Hi all, After a lot of lurking and browsing I'm beyond excited at having an 812 SF, my first Ferrari, arrive next week. Image Unavailable, Please Login . Its a Grigio Ferro with Bordeaux leather and literally looks like new. Keen to hear any advice from other owners about what to do/not to do/things to look out for at the start of the ownership journey. Im London based and equal parts terrified and excited about whats to come... Thanks for any advice from others that have taken the same leap Best Olly
Beauty! Only race mode, always in manual mode, keep the car plugged in with the tender when not in use. If you can, lift the hood when its parked with the tender, these cars give off enormous heat which the battery hates, by lifting the hood it prolongs the battery life.
Thanks - this is great advice. Do the driving modes have different exhaust sound implications? (I have a 991 Targa GTS and only ever drive it in Sport also as it sounds like a gunfight when you come off the gas )
Nice choice but on the 20 mph streets of London you might find race/manual a little wearing and prefer something a little calmer ?
Advice? Drive it! Secondary advice…. What was said above is good advice - always use the tender. But even then, the battery will probably go at 3-4 years. Simple fix, get the Ferrari dealer to replace it with one of the Ferrari recognised (but non OE) replacements. I think Odyssey is one of them from memory. The other thing about London is security. Having just had a Ferrari stolen, and thankfully recovered, from London, I can tell you it is very easy for thieves to get around the security systems. There are precautions you can take such as additional systems which are very worthwhile IMO. The problem is with 488 & 812 generation. Take care because I can tell you it is very stressful. Otherwise, you have an absolutely wonderful car, one of the very best!
Did 13,000 miles in mine and kept it on the street in London. Drove it regularly and never put it on tender so they are a bit more robust than a lot of people think but if you can plug it in must be sensible to do so. I swapped the tyres from Pirelli to Michelin PS4S which I and many others think is the best road tyre for it. Drive it as much as you can.They are just wonderful cars. Be a little careful with the right foot early on though.I found myself sideways on the A303 a few weeks into ownership and this was not a particularly good look ! Once you learn the car the package is fantastic but it is not as easy to extract all the performance as say a Speciale.It is a car that needs to be learnt and is all the more rewarding for it.
Congratulations! my advice is to take your time to know the car. It’s a wonderful machine and I think overall friendly, but if this is your first Ferrari, it might surprise you- especially with cold tires on cool roads. I suggest if the roads are cold you actually start out in wet mode, then work up to sport and then to race. The modes are well judged to help you, but as you go into the more aggressive modes the systems will give you more leeway. Here’s a video that shows how quickly things can get away from you- these are very wonderful but also powerful machines- take your time to learn how it feels. I love Ferrari- you have to remember to respect it. Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat
Oh wow im sorry to hear about the theft. Im 100% keeping it in a storage facility not on my drive with this in mind!
I hear a lot of people saying the same about the tyres. Crazy they come with something thats not quite right for the car in the first place. Are the michelins less likely to end up sending the car in a pirouette when you flex the right foot or is it more about ride comfort? Thanks again for the tips!
Ferrari has a partnership with Pirelli; that's why they always use their tires. For the street, the Michelin Pilot 4s is a tire that's almost impossible to beat. If possible I try to install these tires in all my vehicles as the feel and grip is just that noticable. Virtually everyone forgets that tires are the only thing connecting the car, all all it's power and technical wizardry, with the road.
I think there is a separate thread on this somewhere on Ferrarichat. On the PS4S the car feels less skittish and does not tramline.It is far better road tyre for the 812 IMHO. The Pirellis are good on track once warm but I tracked car on both and did not notice any difference (bear in mind I have very limited ability as a driver so may not be the best judge !)
Enjoy it in good health Incredible machine with lots of power Agreed with all the above - take some time to get to know one another and you’ll live happily together for years (like a marriage) Michelin is the way the go Don’t be a garage queen - make your service guys proud by showing up with miles racked up on it each time you come in. These things are meant to be driven. don’t forget the battery tender Don’t drive off with the tender still connected (I’m speaking from personal experience on that one, lol) Consider some front end protection / PPF to help with rock chips (if you don’t already have it) Don’t be afraid to invest in some winter wheels/tires, so you can safely enjoy it in colder months. Some might think it’s crazy, but to me, there’s little reason not to enjoy the car on colder but totally dry days - with the right set of rubber. You have to be mindful that you won’t be driving it as aggressively, but can still enjoy it all year ‘round. You might hold off on doing this til next year once you’re more comfortable with the car and have had months and many miles under your belt…. Or under your right foot! Fold the mirrors in when parked in public places. It’s a wide car - anything you can do to slim it down, especially on the street, the better. Take lots of pictures! Start on day 1, create an album in your phone. Take them for your memories, not all have to be post-worthy. One day you’ll sit and reflect on the journeys you’ve had with the car and places you’ve gone etc. and you’ll see how the paint looked in different light, how it stacked up to the other cars around it, and how the car changed over time (if you’re going to change/modify things).
Thanks for this - all really great advice. Yes the reason im not picking it up this weekend is due to it going for full PPF next week. The wait is absolutely killing me
Does anyone find the fan noise on the 812 to be quite loud? I'm finding it to be so, even in normal temperatures and without pushing the engine too hard. The fans are quite loud both during and after driving. Maybe I'm just not used to this type of engine, but maybe mine is a bit off.