360 f1 clutch upgrade..

Unless you have a 1999, clutch replacement is more driver than car. We all have worn this concept out faster that any clutch could. Your correct use of the word, "stupid" is right on the money.

We might ask ourselves: Why do some of us get miles and miles of trouble free driving in F-1 cars, while others do not? Ignorant (not a dirty word) driving will destroy an F-1 pretty quick. Sort of like riding a clutch and wondering why it fails. Education is always the answer. That's why race drivers, for instance, do better. I'm on my second trouble free F-1 car BTW.

 

You have to keep in mind that there is a small class of greasers who have slid into Ferrari ownership by the skin of their teeth, and in no way, shape, or form can afford proper maintenance. Such owners are going to have an un-Ferrari-trained, unauthorized mechanic slap in the cheapest clutch that can be found.

That mechanic isn't going to have the Ferrari SD3 tool, so he won't be able to set the clutch POS, and probably won't even know how to bleed an F1 hydraulic line to eliminate air.

That alone will *sharply* limit clutch life. Yeah, the greaser has a new clutch in his 360, so he can drive *today*. And that's what matters to him.

Compounding the above is that such an owner probably doesn't know that an F1 system is *not* an automatic transmission. Automatic trannies have torque converters...F1 trannies do not.

Instead of actual torque converters, F1 trannies slip the clutch via software to *emulate* a torque converter. This is actually a very clever, useful, and powerful way to put extra power (one less tranny component from engine to wheels is eliminated by having no torque converter) to the ground...

...but, it means that driving in reverse up an inclined slope is going to kill your F1 clutch. Even idling at a stop light will eat up an F1 clutch if you don't manually shift into N (though the software will eventually do so for you after some wear has occurred).

So "cheaping out" on proper maintenance combined with not knowing how to correctly drive an F1 means that a certain class of F1 Ferrari drivers will see very, very short clutch life.

Whereas, the vast majority of Ferrari owners will see many, many thousands of trouble-free F1 driving miles.

 

I've followed all the things you have said (Algar advice also) and have had no trouble. I thought, however, that sport mode had to do with the suspension, not the transmission. Am I wrong?

 

Being a relative new-comer to F-car ownership (which is a 360F1), would somebody please describe the "correct" way to drive these and avoid clutch wear? I've owned quite a few manual cars in the past and have NEVER had issues with any of my clutches, regardless of mileage. I've read pretty much every post on this topic on the board. Aside from the "don't back up hills" and "don't continually slip the clutch when stopped (rocking back and forth)", what else can we control? Is it the manner of starting out from a standstill? Try to get the clutch to fully disengage (or maybe it's engage...I don't know which is which) as quickly as possible? Could somebody enlighten me (or should I say, us)?

PS

Rifledriver (Brian) who is very well respected on this board has made an emphatic statement that keeping the car in gear while stopped causes no more clutch wear than putting it in neutral. Although opinions definitely vary on this point... I think I'll stick with Rifledriver's view just for the sake of having something to believe in!

 

The "R-Man" will not steer you wrong. I simply prefer to go to neutral on the long stops (more than 2 minutes). Just make sure you master the steady accelerator pressure technique on up shifts.

 

what happened to the "R-Man"...miss his expertise.....if nothing else but to be a fly on the wall and learn.

 

Just to be sure I'm not misunderstood - I wasn't being facetious, my question is sincere about the "right way" to drive the F1. (My post wasn't meant to have any web chat room "cattiness" behind it). It seems to me the biggest variable is how you start out from stopped - is that correct? Consistent pedal pressure during upshifts makes sense - the system functions flawlessly that way. Any other guidance?

 

Question : Is there any reason that a mechanic that has worked for many years ,on all kinds of vehicles but not ferrari do a clutch on a 360F1.

Reason is I employ a mechanic in our limousine garage and we are getting ready for a clutch on the 360 , is it such a big job , the only obvious tool we dont have in our box is a SD3 .

any ponters would be apreciated.
thanks Dan

 

Any competent mechanic can do it. You NEED a manual there are to many little things (ex: flywheel/clutch sensor shims) that you need to reference There are some things that are unique to an F1 setup, the gear change actuator is one of the them. The trans is also the oil tank for the engine so there are additional oil lines to deal with. As far as special tools goes the SD2/3 and a proper pilot is about it. It's not really a complicated job but allot of stuff needs to be removed (airbox, exhaust tail panel ect.) good luck and just take your time!