Moving from 488 to F8

It might be worth reading the (several) existing threads

 

I made that move , the F8 is an absolutely amazing car. IMHO , better looking inside and out as well as quicker. However, the sound/ exhaust note is horrendous at best. My 488 with the valves pulled sounded amazing. Go drive one first and if sound is you thing the F8 is a dud. The dreaded GPF filter is the problem with no easy fix without blowing up the warranty.

 

A good buddy recently made the switch from a 488 to an F8 and his comments pretty much echo those of @Cigarzman. He finds the hike in performance the most noticible difference but doesn't seem too concerned about the sound difference despite it being considerable.

 

Scout, didn’t you move from 458 to 488 “recently?”, what are you thoughts on be 488 vs 458?

 

I moved from a ‘17 488 to a ‘22 F8. I bought the first used and was able to order the F8. It was a fun process but pricier than it’s worth considering the minimal difference between the two…in my opinion. I have the Novitec X pipe race exhaust (cat back only, just eliminates the gpf) so I love the exhaust sound.

 

i just went from 2018 488 to 2022 f8 and was concerned with what i read about the sound. to me the sound is the same. i bypassed valves on my 488 and did same on f8 and it sounds good

 

I have the same exact opinion. I do love my F8 though!

 

So you took off the vacuum hoses on the valves?
Did you close the hoses or leave them open?

 

capped the valve and blocked the hoses.

 

Love my 488; the 100K+ delta would be challenging for me to reconcile.

I have some seat time in one but that was really just a rip without any context for comparison. Now I have some decent seat time in the 488, I'd be interested to see if there are improvements on understeer and braking with the F8.

Mine has been made a little 'spicier' so the performance is comparable. So the handling is my only 'wish list' aspect after moving from a McLaren 720.

 

My F8 brakes don't squeal my 488 did. About the only real difference. I try not to think about the $ delta. My delta from 488 to F8 was $85k.... hummm lol ugh it is what it is... live once and i love my F8

 

Curious as to why the move out of the 720? I have a 458 but am interested in adding a 720 or 750 at some point.

 

I went from a 488 Spider to a F8 Spider. For me, almost everything about the F8 is better.....interior, exterior styling (subjective), handling, the Pista engine (which is 40 pounds lighter and just feels better/more immediate). And everyone is 100% correct that the downside is the sound, it's definitely more muted and very difficult to do much about it. My 488 also had the electric sets, and if you are tall those can present a challenge vs. the carbon race seats which are thinner. I was never comfortable in the 488, so it was a no-brainer for me.

The 488 occupies a weird spot in the lineup...not as fast as the F8, or as good-looking as the F8/458 (opinion). Doesn't have the "last N/A V-8" tag that people love about the 458. Prices seem to be barely above a quality 458 spec, and I actually think it's the best value of the group. It's a good deal quicker than a 458.

TLDR: The F8 is a better car in nearly every way. 100k better? That's a tough call and just comes down to personal feeling.

 

I have a 488 and my brother has a F8. Driving both I don't see the need to upgrade. A worthy upgrade is a SF90. The 488 gives you 90% of the F8 and the Pista. Especially if you drive it the way it's meant to be driven. After almost 20k miles my factory exhaust sound delicious and is often confused for an aftermarket exhaust.

 

Good question. If I could have both I would.

I had a 2020 Spider and loved it - some of the McLaren gremlins would act up occasionally and because it wasn't stock (nothing crazy) the McLaren dealer didn't give me great feelings about supporting me with warranty. That and the car just didn't feel like it was going to be reliable. So, I shifted to what I had always wanted to move back into - a Ferrari.

Another great motivation for selling the 720 was this market we are talking about. I was able to drive this for a year and exit at my entry price. If I had waited a few months more, it would have been a loss closer to the cost of a second daily. Great car though.
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I second the McLaren deprecating curse. I lost 30K on my 2019 570S Track Pack in less than a year of ownership (pre covid rise) and I was the first owner of it but it was a demo car and I paid WAY under sticker for it. So...I thought I bought into it right. I was wrong haha. Never again!

 

IMO wouldn't move from the 488 GTB to the F8. I thought about it for a long time. Cant drive the 488 GTB any faster than I do now and will not give up the beautiful note that has fully developed now..

 

Exactly, it's already so damn fast it's borderline hard to have fun in it without going to jail. That and the rear end is much prettier

 

I thought about this for a year or so....moving from my 488 to F8. Money wise it might or might not make sense. We will see in the future with pricing. However after long consideration I thought screw it...put the money delta aside and with the push of my wife after we went to look at the F8 in Orlando I traded my 488 for an F8. I found a F8 somewhat local at the Orlando Ferrari dealer and got a good deal on the whole package and went for it.

I really wanted race seats for comfort and looks and I really wanted to experience a F8 as it is the closest I will get to a Pista. The F8 I found was in a spec I really liked too. I like the 488 look, much better than 458 and the 488 power over the 458. the 488 is a monster of a Ferrari!!!! I love all the aero on the F8 that is much like the Pista and that it is the last non-hybrid V8 mid engine and a tribute to the 8 versions before it. I like the F8 interior better as well.

 

IMHO, the F8 is 100k better looking inside and out. However, it’s 100k worse than the 488 in the sound / exhaust department. After 3 years with my F8 spider I’m still shaking my head in disbelief as to how Ferrari would deliver this car with such pathetic sound. This sums up my perspective.

 

Sound is a somewhat pretty easy fix if we do not care about the cars powertrain and electronics warranty. I am trying my best to deal with the lack of sound. I've only had my F8 since April 24 and driven it 1000 miles so far. I am ok waiting a while longer to see if I keep the car...I plan on it. After warranty is gone I just might do a package that removes the GPF, mufflers and valves and tune it so it runs like stock...no need to tune for more power and I hate the fake pops and bangs....just a tune for proper air fuel mix and timing to keep reliability in check.