have mentioned. Heck, I don't even drive the car when it's raining.

 

Just like a sled

 

I consider the F430 a mass produced car so I wouldn't have any problems with gravel hitting the bumper or paint getting screwed up. It's not like it's a very rare and special limited car. My personal choice for winter driving would be a Defender 110 (Alaska), but if I lived in a city, I would prefer a regular car. Probably an Audi S8.

F1 cars have already been on ice and snow. BMW Sauber did it a few years back. Looks like all they did was put on snow tires like you said. Maybe increased the ride height a bit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2LaFtq_KHA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfXrS5tlmw4

 

Red Bull can do it too ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luBIaBXM4iU&feature=related

What is Ferrari waiting for...

 

Dude,

Even your user name is an insult to the Ferrari Community. LOL, a "mass produced" car. Only a complete idiot would spend $250k on a car, and then risk that $250k investment driving it winter conditions. Even if you put snow tires / chains on it, there are enough morons driving around today in dry weather, let alone in icey / snowy conditions that you could get caught up in someone else's foolish mistake. Then you could have that same moron be one without insurance.

 

Do you really take your F430 out on the snow and actually don't care about hitting the bumper and getting the car scratched up?

 

And that's pretty much what I expected. Keep thinking of that car (of which they made about 10 THOUSAND of them) as an "investment." Now I see why you would never want to drive the car in any conditions other than sunshine...

Considering I don't think of the F430 as a special car...I wouldn't care. Door dings, scratches, etc, wouldn't ruin my day. Now if it had structural damage (i.e. crumple zone destroyed), I would be pretty angry since I would want safety at all times. Repair would take a while.

Again, the F430 is an "entry level" Fcar. It's not an Enzo, 599 GTO, etc.

 

this is coming from a young kid that does not even have a ferrari.

 

Everyone make sure to never buy a used Ferrari from this guy ^^^^. Probably has had a ton of body work done to it. So your saying if the car costs??? 400k then you wouldn't take it out in the snow??? Isn't there a BMW forum you should be posting in? LOL Oh wait, just checked out your profile, he's a Nissan 350Z owner and a grad student. ROFL

 

No doubt. Maybe you need a reality check in life to realize getting some salt and slush on your car isn't the end of the world for your "investment." Thankfully I've been able to work with patients in a highly regarded cancer center and cardiac surgery center to realize there are more important things in life and what not to stress over.

Keep your car (1 of 10,000) in the garage and away from dust and enjoy life flying past you. I'll be using my cars like they were meant to be.

cya

 

I've had my 353hp Crossfire SRT6 in the snow... well it was more like ice . I won't do that again lol. Probably didn't help that I had summer rubber on either. Going down the interstate anytime I would crest 45 mph the rear end would start to slide around on me. I felt like such a fool out there with everybody else in there 4 wheel drive SUV's and Trucks (which were having just as much trouble as I was).

Question though, do you have to worry about snow being packing in your inner fender wells? What about snow packing the intake, or does the 430 get all of it's air from the upper ports just beind the doors?

 

The only thing "your cars" need to be is "laughed at." I think this thread has gone on long enough, mods please lock. Any smart person should know the extreme risk they are taking driving any 2 wheel drive car in winter conditions, lol, let alone a Ferrari.

 

It's pretty unfortunate the Ferrari community has an owner like yourself. Laughing at others for not owning cars like their own. It's shame because I've met a number of friendly and humble Fcar owners at numerous events, which are definitely not like you. Do them a favor and sell your car to someone else.

And fwiw, I have enough savings to purchase my dream V8 Fcar (F355) today in cash, but I decided to make a proper "investment" and use it to fund my medical school education. I won't have a problem buying "your car" after residency in a little over 6 years. You know...given all that depreciation on that car that has 10k+ siblings.

Time for me to study some cardio drugs. Don't sweat the small stuff...you don't want an MI with ST-elevations and huge Q waves. LOL! Cya later.

 

While I agree that I wouldn't ever consider driving a Ferrari in winter as a daily driver, I certainly disagree with the alarmist sentiment you posted above. "extreme risk"??? Seriously?

Wow, I wonder just how people managed to survive and drive in winter conditions for 90 years before all-wheel drive or SUVs became commonplace! Have you ever heard of "winter tires"? Driving on summer tires, 2WD or AWD, in winter conditions (snow/ice) is taking an extreme risk, but with real winter tires a 2WD car gets around just fine. I'd choose a 2WD car with winter tires over an AWD car on summer tires every time, because it's not just about getting moving, it's the cornering and stopping that are more important, and it's the interface between vehicle and road, ie the tires, that matter in those actions, not the number of wheels pushing when you're on the throttle.

I learned to drive on RWD cars in the 70s, have driven RWD and FWD cars through 35 Canadian winters, use winter tires in winter, and certainly don't feel that I or the millions of other Canadian drivers are taking extreme risks...

 

^ Agreed, stating that driving a 2WD vehicle in winter is an "extreme risk" is absurd. Driven appropriately and with proper equipment (winter tires) most any vehicle can be driven safely (even Ferraris). Don't think I'd drive my Fcar in the winter because it wouldn't be any more fun than driving any other car (2WD trucks with no weight in the back can be A LOT of fun!) and don't like the idea of rock chips. Whatever floats your boat though.

 

Took the 360 out today and put the top down. The temp was in the 30s and sunny. the roads were clear and dry except for a few patches in the shade which I slowed down for. New summer tires worked great.

I would not drive in snow even in the "anti-skid" F1 mode. Now if I could find some Blizzaks it would be no problem. But that's what I have a turbo Subaru for.

BTW the car ran beautifully. I was toasty with the windows rolled up and the heater on. Life is good.