I think this just needs to be out there. I am not saying the F1 is better than the manual, what I am saying is that if you really like driving, then the F1 in the 355 is the best, and it will never be duplicated. "But all these others are so much faster and smoother..." That's crap! The 355F1 does not have electronic throttle, so it REQUIRES the driver to know how to use it properly. If you cannot heal-toe, you shouldn't be driving it. It's the best of both worlds: hands on the steering wheel, no missed gears, quick interchanges, BUT you have to know what the car is doing, what the motor is doing, and work with the system to get the most out of it. Otherwise, it does work like crap, just like a poorly driven manual. And the sounds. Yes, the lightning shifts of the scud are neato, but in the 250 ms that mine shifts I can discern are the different sounds of the system working - the pop as the throttle comes off, the gears being swapped, the clutch engaging and the subsequent howl as the power comes back on. I just love it! The newer gear boxes are little removed from slush box autos if you ask me. And it's the only one that says "F1"
I just recently had a 99 F1 in the shop with a trashed gearbox. No used ones out there. Ended up modifying an earlier box into an F1. Quite a challenge but other than spending half the value of the car on a new one that was the owners only option. Karl
CHEERS to that!!! love the F1 shift sound....and an absolute blast when tearing up twisty CT roads! Love this factory video of how it works...still wish I had a high quality DVD version of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDEeoYwt3Qc
There is no difference between the transmissions in manual shifter or F1 shifter 355s, 360s, 575Ms, 612s, 430s, or 599s. Even the clutches are the same. Only differences are the shifter mechanisms (including clutch pedal), throwout bearings, and addition of a clutch position sensor for F1 shifters. No digital throttle on the 355 definitely means more driver involvement in shifting, which sounds like it would be a lot of fun, as J. stated. The pedals on my F1 575M are ideally placed for heel and toe, so assume the 355 is the same. Taz Terry Phillips
The 355 did require beefed up selector forks for F1 but the beefed up parts were then incorporated into the standard transmissions.
Brian- Thanks. Had not realized that. 8-900 psi hydraulics give a pretty stout push. Did they have to do that on the later transmission designs, too, or was it just incorporated as standard for both shifter versions? Reread your post and you already answered that question affirmatively. Taz Terry Phillips