on BaT there are these 2 guys who when a 550 show up expound on how that vehicle will not overheat. Search Results for Query: 550 overheating | FerrariChat there are numerous cases where they do. they both claim to be all that in the Ferrari world. Facts mean nothing to them in the real world of ownership.
Seems like we need some 550 guys that have actually overheated share some horror stories. I know mine and many others have done the upgrades but surely there are some 550 horror stories?
optoupalik and the The_Underhill_Account are the 2 who continue to beat up anyone who says anything about the existence of overheating of 550 when they show up on BaT. The first guy claims he is a know it all on driving. Both of them are Don't Bring Me no Bad News about the 550. And they they believe the only Ferraris worth having are manuals.
BaT frankly has gone to heck in a handbasket (didn’t want my H word edited). I have really loved @Montgomery Kersten and his comments on BaT - he is here but I don’t see him post often….he has far and away the highest mile 550 and done all his miles (I believe)….i don’t know how old he is but if when he retires (and has more free time)…if he wrote a book about all the adventures or misadventures in his over 100k Maranello miles, I’d buy that book for sure. Montgomery, if you see this…in your 130k+ miles have you run into overheating (or perhaps ages ago you also did an evolutionary upgrade to stave that off)?
you rang? lol Clyde, YOU are the one who consistently tries to talk crap about the 550 and manuals. Claiming over and over the the F1 is the holy grail! Look in the mirror POT as you are calling the Kettle ..... I am not a know it all, but I am a know more than you! lol I owned a shop that worked on these cars for 18 years. I was chief instructor for a Ferrari dealership at Willow Springs. I have driven about every Ferrari up to the F50. Manual and F1, street and track. I have a different experience than you. We also have a 550 with 30K that I have put about 15K of those miles on. My dad about 10K and my son about 5K. Living in SoCal and Phoenix, AZ. YOU fail to accept that the 550 is not inherently going to overheat. YOU state over and over that EVERY 550 is going to overheat. Sure I have seen cars that do. From drivers that let them sit or drive slow in hot climates. Almost any sports/super/hyper car from that era or earlier will do the same. An F1 car will do the same - should we go around saying how Ferrari F1 cars overheat, so you better buy a 575M as its the best car ever? I have said over and over that the overheating issue is a USE/DRIVER issue, not a car issue. I have said over and over that the 550 and 575 are DIFFERENT cars and that the F1/6MT are DIFFERENT. Not better or worse than each other - JUST different. My bet is you are an old guy and don't like to shift. Cool beans. enjoy your F1. JUST STOP trying to make yourself feel good by bashing every 550 on BAT and anyone that likes a 6MT. There are choices as people like different things. Stop trying to justify your choice by making others feel inferior. Its just not cool. Which is also why BAT deleted your post. You have never owned a 550. You are not a Ferrari tech, nor employed one. I think you might want to take a moment and reflect. Oh, BTW, ours is bone stock for cooling and our AZ based independent has said over and over "drive it like Ferrari intended and you will never have a problem" - but he doesn't know anything either right Clyde (fyi, he was a dealer tech and chief mechanic on a Challenge team for a leading Dealership for years and years). lol. Nope, we should all just listen to a 575 owner who has the "facts"
Peace not war (please) xoxo the Maranello F1 discussion vs 6MT to me is like saying one woman is more beautiful than another….personally I enjoy Baskin Robins and all her 31 flavors ;-)
thats the point. There are pros to all the options. Authoritatively stating one is better lacks context or subtext. But it is true that the market clearly feels the 6mt is worth more. .
The owner's manual of my '00 550 states, page 3.12, that "the maximum permissible temperature is 239°F (115°C)". By this logic then I guess 550s will happily blow hoses and headgaskets all day long due to boiling coolant, but no Sir, this not "overheating" as per Ferrari's meaning of the term. Lol.
Coolant typically boils over 300F. The more water or antifreeze and less coolant, that can lower. But at 239/115 you should not be boiling in a closed system. I’ve seen temps at this level or higher in various race cars of mine or that I’ve driven a time or two. It’s not good, but not fatal typically.
My comment was slightly tongue in cheek. The bottom line is that coolant temp on a street car should never exceed 100°C, regardless of what Ferrari claim.
Unlike yourself I use my real name ok, and you can google it to find out about me. As for yourself its whatever you say, otoupalik You're like the Iranians I use to train to fly F-4's, all back talk, limited skill set, watch me now!. you have no knowledge of my mechanical abilities and the vehicles I have worked on. Both on the ground and in the air. As frame of reference, I will attach an award that you will never achieve because no one in their right mind would let you near an aircraft that had people on it. The 550's have a record of overheating, the thread is on this forum. We have a saying in the TAF (Tactical Air Forces) oh never mind you are a penguin. a bird that doesn't fly! Image Unavailable, Please Login
I have owned two 550s and still own one. 550s do not overheat unless there are faults in the system. 550 cooling system is adequate but not robust. There are many things that can be done to add robustness. I've worked on my ferraris since the 70s never using a ferrari mechanic. I have never found a need to improve the 550 cooling system.
One more thing and then I am a dot. your 18 years of wrenching on cars would not allow you to do a walk around inspection on a Cessna. Working a Ferrari is a piece of cake compared to anything I've worked on where people's lives were on the line. Keep this in mind otoupalik we Americans put a man on the moon, it wasn't the Italians! working on a Ferrari is a not all that!
I am glad for you. But you have to be aware that its a sub par system. Ferrari upgraded it with the 575.
lol, thanks for giving me a good laugh. Almost everything you have said is wrong, starting with me not using my real name. Wanna try again? Click my profile, that is my name, a picture of me in a rather famous car prior to going to Goodwood, acting as chief instructor at a real track. Nothing hidden or fake. I am completely transparent. hard to believe your about the details when you miss that rather large one! much respect for your service and excellence on aircraft. However that is a diversion from the point at hand. You are attempting to manipulate the conversation with smoke and mirrors. Nothing you have said gives you any qualifications on the 550, as a Ferrari expert or as someone with a credible data point. so many people keep telling you that their own personal 550 doesn’t overheat and you cannot let it go. Yes, a 550 will get hot, like any other sports, super or hyper car - if used incorrectly. Just like a Enzo will. Or an f40, or f50. we are all glad you like 575, it is an excellent car. It is a different car than a 550, I am not sure you need to continue to attempt to try to convince people that the 550 is an inferior car to your precious 575. They are different cars. stick to the birds, you simply don’t know what you are talking about on this topic.
Maybe you missed that we ran a race team. We built and maintained a fleet of customer race cars. People’s lives were very much on the line. I am not sure why you always seem to want to make yourself or your possessions better than other people/things. It’s a weird character trait.
No it is an adequate system. Every new generation is better. That's the way of progress. You might love the sound of a 355 exhaust but it just can't compete with the 430 after it. Each model has a charm of its own.
That's true. I'm a racer prepping my car right now for a year of travel racing on the Eastcoast. No one is paying me to race. My #1 goal, build a car that does not fail even if it costs me laptime. Loosing brakes or loosing a tire 160mph at Daytona isn't a good day. Image Unavailable, Please Login
