Finally tested F8 on a track!

Sorry. Gotta say my Lotus Evora 400 with literally a v6 Toyota Camry engine in automatic sounds much better than this. Gotta be a gpf. This actually brings me concern about the 812 GTS because that is really what I wanted and the video for the GTS looks a bit shady too - the scene always cut right before the engine revs high, the same technique with the F8 video.

If I am not getting any noise from the car, I think I will just go to the dark side - the upcoming Tesla spider or screw it, just drive a Miata then.

 

Forgive me but the LOTUS evora is absolutely not comparable to the F8, following your reasoning we end up talking only about sound, leaving out instead all the aspects in which a Ferrari excels while an evora survives.
I have several super sports cars and I love some aspects of one model often different if related to different models. However making a comparison between a nissan GTR or a turbo Porsche and an F8 ferrari is still difficult to do if not meaningless.
Sorry bro but Evora is a nice car but another level, unfortunately lower.

 

of course, I was not at all saying the evora 400 is better than F8. God no. I was just talking about the sound, but hey, if I hear it in person, I may change my mind.

But in all honesty, my evora 400 does handle very very well, if not better than my 458 and my previous porsche GT cars.

Let's go back to the F8, shall we?

 

Your English is exceptional! Thanks for your explanation Sandro - it answers many questions.

 

Great job with your explanation. Your English is perfect. In your previous review you said sound similar to 488. In this review you indicated sensation similar to 488 but even worse. So my question if you were to pick one today will you pick 488 GTB or F8. Again you have done an awesome job with your review

 

This is the most representative post about the F 8 !!!
Grazie 1000 for this true
For the sound, it s exactly the same problem with the SF 90 i ve listened around the factory.
Ferrari sound belong to the past, unfortunatly...marketing is near of his limits !

 

Well thought out.

I think it is also important to stress than nobody has said that it is not a better car than the 488, because the consensus is that it is.
Yes, the sound aspect of it all tends to divide the waters like the 488 vs. 458 did.

It sometimes take some time to reflect upon what one has experienced, as there's a lot of impressions and data points all coming in at once during such a test. Had a long chat with my buddy yesterday and we had a great time going over some of the positives about the F8. Two things he really liked was how he felt the car was mare able to use its SSC system and seemed more willing to play and be fun than the 488. Now could this in part be down to tyres? Maybe, as he has MPSC2 on his 488, and when hot, they do grip more than MPSS thus making it harder to slide.
He also liked that the F8 seems to understeer less than the 488, which for all intended purposes is a bit of an issue for the 488. Nowhere near as bad as the 458, but it still has a tendency to push. The understeer seemed less pronounced in the F8 and again helped it to become more agile.

As with the 488, it's uncanny how Ferrari on one hand can build a car that is so comfortable to drive, and at the same time handle as well as it does. Yes, the GT3RS is a great handling car, but boy does that handling come at a price. While I personally don't have F8 experience, I have plenty of 488 and GT3RS kilometres to attest to this.

I think it's interesting to break down the similarities and differences between the F8 and Pista, as it can help paint a more nuanced picture of why they in some aspects are so similar, and in others are to different. Because, be as it may, and while sharing the same engine, simply by looking at the Fiorano lap time, there's a pretty clear indication that the F8 is a nice subtle evolution of the 488, but the Pista is still very much its own car so to speak. When taking this into consideration, the 1:21.5 Pista lap time was not set using the MPSC2 R compound tyre, but rather the "normal" MPSC2 tyre as well as forged alloy wheels. This might also account for why the Pista and 812 SF share the same 1:21.5 lap time when the 812SF uses TdF spec rubber.

But looking at the F8 for what it is, is important. It was never meant to be a Pista or a Pista rival. It shares a lot with the Pista and it's the result of what has trickled down from the Pista.

They both use the same generation of ESC/ABS

They both use a Gen 6 version of the SSC. It is here important to note that the 6.0 and 6.1 is the basic same SSC. It's just a different programming. There will be firmware updates over time for the Pista that will make the SSC a 6.-something-other-than-0. Same goes for the 6.1.

They share the same brakes

They share the same basic engine

But after that, they are also two very different cars.

The ESC's are programmed differently. This in part due to the GPF, but they also have different redlines afaIk.

