I see that Ferrari now offer the hgte upgrade in a few components, ie, you can get just the suspension upgrades which is my area of interest. Who has driven or had both hgte setup cars v standard 599's? And is the hgte setup that superior? I have an 08 non hgte version. Cheers Yss
I had a 2009 GTB & a 2010 HGTE. I now have a 2011 GTO, which is an entirely different animal. The GTB is a pure GT car. Its comfortable and fast, but not very tight or edgy. The HGTE is tighter and a bit quicker, due to the computer programing. To me, it was worth it, because I always felt that the stock GTB was not sporty enough. If you want to improve the handling only, you need to do the suspension and tire modification, but maybe you should look for a used 2010 HGTE someplace and get the entire package in a properly branded 599 HGTE.
I have been looking at the 2010 599 HGTE and there are many for sale at under $60 to $70k under list that have under 1,500 miles. Good luck.
I have also had experience of the std 599 and the HGTE, I would say you need all the of the components of the HGTE kit to feel the full benefit, if you spend time on the track the HGTE is much more stable, less roll, the gearbox is faster. On the road the difference is also there, the car feels more composed around corners, in particular there is less pitching of the rear over mid corner bumps. Lastly the HGTE exhaust also sounds better than the standard item.
Have a look here. http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=314506 I believe from the factory the HGTE has a different steering ratio and I actually prefer the standard car's ratio. I believe the HGTE is faster and while that sounds good, even with the HGTE suspension bits, the car still needs a second to settle down and with the faster steering, in the brief test drive I had, I found myself thinking I prefer the standard's car steering. However, this was a brief test drive.