Driving at high RPM

Hi,

is it ok to drive my Ferrari (I own a 458 Italia) consistently at high RPM w/out changing to to a higher gear? Could I drive for say 10 minutes at 70 MPH in 3rd gear? When my LED lights up, are a certain number of lights indicating I should be changing gears, or just making sure I know I’m approaching higher RPMs, though of course I can hear myself.

thank you very much.

brian

 

For the specific meaning of your LEDs:

"Engine RPM LED on steering wheel (optional) The five LEDs on the steering wheel rim (available on request) light up in sequence and inform the driver that the maximum engine RPM has been reached for gearshifting. When 5500 RPM is reached, the first LED comes on; the others come on in sequence when 6,250, 7,000, 7,750 and 8,920 RPM are reached"

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Im sure it is
However if you are crusing then it would be silly

If you are blasting about keeping it above 6000rpm or so too much would possibly indicate you need to select another gear or approach the corner differently

They are dry sump engines so oil surge etc most oiling risks are gone
However generally extra stress on anything increases chances of failure or wear

 

Sounds like something a highschool kid would do to get attention.....

 

just trying to learn how the car functions as this is my first Fcar and I know very little about cars in general.

Thanks to the others.

 

Driving around at high rpm will only result in high fuel consumption and unnecessary engine wear. Do as you will..but it's pretty useless other then trying to get attention..

 

Sounds like you are an avid NY Islanders fan! Cool

NSX owner (8K redline). Do enjoy the song of higher rpm's, asking or needing to immediately run up. To escape to the next gear.
ENJOY man, and many happy smiles n miles

Oh, had to add...... U of M s*cks, GO BUCKS!

 

When I raced Miatas (I know, I know), I would routinely bounce the rev limiters on certain turns. There wasn't enough time to up shift, but enough time to pin the throttle. This was in a $20,000 car. Would I do this on a $300,000 Ferrari? Probably not.

 

Well that statement alone is concerning in its own right ....

That said, modern Ferraris are built and designed with very high tolerances for improper use and mistakes- So the car can handle it if for whatever reason you deem it necessary.

 

Spec Miata racing is WAD the best bang for the buck way to competitively race without going broke or mortgaging your life- and it hones driving skills. Anyone can go "fast" in a 500 hp car but shaving 10ths off your lap time in a 200hp Miata only comes from being smooth and nailing apexes.

I tip my hat to anyone racing Miatas.

Cheers

 

I would find that rather boring, you know, keeping the car at any RPM for a long period of time, wouldnt you rather listen to that motor scream while going up and down the gearbox ? Thats what owning a Ferrari is all about in my estimation , to each his own . The only positive to owning a Ferrari with a paddle shifted gearbox is the sound the car makes between full throttle up shifts , so theres that, and downshifts as well .

Big G

 

Appreciate the answers. Very helpful.

Best
Brian

 

One thing you need to do is study the torque and horsepower curves for your car. Torque is the twist that makes your car go. It is what slams your head back. Torque is fun. Horsepower is what makes the car go fast, sometimes scary fast. The point where the torque and horsepower curves cross is the sweet spot. In a manual, you upshift at the point where the horsepower curve flattens. By the time you get back on the gas, you’re at maximum torque. The engine then starts climbing the horsepower curve.

Best way to experience this is on a motorcycle. Don’t look at the tach. Keep your eyes on the road. But you will feel the difference. Not can I upshift on a motorcycle without a clutch, I can downshift.

An extreme example is my Cayenne Diesel. A diesel is all torque, no horsepower. If I step on it at 60, the car jumps. If I step on it at 80, nothing.

A Ferrari is a high performance vehicle. Play with it. Listen to it. Don’t watch the gauges. Play it by ear. You’ll enjoy it.

Better yet. Take it to the track. Don’t worry about racing other cars. Just listen to the music.

 

OOTBPOTD

 

Would you keep your heart rate up at 180 bpm for 2 hours nonstop? Answer should be no...sort of same with these engines and most of the answers you are getting here

 

OOTBPOTD not sure what that means but surely not complimentary.
goblu I think should not be anywhere near a Ferrari

 

yes, all good now.

FWIW, I was picking a hypothetical extreme example in the hopes of getting the best helpful answers.

thanks to those who were helpful. Sorry I appeared to anger some of the others.

 

Actually it is complimentary-

Stands for
>>> One Of The Best Posts Of The Day <<<

 

he's new car to cars so it's a fair question

I think the answer is that they can take more punishment that you exepect (in terms of sustained high revs) but it's not good for the car

 

nothing wrong as far as i can tell

 

as long as the car is warmed up, maintenance up to date and the oil level is adequate, This will be fine. It will only wear the engine a tad faster, but as long as maintenance is kept on track then there should be no incidence.

 

I think Texas Forever got it right...look in the car's specs for the peak torque RPM. This is where the car is most responsive and where all sports cars are in their element. For max performance during acceleration, I like to shift just beyond peak torque, which will drop the RPM to just before that peak, ready for the next gear. Try to stay very close to peak torque RPM at all times when you're trying to get the most out of the engine and gearing. But cruising at high RPM makes no sense. You don't need the torque when at a steady cruising speed, so let the engine cool off and improve your gas mileage by upshifting.

 

This is so easy to learn on motorcycle where you shift by feel. You can feel the motor as it hits peak horsepower. Then you can feel it again as you upshift and hit peak torque. It's not so easy to feel on modern cars because they are so seamless. I was driving a F12 recently. I'd look at the speedometer and realized I was going 140. Sure didn't feel like 140.