slight hesitation in new 458

That's odd, my 458 does not hesitate at all in throttle response.

 

Yea, very odd. My 458 is so quick with throttle that it is almost too quick, but I love it. Maybe get a few more miles on her and see if that helps.

 

Do you mean from a standing start or already underway. There is a very light (couple of tenths of a second) pause from a standing start which is throttle response lag. But once underway there should be none.

 

+1...almost twitchy. Something doesn't sound right.

 

I have the light pause during standing start as well, but none afterwards.

 

congrats on the new car.

If it's really new, and unless there is a real problem, it is likely still learning about you.

Seriously, the various ECU's have autolearning logic and features built in, which self-modify themselves over time based on how the various system is used. I confirmed this with FNA tech support a while back, though it is common in many new vehicles.

Basically, it's adaptive - based on you you brake, go on throttle, the grip conditions. It takes a while (miles) and it is affected by the mannettino setting as well. (i.e. throttle should be more touchy in Race than Wet, the map settings are different).

A friend who is a gentle driver on the street took his 458 to Sebring. To/from via truck. When he got it home, it was VERY aggressive with throttle response. It had "learned" from the racetrack. A few days and cycles later, it's different.

To be clear, it adjusts within a very narrow band, but noticeable. When you put the car in Race mode, you'll sometimes see "ECU Autolearning" after startup, that is the car actually figuring out grip levels based on wheel rotation rates, etc.

These cars are amazing, but to me the most amazing thing is the software in it.

 

Back to the dealer.
Have you tried the different manettino settings?

 

Is it auto mode or manual or both?

 

I guess i understand what you mean by the slight lag in throttle response . Now you have said it , Perhaps you should switch to Race mode which should give you the instantaneous throttle response that you like .

 

He who hesitates is lost.

 

May be traction control. Turn it all off and see if that makes a difference.

 

I wonder if it's due to bad gas.

I posted a news story a couple of days ago on the Canada forum regarding fuel was mistakenly mixed into the wrong gas storage tanks at gas stations. Apparently, this happens on a pretty regular basis. So maybe the gas is not quite the premium high octane fuel he wanted because lower octane fuel was put into the wrong storage tank. Octane rating affects ignition timing so the engine may hesitate upon initial throttle because the computer detected the low octane. After that you'd only notice the timing retardation when you increase throttle. And after you refuel with proper gas, the computer would need to relearn and it may take a few miles and a couple of engine restarts to allow the computer to recalibrate timing.

The story I posted actually referred to diesel being mixed into gas storage tanks. Now, I'm not saying the OP's car may have diesel because he'd know it real fast - blue smoke and stalling. Actually, the diesel fuel issue really freaks me out. The safest thing to do may be to refuel at the pumps furthest away from the diesel or at stations that do not sell diesel.

 

I do not remember any hesitation but you might need to get used to the clutch set up on the DCT. Depending on how you push (when going slowly) it takes a while to spool up. I think they tried to soften the initial acceleration because a lot of people said it was too sensitive.

But, I had no problems with it and I liked the set up a lot.

 

Could it be the HELE? Gee, I hope not because I ordered it.

Did all your cars come with HELE? In theory, there has to be at least a tiny lag before the engine starts back up.

 

Curious as to why you ordered HELE? I personally despised it in all the cars I have driven with it.

 

(sorry, I was on a long customer service call, chasing after a product issue)

...I ordered it because I liked the idea of the car being designed to perform with maximum fuel efficiency. The Cali is a GT, not a track racer. When a reputable manufacturer offers a touted feature, I expect them to live up to their claims. HELE is offered on several models and even on Dodge products.

So, can you describe your nasty experiences with HELE? Could it be causing the hesitation?

 

This pretty much sums it up, it will tailor to your driving style over time and miles.

Sent from R2D2

 

Easy way to find out... turn HELE off. It would not surprise me though.

Very, very few in the US order HELE. I didn't and my dealer didn't remember a single person even asking about it.

 

STOP/START technology has been around for a while but maybe it needs something like KERS to really work well. I just like neat technology that bring out the best engineering and I feel it is consistent with the Cali product. On a 458 I wouldn't get it because it may confuse the purpose of the car.

So you can turn it OFF... that would make sense (and perhaps be a refief) if it is noticeable enough to require a choice.

 

Whats HELE?

 

It's a fuel efficiency feature offered in many new vehicles that normally get tagged as gas-guzzlers. The car's computer stops the engine when you stop the car and instantaneously restarts the engine when you apply initial throttle again. The car actually goes silent.

It's meant for saving fuel when you wait for the lights to change or pause somewhere due to a traffic jam. Europe is very fussy about emissions and not idling your engine will lower overall carbon emissions.

HELE is a fancy Ferrari marketing acronym for High Emotion Low Emissions. I think it's just a very nice technology that makes sense for some vehicles. It's also generically called STOP/START - Dodge has it, GM has it...etc.

 

Ahh....thanks.....I have start/stop in my 991....which is the term I'm used to.