458 - My First Ferrari...and a couple of questions | FerrariChat

458 My First Ferrari...and a couple of questions

Discussion in '458 Italia/488/F8' started by bikerlee, Jun 6, 2020.

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  1. bikerlee

    bikerlee Rookie

    Mar 3, 2018
    34
    Boston, MA
    Full Name:
    Lee
    Long time lurker, first time poster....

    After searching for a little while I finally found a 2014 458 in pretty much the exact spec I was looking for.
    White, diamond cut wheels, Daytona seats, carbon fiber drivers zone, tunnel, dash and rear molding and axle lifter, plus another $27k in 'other options' that I have no idea what they are.

    I traded in my Porsche 991.2 GTS and it's been love at first drive. I felt like the Porsche is so capable that it needed to be driven hard to make it rewarding, the Ferrari is an experience just going to the shops. The sound is just un-real, can't get enough of that exhaust note, I ordered a Forza controller so I can open them up all the time.

    So, not ever having driven a 458 before there are two things that stand out and wanted to see if they are normal. First the brakes, they feel very wooden, especially after the Porsche. It feels like the disks may have glazed over, I haven't done any high speed stops yet but they are a bit better after a couple of hundred miles since picking it up. I was kinda surprised how little initial bite they have and how much pressure I needed to get it to stop from even 40 mph. Do I just need to get some heat into them bed them in again.

    Secondly, the throttle response is super, super touchy. It's a struggle to maintain a constant speed, lift off a fraction of a mm and it slows aggressively, like a hybrid in regen. When just coming to a stop the slightest movement on the pedal will make it slow then lurch forward over and over. This is in manual mode, I just briefly tried it in auto and it seemed better. The car only has 5,000 miles and sat for the last 7 months. So is this normal behavior and I just have to learn or maybe just needs a good Italian tune up?

    Would appreciate any insight from other owners.

    Anyway, after two days I now get what it's about, it's a phenomenal car and I get excited just thinking about driving it, could not be happier.

    Couple of pics from pick up....

    Thanks for reading,
    Lee.
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  2. Randyslovis

    Randyslovis Formula Junior

    Jul 7, 2011
    897
    Atlanta, GA
    Full Name:
    Randall J Slovis
    First and foremost, congrats. Enjoy it!

    In regards to the throttle, the more you drive it the easier it is to modulate. I have ZERO issues with over-correcting inputs. True, I have had multiple Ferraris. BUT, you quickly learn the car. Honest.

    The brakes are another matter. I had the CCB on my 430. No one told me about their cold behavior or needing to bed them. I came up to a light planning to turn. Fortunately it was green as I sailed through it due to zero braking.
    In my 458 that I have had for 7 years, I recently tried to make a light in my area that is notorious for having the smart light sensor out of whack. Anyway, made the green with time to spare. However, I had no brakes as I started to turn! This was simply from having not needed to use the brakes aggressively for quite some time.
    You will get a bunch of really detailed ways to bed the brakes after my post. I have found simplest way to do this is to get up over 70 mph and really stand on the brakes. Safely of course if someone is behind you. Do this several times until you start to feel the pedal come alive. You may have to periodically do this if you do not use them aggressively. Frequently my brakes feel fine when slowing below 50 mph. Then I need to slow much faster and find there is no braking!
    NET: if you are going to go on a spirited drive, test your brakes before you "need" them. If not there, drive slower until you re-bed them.

    Best
     
    BruceC and bikerlee like this.
  3. RayJohns

    RayJohns F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    May 21, 2006
    7,398
    West Coast
    Full Name:
    Ray
    The throttle and brakes on the 458 should perform fine. I would try adjusting your seat position and see if that helps improve your throttle / foot angle. Also, are you driving in manual or auto mode? Auto mode is a write off; don't use it. Learn how to drive the car from a manual standpoint and you'll be much happier.

    Brakes should stop just fine if everything is working correctly. You might want to go through a bedding in procedure and see if they start working better.

    Ray
     
    AlfistaPortoghese likes this.
  4. FFan5

    FFan5 Formula Junior

    Jul 7, 2018
    533
    My brakes responded to hard stops well. I now routinely brake quite late for stops signs and red lights. I'm fine with the brake feel, but I'd imagine different pads could be tried for different brake feel if yours doesn't improve.

    I'd get out of the city and drive the car hard to break it in. 9000 RPMs and full panic stops won't hurt it.

    Love the spec! Beautiful pair!

    Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using FerrariChat.com mobile app
     
    bikerlee likes this.
  5. TUTTSF

    TUTTSF Karting

    Sep 21, 2018
    162
    So. Cal
    Yes the throttle is touchy but you learn to dial in your foot pressure. Yes I bounced the throttle in front of onlookers feeling like such a poser more than once.
    The brakes do not have good bite even after a bedding, they are better after the bedding but not like Porsche.

    I was expecting some good negative G's but the amount of pressure is an unnatural feeling. Moving the seat forward so you can apply more pressure without twisting your hips or stretching your leg way out of position is the best solution I have found for aggressive braking. You really need to stomp on the breaks to get them to wake up on the 458
     
    bikerlee likes this.
  6. PhilNotHill

    PhilNotHill Two Time F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Jul 3, 2006
    27,855
    Aspen CO 81611
    Full Name:
    FelipeNotMassa
    Stunning. Ciao bella. There is something special about white 458s.
     
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  7. bikerlee

    bikerlee Rookie

    Mar 3, 2018
    34
    Boston, MA
    Full Name:
    Lee
    Thanks for the responses everyone, sounds like everything is normal.
    I’ll try and get out today and do a bed in and see if they improve.
    lo
    Looks like I need to work on my right foot...
     
