458 GT3: maintenance and support | FerrariChat

458 GT3: maintenance and support

Discussion in 'Challenge/GT Cars/Track' started by ewright, May 14, 2020.

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  1. ewright

    ewright Formula Junior
    Rossa Subscribed

    Nov 17, 2003
    598
    I am hoping those who have owned a GT3 car can help answer some questions regarding running a 458 GT3. I'm thinking about getting a 458 GT3 mostly for trackdays, and perhaps for Club Competizioni if I can find the time. For those with firsthand experience, would you be willing to share your experience running the 458 GT3? Specifically, I have a handful of questions pertaining to maintenance and support:

    1. Are the support needs for the GT3 far more extensive than those of a 458 Challenge car?
    2. Exactly what kind of tasks do you have to perform when running the car for a trackday weekend (before the weekend, during the weekend, after the weekend)? If anyone has a checklist, would you be willing to post it?
    3. What kind of maintenance does the car need on an annual basis?
    4. Does anyone have a maintenance schedule for the 458 GT3?
    5. Did you find a need to constantly tweak the setup of the GT3 car for a given track, or were you able to find a happy medium and more or less run the car with that same setup?

    Thanks in advance for sharing your experience and insights.
     
  2. naparsei

    naparsei Formula Junior

    Oct 11, 2005
    294
    Land of Enchantment
    Full Name:
    Alex
    I would also be interested in first hand user experiences. ewright, I do know that if you are looking at a GT3, you want one with the EVO/Aero package (2014, or updated to 2014 spec).
     
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  3. chrixxx

    chrixxx Formula Junior
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Mar 22, 2004
    971
    Lucerne
    Full Name:
    Chris
    I have raced the 458 GT3 in Blancpain Series and Le Mans Cup (and the 458 GTE, 488 GT3 and now the 488 GTE in ELMS) the 458 GT3 is currently the best (Ferrari) track day car you can get for money. its "cheap" to run, very reliable, the engine is a beast and the sound is amazing. I try to give you some first hand informations based on my own experience. in 2017 when I raced the route to Le Mans I reached over 305 km/h on the mulsanne straight. highest topspeed of all cars compared to AMG GT3, Huracan, McLaren etc... for sure the Car is not as advanced in terms of Aero like a new 488 but breaking and acceleration are incredibly good.

    1. Support, not different from a challenge but i would recommend 1 Engineer, 2 mechanics (if you can share with others) just to take the maximum out of the car in terms of setup etc..

    2. before trackday check suspension, wheels, brakes, fluids etc. normal car check. warm the engine and all components properly when you start your track day. during the day, tire pressure, fuel levels etc. thats it.

    3. depending how many miles you do.... we exchanged brake discs for every race but thanks to the steel brakes instead of the silly Carbon its massively cheaper. but for track days? maybe you replace the discs 1 or 2 times a year, plus pads. it costs a fraction of the carbon/ceramic ones. I know engines last 25k KM under heavy race usage. usually engines are not a problem. on annual base I would rebuild brake calipers, suspension, maybe gearbox, wheel bearings etc. it depends alot on the cars history and what you buy.

    4. I might have one, need to check

    5. well I raced the car and therefore we always played with the setup. you can have your base setup and being happy with it. but once you start to "race" against others laptimes you might need some setup changes.

    the car is great value for money. Prices are stable and even increased over the last 12 months. difficult to find a good 458 GT3 these days. you can get a perfect one and start immediately using it, our you buy an old used race horse and then send it to Michelotto and you get a basically a new one.

    VERY important, look for the car has all updates!

    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
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  4. ewright

    ewright Formula Junior
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    Nov 17, 2003
    598
    chrixxx: thanks for such a thoughtful and detailed reply, very helpful!
     
  5. NeilF8888

    NeilF8888 Formula 3

    Feb 10, 2005
    1,147
    Miami Beach
    I agree with Chris and his very well described use and maintenance of the 458GT3. I've owned my 458GT3 since 2014. It was the factory car campaigned by Risi in the Daytona 24 driven by Fichichella, and was the first GT3 manufactured by Michelotto for Grand Am. I reverted from Grand Am spec to GT3 spec when I purchased the upgrade modification from Kessel in 2015 and have raced and used it for track days.

    It's not a lot more work to service than a Challenge car and the steel brakes helps with the cost. I think the most impressive difference is the true sequential transmission compared to the DCT in the Challenge car.

    If you can find a good one you won't be disappointed and they can only go up in value from where they are now.
     
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  6. ewright

    ewright Formula Junior
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    Nov 17, 2003
    598
    Neil: thank you for your perspective, all the more reason to go for the GT3. I spoke with Risi and a couple other well regarded teams at Road Atlanta this past March, and the general consensus was that I should get a car that has been well cared for. Do you have any ideas on how to go about finding a good example? I see cars listed from time to time, but it's hard to know the real backstory on whether they are solid cars.
     
  7. chrixxx

    chrixxx Formula Junior
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    Mar 22, 2004
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    Lucerne
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    Chris
    what can help you a bit is always check on racingsportscars.com you search by chassis number and you see most of the history. then you can contact the teams who run the car. I know of a car currently at Michelotto getting a complete rebuild and will look like new. Car has also some nice history. PM if you are intrested.
     
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  8. naparsei

    naparsei Formula Junior

    Oct 11, 2005
    294
    Land of Enchantment
    Full Name:
    Alex
    There is a manual provided by Kessel/Michelotto which answers question #4.
     
  9. ewright

    ewright Formula Junior
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    Nov 17, 2003
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    Does anyone have access to this manual that is willing to share? This would be very helpful.
     
  10. chrixxx

    chrixxx Formula Junior
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    Mar 22, 2004
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    Lucerne
    Full Name:
    Chris
    I will reach out to my engineer to check if I can get a copy.
     
  11. ewright

    ewright Formula Junior
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    Nov 17, 2003
    598
    Thank you Chris, appreciate the kindness.
     

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