355 F1 vs. Stick

Exactly.

It comes down to personal preference. Nothing else.

Anything about "skill" or "real driving" is a crock of ****.

The end.

 

It is purely a matter of personal preference. Stick shift for me.

 

Agreed, I was going for looks...which can only be admired while laying under the car

Have you had success rebuilding actuators? I heard from another trusted Ferrari independent that a good hydraulic rebuilder can do this for a fraction of the cost of a new one.

 

Providing it is rebuildable it is cheaper, yes.

Some common repairs yes but not full on rebuilding. I was going to tool up to do it and decided not to. The common failures are not hard to fix provided parts are available.

 

I am not sure about the 360, but I think the 355 is the only F1 car that uses a standard 6 speed transmission & clutch instead of a dual clutch / semi automatic transmission.

The F1 in the 355 is a bit amazing in that when you pull the paddle to select a gear it pressurizes the throwout bearing (just like pushing in the clutch)

The clutch releases.

The actuator moves the input shaft to the proper gear (Instead of you selecting the gear in the car with the stick)

The gear is selected and the clutch is closed. (really really fast if you want it to)

Just like a standard transmission car.

I think that's pretty cool....

 

I'm not capable of driving a stick nearly as well as the F1. I'm sure some can, I cannot. In sport mode, the F1 shifts are incredibly crisp and fast, no mistakes. Even though I still love the stick, I will by buying F1 on any future Ferrari mid-engine purchases that I might make. I still think the stick in a 550 would be the way to go.

 

All of the Ferrari f1's used a standard manual trans with hydraulic actuation until the 458/Cali/FF/F12/LaFerrari generation. The 355 was the only one without drive-by-wire, and hence has almost zero lag from when you pull the paddle to when it shifts, while the rest of the cars through the 430/599 have a bit of a delay while everything syncs up. The downside to that is that the 355 doesn't have as nice of rev-matching, particularly on downshifts, but you can do it yourself. They're all good, and which you like most is subjective imo. The dual clutches are kind of in a different league, though.

 

All except for the 360, 430,575,599 and 612.

 

If there is lag or delay something is wrong.

DBW made it better, not worse.

 

Really, all those models use the same single clutch / shift timing system as the 355? Who knew?

Thanks for correcting me on that.

 

Well said.
As for me I have an F 355, as opposed to a 355 F1. What I would LIKE is to have both in my collection, but I haven't enough cash for that right now.

Ideal: F 355 Spider, F 355 Berlinetta, and a 355F1 GTS for longer drives.

Having ANY 355 was a dream for me years ago. now, I have updated the dream to include 2 F 355's, both blue. I am short one blue F 355. LOL

 

Or three! ;>) Moe, it seems that you are one of the people on this forum who is capable learning. Any used car you buy will be a compromise somewhere. One feature adds a little value for you here, and another feature subtracts a little value there, so now you can evaluate cars with either transmission, and join the owners club with one of the very best drivers' cars Ferrari ever built.

 

+1

 

Agreed! (Since they are all stick)

 

You don't need to completely lift off, but a small reduction in pressure on the throttle makes an enormous difference.
With practice the changes can be remarkably smooth.

If it's jerky and has the pogo effect, the driver doesn't know what they're doing.

 

MoeD, the 355 F1 can be learned. The driver can master it--that's the cool thing about it vs. more computerised modern powertrains. Smooth or brutally fast, maybe even both.

I only had a short experience with a 360 F1, but I suspect that it's like the 355 in that it should be within the scope of a learning curve. Even with a DBW throttle.

The gated shifter is romantic, but those are available on many Ferrari models of that era. Just try finding a MT F355 right now........ha ha ha.

 

Finally someone with some facts. Here are some other facts.
I own one a 99 and i would not trade it for anything. I like the f1 feeling. Will it cost a bit more to maintain over the long run, likely. Will it be that much it terms of the regular maintanance items not likely. The more time that passes the more people find alternatives.

 

I dont think brian said that exactly, i know the 355 has the last dry clutch of the era 360 and 430 use wet clutches. Also they shift faster and their clutches are different but are not dual like the 458 and after.

 

If your not shifting at redline in either mode, yes or if your trying to be smooth yes.

 

Nope, no wet clutches. The 360 and 430 use the same transmission for manual and f1 cars just like the 355.. The main difference is they went to a longitudinal gearbox for the 360 and 430,otherwise they are the same automated manual like the 355.

 

I had never driven an F1 or any paddle shift car prior to buying my 1998 F355 Spyder and once you get use to it, what a pleasure. I have had many many high performance American muscle cars with sticks and while I wanted the gated 6 speed for asthetics, it was the F1 that was available. There are many positives to each type and I really enjoy it. On a side note, had my friends 19 year old kid in the car 2 weeks ago and he wanted to go by his friends house in the neighborhood. While he was texting him of our impending arrival............the kid said.............I hear Ya!!!!!!!!!!! He didn't care or really understand the F1 versus Clutch debate. All Good!!!!

 

I'd prefer a manual but I wouldn't walk away from a nice F1.