Offered New 488 but have to ask

Because of the higher torque at low revs you will have to shift less if you want to. Because of the low max rpm you may have to shift more on the track...but your track needs are taken care of already.

I kept my 360 and cancelled the 430 spider order for the reasons you state above. I see no compelling reason for me to get a 488 spider...but l haven't seen one in person nor heard one.
The 458 is way beyond my driving abilities. The 488 would be more overkill for sure.

Interested to hear responses from owners. I figure it will take about $100k to trade to the 488 spider.

 

Human nature unfortunately dictates that it is difficult to be honest
when one has to justify paying a minimum of a quarter of a million usd
for a car.

The forcing-yourself-to-like-it factor is very present in this situation.

Imho def. don't get a 488 if you have to write a paragraph like in your opening post.

best

 

I agree. Us 488 owners will fill you full of bulls*it while we bath in debt , and suffer with our lousy turbo's. 😁

 

Bob:

I find that my shifting patterns in the 488 are different than the 458, but it is a lot more complicated than simply observing that the 488 has a lot of torque available from about 3000 rpm to redline. I find that in most driving around town or on twisting roads I am one gear lower in the 488 than I had been on the same road in the 458. This has two principal reasons:

1. The gearing (combination of transmission and differential) in each of the first 6 gears in the 488 is on average about 10% higher/taller in the 488 than the same gear in the 458. Just to be clear, I'm saying that the product of the transmission gearing times the differential gearing is about 10% higher in the 458 than the 488. These numbers are based on the Ferrari manuals and borne out by my experience. For example, the product in second gear for the 458 is 11.23746 while the product in second gear for the 488 is 9.996875. The differences in the products range between 8 and 12% for the first 6 gears, while the difference is a whopping 27% (!) in 7th gear. These differences in the first 6 gears tend to cause you to stay longer in the lower gears. You will get a LOT more use out of 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears.

2. The 488 throttle is sensitive by any rational standard, but is not as sensitive as the 458 which is hyper-sensitive. Because the throttle on the 458 is so sensitive, it can be difficult to drive smoothly above 5000 rpms on a tight, twisty road so there is some temptation to upshift the 458 just to make smoother (and, therefore, faster) driving easier. The 488 is a lot more tractable above 5000 rpm, and can be driven quite smoothly at higher rpm on tight twisty roads. I found that I was immediately faster with the 488 than the 458 on familiar twisty roads. There are also important suspension/traction differences here that favor the 488.

Therefore, I find that I am often driving in 2nd, 3rd or 4th gear in the 488 in the same places that I would be driving in 3rd, 4th or 5th in the 458. And doing it more quickly and confidently.

But driving one gear lower in the 488 than the 458 means that I am ACTUALLY driving with lower gearing in the 488 than the 458 even though the 488's gearing is nominally higher. For example, the transmission multiplied by differential gearing product for 3rd gear in the 458 is only 84% of the same product for 2nd gear in the 488 (4th versus 3rd is 87% and 5th versus 4th is 88%).

This means that while driving the 488, I have 100 hp more, I'm driving with lower gearing, and my revs are high enough that turbo response is immediate with full boost pressure almost immediately available. Acceleration out of turns is awesome. BUT, when you are in 2nd or 3rd gear in the 488 at 5000+ rpms and give the throttle a purposeful push exiting a turn you will almost immediately see 5 lit LEDs at the top of the steering wheel so you better be prepared to shift. The disadvantage of the lower redline in the 488 is not any loss of power, it is simply the need to shift quickly in situations like this.

So the shifting is different. Some will prefer the 488 (including me), but I can understand why some would prefer the 458. YMMV.

 

If the throttle of the 458 is twitchy at slow speeds, l just shift up a gear. Problem solved.

I would say when the 458 is driven in anger the car is responsive not twitchy. Maybe l am just used to it. The 360 F1 was terrible at slow speeds in the twitchy category. Much worse. Had to shift up around town for sure.

 

You sort of have to abuse the 360 and 458 for them to drive well - much like my mistress.

Ray

 

Like my mistress...they love it.