The SSC is programmed differently

They don't share the same suspension components

They are totally different in their suspension setup

Another thing a tech told me that separates the F8 and Pista, and this could very well in part account for why they might feel so different, and why the F8 and 488 might feel more similar in their power delivery.
As we know, Ferrari uses Torque By Gear with the turbo engines, and that leaves even more room to fine tune the feel of each car. What he told me was that while the Pista and F8 shares maximum output, the Pista has a more aggressive torque curve in the lower gears allowing more power to be had in those gears. I have of course no way of confirming this, but considering the fact that Ferrari has an interest in separating these cars somewhat and also make the F8 "softer" and more manageable in its temperament as a road car, it does make some sense I think.

All in all I think the best way to give credit to the 488, F8 and Pista is to separate them and look at it for what it is. This can also perhaps shed a bit more light on why the F8 might actually feel more different to the 488 in the hands of a regular driver, than it will in the hands of a pro.

What I'm getting as is the idea that the evolved tech might prove to make a bigger difference for a driver that relies more on it than a driver who is faster using ESC off. If a pro driver can "only" get half a second of a difference between the 488 and F8 on a track like Fiorano, who's not to say that the enhanced and refined ESC system could net an average enthusiast 2 seconds or more, just by inspire confidence in the driver? I think all of us whom have experienced proper hardcore race cars that is dialed in with proper oversteer, are light, needs properly warm tyres and aero to run also know that if you don't feel comfortable and confident, you become slow. I think in this regard the F8 will be a nice step forward for many compared to the 488. A last interesting thought regarding this very thing. For some, a Pista will actually be the slower car, simply because it's not quite as easy to drive hard. Yes it is definitely more capable, but it also demands more from the driver to use its abilities.

So many variables in play.

Sorry about the long winded post

 

It appears from what the future holds there will never be any better sounding V8 than the F8 coming out of Maranello

 

The SF90 has a higher strung engine with more power. I'd be very surprised if that did not sound better.

 

Wrong ! the only difference is the ground clearance and aligment.
You can have the same set up as the Pista in less than two works days at your dealer...
It s the same car, and there s no difference about the mechanical parts numbers between both !
F 8 remains just a Pista recycling, all the rest is litterature

 

Could you please post the part numbers for the springs, shocks and anti roll bars for each car? I'm quite sure you're wrong on this one.
How do you explain the Pista being significantly firmer if they use the same parts?

 

firmer is due to the springs, it ll cost about 400€ in aftermarket !

 

C'mon now. All cars can be altered if you pay for it. I'm saying they are different, you say they are not. Then you say you need to purchase parts to change the setup? Not making much sense.

What about the shocks and anti roll bars? Do you need to purchase those too?

 

No; are the same !
With all the respect, you could continue to legitime Ferrari actual politics and mass market marketing, but i don t think it ll be good for enthusiast !
Nowadays, Ferrari has no respect for their customers, they just want your money...
F 8 and Pista are nearly identicals cars, and the price difference is too important to justify the small differences . It s not a respect signe for Pista owners ! are you blind ?

 

No I'm not blind. And if that's what you think, so be it.

Don't care.

Good day.

 

Both of you have very valid points and day355 is correct in many aspects - RACE has only one thing on its mind - share-price and return. They will learn that this can only last a while before they will suffer.

Now if a Pista and and F8 are just the same car "dialled in" differently so be it. Again a Stainless Steal Rolex or Nautilus PP is just a Stainless Steal watch but numbers and uniqueness make them more desirable. We learn to deal with it or move on

 

Non sound indeed!

 

458 sounds better than F8, 488 and Pista. not even close.

 

The early red coupe press car that went around which I sat it and listened to, may indeed sound worse than some of the other cars which have been circulating at later events. Just watched a video showing a silver F8 spider which sounded much better than the red coupe I listened to, which was very muffled and with a shockingly poor exhaust note

let’s hope that there has been a change.

 

Sounds like my sister's Tesla Model X

Thanks for the detailed explanation. Your and Hendry2019's English are both quite good!

Wrong.

Better sounding V8 engines compared to the F8:

AMG GTR
Aston Martin Vantage
Ford Mustange Shelby GT350
Camaro ZL1 1LE
Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye
Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
Jaguar F-type SVR

 

I have a 488 and tested the F8 in the hills above Maranello and on the Track at Varano Circuit. Fantastic trip and allowed to really push the car throughout the day. There are slight differences but unless you jumped from one car to the other on the day and shown times. But both fabulous cars.
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How was the sound?

Is it worth the price delta for you to trade-in your 488?