458 vs 488 track day

Hi guys,

Just wanted to share my experience from a track day with my 458 and got a few laps in the new 488 yesterday.

Started the day in my 458 first time taking it on track. What an experience, can't imagine a car better built for the track than the 458. Ok maybe the 458 speciale. The sound of the engine, the throttle response and pace at which it picks up revs all the way to 9000rpm is amazing. Nothing I can say about the 458 that probably haven't been said. Just perfect.

Next I get a chance to do a few laps in the 488. I was a bit reluctant because I thought this thing will be so quick that when I jump back in my 458 it will feel slow and will ruin my love for the 458. But I went ahead and jumped in. First thing that came to mind was how different it feels to the 458. I was expecting it to feel like a faster version of the 458 , but it didn't. It felt like a different car all together. Sound wise we all know by now that it's not as good as the 458. In saying that it Definitely doesn't sound bad at all, but it lacks that peaky hi pitch sound of the 458. Steering for some reason felt a little lighter, not sure why that would be, but could have just been me imagining it.
The biggest thing that got me was after having a good go in it, I was left thinking it doesn't really feel much quicker than the 458. Here I was expecting this thing to feel significantly quicker than the 458 but it didn't. I'm not saying that it's not quicker because it is, but I didn't feel the sensation of speed to be significantly quicker. I also felt the rev limiter kick in before 8000rpm on more than one occasion. I'm sure that this thing bounced of the limiter at 7500 and not 8000. The 458 throttle response and sharpness is just miles ahead of the 488 which I think gives the sensation of being quicker than what it really is. The 488 engine just doesn't feel as highly strung and on the track I found the power and extra revs of the 458 was more usable.
I then jumped back in the 458 and did a few more laps.
I concluded that between the sound the higher revs and the key for me is the responsiveness and the sharpness of the 458 engine, I don't believe the 488 is a better car.
The mechanics and the professional drivers that were at the track all agreed with what I said and they believe the 458 engine is a master piece. They also said the characteristics of the turbo engine and the gradual power delivery is the reason it didn't feel quicker than what I expected even though it is significantly quicker.
I think the 488 is a great car, but for me and what I want from a exotic the 458 fits that perfectly.
Also heard that When the f12 is replaced it might be going turbo.

 

Nice write up Big A ! Sounds like an honest, unbiased comparison. Cheers !

 

Nice to read! Thank you!

 

Never have been a fan of turbos!

 

Thx for the comparison. Nice to see real experience account for a change.

 

Great, thoughtful, balanced review. Very helpful. Thanks for taking the time.

Joe

 

No way? The 488 is supposed to be a much better performance car than the 458 from what I gather through reviews. Critics and other 488 owners say, more HP, more tq, better steering, better traction control, better brakes, better design, better everything except sound. But even if it was I still prefer atmospheric engines over turbocharged.

 

Here is a 1/4 mile run by a 488 and it looks like he didn't use the LC and he started off a bit slow.

BoostAddict - Bone stock Ferrari 488 GTB runs a 10.3@137 1/4 mile in Bahrain

 

This^^^^^

 

I felt the same way about the 488 after I test drove it. I can understand why many people think newer is better. What makes a perfect exotic to one is not the same to another. The 458 engine and bodywork together is a true masterpiece. Ferrari can build a replacement but it's arguably not a better but rather a different one. The 488 has very different driving characteristics from those of the 458. I do believe, however, the turbo engine in the 488 is as good as it gets for being turbo. I have very mixed feelings about replacing my 458 when my order comes up this year, especially for about $100,000 more. (The 488 with a few must have options will go from $320K-$350k.) I may skip this and wait for a 488 Speciale Aperta.

 

I would guess that if a stop watch were put to both cars, you'd find the 488 quicker. That doesn't necessarily mean it would be "better" or more fun, though.

 

This account does seem rather at odds with most of the other accounts of the new car v the old. Almost as if this particular 488 was slightly under the weather.

 

Nice write-up Big A !

Thanx, confirms once again what many others already stated !

 

Maybe the Manettino setting, so the 488 keeps cutting power, you don't feel faster (short track). It supposed to be much faster on straight, but sounds worse and lack of throttle response.

 

Obviously respect your opinion but it is certainly not universal. Personally I haven't driven a 488 yet (but do have an order in for a spider). My Speciale will stay because the car is a nearly perfect, brilliant thing. I have a number of friends with 458/Speciale. Two drove 488 recently, orders went straight in from both. Reported it to be another step on again from 458. Both good drivers, one particularly so.

