Driving impressions 575 vs 550

Ben, the 575's shocks are completely different than the 550's, as is the shock ECU itself, and as far as I know, the 575M system isn't retrofittable to the 550 (only because, AFAIK, no one has tried to do it yet )

Additionally, Ferrari tried some metal to metal, pillow ball top shock mounts on the 550 that normally you only see on Challenge cars and full-on racecars. This was a mistake (IMO) for a GT class car, which they rectified on the 575M and reverted to rubber cushioned top mounts.

My buddy Dave (Ferraridriver) was retrofitting 550's with the rubber cushioned mounts, but he's since transferred the technology to Rob @ DeltaVee. I can tell you that if your 550 still has the original shocks & mounts, and you've been driving on HK roads for 8 years, you'd see & feel a world of difference by having your shocks rebuilt and fitting these new mounts.

Either DeltaVee or Bilstein can rebuild your shocks, but only Rob has the new shock mounts.

A good 4 wheel alignment would be in order too, once you've done the above; that will probably help with the "darting".

 

On the 575M do you happen to know if it was an FHP equipped car? Did you have a chance to play with the sport button and did you notice much difference in ride quality?

I've just done the first 1,000kms or so in my '05 FHP F1 so don't have a great deal of experience in these cars but I do love the sport button's effect on the transmission but I'm finding the effect on the suspension subtle to say the least.

Perhaps most noticeable when driving over speed bumps as the firmer damping seems to deal with pitching moments that much better but my biggest impression certainly in colder temps is that the FHP suspension c/w 19" MPS at 2.2bar feels somewhat clunky at first but it does get better once it has 'warmed up' a bit.

 

If I'm not mistaken, when in sport mode the suspension changes only start to occur when the throttle is at a certain percentage open (50% or more?) and the rpms are in excess of 4,000(?). I personally do notice a difference in the handling characteristics of the car when driving in this fashion. The steering seems to tighten up and the body roll is definitely reduced. I have no doubt Terry or others will have more accurate info on this subject.

Rick

 

Rick, jz- The steering on the 550 is pretty much identical to the 575s, and is itself unaffected by the Sport setting. Feel can be affected by the differences in shocks and by the age of steering linkages. All the 550s also had a steering position sensor while only those 575s built after Nov 03 had a position sensor. Sport affects the feel of the steering even though none of the steering components themselves changes, repeating myself.

 

Someone more qualified has already created a video to help you.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A0zOpKRAGg]Ferrari Battle - 550 Maranello vs 575M Maranello - YouTube[/ame]

 

FHP F1 575M vs non-FHP 550.

 

The 550 just has that "somthing" Ferrari was so good at building into their cars. The 575 has "it" but on a lesser scale. It's just missing that little bit of charm the 550 has. I wish I could put into words. What "it" is, but I can't. Whatever "it" is, they totaly lost it with the 599 if that matters at all.

 

Dang. I thought it was gonna be Clarkson.....

 

I agree with you. I have two 550s, and two 575s with over 10 years of ownership and thousands miles driven. The 550 makes that beautiful engine mechanical noise in which 575s engine runs a bit quieter and smoother.

Alex

 

Your X pipe is probably quieter than a set of straight pipes will be. I've had both on my 550, and while the X pipe has a nice rumble at idle and a true wail at redline, the straight pipes were so loud they resulted in a few snarky remarks from the neighbors. Same cans on the rear for both, but I was amazed how much louder the straight pipes were than the X configuration, and plus, they produced a drone between 2500 and 4000 that drove me batty. I had them on the car for two weeks and couldn't take it anymore and went back to the X pipe.

I understand they don't do this with all mufflers, but with my old set of Mille Miglia's it was really annoying.

 

Ferrari traded some "soul" to extract more performance.
I prefer leaving some room for that soul, not only top end performance.

Happy to hear that you have unleashed your "missing" potential of 550. It is a great! car.

Best,

 

If you get another chance to drive that 575M F1, give it a go with the Sport button depressed! Upshifting through a couple of gears in the higher rev range never gets old and although I totally get the whole manual thing, I'm happy to have both hands on the steering wheel at such times!

Regardless of the actual performance on tap, it is interesting to focus on the impression that particular cars make and it would appear to be hard to generalise about the 550 and 575M here as there is so much scope for difference.

Perhaps the majority of 550s feel similar (although I have read on here that clutch feel can vary from example to example and there are a few with FHP) but there is an almost infinite range of modified exhaust set-ups.

With 575M there are the standard, FHP and HGTC chassis', 18/19"/aftermarket wheels, the latter cars with their steering position sensors and OEM straight pipes and that's before we talk aftermarket exhaust options.

The '02 575M F1 HGTC retrofit that I drove before buying an '05 FHP car shad very 'meaty' steering which appears to be 'unexplained' but it dominated the impression that I had of that particular example (well that and the lovely HGTC exhaust notes which seemed to strike just the right balance between induction/engine noises coming from the front and exhaust noises coming from the rear) but the truth is that I just don't know if that car had the exhaust set up with the valves permanently open on not.

I must try fiddling with the valves on my car next season and if I like it, the Forza Exhaust Bypass Valve Controller may be worth looking into as I am very happy with the valves closed in town/my neighbourhood.

 

Have had and a 550, 575 Superamerica, and 575M. All great cars and have spent much seat time in all. For me it's the 575M by far. The 550 is a great car but the 575 just does things a little better IMHO. From the handling to the engine, exterior design, and even the fit and feel of the car. The interior is better designed as well. I would still get another 550 but if I had to walk away with one it would be the 575M for sure.

 

A late 575M with straight pipes, mufflers designed to work with straight pipes, and a late shock ECU is a thing of beauty. Gild that with FHP or HGTC parts or a steering position sensor, and you take advantage of 8-9 years of continuous improvements.