That's what I'm hearing too. With front lift, make of 15mm drop. Not sure if this changes for certain year 458's? But, all we need to see now are pics of a 458 with front lift lowered on factory springs to see what it looks like.
My car is going in for service at the end of the month and they’ll lower it then and add spacers. I’ll post pics afterwards..
I own two 458s. One lowered by previous owner the other stock ride heights. A WORD OF CAUTION! The threads are aluminum and easily stripped. Cost of new strut 6000$ plus. How do I know? The Ferrari dealer in Chicago and DC, said they would not lower a car , specifically for that reason , both have tried , both have ended up stripping threads. Call they will tell you, leave well enough alone.
No issues during lowering (and spacers) at Ferrari of Atlanta. I'll take better pics when I get her home. And she got to hang out with a 1966 275 GTB undergoing a Classiche restoration.
Great info and thread - I just picked up a 2015 458 spider with the AFS lifter. I would like to get my car lowered using the stock springs. Where do you guys go to get this done? Can any tuning shop do the work and get the alignment done afterwards? I'm in NorCal if that helps, any good independent shops that have done this before? thanks!
Euro 458 spider with lift - lowest setting made by my Ferrari dealer: Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Beautiful car and looks just the right height for me. I haven't lowered my car yet but his is what I want mine to look like. Did you use spacers on the wheels? What thickness and brand if you did. TIA, Gene Greer
Bumping an old thread. I am considering lowering (on original height at the moment) just because the car feels so soft. Will lowering the car help reduce the SUV feel from the springs or os Novitec the only way to go? And no I'm not in bumpy road when experiencing this softness from the springs
Posted this on my intro thread but I'll dup it here for reference. Same as above, US with fal drop on stock springs with spacers.
Do you suggest getting this done at the dealership or any independent shop can do it? Suggestion for SF Bay Area?
Talked to my dealer the other day about lowering on stock springs as I feel the 458 is too soft when pushing it hard and was told that lowering on stock springs will make the car even softer. Anyone experienced this after lowering on stock springs? According to my tech Novitec is the only way going forward for both lowering and improving handling.
First, I have the 458 spider pictured way early in this thread. I had it lowered before I ever took delivery 7 years ago. I had done the same to my 430. Second, the lowering CANNOT soften the car up. You are not changing ANY spring or shock function. Save for limiting the amount of body travel before one strikes pavement, this is pure stock! ( I have a custom fitted Kevlar skid plate running the entire width of the front) Third, suspension when put at true horizontal (inboard and outboard tie rod ends being level with each other) gives the most ideal handling set up. And this includes suppleness. Factory has outboard higher in US factory ride height. Look at any F1 car footage from the cockpit and you will see the relationship I am referring to. The suspension therefore actually operates better when put in a slightly lower than factory spec setting. Different bumper height regulations around the world and ease of consumer use (ingress/egress, parking lots) in real world setting are just some of the reasons why you don't see uniform worldwide ride heights and in general, cars lower. Fourth, by lowering the car height you decrease the amount of roll you will get. I have never driven on a Novitec set up. Likely firmer than stock from what I have read. I will defer to those with experience to tell you what you can expect. Lastly, if you put on spacers I highly recommend some sort of lower cladding protection film. You will be throwing way more road debris against the paint. More painted areas outside of wheel well protection. Or, just be prepared to do rocker re-spray. No big deal, just an FYI. Best
Just lowered the front end with FAL, the 15 mm limit is because there is only 15 mm thread left on the strut for the lower perches. The FAL takes up about 10 mm. I used the Novitec springs which lowered the car 25 mm, here in US, 3/5 inch vs 1 inch. From the factory settings, I now have 1 finger gap. No spacers but I have 488 wheels which have different offset than stock 458 wheels.
Dealer because they will have to remove front strut and then bleed the FAL. You also may require alignment. I would go with Novitec, can be done on the car so no bleeding of the FAL and probably no need for alignment, you will have slightly more camber. Ultimately, probably cheaper.
Requesting more pics of front lift optioned cars lowered on factory springs. Here is me stock. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Fronts lowered with Novitec springs, no issue since I didn't move the perch. The rears require removal of the factory perch and placement of one that comes with the kit. I can see why dealers hesitate to make adjustment. Could not get the perch to move even with the springs compressed. Removed the rear struts from the car and then tried to move them again with it in a vise where I could get better leverage. No go. Soaked them overnight with penetrating oil and then finally got one of them removed with a wrench and sharp hammer blows to break it free, once broken free, easily moves and fortunately no thread damage. the other strut is soaking for another night. And yeah, it is snowing here in Ann Arbor Michigan.