 

Thanks for the writeup big Al, imho the only improvement on the
488 over the 458 is its' latest gen traction control

 

I owned and drove a 458 (6k miles), own and drive a Speciale (3K miles so far) and have only had a 30min open road drive and a few track laps in a 488. (I posted a thread about this a while ago).

1) the cars are more similar, then they are different, in driving characteristics

2) if you push the car on track, you can notice differences due to the software (SSC, e-Diff) but you have to really look for them.

3) the 488 brakes (off the Speciale) are just that much better. I would offer that CCM brakes can differ depending on how they were bedded, and frankly how they are used, and very dependent on the tires and track grip levels.

4) the level of "pandemonium" from the 458 is higher; the revs, the noise, make it feel more high strung, and that can affect your perception of the car for sure. (example- go take a Spec Miata around a track; the engine noise, gear whine, tire screeching is also high pandemonium, you're just going slower). If that factor is important to you, it will be noticeable.

5) the 458 vs. 488 engine difference is very noticeable in HOW it drives, though the 488 has both noticeably and measurably more grunt and speed. To me, it's delivered in a much more low-key way. If you're totally tuned in to how a 458 drives, it will take some adjustment. (reminds of driving my friend's 911 PDK race car; the noise is different, shift points lower, but the car hauls ass).

All things being equal, the 488 is more capable and is "much quicker" (same track, same tires, same driver, same day).

Of course, what you like, want and appreciate is a very open and debatable question with no correct answers, other than the 488 engine and power delivery is (very) different. If you drive with your ears, you may prefer the 458 (or, even a 430, or 360) with a great exhaust setup.

Another very fair question is 458 vs. 488 - NA vs. Turbo aside, is the difference big enough to motivate you to get into a 488? Sort of like a 991.1 TTS vs. a 991.2 TTS....

 

Wonderful!! Thank you!

 

I hope I don't offend here but my take is this. To someone that does not have much track experience, the 488 will not be or feel much faster than the 458. To an enthusiast as many of us are the simple emotion that comes from the NA motor at 9000 rpm will make you feel faster than you'll feel in the 488.

You'll need to push the car beyond the 8 or 9 / 10ths point before you get to feel how much more power the 488 has or before you can squeeze the 10% benefit from the new brakes. The new SS2 will make no improvement over the Italias non existent side slip control unless you're actually driving the car on the limit.

The 488 is much quicker than the 458 but you have to drive the crap out of either car to be able to find that difference.

The speciale is head and feet above the Italia, the 488 GTB does not give the same feedback as the Speciale but it does out pace it.

 

Great feedback and very interesting thread!

The question is that these are ultimately street cars used on streets
and 99% of us do not race on tracks for a living so tenths of a second
seem irrelevant.
Therefore are the differences really worth the GNP of a small country?

My personal opinion is that the more time passes the more the 488
looks like a lackluster, tentative offering stemming in no small part
from Ferrari's move to a generic feeling turbo engine.

Now as for the GTC4 Lusso: that imho is a step in the right direction from the
FF as the first gen platform leaves room for improvement and development.

Unfortunately I feel the successor of the 458 should have started from a wholly
different platform: you just cannot improve perfection.

Lastly, I would go as far as saying that most of those who order a 488 do it
just to have the latest and are, if unconsciously, forcing themselves to like
the car.

(duck and cover)

 

Very very well said.

 

Also... well said.

 

Ill let you know in a week when I get my 488 if I'm forcing myself to like the car. I own a Speciale. My initial impression, without any facts to back this up, is that I'll love it.

 

I was thinking exactly this as I was watching the thread unfold. I know fellow Speciale owners that don't think the car is much different than the 458 other than the scarcity of the interior and extra road noise. BUT they drive the car in Sport/Auto and rarely drive fast except on a highway in a straight line.

For someone like me who likes to drive sideways and track my cars... there is a WORLD of difference between the cars. The SSC on the Speciale took a while to get used as I had to learn to let the car do it's thing rather than the I way I drove the 458 sideways. I love the SSC but unless you get to 9.9999 / 10ths of the limit.. you would never know it existed.

It's kinda like the first true hot lap someone does with an experienced racer or track rat and the light bulb that goes off when they say "um.. wow. I never knew the car could do that!"

 

Well spoken by the man who has CF racing seats and harnesses in his car....(ha ha - sorry, could not resist!). I might also add, probably the best "ear for engine music"...

I agree. I've been lucky that I've been able to race and track a lot, which frankly allows me to separate what is an exciting car to drive on the STREET vs. a car that needs to have the right compromises to be fast at 9.99/10ths on the track.

Street vs. Track is a big difference (and candidly, I think should be treated that way). Amazing that Ferrari makes street cars that are SO good on track, they outpace some real race cars.