Camera position is a bit high… Had quite some fun today along with STO and 750s Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat
Do you really think the power in the 750s is way better than the 296? Also, Did you compare lap times with your runs in the various cars? (Btw looks like you had a great time out there and thanks for posting)
I mean, unequivocally the power (not better or worse) is greater in the 296 vs the 750S. The delivery of that power and how it’s translated to performance will be different.
750s feels almost as fast if not faster.. But I like the power delivery of 750s better than 296. Has more drama pushing the car. Quite scary to be honest but for sure fun as hell. 296 feels very elegant and confidence inspiring. Also builds speed like no other with good manner encouraging driver to go faster. Lap times… sorry I am not doing lap times at all. I do compare my cars how well and easy to slide though… BMW Ms are super easy to slide. Ferraris are also up there though I cannot push that much for the fear of something goes wrong. 750s is at the top. Car gives every feedback I need and my reaction is instant because I know for sure that what my 4 tires are doing. 296 and 750s is at the peak of the sports car from each company and I am amazed how good they are at their own thing even though quite different beasts at the same time. Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat
Thanks for that. I was surprised at your comment on mclarenlife as I’d agree that handling feels better on the 750s but not the power. However, it’s all very subjective so each person will have their own feel which is why was asked about lap times. I’d love to see some back to back comparisons with the same driver, same track, same day. The picture of all three cars was great!
No helmets? Can't tell for sure (maybe open faced), but doesn't look like you are wearing a helmet in the mirror.
It is open faced helmet mounted camera. But the mount point is too high. I thought I aligned it with my eye sight but it is blocking some of center eye sight and also moves around with helmet touching the headrest. It is hard to make exciting POV. But at least I found good substitute for my old old sony action camera. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
I roll raced a 750 a few times. Very close but the 296 came out ahead every time and from various starting speeds. But the 750s felt faster in the cabin due to the more aggressive power delivery/wind noise/less sound deadening "more rawness" of the 750s as a whole. All in all it was so close that it didn't matter. Both great cars.
How did the STO compare to the these two? Lacks power but how was the handling and overall experience compared to the other two? Thank you!
STO is more of race car. Aero is working too. It needs to be driven smoothly. As you can see in my STO videos, when l recover from the slide, l have to be firm and committed to realign the car which shows the characteristic of sharpness. Think of it a hardcore version of 992GT3 front grip. Also, when the car is sliding, there is nothing like this. STO is so easy to initiate the slide and maintain it at the tip of your foot, it seems the car is born to be driven sideways. This is so good car to be driven sideways the more the problem becomes for me. The problem I have, and this might be only me is the position of Mode switch. The switch is on the steering surface. What I mean is when I do shuffle my hands doing counter steering I usually end up touching the switch while grabbing the underside of steering wheel. Then mode turns back to normal or wet mode and it ends the fun turning ESC back on. It is also dangerous. In the end, I was amazed by all 3 cars made differently. It is not which is better than others rather which fits my driving style best STO is out. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
Oh friends who also rode and drove all 3 told me 296 feels like Classic radio channel: graceful and elegant. So easy doing things going fast. 750 feels like live heavy metal: violent and brutal. It hurts and all sweaty lol Funny no one mentioned STO. Maybe the impression of STO was too much race car for them. They used to do races so they found no interest toward STO. They all chose 296. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
Hi...may not be thw right thread but does any one have experience tracking a 296 and a 488? How do they compare Sent from my SM-S908U1 using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Hi, I will take a crack at that question. I used to own a 488. I tracked it every year at Magny Cours. I always had Trofeo mounted to do so. It was usually 6 or 7 sessions per day. I went there 4 years total. The car was amazing. It felt very reactive to my every input on the steering wheel. Acceleration was great. Breaking also. High speed turns, I did not feel the car planted as much as I would have liked, but that is my only complaint. It has not rear wings so my complaint is not even fair. I had lots of fun. I was not the fastest by any measurements but I was faster than most cars on these days I went. I own now a 296 GTB. I drove it first at Paul Ricard and then in Spain on the F1 track of Catalunya. Again mounted with Trofeos. There is no comparison with the 488 (and also because I did not go to Magny Cours yet). But I bet I will be much faster. The car handles better, it feels more planted (I did put stiffer springs all around to account for the fact it is a heavy car which I never felt the 488 to be), it breaks perfect, high-speed turns are no longer "scary" and it accelerates like nothing else. I do not feel as "connected" in the 296 as I felt in the 488. Probably because of the steering which is clearly not as natural in terms of feedbacks I get from what is happening underneath my tires. But, the car gives me so much more confidence while driving fast that I don't really care. I drove sessions with Challenge Ferraris (458 and 488) and for the first time I was faster than some around the track. Most probably it was because the drivers were not so good drivers this time but that had to be the case in the past as well, and it never ever happened tbat I lapped faster tban any Challenge. I posted one video in another thread of one fast lap I did in the 296. Never went full risk and I still managed to go faster than F8, Pista and other F cars. From reviewing this video with an instructor present and coaching others, he was shocked of my lap time despite taking lots of sub-optimal trajectories...
