Hi, Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of the 355 F1 gearbox? I understand it was the first F1 gearbox in a normal production Ferrari. Some people love it, and others tell me to stay away from them because it's horribly slow. What is your experience? How would you compare it to the manual gearbox in the 355? Thanks, Ton
I cannot compare with the 355 manual gearbox because I am coming from a 348 but bottom line I am really happy with my 355 F1. It takes a while before being acquainted with the F1 geabox. The shifting is really fine especially above 6.000 rpm. I hesitated a lot before going for the F1 gearbox. Today I do not regret my choice! Philippe
Well someone needs to say 'search', because this question is asked every few weeks I can say the F1 shift is nowhere near slow when compared to a 3-pedal car. Just for fun I measured actual shift speed here: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=257580 It is 'slow' as compared to the 360 and 430 F1's - as the technology advanced they got better of course. You will likely go through clutches faster, but they're easy to replace. Also I wouldn't recommend it for stop and go driving, the F1 doesn't like to crawl. But when again what Ferrari does? I'm very happy with it, flat foot wide open throttle shifting is a BLAST!
I did, but not good enough I think. Thanks for the link. Is it faster when you lift your foot a bit of the throttle when you change gear?
Nope... fastest with foot planted over 7k revs. Mine chirps the tires into second and third. No traction control on the 355. For all the bad press, I think it is the BEST. That's what I said, the best. Why? Because the others do it ALL for you. The 355 is still mechanical throttle linkage. So you still have to heel-toe for smooth downshifts, and you have to know how much rev to give it. You get the interaction, but lightning shifts with hands on the wheel and no chance of selecting the wrong gear. Best of both worlds. The people who say it is slow or jerky just don't know how to use it. It is not fire and forget like the newer systems. You gotta be one with the machine!
+355! To anyone who thinks it is jerky: Come on over for a ride...I know how to make mine as smooth as butter in the shifting.
I have a Hewland FT200 in my race car. Dog box, no syncros, lightning shifts because you don't have to use the clutch if you modulate the throttle right. It shifts as fast as you can move a 3 inch lever right up next to the steering heel. You don't even have to take your hand off the steering wheel to shift, just use the heel and last two fingers of your right hand. The 355 F1 shifts faster than the Brabham in race mode, and it can be as smooth as any automatic in normal driving if you do it properly. I'm one of those weird guys that prefer the 355 system over the later versions. All mechanical, I like that.
I am on my second 355 GTS F1 and wouldn't want it any other way. Smooth shifts and a blast on the race track. It is NOT jerky or slow compared to a manual! The gearboxes are however individuals and can vary from car to car. It is probably a mater of setting PIS value... One thing that most people that has not driven the F1 thinks is that it is an all automatic, it is not like a typical AT transmission. You NEED to learn how to drive it and that actually takes some time. For me it took about one season to master it. And I still have things to learn when it comes to using it perfectly on the track
And what about the wear on the clutch and reliablity, if you treat and respect it like a manual? Heard lots of not too good things from sales reps and mechanics but I have not spoken to owners. You guys would know best.
I have had no problem what so ever, and as some one said before, the clutch i easy to change if you need to. Prices are dropping drastically on 355 parts now so I wouldnt worry to much... You can get an indication of prices on superperformance.co.uk if you like.
A big fear is a failure of the F1 pump (was a $12.0-15,0 part) we designed/retrofit 360 units to work at a fraction of the price..
I tried an F1 before i bought my manual, I loved it, had no problems at all getting used to it and it made driving the car more of a 'racing game' experience. I chose the manual simply because that is what I always imagined my Ferrari to have (same reason I have Rosso Corsa/Creme Magnolia) and the right car came along at the right time.
Ton, as you know I had a 328 prior to the purchase of my 355 GTS F1 I can tell you once you have driven the F1 you will never want to go back to a manual, I have had my car 6 years this month which is the longest I have had any car, my only advice is not to judge the system on a test drive alone a friend of mine in Scotland had a 355 F1 spider and he advised me give it 1K miles of driving before you judge and he was spot on. As for it being a slow change I have driven several newer cars and TBH I could not tell the difference. Carlo at top-gear cars drove mine and was also surprised how quick the shift was, if you are thinking about an F1 then go for it as you will not be dissapointed. Dave. Forgot to say another common question is about clutch wear, well after the mentioned 6 years of ownership and 21K miles mine is due for change.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDEeoYwt3Qc This is required watching if you're interested in the F1, 'factory' video on how to use it and the benefits
Clutch wear: I am at 20k on the current clutch and I have not been seeing much wear at all. BIG plus to the 355 is the ease of clutch replacement - much easier than most cars as it hangs off the back of the transaxle. Also, if you know what you are looking for you can remove the cover under the housing and indirectly monitor the amount of friction material left on the clutch (you have to have someone show you what to look for). Again, you gotta know how to drive it. When starting off (most wear happens here...) ease on until you feel it is engaged, then give it the beans. And heel-toe when you downshift, or the clutch will be used to match engine speed. And put it in neutral as you approach a light instead of letting it downshift 6-5-4-3-2-1. And understand the that reverse never fully engages the clutch, so pulse-and-coast, and don't back up an incline. I didn't want the F1 at first. Now I won't give it up.
Re: clutch wear, when I did my major at 22,000 I replaced the clutch just because it was easy at the time. I measured the old one accurately with a micrometer and found it to be not quite 30% worn. It would have lasted for at least 50,000 miles, probably more. That's including a mistake I made due to ignorance in the first week I owned the car. I backed up a steep driveway, in the dark, with trees lining it, scared too death I was going to hit something so I had one foot on the brake pedal while giving it gas (a big no-no). The horrible smell told me I had just used about 5,000 miles of clutch wear in that one incidence.
Quite frankly, anyone who can't shift a manual as fast or faster than a 355 F1 needs to learn to drive a manual. In my experience, it's useless in traffic, marginal when not, and stupidly expensive to fix when it breaks. The newer systems are considerably easier to live with and more reliable, but are still more annoyance than they're worth in any kind of traffic or day to day driving. The only paddle car I've ever driven that wasn't a complete basket case, by my standards, was an electronic system running a race dog box. For my money, and enjoyment, the only place a paddle system belongs is a competitive racing series that is entirely unforgiving to driver error.
