Great text. Cant wait to put mine on the road when winter and salt are gone. Love your spec !
Good write-up. 200 mph is definitely not an issue. People here in Europe do that quite frequently in Germany. 230 Mph? That it will not do, but 210+ is plenty for most lol
It runs on 91 octane, but I can load a tune for 100. I can also dial up the boost, but never have. The 230 was rev limited in 5th gear, on 100 octane. I have GT friends who have pulled over 240 miles an hour in sixth gear (With limited distance) but the gear is so tall that you have to run significant boost to get results. I haven’t wanted to do that simply because I wanted to preserve the hardware. I haven’t run the quarter mile in the car, but I did do a Measured mile from a dig, and easily exceeded 200 miles an hour. Of course, we are all familiar with the mighty Ford GT that ran 300 miles an hour at the Texas mile. I am way out of that league…
Update: the Pista has now made it across the country to sunny Florida, where it is queued up and ready for the speed run on Saturday. While the event has featured some very big iron (Bugatti, McLaren Senna and P1, Porsche 918, etc) this will be the debut for the Pista. I'm curious as to whether the top speed of the car will be limited by revs or by horsepower in the 2.7 mile run. It's hard to describe what it's like to hold the throttle wide open for nearly three miles, but it ain't for the faint of heart, and it's also something you'll never get to do this side of the autobahn. (At least, that is, unless you relish the prospect of criminal speeding and maybe getting to spend a romantic evening in the custody of your local lock-up facility). I enjoy the event because the runway is flatter than Kansas and incredibly smooth. I ran for a few seasons at the Mohave Magnum, but the runway there was a bit shorter and had a few whoops in it that were a bit unsettling at 220 mph. No such drama at Cape Canaveral; the only thing to worry about is that the runway is so vast and wide, it's easy to get disoriented; you have to pick a line and follow it. I also love it because after a run, they want you to hustle back to the line so the next car can go, which means you get to casually drive back at 170 miles an hour. Seems like the perfect speed for a casual jaunt. I was studying the owner's manual for the Pista, which I must confess is unusual for me. I noted that Ferrari recommends a break-in procedure of not exceeding 5000 RPM for the first 620 miles. Being the conscientious owner that I am, I therefore had to find multiple excuses to drive the car to get it over 620 miles before the event. The great irony is that 620 miles is about triple what the average Pista owner will put on their car for the entire time they own it. I figure those 620 miles cost me about two Hyundais and a Kia in depreciation. Mmm mmm good.
I think you will be limited by distance. Whenever I have been in one of the latest models and have seen them vmax, they have needed a 1-2 mins or so to get every last bit out - the last 5 mph always take some time. Funny you say not for the faint of heart. I find they are incredibly smooth, comfortable and stable at speed. Main thing here in Europe when going 200+ mph in traffic, is to look far ahead. I think the challenge lies in reading traffic around you.at those speeds. But at 200 mph 2.7 miles is eaten up in 49 seconds, and the Pista will eat up some runway as it needs about 30 seconds to get to 200+ mph. So when you also factor in breaking area, there's actually not a lot of room to let it stretch its legs so to speak. It'll be fun though. I'm always a big fan of speed running My guess is 203-205 mph
Interesting insights and I think your analysis is solid. The run is 2.7, which does not include the braking area, so the Pista should have plenty of room to stretch its legs. My guess, is 207-210. In my book, 210 would be a home run! Whatever the outcome may be, I'm going to call it a world record for the Pista, since it may the only time "top" speed has been independently measured. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Ah that will of course make a difference. How long are the section from starting line to finish line, and what's the length of the shutdown area?
The total racing surface is 3 miles, with an additional 1000 feet of runoff on both ends. We accelerate for 2.7 miles, with the balance of the distance to brake. It feels like plenty of room to stop.
A technical question for you. Are you going to bring down the tire pressures and if so by how much? I've always been confused. On track we bring down the tire pressures but its recommended to go higher in pressures if you are going to be going over 150 mph.
I believe a Mclaren 720S hit 218 mph in that distance as did a 918. I’m guessing about 205-208 for the Pista. The drag will slow it down over 180.
You are correct. We go up with the pressure for speed runs, not down. In fact, the door label on the Ford GT specifically advises higher tire pressure for speeds over 150.
Please tell me if I am correct- you have to raise the pressures for high speed only driving because of the cooling of the tires that occurs at these higher speeds- it actually overcomes the friction on the tires. The track is different, because of the braking and handling means a tremendous increase in friction, heat, and thus increased pressure.
Assume you will verify that your lug nuts are correctly torqued as well. There have been issues in the past with 488s (including the Pista) after hard track driving. I carry my torque wrench in my Pista wherever I go!
Do you put any extra protection film on the front of the car or protect the windshield in some manner to?
Thankfully, each vehicle runs individually, so there is no risk of debris being kicked up by another car, thereby damaging the nose and windshield. The only cosmetic concern at a runway event is if the landing strip has sand and gravel on it from lack of use. This is particularly troublesome at municipal airports, and it can really beat up the rocker panels and lower parts of the wheel radius. However, the Shuttle Landing Facility is super clean and relatively free of debris. Yet another reason I like to run there. Ironically, there are concerns at the Shuttle facility regarding bird strikes. (No, not when birds refuse to show up for work, but when they hit your windshield at 200 mph). To prevent that, they fire off these cannon-like devices lining the runway. It effectively scares off all the birds for the day. Bird strikes are not something we typically worry about in the Arizona desert. Because I am somewhat compulsive, before each event, I always remove all four wheels and inspect each tire under an intense light for damage. The only thing that really concerns me performing high speed runs is a blowout, particularly on a front tire. The inspection allows me to put that out of my mind and focus on enjoying the rush. The last thing I want to be thinking about out there is whether I have a nail in my front tire...