After seeing the 599GTO v F12 video, I was curious and googled GTO v FF. Is this for real? Yes, wet track and straight line, but the video looks like the FF clearly beat the GTO. Perhaps a fellow Fchatter was there to see this? [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGqMLAg8TDs]FERRARI V12s | 599 GTO v FF | 1 mile drag race - YouTube[/ame]
Yep, a very cool video that has been around a bit. Besides the wet runway GTO's come with Michelin tires and this FF may have Pirelli tires. If both are cold the Pirelli's stick far better than the Michelin's. A friend of mine has a GTO and has complained about how twitchy it is, and he has Michelin's. Even the Super Sports take a bunch of HARD driving to heat them up to anything equal to the PZero's. I've had both and the difference is huge, unless the Michelin's are VERY hot. There is little opportunity to warm up tires under these conditions too. However, I don't think the FF spits blue flames out the exhaust like the 599 GTO does so although slower in a mile run, the GTO does it with gusto! Rick
My experience is the total opposite. I find Pirellis usually don't grip that well unless they are very hot and are hard and take more time to heat up. The Michelins are softer and are quicker to heat up. The GTO is closer to a razor's edge type suspension setup and that's what your friend is experiencing.
The FF has a more powerful engine and even though the FF is heavier, its 4WD will put down power much more evenly and smoothly than the 599GTO, especially in the wet. When traction is limited it helps to have all 4 patches to work with.
I've driven all three tires on my Californias and the PZeros are far more predictable. I have been suddenly sideways on an expressway entrance numerous times ONLY via Michelin's. Rick
Both cars are owned by the same guy. Both cars were at temperature, this wasn't the first run. I'm told the FF manettino was in sport, so reduced aids. Don't post on the 599 forum, they hate that a GTO loses to an FF.
Published 1/4 mile times give the GTO a 1/2 sec edge. This can easily be more than made up by better traction via tires and the 4WD system in the wet. Top speeds of the two cars are the same.
Rick all I can tell you is I have the exact opposite experience in a variety of cars. Even one of the magazines recently pointed out that the Michelin Super Sport managed to tame the tricky Porsche CGT. I personally don't like Pirelli because I think they are overly hard and a solid majority of the Pirelli's I've had have road force issues. In the case above its definitely the AWD system making the difference. And also better gear ratios. Go to 10:20 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCpCbZaD8xc#t=627 I have yet to drive a street performance tire as good as the MPSS.
Both my wife and myself had a chance to drive the FF hard - what an amazing beast Image Unavailable, Please Login
4 wheel drive vs two wheel drive, the outcome is predictable and for reference the GTO does have more power than the FF.
Yes, the GTO has 20HP more but… the FF has a whopping 63Nm more of torque. I think HP is useful for a higher top end and holding onto max RPMs but for this exercise, torque is more useful when you have to row through the gears and constantly have to drop back to 5000-6000 RPM.
The reviews I read drove me to try the mss on my California. I simply have never gone sideways on an expressway entrance ramp with P0 but have a bunch of times with the mss. The FF has P0s and will soon have my SottoZeros on it, winter is comming all too soon to NW Ohio.
FF is also heavier....which does negate the torque advantage. After a spin in the GTO today, mountain roads, great scenery, its a raw experience, you get out having experienced a thrill. The FF is fantastic, probably the best rounded Ferrari ever made. In reality you could own both the FF and GTO and feel very good about life.
Rick I realize we are veering a little off topic but something is very wrong in your example. I have a lot of experience with all these tires and I can assure you the MPSS are really one of the very best street performance tires out there. The Pirellis are pretty good too but at least in my opinion the difference isn't even close. Btw- out of all the Pirelli tires, I think SottoZero are among their best tires.
FF and GTO = apples and oranges. Both fruits but that's about it. GTO is a raw, edgy 12 cylinder sports car FF is a fast 12 cylinder conveyance for 4 in most any kind of weather.
I own both cars and for fun drove both at the track this summer, just to experience the differences. Of course, you can't beat the GTO noise and its sharper turn in and better brakes, but there was very little lap-time-wise between the two cars. The DCT and AWD allow the FF to rocket out of the corners in a way that the GTO just cannot. I may have been a touch more aggressive in the FF as well, as the confidence it inspires (rightly or wrongly) just can't be duplicated in the GTO (at least while uninsured at a track day).
