Drove a 488 on track - a bit dissapointed

It is the Sport mode

 

As Murat says it is the sport mode that is creating this problem with the momentary lag/power cut of on corner exit power down.

If you have it in race mode that lag/stall problem is not there at all, in addition to having a superior throttle response and general power delivery overall.
I wouldn't waste my time driving the car in sport mode if you plan on any form of sporty driving particularly where you are having to come off the gas into the apex on a tight corner and then accelerate hard out from the apex. Race is a whole different ball game. I'm not sure why you just didn't switch it to race if at least just to try the mode. Ridiculous. Maybe the guy wanted to save the rear tyres or something? It may just have been a case where he didn't trust your skill set was up to the power of the car because if you belt it hard in race out of a tight corner you will loosen the rear end and will need to manage that.

 

Race would have made a huge difference, bummer they wouldn’t let you.
It’s not as urgent however as the 458.

 

My apology there. I guess in all fairness to the owner/instructor it would have been irresponsible to allow a complete stranger into a high powered car like a 488 and expect the person to be able to wheel it around a circuit like a pro. So in that sense he did the right thing by allowing you access to sport only.

The sport mode isn't overly invasive at all as it was detecting the inevitable loss of traction given the throttle position you were applying and simply has cut the power accordingly to avoid the rear end losing control. Sport mode is the normal mode for the car and it isn't until you select race mode that you can access most of the power the engine has on offer. As I pointed out earlier, if you plant the accelerator coming out of a bend you will introduce oversteer and that will need to be balanced out with the throttle to keep execution of the corner exit smooth under full power. I wouldn't underestimate what 660hp and 750nms of torque can do to the rear end coming out of a corner, particularly a sharp one. Add that power to the corner speeds the car is able to reach before it breaks traction will make things very interesting if you aren't ready for it, so in that sense sports can be a blessing for those unfamiliar with managing these power levels in a safe and controlled manner.

 

CTS off on track
That's the only way to understand what a 488 can do.

 

Sport Mode has to be invasive cause it is meant for street use

 

Watching those vids there are a few corners there where you were bringing speed in under power into the apex and even past the apex instead of lifting off to allow traction through the entry and mid point of the corner before powering down. If you were in race mode in the 488 it would be all over the place.. ..probably lost it under power down. If you are going to bring decent speed in at corner entry it needs to be under power off or some brake application into the apex and then reapply power down after apexing properly. I notice some of the more tighter corners were apexed too early combined with no lift of....hence momentary loss of control a couple times. Same with the 458 vid except you were fortunate there where the car didn't have the power and torque levels of the 488 which certainly helped forgive various incorrect corner entry/exit situations allowing the car to continue on circuit without losing it.

 

Not only was it in "sport" mode, but the transmission was in Auto mode, so car was never banging gears quick enough under hard braking to get the car in the best rev range for corner exit, which is crucial on a 488 as boost is built gradually, unlike other cars. Under race mode, electronic nannies are dialed back too. (Didn't seem like you were manually shifting gears much at all, and even if you did, the car can revert back to Auto mode after a few seconds)

Your passenger didn't even pull his weight, adding almost 200 lbs and his instruction didn't make up for it. He should've called you out on missing apexes by 4-7 feet at times.

 

The instructor (if that's what he was supposed to be) was essentially useless from what I could see although even he was nervous enough to call out on a few occasions to "lift off"!!

No wonder he insisted on sport mode and restricted use of the lower gears, and just as well from what I saw in those vids! Even with limitations imposed it could have got ugly. Not sure if OP knows what or where the apex actually is??.... certainly doesn't look like it. Same goes with balancing the chassis. ...no idea. That 458 was very messy driving - went within a nanosecond from having a near total off at one stage. You simply cant power into the apex like that and then lift off causing that bad lift off oversteer episode I saw. Wow. Crazy. Some serious tuition and respect is required. The car's stability control systems can only do so much - not miracles.

 

Not quite sure what you mean by urgent - the 488 has explosive acceleration, much stronger than the 458 including the Speciale.

 

If you are applying heavy throttle in turns in sport mode, you will get big intervention. Even in race mode you get intervention if you’re taking too many liberties. In CT off you will get wheel slip which can help you turn if judged correctly and is definitely the best mode and is kinder to the car (just not the tyres I guess). Mostly the idea is not to mix turning, steering or braking, as you probably know, except for trail braking and slightly early throttle using the slip to finish the turn. Sport mode just plays it dead straight - no finessing at the edges of grip. Helpful for people not confident on a track but not much else - it’s a road setting for the reasons you discovered. In CT off the 488 is a better track car than the 458. It has more of the Speciale’s handling feel and has much more power and good grip. It’s ultimately softer than a Speciale/LT but still good fun.

 

I wouldn't worry so much about the dustman or trying to debate it. He's just doing his usual by trying to put the boot into the 488 wherever he feels there is an opportunity to do so, but in reality he's just licking his wounds and I suspect sits much in the same boat where some serious driving tuition wouldn't go astray....which would truly be in his own best interest.

I mean to say it isn't as urgent? I mean seriously?

 

Exactly. 488 not as “urgent” as the 458. Really? My 15 year old daughter could tell the difference.

 

I've driven the doors off the 488 on Fiorano circuit with the instructors by my side, in sport and race mode. I felt no lag or lack of responsiveness, infact the acceleration compared to the 812 felt more linear and off course the car is built for the track so it felt much better balanced.

 

Sport mode makes the car reduce throttle input and cut off power every time you try to pull out of a corner fast. Add worn tires and the fun is gone. So race mode would have made the difference easily.

 

Pretty hilarious.

From the OP's profile:

 

I’ve owned them all, provide my opinions.
I’ll take a shot at 488 and 650s and my perf or my speciale where true and warranted to give OP insight. You can do the same since you have owned them all also...
Enjoy.

 

Sport mode and driving in auto were likely the reasons for the dissatisfaction. And as far as the 488 vs 458 - it isn't even close with regards to power.

 

To the OP: Thank you for your posting. I for one find insight from a non-owner who has recently driven/tracked a 488 for the first time to be interesting and valuable. I've driven the 488 in all modes including Race and found it to be as underwhelming as you have. If everyone who bought a 488 thought it was such a great car, there wouldn't be the existing glut of literally hundreds of used, low-mile 488's in the secondary market. I don't think the 488 will be a "high water mark" for the reasons you've mentioned, and more.

 

I think if you had a helmet cam on and you were able to view the ESC coming on then it would make more sense to you.

In almost all these cars (even in race/track mode); those squiggly lines come on a lot (almost every corner. You might not notice it in some corners but you'll notice it in other corners and it'll feel like turbo lag).

My main thing I track is a 720s and if I track it in in trace/track with full ESC on and auto then I would think it is the biggest bulls--t car.

 

Yes it's an utter POS. Not worth half what people pay for it. Worst car Ferrari ever made...............