  8. Graz

    Graz Formula 3

    Oct 15, 2012
    2,289
    New Jersey and Florida
    Full Name:
    Graziano
    Congratulations Lee and as we say “welcome to the addiction!” Beautiful example. The brakes on the 458 need to be “bedded.” Not sure if your ceramics are squeaky but once you bed them that should improve. My first one didn’t have this issue but my current 2014 did until I bedded them. As far as throttle response it’s something you’ll get used to and won’t be an issue once you drive the car more regularly. The 458 is definitely meant to be driven aggressively. It begs you to get on it. You’re going to love it and you’ll find that every time you get behind the wheel it’s like the first time :) Enjoy in good health.
     
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  9. buddyg

    buddyg F1 Veteran
    Rossa Subscribed

    Sep 20, 2004
    5,446
    West Michigan
    Full Name:
    Buddy
    Congrats and welcome to the brotherhood!
     
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  10. Carnut

    Carnut F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Nov 3, 2003
    3,797
    Gladwyne PA
    Full Name:
    Morrie
    I have the open flash throttle tune on my 458. I would have not kept mine without it. The throttle is an issue for some owners (like me) and the open flash tablet can fix it. I am long past my fist anything,. but I hope you enjoy your first OP, I am told that it is a big deal.
     
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  11. pninja005

    pninja005 Formula Junior

    Nov 10, 2010
    469
    Europe
    Is the throttle better in 488?

    Reason I'm asking is I had a F430 before; never any throttle issues; have the 458 coming next month but also thinking of 488.
     
  12. michaelo

    michaelo Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Mar 25, 2006
    350
    Tn.
    Full Name:
    Michael O.
    Congrats and it is a beautiful ride. I don't know if there are different degrees of twitchiness with the accelerator but I have adjusted to mine being only slightly twitchy. For me it doesn't warrant a major reflash but maybe there are differences between cars. Mine has 9,000 miles on it so I am not sure if mileage has anything to do with it, either. Maybe I have become used to it. Not much of a help, I know, but nice choice of a car. I had a 991 GT3 before I purchased my 458 and I have to say that it doesn't get much better than that as far as a driving experience. Everything that we tend to complain about our Ferrari's i.e., twitchy throttle, slightly wooden CCB feel just doesn't exist on the Porsche. They have worked on the 911 for decades and you have to know that they tend to mitigate every potential problem from one generation to the next. I drove a 992 a few weeks ago and I have to say that it is pretty perfect, but that is not what I want.
    There has to be a little adventure in a car for me. Ferrari does adventure pretty well. Enjoy the new car.
     
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  13. islandtrader

    islandtrader Formula Junior

    Jun 30, 2013
    369
    Congrats on your 458! I owned one for 4 years and the brakes are probably the weak part of the car especially compared to Porsche. This was greatly improved on the 488. Twitchy throttle is just the way it is. This car wants to be pushed!
     
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  14. up4speed

    up4speed F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 16, 2012
    3,543
    Long Island, NY
    Full Name:
    Chris
    All that stuff on your car is normal and you will get used to it, and appreciate it (most likely).
    The one thing that I really didn't like was the twitchy throttle (especially if you are used to Porsches). It is sometimes difficult to drive smoothly, especially when you are taking it easy. You will learn to modulate it better over time. It will always be less than perfect, but you will definitely forget about it.
     
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  15. john Owen

    john Owen Formula Junior

    Dec 27, 2018
    444
    Full Name:
    John Owen
    I bought my 458 about 18 months ago and have owned many Porsches which made the twitchy throttle feel very intimidating to start off with..However after a couple of weeks, muscle memory sets in and it no longer becomes an issue..Same for the hyper reactive steering which initially felt too twitchy compared to Porsches..
    Ferrari 458s are fitted with inferior brake pads compared to the Brembo pads fitted to Scuderias as standard..The pads on both are identical in size and fitting so recommend you fit the 430 Scud Brembo pads to your 458 which will improve braking noticeably..
     
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  16. bikerlee

    bikerlee Rookie

    Mar 3, 2018
    34
    Boston, MA
    Full Name:
    Lee
    Thank you all for the warm welcome and comments.
    I got a brief ride in yesterday and it's getting better now I'm actively working on controlling the throttle.
    And the more I think about it it's not so much the sensitivity of the peddle but more how aggressively it slows at the slightest lift off which makes it feel lurchy. Granted this is in manual mode where I'm keeping the revs higher. When I tried in auto mode it's usually 3-4 gears higher and smooths it out.
    Anyway, seems it's normal behavior and I'll adapt.

    Didn't get a chance to bed the brakes, but next on the list of things to do, although swapping out the pads is a good suggestion.
    Are there any aftermarket ones that anyone's tried with success also?

    I did get some 2-3 gear WOT through some underpasses though, giggled all the way home...
     
  17. Carnut

    Carnut F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Nov 3, 2003
    3,797
    Gladwyne PA
    Full Name:
    Morrie
    I don't believe that you should buy a machine and then have to get used to it. The machine should work the way you want and if it does not find one that does or make the one you have work the way you want it to. The car should behave differently in race mode (or if you are old and never got used to traction controls coming out of corners everything off) OP and you will find it may not like shifts at certain RPM's and it may lurch. My car has close to 25K miles and it was not babied (I tend to push sports cars pretty hard), and once the brakes warm up I have no issues with them. Have fun with your car OP.
     
    gmo28 likes this.
  18. 3POINT8

    3POINT8 F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jan 23, 2014
    4,397
    congrats on the car
     

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