Hi guys, I am looking for my first F-car, which could also be a L-car, to be honest. Top of the list is a Scud, even though I know they might be over my budget. So, we have a few rental companies over here that rent Scuds for a track sessions. I purchased half an hour of track time just to try it out, and believe me, it was just as good as I thought. And then some.... However, after a few really hard laps the transmission quit on me, like the gearbox just wasnt there. The gearbox just stopped working, and I could not engage any gears. I coasted to an access road and let it cool off for a few minutes. When I restarted it worked as normal again! It worked for the rest of the time, but to be honest I didnt push it as hard as before. The scary part is that the tech guys from the rental company told me this was not uncommon. So, my question to the experts here; what happened? Is this normal or a symptom of the abuse the car had experienced? It had 20 k miles on it, most likely track miles from unexperienced drivers. It felt like a very expensive problem to me, if it is a common one.... Thanks, Johan
Scud transmission has proved to be virtually bullet proof - an abused track rental isn't representative.
Were the car out driving hard before your turn? I've been on a track once in a scud (3 x 20 mins sessions at a local track) and didn't have that issue but a buddy of mine in Germany told something similar and he thinks it is due to overheating of an F1 pump. He drives around the Nurburgring a lot and his drives usually take hours. I also think that Scud's transmission is pretty tough. Most other cars with auto boxes won't last 20k rental miles especially on the track with questionable service history.
Yes it was driven hard before my turn too. I dont think it is the clutch, since it ran as normal efter cooling off, and my understanding is that a clutch failure smokes and smells. It didnt even try to engage gears, I tried everything (seeing my expensive track time running away). Overheated F1 pump seems plausible. Maybe it is getting worn out of spec, and this is a symtom. Thanks, Johan
Johan, Check your PM (private message). Scuderia is a fantastic exotic sports car if you crave that raw car experience. No need to fear the F1 transmission which is the best feeling F1 single clutch transmission I've driven. In fact it is more engaging that DCTs. Cheers, Don
