488 488 Spider or F8 Spider?

What’s better?


Gary Tarmac

 

Are you bored today? Lol. Assuming you are serious, I assume if you own a 488 you will say a 488. If you own a f8 you will say f8. With that being said the latest model, f8 is better. Faster, newer tech, better looks, etc.

 

Sound?


Gary Tarmac

 

It might be newer tech but I just find the rear end of the f8 too angular and fussy

 

488 sounds better than F8. F8 is great car but worst sound of any Ferrari ever made. Period.

 

What about sound? If you want sound get a V12, 458 or V10 lambo. Old F1 sound 100x better but the new ones blow them away in performance.

 

With respect to traditional Ferrari exhaust sound, you are correct. As I awaited delivery of my F8 earlier this year, I must admit I was concerned about the exhaust note. 2,000 glorious miles later, I am pleased to the point I actually enjoy it. It's not a screamer like the 458, it's more of a growler. If I could just get those darn bypass valves pinned open without throwing a CEL, it would be perfect (IMO of course). Winter project perhaps.

 

This will either devolve into a "sound" discussion or a discussion where everyone justifies their own purchase. When you factor in everything, generally, the newer car will be the better car (with a few exceptions).

Regarding sound, I had a 458 and Huracan Evo. Enjoyed both cars immensely. Both sounded much better than my F8. BUT, I still much prefer my F8 to both of those cars. Sound isn't everything. Perhaps I'm just getting old.

Speaking of old ... If I really want my sound fix, I just hop in the Murcielago LP640 roadster and listen to that Bizzarini V12 howl.

 

I really don’t get this predominantly US obsession with sound. Its a car, not hifi. There are many things on the list above how it sounds that a car should be good at.

 

I guess all the websites dedicated to lap times, 1/4 mile times, 0-60 times all have it wrong. They need to focus on the subjective sound component of cars. (Note the sarcasm). I couldn’t agree with you more, for me sound is near the bottom of the list of how I judge a car.

 

As long as you’re getting stuck with a turbo car either way, get the latest.

 

I laughed that you felt you had to say this lest people think you were serious

 

Nailed it.

F8 is a Pista in a business suit, and I like the styling more than the 488. If I could have spec'd a pista spider I would have gotten that instead of my F8 spider, but that wasn't the case and I'm very happy with my F8 spider. As for sound, I have an 812 and it will blow both the F8 and 488 out of the water in the sound category. Best of both worlds having the matching set of cars.

 

I prefer the looks of the 488 by a slight margin... largely because I don't love the rear of the F8. But if somebody was going to give me a brand new version of either I'd take the F8. Not like the 488 is a classic or anything so give me the latest/greatest thanks.

 

F8 all day.

Sound isn't 458 or huracan good but it's decent enough and the performance is mega.

 

Capristo controller works fine on F8. I had it on mine in the first month (2 years ago). But it did not help a ton (sorry to say). My 488 has valves pinned and I can live with it - but stil not as good as my 458.

 

Then go buy a Tesla plaid. No thank you. Sound is critical.

 

True but if everything else about the car is great you can live with a car that sounds ok but not great.

I don't care how fast the plaid is, no interest in owning a kitchen appliance on wheels.

 

Agree. Except for the sound being ok. I cannot give it that good of an opinion. Makes me sad. Cause otherwise the car is phenomenal.

 

The cost to upgrade to F8 Spyder makes no sense even if you were loaded. 488 Spyder is an absolutely great car.

 

Great great discussion gents thanks


Gary Tarmac

 

I’m not sure what’s weighing heavily in your decision….
I’ve thought of this scenario recently as I was going to look for my next newer model Fcar, in a different color than I’ve experienced before.
For my decision making between a 488, F8, as well as 458…..

-I’ve had the 488 & 458, and sound is important, but not a decisive, make or break factor, since I’ve had experience with the N/A and turbo
-The $$$ difference wasn’t a huge factor, but some things made sense to go up or down significantly, and some things didn’t
-sound wise the 458 is clearly a top pick, but between the two turbos, the 488 sounds “good enough “ to me, to offset the lower tech, and a bit lower performance of a 458. ( it’s just a generation older car, but still fantastic)
-between the 488 & F8 (I’ve only read about the F8 and listened to videos) everything points to the 488 as having a bit better sound
-Performance wise ….F8 > 488 > 458, so depending on your goals, needs, pick your performance musts. The 458 is great in most every aspect and more performance than most folks need…the 488 is as much, and more than I’ll ever need, sits in a good spot, performance wise, for me, and F8 is absurdly fast for my needs and while it’s the best all around in pure performance, it’d be just bragging rights for me on that one.
-Styling between 488 & F8 is a toss up for me, I really love both, so no deal breaker either way on that. Just personal preference on that one.
-Technology wise…the latest car will always have the latest tech, so personal decision on what your wants/needs are for that category

At the end of the day I chose between a 488 and F8…..I went for the 488 based on ….
A bit better sound
The technology is very close between the two
The 488 is, performance wise, all I’ll need
$$$ for $$$ I personally just didn’t see a $100k worth of car in an F8 to justify the difference.

my advice is….get whatever will make the most sense all around and put a big smile on your face!

 

Looks being subjective of course but I ended up selling my 488s and have the F8s on order.
The F8 aesthetic improvements just take it from an 8 in styling on the 488 to a 10.
I think the F8 is the prettiest car since an F40.
It’s just perfect to me at all three angles.
I enjoyed the sound on the 488 and I know the F8 will be less. So I will be getting an exhaust. My vote F8

 

ah …there you got it wrong my friend ….it’s not a car ….it’s a Ferrari ! Sound is what other vehicles called cars make

 

the only thing 488 is better is exhaust noise