I was at a track day today at Sandown. Aside from a Caterham there was also a Gallardo and Murci for hot passenger laps with a professional driver. I was having a ball and the car was really hauling ass, so much so that I was overtaking most cars on the track, apparently including the instructors when they were driving. My car easily pulled away from the Gallardo's on the day, which was confirmed when not one, but two of the instructors approached me and remarked that my car was noticeably faster than the G cars in a straight line when they were driving. So Ellen and Rob and the rest of the F car bashers, a 550 with nothing more than airfilters and upgraded exhaust, comfortably out accelerated the Gallardo from 100-250kmh. BTW, the first instructor to bring this up, just recently had an F1 test, so he's no slouch, meaning it definately wasn't me having greater turn speed. There were also not 1 but 4 Gallardo's there, so it wasn't a dud car either.
Outstanding! FYI, I am halfway through the "Stephens Stage I" upgrade. Have the exhaust done (tubi x pipe and fuchs exhaust) and looking to get the K&N filters this weekend. I noticed a boost from the exhaust and the sound is simply awesome. Thanks for sharing your exhaust and filter findings. Mike
Thank Dave et al who inspired me to make the changes. The only difference being that I always do before and after dyno's to objectively understand the changes modifcations make on a car.
Hi, that's a great reading. Concerning the mods, are you sure the air filter make that a change ? I mean, i can understand that a straight tube instead of a cat makes a (big) difference, but the rest...? What mods exactly do you have installed that are confirmed to work ? Could you explain that ? Thanks.
I have developed Stephens exhaust, and the trick is to have an efficient scavenging siamese port, NOT just an X pipe. A siamese helps extraction, and gives a great noise, where a basic X just gives a good noise, but can cause turbulance. They're both better than the std central section though, which has a huge restriction built into it. Also, the siamese pipe has no silencer... so you can save youe many $$ on tubi boxes, as they do nothing for power and cause the resonance. The filters alone DO make a big difference on 550, as they are the same as 355, and too small for 550 in std paper form. Ferrari recognised this and the 575 has larger airboxes.
Hi, now this sounds interesting. Is your X-pipe legal, i mean, does it require removal of the cat or not ? What filters are the best ? Do they compromise engine life/Ferrari Warranty ? Thanks for your answers.
Totaly legal, but noise will be up a bit. Depends on how you read it, but was legal at a 75db track day. Cats all stay as normal, no ecu tuning required, filters can be many........ I think BMC are the best, but are expensive, I use "Green Cotton" at about half the price of BMC, and I think K&N do some, but I had a bad experience with the company years ago and shop elsewhere. No engine wear or damage if filters serviced and then left alone properly. Many oil based filters get cleaned and then either over oiled or under oiled, so get it done once, then leave it alone for as long as possible. Have a look at the filters at every service, but don't do anything to them unless you've got some big reason.
Gougoul Use the search function, plenty of data including dyno results here. amenasce Phil recommended I change to pagid RS19's from the RS4's that I previously installed. Much better, no braking problems at the same track, where a month ago I had to bring the car in every 5 laps because of cooked brakes. Current soltion is RS19's and SRF fluid.
My money would still be on the Gallardo. I have seen plenty of tests, videos etc. where it beats the 550 handily. Curious to what Wayne says since he had both at the same time.
It seems to be an odd comparison anyway. The 550 isn't really the same type of car as a Gallardo. The G is much more in tune with a 996 TT or a 360/430. The G styling just doesn't cut for me also as it is much too angular and uncohesive. The 550 is really the epitome of a GT car that came out great.
Short and simple: I'm sure that the Gallardo can out-perform the 550 on curves and probably give it a run for the money on a straight. My beef with the G (which I sat in at Ferrari of Denver a few weeks ago) is simply that you're sitting on a hard seat, hemmed-in by windows the height of your hand's finger span with your vision also obstructed by the a-pillars in the front (forget any "view" from the 4oclock b-pillar on the right) AND the controls on the dashboard-- besides looking like they were pulled from an Audi basic design class-- were HARD TO REACH! Driving a Gallardo would be like driving in a world of Lamborghini. On the other hand, in the 550, I'm in harmony and in tune with the real world in which I'm cruising! I'm comfortable in my seat. I can reach all the controls easily. AND DAMN IT I can see out of it in all directions, day or night! And that means that I can see the sick jerks who are "gonna show me a thing or two" in their "fast" what-the-___ cars, as they pull up from behind me on the interstate. If I was driving the really cool looking (WOW) Gallardo up I-25 north of Denver, it would attract even more dysfunctionals-- AND I wouldn't have the situational awareness to know where they were, so I could defend myself from them. I don't have a big enough ego to care (about Tubi or Gallardo or anything that says "look at me") I think Lambos are made by really cool people who care about their battle with Maranello (the joke about Enzo insulting Ferruchio, the tractor salesman, who didn't like Ferrari clutching, is wonderful!) PS: A week ago, I started CarZotica! (check http://www.CarZotica.com)
"This Ferrari is noticeably quicker than the Gallardo" this is a verbatim quote from one of the instructors. Come down to Aust, so I can take some of your money then!! On most race tracks you would be right about the Gallardo lapping faster driven to the limit, the point being, that in a straight line, the Gallardo can't keep up with a 550 with nothing more than a tweaked exhaust and airfilters. Rob F posted a video last year of a race at similar speeds between a 550 and a Gallardo on the street, which had a very different result. I didn't go to the track to beat gallardo's, nor at any time on the track was I even conscious of it. It was only after the fact when I was approached, that I was even aware that this had been happening. I had assumed at the time that they were just slower drivers of lesser abilities, so had thought nothing of it.
Stephen.. what tyres were the Gay Yardies on. If they only had roadies, unlike your R specs, they'll struggle on a race track with slow corners before each straight such as Sandown. But yeah.. stick it up the Lambo's when you can, 'cos they'll get you back!
Running side by side I would pull away up the hill and down the straight. Very simple, Gaylardo was slower. You also forgot the 4WD advantage coming off turns. I was only running 1.27's BTW.
Oh yeah 4wd... did forget that. High rolling resistance and huge inertia... good for ploughing fields though.
Its not a factory 550 since its got the upgraded exhaust and airfilters. thats no diffrent from me putting a Notrous bottle in a Acura NSX and beating a Viper then telling everyone i kicked the crap out of an SRT-10. The bottom line is theres a video somewhere of a Gallardo(stock) beating a 550(stock)
My QUOTED statement "550 with nothing more than airfilters and upgraded exhaust, comfortably out accelerated the Gallardo from 100-250kmh" is a statement of fact, what do you not understand about that? How does this relate to nitrous kits on NSX's. Troll someone elses thread please.
Here's a link to the video mentioned a couple of posts ago.... http://www.pistonheads.tv/video.asp?id=181&nr=1
I want that 5 minutes of my life back. What a wank of a video. The 550 driver is useless, can't chose a gear, change a gear or use the rpm. Couldn't drive a greased stick up a dogs ar5e. Totally un controlled test, totally non scientific. Jeez, the 550 even had 2 people in it compared to the Lambo only one. Go buy your Gallardo, and watch out for 550's. Don't waste this thread with crap like that...please. Stephens car is modified, but a Gallardo is not a 550 eater.