Interesting - I feel the opposite. Sold the ff bc it was boring (to me) and uneventful compared to old stuff [emoji23] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hmmm. Steering definitely isn't heavy, so I wonder if that is something about that car? Clutch gets heavier the closer it gets to needing a new one. Gearbox needs to warm up, like most manual Ferraris.
It was heavy, the clutch was very heavy but I did get more used to it during the drive. I just remember commenting when I drove the manual 575 how light everything was, clutch, steering etc. It was a joy to drive in a way the 550 wasn't today. When the sales guy took me out he was struggling to find gears and wasn't a smooth manual driver at all.
Should not be that different in feel since they use the same steering box and hydraulic steering ECU (FHP on her possibly?) and clutch mechanisms. Like Jonathan said, the clutch gets heavier towards end of life as the geometry goes non-optimal/over center. Try another one. Biggest differences in feel should be engine (575M much stouter) and suspension (Bilstein vs Sachs).
Would 35,000 miles be about the life of the clutch on one of these? I didn't look through the paperwork to see if it had ever been changed. Maybe I just drove a car in need of a clutch, having never driven one before (other than a 575) I have nothing to measure it against. I have to say Foskers were a delight to deal with. Very easy. They also had 1 XO in there, the 456 Venice that's been photographed a lot over the years.
This is why I was looking for one, I drove an FF and it was an incredible car, but way too much and way too easy to hit licence losing speeds. I was looking for a more analogue vehicle I just wasn't expecting such a big difference between the 550 and a 575. Maybe the 575 was spot on and the 550 is tired.
Clutch life is widely variable due to driver input/skill level. Last time I checked my F1 575M clutch life, it extrapolated out to 62,000 miles.
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Now I see why I couldn't find it. Although it wasn't registered until March 2000 it should have been registered very early in 1999 based on the chassis number and I didn't look that far back. I have some history but don't have information on why it wasn't registered for a year or so.
That was the only part I wasn't keen on, but as it needed a re trim anyway I would have gone blue scuro with the top half of the dash. The reality is it needed a full interior doing.
So assuming it might need a new clutch and a full interior retrim, does anyone have recent experience of how much that would be ?
It's possible a lighter clolour dash would not get as hot, therefore not have as much shrinkage..... can anyone confirm this ?
Typically you would see a like for like LHD achieving 30% less than a RHD. As well as being harder to sell. However, each car is a little different. Right now, even harder to sell LHD in the UK because of Brexit so that difference may be getting wider.
It does sound like there was something wrong with that 550. Or maybe you misremember the 575s after driving your other cars? I have found myself misremembering cars I have reviewed when I go back to them. I drove my 550 and 575 back to back all the time. While they are different, the steering on the 550 was if anything lighter (as the 575 has FHP). Clutch the same. Gearchange maybe 575 a hint heavier but really I don't think I could tell them apart blind, not like the difference between my 575 and my gated 430. If anything the 575 is a heavier car to drive than the 550 in terms of needing more effort (or at least having more feedback which makes you feel like you are making effort) with the steering. 575 does go harder, but I can't see how this would make it feel lighter. It could have been something like wrong tyre pressures which give a car like this a very different vibe, plus maybe the clutch was on its way out. I suggest you get yourself in another 575 and 550! You are welcome to sample my 575.
Fellow F-chatter sold his on BaT and he spared no expense while owning and maintaining…..browse the auction photos of all maintenance receipts. https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/147661561/
Ahh, I know that car very well I was prepping to bid and buy it! But ultimately passed because I decided to go with the Blue one I got.
Such a kind offer Darius thank you. A friend of mine owns a 575 F1 (in Giallo) and I've asked him if I can take it for a drive as a comparison to see if my memory is failing me.Unfortunately he's just winterised it. So it looks like thinga are postponed till next year. I was so deflated after drigin the 550, having wanted one for so long it just wasn't what I expected and I really need to drive another just condirm if it was me or the car that was the issue. I had laser eye surgery this week, so I'm going missing for a couple of weeks until I can see again (this message typed by my able assitant).
I can attest that not all 550s are alike. My first one drove nothing like the one I currently own. It's clutch was much heavier and its performance paled when compared to the current car. The first one I owned had a Tubi exhaust and while it sounded impressive, it deterred from the performance of the car IMHO. Watch the "Harry's Garage" episode on Youtube highlighting the 550. He says the stock exhaust is more in tune with the induction of the engine and hence the car, while not as loud as an aftermarket exhaust, performs much better. I agree. Try another one. I think you'll ultimately be pleased.
Suprisingly, only 4 days later I've gone from Mr Magoo to being able to see enough to read a computer screen (with the ability expand the text). It is quite astonishing. Thank you for your wishes. This is kind of nice to hear. I was so deflated after driving the 550 last week, I started the process of wondering what else I would like instead and the reality is there isn't really anything I'd like other than a Maranello. So I'll persevere, but I'm open to either a 550 or 575 as long as the car drives right and I like the spec. I will be driving a 575 F1 early next year that has known extensive history and a very well sorted F1 box with all the Hill Engineering upgrades. That will be a good benchmark after last weeks drive. Still that;s why we test drive, if it's not right at least you find out before you make an expensive mistake.
