550 vs. 575

Or you could look at some of the other threads with 550 & 575 in the title which address this !

 

Hold your 575 and enjoy her without thinking which car is better.

Daniel

 

Daniel, +1!

Think, the only real reason for such a change would be the manual against the (…in most cases) F1 transmission....

 

Oh Brother(s)!

Have you had the pleasure, or should I say courage to take your car through the mythical 10,000miles barrier?

 

I prefer the 550's myself. IMO they look better (front bumper has a more beautiful design) and of course the manual (575 manual very hard to find and at significant cost currently).

I do prefer the 575 interior, though. But flappy paddle is an early system and too slow IMO. It would do my head in.

 

Very good!

I would tend to agree with what 550 owner Daniel [DZ-96] posted above.

 

I specifically wanted a 550. I much more prefer the front nose on the 550 and not having to pay a significant premium for a 575 manual made it a no brainer.

Get what you like and enjoy it.

 

What nobody has mentioned yet is that a 575 has more cc, more power, more torque, and is as a result slightly but definitely more fast.

 

Additional performance that 95% or more of buyers almost definitely will never utilize enough to make a real difference when considering which one you want to purchase.

My opinion of course

The late model 575's with the HGTE package and a manual transmission are essentially as good as it gets if you want the best Maranello possible from a performance and driving experience standpoint. Not including the special editions of course but I like my coupes with a hard hat.

 

the 575 was never sold in HGTE: it was either the cheaper Fiorano Handling (aka FHP) pack or the much more expensive HGTC (suspension, ECU, CCM brakes)
the HGTC is very very rare 50/100 total worldwide, of which 30 in manual box

quick summary here: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/456-550-575-sponsored-bradan/478225-fhp-v-hgtc.html, http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/456-550-575-sponsored-bradan/276960-ferrari-announces-575m-hgtc-upgrade-kit.html and http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/456-550-575-sponsored-bradan/253871-575m-hgtc-gtc-fhp-confused.html

 

Would be interested to know where these numbers come from. My understanding is more like 150 - 200 HGTCs total with between 12 and 18 manual version. As far as I know, no official figures exist. Whatever the correct answer, I feel lucky to have a manual HGTC!

 

All the HGTC numbers are posterior numbers so it just depends on which posterior you believe. 11.9% of 575Ms had manual shifters, and that is a real number. So best we can do is take whatever number you believe and multiply it by 11.9% for all 575Ms or by 9.8% if only interested in LHD. Of the 15 HGTCs in my small data base, 4 are manual, but that is a very small sample, since I only collect ones for which I know both serial number and assembly number.

 

Darius, our cars are approaching imho an age, where these comparisons will loose their importance. We are talking about emotional decisions. So just the personal feeling counts, for some the 550 is the more pure and early car, for some others the refined 575.

Having driven a new Audi A8 plus with 605 hp two weeks ago, which shows exceptional driving experience regarding sheer power, the difference between a 550/575 is marginal. For latest figures use - until now - latest technologies (like in a 991/2 Turbo...) .

But - do this extreme figures show something regarding your enthusiasm for a car? Don't think so...

At the first time, I 've been sitting in a Maranello, it was a silver 575 F1 car in Germany, still remember, I had the feeling that I defenitly have to own the car once in my live....

After entering deeper into the World of the Maranellos, I compared a 550/575 at one point next to each other in Italy. So finally, I decided I would go for a 550 which fit's my expectation quiet perfectly, even if they have been in general more expensive than a comparable 575 F1 car two years ago.

Coming from the classic car sector, I prefer the pure first version to a face-lift. Even despite the fact that later cars might be more refined and updated. So, personally I would prefer a plexiglass Daytona and also would go for the pure design of a periscope Countach LP 400 instead of their later versions....

 

Hello Darius,
Your thinking is logical but people are NOT logical and on lasts 3 years shows that is also crazy, this is confirmed from the market!!! In that sense:
3 year ago in Italy , nobody wanted Maranello, those cars was unselling! Now all people are running follow them ....! But are the same car of 3 years ago!
As corollary if you speak with the 550 owner... are all enthusiasts, but if you will go over and make exactly questions you will discover the defectcs of the 550 that are solved on 575, But for them this is not important..

Than at the end the choice between 550&575 is like 'to be or not to be' , a question that will never the definitive answer......

This is my thinking, I hope nobody want to kill me also because all of you wrote your thinking ...
Kind regards from Italy

 

Hi Taz,
According to Fabio, the 575 manual has better, 3 cone synchros compared to the single cone synchros in the 550. Have you heard about this?

(I occasionally have significant crunching in my 550 when shifting into 3rd of 4th - seems my 550 was thrashed a little by a previous owner.)

 

Jim- Affirmative, just one of the improvements on the 575M. To beef up the transaxle for F1, Ferrari used 2 synchro rings and a dog clutch on the lower gears. Towards the end of production, at transaxle 1869, Ferrari also cured the reverse gear attachment that was an issue for the 456s, 550s, and most 575Ms. Since everyone seems interested, here are few of the upgrades:

Sintered steel valve guides instead of the bronze ones that gave troubles from being too soft.
Steel connecting rods instead of the titanium ones that gave Prodrive problems initially.
Beefed up door attachments.
Silicone plenum hoses.
Returnless injection system to go with Motronic 7.1.1 and its more precise fuel metering and ignition. Hence 800 rpm idle instead of 1000+.
Coil on plug ignition that eliminates breakdown of the spark plug wires and coil packs.
Much improved ABS and ASR, helped by the digital throttle. Brakes are the same size as the 550s except one piston size on the calipers.
Sachs shocks instead of the troublesome Bilsteins.
Improved cooling from the water pump impeller design and a smaller pulley.
Straight center pipes for better sound and more power about half-way through production.

Sure I missed some, but those are the highlights. More power already mentioned.

 

I love my 575m.....probably the best Ferrari I've ever owned, however my straddle would be a toss up

 

Ah, you even know the transaxle number! Awesome. Recall we're going to race some day in reverse (a la Steve McQueen in The Blob).

 

When I bought my 550 (almost 7 years ago) I was initially only looking at 575s. I drove two, both of which were F1s and both of which left me cold. I considered a non-Ferrari purchase when, on a whim, I test drove a 550. Shazam!! Much more raw, engaging and fun. I also preferred the looks. My 550 has the sport seats (with Alcantara inserts), Barchetta wheels, FHP, and an "abbreviated" exhaust. It's completely bad-ass and I couldn't be happier with it (it gets its second major under my ownership later this month). Indeed, the 575 is a more refined and improved car. I just happen to prefer the 550.

 

Val- Takes a while to learn how to drive F1. Easy to see how a short drive or two would be kind of jerky and discouraging.

 

I love the F1 system in my 355. I have no doubt I'd love the one in the 575M as well.

You have to treat it as a manual transmission still. I think the problem is people try driving it like an automatic transmission with a torque converter. There's still a flywheel and clutch in there...

 

Bravo!
+1