458 Italia: review | FerrariChat

458 Italia: review

Discussion in '458 Italia/488/F8' started by OpenFlash Performance, Feb 15, 2017.

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  1. OpenFlash Performance

    Mar 3, 2016
    187
    SF Bay, CA
    Full Name:
    Shiv Pathak
    Hi guys,
    I posted this review a few months back on a closed fb group of car nuts here in Silicon Valley/Bay Area. Figured I might as well post it here too...

    Long term update on 458 Italia (LONG)
    I've put nearly 8000 miles on the car in the last 10 months (got the car with ~9k on the clock). The only maintenance I've done 1 oil change ($250), replacement tires ($1800) and a nice detail/wax ($400). It's been my daily driver for the most part. Rain or shine. In fact, it's been my ride during this past week's on-going rainstorm (hence the nice layer of mud on it in the second picture). I work from home so 100% of the driving I do is purely recreational. And it is driven very hard. It's also been my track car of choice since getting it. 2 days at Laguna Seca and 1 day at T-hill. My other sports car (turbocharged GT86 and full bolt-on 2016 MX5) only get driven for work-related purposes (product development vehicles).

    On the street, the 458 is always driven in bumpy road mode (first button I press after starting the car). This provides a taut but absurdly compliant ride that I have never experienced before in any other car. You still get plenty of feedback through the steering wheel and seat of the pants, but there is no harsh impacts transmitted to the cabin. Even on the most nasty roads I could find (Collier Canyon road comes to mind), I never found myself slowing down for rough terrain. And god know i've set some time/distance records on that road! My previous R8 4.2 was also nicely compliant over the bumpy stuff. But it didn't have the body control, pinpoint steering accuracy and front end grip that the 458 provides. Nor was it as eager to change direction. In terms of balance at the limit of adhesion, I'd say they were strangely similar. The cornering limits in the 458 are noticeably higher and the steering is much quicker which does give the impression of being twitchy at first. But somehow as the cornering loads build and the tires begin to give away, the chassis motion becomes calm, predictable and very confidence inspiring. The R8 was also easy to drive at the limit as you could feel the front tires start to claw at the ground at times. This transition from slip to grip was much smoother on the R8 than it was on my old 997TT which was more brutal than delicate. The Porsche was more of a handful getting into a corner but if you timed the throttle correctly for full boost by the apex, it was something to experience! Ride quality and body control was several notches below the R8 which was a notch below the 458.

    When not driving like a lunatic, the 458 is a pretty perfect daily driver. Put it in auto mode and set the dial to Sport (one of the lesser aggressive settings) and it will happily chug along in 7th gear at 40mph without complaining. It will shift smoothly (nearly imperceptible) and never miss a beat as long as the transmission is up to temp. When the car is cold, there is some mild transmission roughness but that goes away after a few minutes of driving. Also when cold, the rear diff can clunk during tight corners (i.e., backing out of the driveway). My R8 did the same thing. Fully warm, no issues. Forward and side visibility is excellent. Rear visibility is crap given that you sit so far forward. So backing out of parking spaces (with cars parked on both sides) can be intimidating. Just cross your fingers and back out slowly which is something that the DCT allows you to do without any detectable clutch slippage.

    Exhaust note is very good, but not great. I think the 430 sounds better with it's higher pitched scream. The 458 is more of a baritone. It's pleasant enough. But for something that revs effortlessly to 9000rpm, it doesn't shriek as one would hope. Maybe an aftermarket exhaust will help.

    563hp isn't a lot these days. But I can honestly say that I've never wished for more power during serious driving. The idea of having an extra 100hp/150lbft in a 488 doesn't quite make sense to me. I understand the figures-driven power war between manufacturers. But I don't think more power necessarily makes cars more enjoyable. To me, the immediacy of a high revving NA engine is tough to beat. I haven't driven a Speciale yet but I suspect it's even more enjoyable. Although I question if the stiffer suspension would work better on the roads I typically drive on.

    Do I miss a manual transmission? Yes and no. While I like using 3 pedals and rowing through a gated shifter (like in my old R8), I understand how that wouldn't work with the 458's super quick steering. It just wouldn't be feasible to take a hand off the wheel while the chassis is moving around. And the super quick ratio steering is one of the things that makes modern Ferraris feel so involving. Keeping both hands on the wheel also spoon feeds delightful tactile info to your brain at all times. So even when I am not driving anywhere close to the limit, I feel thoroughly engaged. Just as much now as when I first drove the car last year. So I can confidently say it's not a gimmick, but a real long term enjoyment enhancer. Shifting faster/going faster is just a pleasant side effect.

