Ferrari F430 for a Tall guy....

Hello all,

I'm in the market for an F430 Spyder. I'm 6'5" and proportioned( No long torso/legs, ect.) I've had and driven an "02" Porsche 996 911 Cab. and the fit was very good. I've driven it from Cali to Edmonton, Alberta up the US15 and down the coast, on several occaisions, without a problem.
My neighbor has an "07" that I've had the opportunity sit in.. lol, and what I noticed off the top, was the legroom is not too bad but the headroom is a little tight. Is there any way to get a few more inches of legroom/headroom to make it more comfortable for me?

Also, I'd like to know what the best year to purchase is, I'm leaning towards an "07" or "08"

Thanks in advance for the input.

 

I'm almost 6'6 and have an '06 F430 coupe, and I fit fine.

 

I am 6' 3" 265 pounds and I fit fine in my 08 F430.

I have not driven a spider but when I sat in one I felt the cabin was a little bit smaller than my coupe, could have been my imagination? I think the standard seats and no power seats options will help with your headroom due to the absence of seat power controls. I was told by my dealer when I searched for my F430 that was the case.....

 

There's really no difference between the 430 between 05 and 09 other than I think 07 trough 09 the exhaust manifold brackets had been replaced but on the 05 through 07 there is the 8 year manufacturers warranty that would cover the faulty exhaust bracket... Aside from that they are all the same also in 07 through 09 most of the cars came standard with CCB but if that's what you want you can find some 05 and 06 that have tem as well. More important to find the car you want with the mileage you are comfortable with for a price you are comfortable with. There really is no variation between the year other than saying (Mine is newer) good luck with your search!

 

I'm 6'5 and fit fine, maybe you needed to lower his seat down a bit along the Z axis.

 

08 got CCB's standard, and the exhaust problems were fixed by 07'...other than that, nothing else really...just keep the top down!

 

Thanks for the quick repies,

I'll just have to go to a dealer. I think that the seat was as low as it could go and as far back. I shave my head, so I guess I don't have to worry about the fact that my head is an inch above the windshield lol. Just worried about my view out of the front of the car. maybe my torso is longer than I thought.....

P.S. excuse my ignorance but what's a CCB??

 

CCB- Carbon Ceramic Brakes

 

I am 6'6" and drive a 360 Spider, it fits well enough but my hair touches when the top is up. Spiders have almost an 1" less headroom than the coupes. I think it has to do with the shape of the roof. Definitely not enough room for a helmet with the top up so top down it is.

Viability isn't much of an issue but I have been tempted to take the rear view mirror out. I am sure you too have that feeling in many car so you know how to deal with it.

Power seats sit a little higher than the manual seats and the carbon seats are lowest of all. There are companies that do custom tracks as well to fit very tall drivers. If you move the seat a little forward and recline the back a little you pick up the headroom you want/need.

 

I definitely seem to fit a little better in a coupe than the spider... the top of the windshield seems a little lower in the latter.

 

Get the Carbon Race Seats which make a massive difference and then you can also redrill the seat track to get and extra inch on the mounting bolts

 

The seat bottom on my F430 power seats is likely 1" or 1.5" higher than those sport / carbon seats in a Scud. DEFINITE height difference that was immediately noticed and I am only 6'2".

Carbon seats along with a slight recline will hopefully get the job done!

 

Too many differences. 2 generations of CCB rotors, new electronics, multiple part versions of the F1 system, exhaust manifold changes, newer versions of F1 pump, it is all documented in the parts catalog, it would take many days to extract the differences.

All in all, the best F430 are the 08/09 cars, and these two are identical, anything before was different every year, even within the same year. The 08/09 are the most reliable F430.

 

I'm 6'3 and my dad is 6'8 and we both fit fine in his 360 Spyder... I'm sure the F430 would be similar.

 

If you are going manual there is virtually no difference other than the exhaust manifolds!

 

430 is the roomiest car in its class. I never ever thought I could be so comfy in a Ferrari. I'm 6'3 260 and it's got plenty left for more space.

 

power seat to scud seat near 2.5 inch difference in height!

 

I'm 6'5 and I have a 360 spider, no headroom issues and I'm 'normally' proportioned. One thing I don't think has been mentioned yet is that you'll probably have to restrict yourself to F1 only - I certainly found a manual almost impossible to drive, if not it's extremely heavy on the left leg

 

I'm wondering how you guys are so comfortable in the 430. I've tried about 3 times and didn't feel comfy. However, the salesguy told me the seating could be modified to accomodate. They send out the cars to a local interior shop when big guys buy a car.

I also tried a 458 and that one fit fine. A big guy probably owned it previously.

 

I'm 6'4" and fit my F430 fine. I did remove the sun visor on the driver's side and also relocated the rear-view mirror so I have more visibility out of the windshield and also rear window. (you can search the how-to threads on this site).

 

+1, thats why I purchased a 08 a year ago over other earlier cars

 

+1 Me, to....but I just got mine. Did get one that was still under factory warranty and CPO warranty.

 

Yep im 6'5" also and fit perfect. This car is incredibly spacious.

If you plan on tracking the car, bring a helmet to your test drive to make sure you still fit.

 

Im 6'4" and 235 - 34" inseem. I had a 996 911 TT and it was just a little tighter than my Ferrari. In fact, comparing the two, I would say that the Ferrari is more forgiving in the size department - something I was surprised with...Italian shoes, not so much.

 

I am 6'6'' and fit ok (knees a little tight to steering wheel) in my 996tt while my 360 with race seats literally has more than enough room and my seat is not even all the way back. I think the thin race seat really helps with head and knee room. The steering wheel tilts and periscopes too btw.