Ferrari F1 Versus Porsche PDK

Characterizing the 430 variant of the F1 transmission as harsh is harsh. I have driven my 430 under many conditions, I have never (or at least rarely) found it harsh. Lets keep in mind that we are discussing a high strung sports car, not your grandfather's Buick with a slushbox automatic.

The 360 variant of the F1 I found to be clunky to the point that when I test drove a couple of examples I kept looking in my mirrors to see if I was leaving pieces of the transmission on the road. This is one of the reasons I purchased the 430. The 430 is very civilized.

BTW, I dont mean to disparage the 360 transmission, it is entirely possible that the two examples I test drove were not properly sorted.

 

Correct. My 360 is seamless unless you are on it......


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It is quite possible that they weren't set up well. I have driven several and most don't drive like my car. Setup isn't straight forward and is easy to get wrong.

 

This topic always seems to bring out emotions...For some reason a lot of folks really love to defend the F-1 trannys....without acknowledging their short comings. I can acknowledge that a manual is much slower but more engaging for me. I can also acknowledge that a DCT is super fast and super smooth....Having owned one I can also acknowledge that the F-1 SCT is jerky and comber some around town and also harsh at full throttle, but fast as we'll...But some people enjoy that. Each one offers a different experience.

 

and the F1 tranny on 100% of 458s.

 

Honestly, I like the F430 robotized F1 box better than the 458's DCT.

The DCT does a lot of things better in daily driving situation but it lacks the rawness and mechanical feel of the older F1.

It's one of those analog vs digital things. In the F430, you get the feeling that there are literally gears being jammed back there. In the 458, it's more like someone flipped a switch.

 

I have a 3-pedal 2008 Cayman S and a 2001 F1 360, and my wife has a 2011 Boxster S with PDK. We drive the Boxster on the track. Trundling around, I usually leave the Boxster in auto, but on the track I drive it in manual mode. In auto, it will downshift in turns, which disturbs the car a bit. In manual, I get my downshifting done on the straights, as with a 3-pedal car.

Although the PDK is very fast and smooth, I actually enjoy driving the 360 more, always in manual mode. When I first bought it, I tried out the auto mode a few times, but I didn't like it.

As for the Cayman, I am glad to have a car with 3 pedals so that I don't lose the downshifting skills I have developed over many years. But I prefer to drive the Ferrari. I really like the F1 transmission.

 

So you haven't driven the Speciale I guess ? If you want to shake your head at every upshift, you can have it
Shifting under full throttle gets pretty close to shifting in the Aventador in Corsa-mode.
Plus, it shifts so incredibly fast...

 

pdk > F1

 

I think OP was asking more about auto mode, and with that only in mind the PDK is light years ahead of the F1. It has to be after all look what models Porsche puts it in.

 

He was asking if he should drive in manual mode and of course the answer is yes. F1 is a manual gearbox.

 

+1

 

My suggestion would be to meet up with other car enthusiasts. Get to know others over time. Share your experiences and they will share theirs. Offer others to test drive your vehicle. I wouldn't necessarily ask others to test drive theirs. If things are cool they will offer to you. Even if they don't you can still discuss and ask questions.

Good luck in your search.

 

Spourreza- Sounds like you have the big picture now and your summary is pretty much spot on. A Ferrari will be much more involving and satisfying than a Porsche for most drivers, so good luck with your choice.

 

Automatic is superior, not just for most of us but, for professional Porsche drivers as well. They drive the GT cars to the fullest of their potential in auto the whole time. How do I know? Hot lapppppzzzzzzzz at track events (I work for Porsche.)

 

This was the first I heard auto mode wasn’t worse on the clutch for the F1. Not that I’ve ever been tempted to use it but it may make it easier for my wife to drive.


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As mentioned, a DCT in auto is the way to go for race cars. Computers are a lot faster than humans, duh. But how many of you race your sport car? Other than the occasional track day, I hope you guys are not doing stupid things on public roads. If I had to guess, most of you are running at no more than 6/10s of capacity, which in modern sports cars is a lot. My advice is to safely enjoy your car so you don’t end up on the nightly news. Also remember it is more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.


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Nice first post, bumps a 5 year old thread. Let's not rehash this one.

 

I suspect you will be disappointed by the 430.
If already a porsche guy, go 996 / 997 GT3
either way.
Life is an adventure
enjoy!

 

Still being fairly new to the Ferrari ownership I,ve been told by Ferrari techs avoid using the auto mode as it accelerates clutch wear...what is the factual answer....??

 

Factual answer is it's a 5 year old thread that's been done to death. Try the search function and if that doesn't work try the internet.

 

I took your advice and OMG there is a ton of threads on this question unfortunately like many questions the opinion is all over the board...my gut believes manual is safer and may be more reliable long term...I’ll keep reading on this..