For those who prefer the F1 transmission...why ?

I love how easy it is to shift gears allowing me two hands on the steering wheel.

 

I probably won't be putting any useful information as I have never driven a Ferrari with a manual gated transmission. However, I've driven 4 Ferraris (F430 Coupe, California, 458 Italia, and an F430 Spider) with the F1 transmision (or some form thereof). The advantages are quite obvious:

-Faster shift speeds than a three-pedal car (especially with the newer model transmissions)
-Keep both hands on the wheel
-You have the option of using Auto mode (but who does that...seriously...)
-The automatic rev-matching on downshifts is always fun

Of course there are the drivers/owners that will say more fun is to be had in a manual car when clanking through the gears yourself. It's all a matter of opinion.

-G.B.

 

I have and love both.
A dual-clutch 7-speed paddle shift on the 458 and a 6-speed gated shifter on the 550.

The paddle shifts are instantaneous and the ability to downshift quickly going into corners is addicting. It is as fast as driving a race car in a video game.
And in bumper-to-bumper traffic it is a lot less work than a manual shift car. Your left leg is not holding in the clutch all the time.

The gated shifter is a zen-like experience. You are one with the car. The more you drive it, the more the shifting is completely intuitive. It is infinitely adjustable in terms of how you feather the clutch and deliver power and torque to the rear wheels. You just know when it is the best time to take a second or two to change gears, whether you are rapidly accelerating, decelerating for a corner, or just cruising at a leisurely pace.

 

Because it's better.

 

I have always preferred manual, however having lost left foot in car accident I accept the F1. OBVIOUSLY the new F1 in the California and the 458 bring whole new enjoyment to the F1 enjoyment.

Docf

 

I've never experienced the F1 transmission...but I am from the old school, I prefer the slotted manual.

 

Why do I prefer F1? Because I want to drive one of the finest cars in the world --- and I want it to be a Ferrari. Because I want to drive the best and most advanced Ferrari I can afford. Why would I want to own one of the fastest and most beautiful cars in the world and then hobble myself by settling for essentially the same transmission they were putting in cars a century ago?

Why do I prefer F1? Because I want to drive the newest, fastest, most exotic and advanced Ferrari I can afford. In short, I want the best, not the oldest.

 

More like a race car.

 

Better
Faster
Easier
Cooler

Plus you can totally focus on driving. You will love it.

 

I have never driven a F1 style box (come guys/gals at the Houston C&C's lol) and I'm serious old school but I have a feeling I would love it. It would be nice to have both to choose from depending on ones mood that day.

 

In a nutshell --- more fun, less work.

 

Yet for some the work may equate to more fun.

 

When you do, shift it in Reverse and then get back to us.

With the stick, you slip it right into reverse, with the F1, you have to wait for the software to switch it. At the stop light, if you don't paddle it into N, the car beeps at you. It's something you definitely have to experience.

F1 pros - drink coffee while driving an fcar*

F1 cons - they vary

___________________
* I know some are cringing at that thought!

 

It only took me a few minutes to adjust too the abnormal placement of 1st gear in a 308GTB but it seem's a F1 box would require more time but it would be fun to experience.

So the real question is who has the huevos???

 

I agree with that. I have a manual also. But, for 99% of the time it's just work. You go up to 2nd, on to 3rd -- stop. Back to 1st. Slip the clutch and up to 2nd. Stop. Slip the clutch and up to 2nd on to 3rd --- stop. Fun? No.

In 99% of the time you drive the car, it's just work to get from one point to another.

I'm reminded of an old Jerry Seinfeld joke.

"What is it with the Chinese? Why do they still use chopsticks? They've seen the fork!"

 

Would it be inappropriate if I labeled that scenario as just being lazy?? I have owned only two auto's in 32yr's of driving so too each their own I guess.

 

It's not lazy and no, it's not inappropriate. If you drive a manual in a daily driver situation, it's most of the time just drudgery. It's boring. Maybe I'm jaded because LA is a freakin' traffic nightmare.

If you don't daily drive your F car, then to me you aren't getting everything you can out of it. If you do drive it a lot, then the manual box is terrific fun 1% of the time and just plane boring 99% of the time.

There's a reason why almost no cars of almost any type aren't manual anymore. People don't want them.

 

Or could that just be another sign of how lazy society as a whole has become? Either way too each their own, right?

 

Lazy? I don't think so. Who likes drudgery? So, you want to find a pay phone instead of using that new fangled cell in your pocket? Oh, the romance of putting coins in the slots! I used to like to check the coin return see if I got any change back after the call!

Oh, certainly it's each to their own. But it's not the F1 owners who complain about "each to their own". It's always the manual owners because fewer and fewer people agree with them.

There's nothing wrong with liking a manual. But it's just fact that it's a dying breed with 99% of car owners. The kids today will never drive a manual --EVER. Nor, will they want to if given the choice.

 

Because it's not just tradition, it's kind of a brain exercise and sometimes more maneuverable than a fork

Just like the Dual clutch, easy in many ways but it's just some machinery that makes you less connected with your car and less work for your body and mind. More fun that you can concentrate more on the drive and actually drive better, less satisfaction from successfully controlling the car to your expectation.

 

Oh my gosh.

A positive thread about the F1 transmission! It is Xmas!

 

Jerry's thread should be renamed:

For the 90% of you who bought F1's in your 360's and F430's and the 100% of you who bought the Enzo, the Challenge Stradale, the Scuderia, the California, and the 458.... why?

 

On the track there is a reason why all formula 1 cars use F1. Hands on wheel all the time. Better for demanding high performance driving. Disclaimer: for street use I prefer my gated stick.

FYI, US drivers being fat and lazy prefer autos; Asia, Europe and rest of world manuals are dominant. Remember that snooky was the only girl on the show that knew how to drive stick! Cost being the dominant factor. Ferrari being less reliant on cost limitations may skew this... it seems once reliability is a concern, I.e. out of warranty period, the gated stick seems to be looked on more favorably. We'll see how the dual clutch units last over time.

 

Darn those fat and lazy Enzo owners. What posers....