 

Phil , I did the math and I think it's closer to 150k. At least it would be for a similar optioned car like my 2012 458 spider.

 

Bob, you know by my previous posts that I'm not a kid or a jerk. My response was specifically to my good buddy Carlo who bashes the 488 (tounge and cheek of course) every chance he gets.

Here's the truth, I don't have the experience behind the wheel to offer you a solid position on your inquire. For the most part I believe Ski Bum got it right. I absolutely love the car. For me, it's better than the 458 in truly every tangible way.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like to have a call to discuss.

 

Yes I agree this has gotten better on each generation from the 360 to the 430 to the 458. The 430 to 458 was the biggest upgrade In this regard IMO, but the 488 is also a big upgrade here as Ferrari seams to have solved this issue of "twitchiness" as I don't notice it at all at low speeds and certainly not at high ones.

 

Have you had a chance to spend some time in a 488 (maybe a friends)? I've had every Ferrari v8 in the last 10 years (excluding the speciale which I gave up my allocation for after driving it). I thought the 458 was the most amazing car they had made but I can promise you the 488 is So much better. I know this is beating a dead horse but You tube videos don't do the sound justice. I have to say I don't know what the car sounds like outside but I could care less as I'm never outside of it and I don't buy cars to impress others or scream "look at me" with some crazy exhaust. Inside the cabin it sounds amazing, even a little better than the 458 at everything but the highest of RPMs.

The actual driving expense is sublime and there is no question after owning both cars and driving them on the street and the track that this is no "facelift". The point about getting used to shifting fast is true and I've said it before that the RPMs come so fast that IMO the LEDs wheel should be standard ( I thought it was more of a gemmick on the 458).

Anyway either way you are a lucky guy and you can't make a wrong decision. I'm certainly no 458 basher..I love that car, but after having a 488 I just would never go back ....

 

Bob, skip the 488 if your heart isn't in it. It's no fun feeling "conflicted". In a few short years Ferrari may chose to ditch turbos in favor of a hybrid NA V8 with electric motors. When Ferrari comes out with the right car for you then you will know it instantly! When I buy a new Ferrari I want to feel nothing but excitement and anticipation! Good luck with your decision. It's a good problem to have for sure

 

Having heard a real live 488...I wasn't impressed.

I am impressed with thre sound of a Huracan, 458, F12, Aston, Maser going by.

Fwiw.

I'm sure it drives amazing though.

 

This ^

 

Id say the best thing you need to do is drive one for yourself and see how you feel. This whole thread could tell you to buy the 488 and if you drive it and do not like, then it does not matter.

 

It will be interesting to see what the opinions of the 488 are when the fad chasers move on to the next model. Because really, that's when you can really tell whether a Ferrari is truly awesome or not. The 458 Speciale is the perfect example of this.

 

One could buy a nice new Porsche and still have the 458 nicely optioned spider.

You would really have to be smitten with the 488 to make that purchase.

 

+ 1

You should really test one out before making the switch. Maybe you fall in love and maybe not.
I own a 458 and I've driven a 488 twice.
Is it more refined than the 458? Yes.
Is it a bit more comfortable? Yes.
Is it faster? Definitely.
Does it sound better? Hell no.
Does it give you more goose bumps? Absolutely not. The 458 is more thrilling for my taste.

So I decided to still keep the 458 for a bit longer.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Agreed. The Speciale has been out of production for almost a year already, and there are still many of us talking about how awesome it is. That level of awesomeness is timeless.

 

I agree with this and some of the other similar posts. I've had several drives in my buddies 488 coupes and spiders and while they are fast as all get out, I wasn't moved enough to get rid of either of my NA beasts for one. In comparison, the first time that I saw the 458SA I fell instantly "in love". The emotions should tell you if it's right...or not. The test drive should sort that out. I can also appreciate Arni and the other 488 owners sensitivity to people knocking the 488. In my humble opinion, it's a fantastic car and while I believe it's always best to be polite, the 488 didn't keep with the mid engine Ferrari NA engine and that might mean that it's just not for everyone. Let us know what you decide.