    Minor Problems/Weirdness
    -My driver side seatbelt tensioner is weak. It's slow to retract which obviously isn't awesome. Fortunately, I found a company that rebuilds the tensioner back to factory spec for a very affordable price. I'll be doing this soon.
    -A weird quirk that effects all 458/488 is that a failed start (i.e., from not pushing the start button long enough) will cause your dash board to light up with all sorts of errors. You need to cycle the power and drive the car for a few seconds for them to clear. Needless to say, it was surprising the first time it happened to me.
    -Another strange behavior (which apparently is normal) is a very loud solenoid buzzing noise that occurs rarely when the car is cold and during the first time it comes to stop. Ferrari says this has something to do with a pressure relief system in the transmission. Before that was known, I was horrified the first time I heard it.
    -Throttle mapping in Race mode is absurdly sensitive on the street. On the track, it's fine. But driving in the Chipotle parking lot is an exercise in smooth throttle control. It's a little silly. But it was easy enough to solve by remapping the ECU.

    Surprising Good Stuff
    -The 458 is awesome in the rain. You can drive it surprisingly hard and with so much confidence. In fact, it's the only car I drive in the rain these days. I don't know how the front end of the car generates so much grip. And I don't understand how well it puts the power to the ground. And when it starts to slide, it does so progressively and with no surprises. It's more Miata-like than a Miata in this respect.
    -The car is very pitch sensitive which is nice on the road. Feeling the car change attitude when trailing into corners is great fun. Provides me with a level of adjustability that I have not felt before. This means I can enjoy driving the car at 6/10ths which isn't something that I expected!
    -Other than remapping the throttle table in the ECU, I have no inclination to modify anything else in the car. Maybe the exhaust one day if I hear something that sounds really good. But even that is unnecessary. This is the first car that I have ever owned where I would be perfectly happy leaving it 100% stock. It's also the first car I've owned where I am just as enthralled with it nearly a year after driving it home for the first time. By now, I'm usually looking at replacements and running financial feasibility calculations. So this is a welcome change!

    Thanks for reading!
     
    alibo70 and Shahaf like this.
  2. spiders

    spiders Formula Junior

    Jun 8, 2012
    474
    Nice review, Shiv. Enjoy the 458!
     
  3. JimPVB

    JimPVB Formula Junior

    Apr 24, 2016
    633
    Florida
    Well done...have to admit feeling the same way about my 458, and have been struggling with the idea of giving it up when my 488 arrives.....may have to keep both....which wouldn't present a problem with garage space given that my wife's car likely wouldn't be there.....



    Jim
     
  4. Ngcanada

    Ngcanada Formula Junior

    May 16, 2016
    622
    Ottawa Canada
    Excellent write up! Thanks for posting
     
  5. Melvok

    Melvok F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Jul 25, 2008
    14,101
    Amersfoort, The Netherlands, Europe.
    Full Name:
    Mel
    Nice write-uo Shiv. Exactly how you wrote it: we all enjoy the 458!
     
  6. Caeruleus11

    Caeruleus11 F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 11, 2013
    10,861
    Excellent write up!!
     
  7. daflk

    daflk Formula Junior

    Jan 27, 2013
    257
    Hong Kong
    Thank you. Very enjoyable read

    Sent from my SM-G9350 using Tapatalk
     
  8. FerrariPaula

    FerrariPaula Karting

    Nov 26, 2016
    135
    Redmond, WA USA
    yes, great writeup, thank you. My previous car was also an R8 (v10+) and your comparison between it and the 458 exactly matches my impressions.
     
  9. Need4Spd

    Need4Spd F1 Veteran

    Feb 24, 2007
    6,645
    Silicon Valley
    Great review and spot on. Especially the part about the throttle sensitivity. When I first got the car, I thought there was something wrong with the throttle, as it seemed absurdly sensitive.
     
  10. mdslone

    mdslone Formula Junior

    Sep 8, 2016
    332
    South
    Full Name:
    FerrariM
    Great review!
     
  11. RBK

    RBK F1 Rookie

    Jul 27, 2006
    3,105
    Calif and Nev
    Full Name:
    Bob
    The 458 is a great car and frankly difficult to replace. Your write up is comprehensive and in my view accurate. As is your case, I have not found anything that draws me away from the 458. Best
     
  12. Zaius

    Zaius Formula Junior

    May 8, 2014
    863
    Ive put around 17k miles on mine.

