275 GTB 4

Hi all

Collecting my new car tomorrow- will be my first Ferrari.

I'm wondering if owners of these cars can give me some tips/ pointers when using the car on a regular basis.

How often should you service. change oil, make adjustments etc.


How do the cars appreciate being driven- How hot do you want to get the engine before pushing etc.

I own a few Classic/ Vintage cars but would like to know what are the specific do's and don't for this particular car.

Thankyou so much in advance

Drew

 

Hi Drew,

First of all congratulations.

Make sure you get an annual service done at a reputable ferrari service shop.

Wait till temps hit 90 before flat footing it.

Just look after it and enjoy it as much as you can

 

Excellent first step into the Ferrari world.

Do not start to "play" with the car until you have temps.

Jeff

 

the car can be driven after start up, just don't put your foot into it. There is no need for extended idle bring the engine oil temps but does little for the transmission. Driving gently brings up all the temps and keeps the engine running clear. You should be able to hear the engine when it's time to put it into gear, the transmission will be stiff initially then loosen up as proper temps come in. It's old school lubrication, as with other vintage cars, your senses and the gauges will let you know when to try the "go" pedal.

 

its the oil temp that is really critical here...
dive slowly and deliberately UNTIL oil temps are EQUIVALENT to coolant temps, THEN you can run it as hard as your heart desires....

 

What a great forum this is!

The transmission warm up was something i hadn't really thought of but obviously makes complete sense.

Once the car is hot what would be a comfortable RPM band to keep the car in and what is the 'Safest' max RPM never to exceed

Someone also emailed me to say to check the knock offs are tight before driving off as they can work loose.

Really great info.

 

Tyre pressure 2.2 and 2.4. Rpm warm above 4k.
Enjoy!

Ciao
Oscar

 

put on what is now considered obscene miles as a daily driver, enjoyed it, had it make the right sounds and make me feel good... never had a F car break, nor was it driven like a frustrated street racer showing off their backside... let your driving and senses tell you the correct revs for the way you are driving... keep it in bounds as you tally up the smiles...

 

Also, need zink in the engine oil for cam lobe protection.

john

 

I don't know where Drew is based, but it might be a bit of a challenge getting the oil up to water temperature if he is in a temperate zone. I can quite see it is possible in SoCal or maybe Southern Europe but in the UK climate I have rarely, if ever, seen the oil rise much above the quarter mark on the scale on my GTC.

This could be gauge error but once the water is up to temperature and the transaxle is warm, it seems it is OK to press on a bit.

When the gearbox is cold, most people I know of make the 1st>3rd change, avoiding second, to save the synchros and a rather unpleasant crunch! Once things are warmed up this is not an issue and the hot knife through butter analogy seems to describe it well.

 

Oil temp gauge on my Daytona is the same. Only if you sit in traffic for a while or do extended running does gauge move much past the 1st quartile.

 

Congratulations ,would be great to see some photos of the car.

 

Me too. Yet to see the oil temp get anywhere near the water temp mark... barely moves off of the peg unless it is above 70 degrees out. I took delivery in the winter in the Northeast and thought the oil gauge was broken it was that bad.

 

Just wondering if the owners with cars not getting hot have additional cooling fans fitted as it bought these cars got hot.

John, which engine oil do you use.

I'll add pics later

 

Drew, for several years I have used Castrol EDGE 10W-60, although this is not always easy to get.

I have no additional cooling beyond the standard twin electric fans - and it has always surprised me how warm the engine gets before they kick in, although they very rapidly drag down the coolant temperature.

John

 

No additional fans. Castrol 20w50

 

The car performed so much better than i expected and i was surprised how nice the transmission is, no crunches in 2nd.

Oil temp never got just above the first mark (zero?) , water stayed around 90- takes about 10 mins to get there.

Weber jets are getting changed as very slightly lumpy when flooring but still very drivable and usable as is.

Brakes slightly disappointing when braking hard so just need to watch that- Is there an acceptable upgrade or should i just get them checked over.

What a blast home we had. My little one loves the car- i've finally turned him into a petrol head.

A couple of pics when it arrived home.
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Drew, I currently use Valvoline Racing oil, but there are couple others, also containing ZDDP, I might experiment with in the future.

john

 

Oh yes, just gorgeous.

 

no problem with temps, even when driving in 100F temps in traffic, engine temps will only get hot when stopped in traffic for extended time at which point the gauges must be monitored closely... as long as there is air flow things should be OK... I have had the electric fans fail in the past, good reason to monitor gauges when in traffic on hot days

 

The fans can be prone to sticking because they get so little use - I think the fuel gauge is on the same fuse so look out for it diving south (even faster than usual)!

I tend to leave the engine ticking over as I open the garage door after a trip. I then drive in, kill the engine and immediately switch on the ignition again. The fans usually kick straight in and I let them run for a few moments and this seems to ensure that the bearings remain free.

 

Drew congratulations on perhaps one of the best road cars ever built! You will derive so much pleasure from this car- I cannot begin even to tell you. Just enjoy this experience. The only important thing to pay attention too is the oil pressure and oil temp. It take EXTREMELY long for the oil to warm up in the 4cam so be patient. When it is warm you can drive the car very aggressively. The engine will tolerate almost anything. Now and then up to 8'000 rpm (maximum) is no problem. The car is actually best when kept above 4'ooo rpm.

As far as the brakes, the previous owner upgraded them so I actuallly think the brakes are perfect (which probably also means the previous brakes were not adequate). I would definately upgrade the brakes as the car is fast (keep the original brake parts ofcourse).

I also never experienced the 'second gear problem'. Only when downshifting into second and the car is not yet fully warm- then the car will let you know.

That is the great thing about old cars. If you do something wrong- the car will inform you


Best Edmond
ps: I also use 20w50 Castrol....

 

Drew,

Great car! Enjoy it as it was meant to be.

I use Brad Penn 20 - 50 in my GTC, it has zinc in it. It is made in the former Kendall factory after they sold the Kendall name. There is also a commercial zinc additive available ZDDP+. Some Porsche guys are starting to use Shell Rotella Diesel oil as it also contains zinc.

Same as others here. When cold I cruise slowly, shifting 1-3 until engine oil temp warms up. I have found a 3-2 double clutch downshift will allow 2nd to engage smoothly while cold (3rd-neutral, blip in neutral, neutral-2nd). This seems to get the gearbox shifting smoothly quicker and the 1-2 upshifts are smooth after a little running in 2nd. Once warm I don't hesitate to take it to it's 7,500 redline on occasion.

Stay on top of little repairs and keep it in great shape.

This forum is a tremendous resource for you questions and needs.

Have fun!

 

Hi Drew, Congratulations! I'm just curious on how you went from no Ferrari to one of the greatest of all time. Please share the thought process that got you to the 4 cam.

 

That would also interest me too.

I was in the same situation. Since Ferrari was never my preferred brand it was a long struggle. Do I go for beauty or do I go for drivability and some beauty. I thought about it for two years. Bought every single magazine that featured the 275 GTB/4 that existed. Read all the reports. Did much the same for the Lusso which in my view is much more beautiful. But the reports and experts were unanimous. The 275 GTB/4 was the best road car Ferrari along with perhaps the SWB. So I relied on what I read and went for the 4cam. It is even a better experience than I ever could imagine. As far as the beauty. Well I still struggle with it. Its not the prettiest car. The back is pretty. The side too. The front-well I struggle with that part. The 3/4 side view is also the view that a 4/cam gets extremely low ratings in my book. But it is the all around performance that gives me the enjoyment. Everytime I sit it in. And when you rev the engine up to 8'ooo rpm- well that experience is not even descriptive.