I only put one of the 430 CH cf rockers on the scale, w paint @ screen = 5.45# Looks good, nice fitment, love the yellow.
I took my F430 to the track for the first time and I agree it is crazy understeer. I'm running -3 front and -2.3 camber rear. Spring rate is 1000/1200. I've been racing for a long time and my resume speak for itself, you can read here Driver « Prima Racing Prima Racing However, I love tinkering with cars, and my strength is actually chassis setup. I've been doing chassis setup all throughout my racing life. My engineering background and lots of contacts with professional motorsports engineer helped me. I tested the fitment the stock rear wheels to the fronts and it fits! I'm getting 265 tires fitted on the stock rear tomorrow and test fit it again and will actually do a test drive not only static fitment. I'll update again soon.
Do you have any photos of the join in the CF sheets which is just level with the rear of the door area? How did yours fit above the air intake scoops?
Fit of the rockers aft of the doors was perfect on both sides. Panel alignment is fine, without having to move the mounting bolts around in the slots at all. The only issue is shown in one of the photos. The front end of the right rocker has just a bit too much panel gap. The rocker is just 3/16" too long. I don't have any close-ups of the CF weave. I can shoot some this weekend.
Rear wheel to the front with 265/35/19 and -3 degree camber. It be downside is the tire is 1" taller. I think 265/30/19 will be better but size is limited. I tested with this tire because I have it available from Mercedes GTS front tires. Image Unavailable, Please Login
What width and ET are those rims. I tried the same with my 430 Scuderia rims and that didn't work ;-) If I am not reading the Pirelli site wrong, Pirelli Trofeo R comes in 265/30-19. http://www.pirelli.com/tyre/ww/en/motorsport/sheet/pzero_trofeo_r.html
The F430 scenario is very different than the Scuderia scenario for the front wheel-tire fitment. The Scuderia brakes require a very different wheel without the luxury of any decent backset. That said, a static fitment tells you very little. You can see photos in this thread of the BBS FI wheels with 255/35R19 that fit without a problem, statically. But you can't drive it without rubbing the fender lips.
Has anyone ever made modifications to the inside of the wheel wells or limiting the steering radius to fit bigger wheels. Getting a more rubber in front would really change the track performance of this car. Wounder how much the stiffer springs will do for the space for the wheel. I am on 1024 lbs front and 1370 lbs at the rear with -3.5 camber in front and -2.6 at the rear...
Yes, I have done modifications to fender lips and wheel well liners for more clearance. With aluminum body panels, it is easier to cut than roll fender lips. I have not attempted to limit the steering radius; too many consequences that significantly limit performance and drive-ability. The springs can be stiffened to near infinity with NASCAR-style rubber buffers that fit between the coils. But, a stiffer front spring is not the best answer either; the consequences of diverting all those loads are worse than the problem you would be solving. The best solution for more tire up front is a custom wheel with more back spacing. That will set the tire deeper into the wheel well. The limit is the clearance from the suspension components at the top of the wheel rim on the inside. What I find surprising about this whole sub-discussion is that there are Scuds out there that push. Those that I have driven have all been loose, requiring [a lot] more rear tire, for which there is plenty of room. The F430s that I have driven have terrible push, and surely need more tire up front, in addition to other suspension changes, but as mentioned earlier, the 430 is a different situation than a Scud.
On the OEM CF rockers, there are no seams visible. The top layer is a continuous sheet of CF weave. You can feel an incongruity inside the top of the air intake scoop, but it's not visible.
As promised, here are some photos from the Charity Car Show yesterday. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
RBM, did you get the whole carbon hatch or just the carbon deck lid? Looks aggressive! Oh btw, I sent you a PM!
The grills (actually grey) are removable, but the ducts are integrated into the fiberglass front bumper.
More photos from the Charity Car Show in Westlake last weekend. The Scud is parked between last year's People's Choice winner ('08 Scud) and Rifledriver's Lamborghini LM-002. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