Contrary to 488, when you step over with 296, weight hits you and it will spin right away. Transition is too fast to correct. Like you see in the last of my vid… Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
Thank you both for your input. I have been tracking my 488 for about 4 years now, and I thoroughly enjoy it. Even with maxing out the camber, it still understeer but enjoy the beautiful sound and steering. I now also have a 296 AF. Only 100miles on it but find the sound very artificial and steeering very light. Obviously, it's still under break in, but I'm starting to worry about which car to keep. Sent from my SM-S908U1 using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Ferrari design the road cars to understeer on the track , it is a self limiting factor for customers that is a lot safer than over steer . lets face it Ferrari have to cater for a broad range of owners and drivers
Putting on Trofeos is a must. Upshifting to a higher gear coming out of some curves allowed me to accelerate earlier and more easily. This is true, in my experience, for both the 488 and the 296. I never spun the tires on the 296 around the track. I drive in CT off (not all off). And not sure how much stiffer are the springs on the AF vs non AF but that modification on my non AF was a night and day change. And I totally agree that the steering wheel feel is (too) light. It requires extreme caution and highest precision with your hand motions at high speeds. Again, personally, I cannot be more satisfied having sold my 488. Neither of them is or was a "track" car but once a track the 296 will kick the 488 behind... And to me the sound I hear inside the car (296) is really cool vs. the 488. Outside is a different story. Much less loud vs. the 488. But I do not really care what people on the outside hear as I am driving by...
AF is night and day. Spring modification is much cheaper and tailored to one’s needs so I would do it too if I want better track performance. Sound wise, I prefer 296 over any turbo V8 Ferraris of current and past(Pista included) Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
Hi...are you running stock alignment or is there a published track alignment to change to. Sent from my SM-S908U1 using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Having some experience with the 488 and only a few laps with the 296 (at Val de Vienne in France and Varano in Italy), it's obvious the 296 is faster, and by far. Straight line difference was a given, considering the power advantage of the 296; but what I did not expect was the cornering speed gap in favor of the 296 - it may have a better chassis (488 has a design that's just an evolution of the 14-year old 458, after all), and the open V6 and the batteries of the 296 probably lower significantly the center of gravity, allowing to overcome (with some margin) the weight penalty. My only reservation was some perceived instability under hard braking, not really a problem (the car still goes where you want) but (to me) disturbing at first. Late and (initial) hard braking is (for me) the way of driving on the track, since it allows trail-braking into a corner and is a good antidote against understeer. Anyway, the 296 is certainly on a different level, unlike the Pista or F8, that were faster than the 488 but remained actually close.
We did two sessions of wet skidpad exercises at Corso Pilota and I experienced the same thing: when the 296 *starts* to spin, it was almost too late to catch it. And it rotates around you so quickly. Unlike anything else I've driven. I figure its that central weight of the battery and hybrid systems. The 458 you could push into a slide, and then stop pretty much at will.
I run all cars stock. This one too. I don’t time the lap so I feel no need to change the alignment. However, I change tires. I always go for Michelin. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
Sorry, this is a few months later, but I am prepping for the new "season"... I did drive my stock 296 GTB on track but only once, relatively slowly. It was cold, so I had to warm up tires too. But my impressions were that to function well, without Asseto Fiorano, the car needs nothing but different tires, and stiffer suspension, compression in particular. Steering, power, brakes, balance in all conditions, was already great. So what would you recommend for occasional track outings, Michelin Cup2? or what's the Pirelli equivalent? and somewhat stiffer suspension (compression damping, springs as you mentioned, any stabilizers?). Thanks in advance for any relevant suggestions!