    Really my only complaint is some annoying interior creaks that I can never figure out where they are.
     
  13. 3POINT8

    3POINT8 F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jan 23, 2014
    4,399
    +1 on the mysterious creaks
     
  14. AlfistaPortoghese

    AlfistaPortoghese Moderator
    Lifetime Rossa

    Mar 18, 2014
    3,778
    Europe, but not by much.
    Full Name:
    Nuno
    +458.

    Kind regards,

    Nuno.
     
  15. doccharlie954

    doccharlie954 Formula Junior

    Jul 27, 2010
    256
    Open flash, where did you get your seat belt fixed? I have the same problem. Thanks
     
  16. metaldriver

    metaldriver Formula Junior

    Apr 6, 2015
    631
    Houston, Texas
    Full Name:
    Andy Vecsey
  17. synergy

    synergy Formula Junior

    Aug 5, 2007
    508
    Austin Texas
    Full Name:
    Chris
    Love this write up, saw it on FB when you posted it! Hope to see u around someday!
     
  18. OpenFlash Performance

    Mar 3, 2016
    187
    SF Bay, CA
    Full Name:
    Shiv Pathak
    Yeah, it was awful in Race/CST mode. Really difficult to drive sanely around town. The upshifts are abrupt enough to bounce the foot of the accelerator pedal slightly. And then you get this nasty oscillation until you get up to speed. Made me feel like a heavy footed idiot at times :)

    I re-mapped the first 1/2 of the pedal travel to give a more progressive throttle opening response. Made a world of difference when tooling around town. And it even helped when hooling on the backroads. Slides are easier to control when road bumps that move your foot around don't induce big changes in torque output.
     
  19. Need4Spd

    Need4Spd F1 Veteran

    Feb 24, 2007
    6,645
    Silicon Valley


    I think a lot of 458 owners would like their throttles re-mapped like this. It would help car control on the track as well, where you want to have a smooth application of power on exiting a turn or keeping a constant throttle through a long sweeper, like the Carousel at Sonoma Raceway. How did you manage to do this?
     
  20. OpenFlash Performance

    Mar 3, 2016
    187
    SF Bay, CA
    Full Name:
    Shiv Pathak
    #20 OpenFlash Performance, Feb 19, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    I located the table in the ECU calibration file that defines Torque demand (RPM x Accel Pedal %) and revised it to me more linear. Especially below 3600rpm where there is an obvious non-linearity in how it was originally mapped. Below is stock (top) compared to my revised (below). The graph does a good job at high lighting the differences.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  21. FerrariCT

    FerrariCT Rookie

    Mar 28, 2017
    27
    Cape Town
    Great Review! Thank you. Im a brand new owner of a very low mileage 458 ( 2500 miles) 2013 model, and am besides myself. I tend to only drive in Race mode, which seems loads of fun, and can be scary, as my back drifted for the first time. Wasn't sure if it was tyres, or im just useless at driving. Still learning this beast, and I reckon worth every cent. Im still battling with to get an warranty or not with such low mileage. I know peace of mind, but gosh, such low mileage. Was thinking to maybe wait a year .. First world problems I guess...
     
  22. buddyg

    buddyg F1 Veteran
    Rossa Subscribed

    Sep 20, 2004
    5,446
    West Michigan
    Full Name:
    Buddy
    Holy Thread revival Batman this thread is from 2 years ago! But good nonetheless, the 458 is just an incredible car and I’m not likely to ever sell it.
     
  23. vincep99

    vincep99 Formula 3
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Jun 8, 2009
    1,929
    Great write-up, worth the revival.

    I too miss shifting, but I never thought about the difficulties that would be encountered due to the quick steering. Good insight
     
  24. humdizzle

    humdizzle Karting

    Mar 9, 2016
    161
    Great write up I agree.

    I've had mine for 3 years and 6000 fun filled miles. The tubi exhaust on the V8 definitely adds to the fun. I usually drive in CT off so I can slide the car around. Truly its one of the easiest cars I've had to drive hard. It feels just like a go-kart and responds to all inputs well. It almost never understeers (like my GTR did) and if you do overcook it... the stability control still kicks in to save you.

    Still... technology does move on. And the platform is 10 years old now. things wear/brake. The 2018 GT3 gives me the manual, 9000rpms, better tech, lighter weight, better performance... so i'll be looking to trade in to one of those soon. It definitely does not get the Ferrari flare and attention though.
     

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