Moving from F12 to 812SF...any regrets?

I've tracked both my F12 and my 812. My 812 has 1290 mi on it, 1100 of which were on the track. I'm on my third set of tires and third set of brake pads. Roughly same amount of track miles on my F12.

The 812 is not just an improvement on the F12, it is a huge leap forward, Frankly it isn't even close.

1. Dive and roll have been minimized, very much improved from the F12. (Could even use stiffer springs for the track)
2. Gearing/torque has been optimized. The 812 doesn't get bogged down in low speed corners, it just leaps/pounces from corner to corner.
3. Brakes are better (brakes are the Ferrari's Achilles heel IMO).
4. The RWS is a game changer. The car is nimble- feels nimble and drives nimble.

I used to say the F12 can almost keep up with a GT3 RS on the track- mainly by being that guy who uses the horsepower advantage on the straights, but it just cannot hang at all in the corners- all aspects from corner entry to corner exit. Feels heavy, doesn't wanna rotate easily. The F12 has to be millimeter precise, but make any mistake and you're screwed, like throwing out a sea anchor. No recovery. And any advantage gained on the straight is chipped away due to the RS carrying more speed in/out of the corner and in braking. Huge advantage (40-50m) there because of less top end, less weight and Porsche just have better brakes.

The 812 is better sprung & the RWS is a quantum leap ahead. Livens up the rear quite nicely. Put on some stiffer Novitec springs and now you've got an honest to goodness throttle steering race car- utilizing all 4 wheels to steer, not just the front two. The ability to rotate the 812 with your big toe is almost up to par with the RS. Understeer is just a memory. If you breathe the F12 in a curve it just tucks in the front end; whereas when you breathe the 812 you get rotation, glorious rotation. Braking points are much closer to an RS.

The biggest difference is yes the F12 is more "raw"in that it'll scare the crap out of you as you get close to its limits. The 812 can be driven (much faster) at its limits in a controlled fashion and is exciting to drive on the edge because it is just a better car.

Let's be honest, neither car is a GT, they're not the most comfortable to drive. The F12 is a sports car. The pro racer who right seated with me at Daytona summed up the 812 perfectly: The 812 is a race car with air conditioning and a warranty.

 

A nice video worth watching and comparing the F12 with the 812……

 

Not sure that video is worth much. When he says that they are comfy GT's and a V8 would be tiring on a long journey, that tells me his bearings are off. Reality is that while the 488 and F8 are great sports cars, they still manage to offer a more comfortable drive than both the F12 and 812. The 488 has been my best summer daily ever. A proper mid engi ed Ferrari that can settle down to Lusso levels of comfort. Neither the F12 or 812 can do this. Sure a 430 or 360, but that's a different story. But a V8 Ferrari of the same generation as these two cars are equally suited for a trip through Europe.

I think what we can deduce from this is simple. Go drive both because it is subjective. Some prefer one over the other. I find that the 812 is a car on a compmetely different level and worth every bit.

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I feel like the 488 & F8 can't be as comfortable on a long journey just because of the smaller cabin space, but maybe that's just me.

Going to hop in my 812 right now and go grab a burrito.

 

Not only bigger cabin space in F12 and 812 SF but also much much bigger luggage room . If you have a long trip you must have luggage room

 

Not to mention you gotta order the luggage with the car!

I feel like I would have used the car more if this wasn't 2020.

 

We need to get the 812s out more. Was a good drive Saturday, but there were a lot of slow Fords .

If we can get some more crispy fall weather, the backroads will be calling to be flogged on

 

Yeah when the days are nice at least. I will likely be heading out to the beach next weekend though.

 

pulled from top gear review:

"The short gearing allows that more potent V12 to spool even faster, and the result is a car that leans on its chassis electronics more than any other. Remember it’s a street car and so the standard P Zero needs to work in deep standing water and freezing temperatures. In race mode with all the systems on you can open the taps before the apex and just let the electronics manage all the dangerous stuff, but the tyre becomes hot so quickly that at times the interventions seem unnecessarily harsh. The brakes are strong and the pedal feel pretty good, but Porsche still makes a set of ceramic discs deliver more bite and confidence for the driver.

There is much witchcraft occurring within this chassis. The electronically variable differential is linked to the traction and stability control and now the rear steering too. The car can also adjust the steering force through the wheel depending on the conditions. This is supposed to give the driver better information about grip levels, but to be honest with you, I wasn’t that aware of its intervention. The change from hydraulic to electric assistance doesn’t alter much about the Ferrari’s big V12 Berlinetta because the old rack was pretty inert and so is this one."

 

I concur. I prefer the aesthetics of the F12 but the 812 is simply astounding on the track.

 

Fully agree. I own F12, but drive other cars on track: Lotus Exige and Donkervoort GTO-RS...both phenomenally fast and fantastic on track. I don't even want to take my F12 on track...I don't think it is good enough for that.

I drove an 812 on track...it feel just SO MUCH better vs F12. Rear wheel steering and shorter gears...it feels like a much smaller car and provides a lot more control/trust when you throw it around and drive it hard. I absolutely loved it! Even though the improvements may look minor...it feels like a massively better car. A least that is what I think.

Still I hang on to the F12...as I don't need to find the limits when driving it on the street. The F12 is still a phenominal car with v12 sound and great looks. Too much of a jump financially to get into an 812...

 

I find the F12 extremely comfy...in automatic it doesn't rev and shifts to 6 and 7 at low speeds...its quiet and very comfy in my belief when driving it on the motorway...

 

812 automatic mode is much the same. If you have it on wet and auto mode it’s like driving a fast Camry. Very easy to drive, comfortable. I generally stick to race and paddles so I don’t fall asleep at the wheel

 

I'm not saying they can't be comfy, I'm mainly saying that the V8 cars are too.

As for direct comparisons. The F12 and 812 both settle down quite well, but compared to both a 488 and F8, they are less so. The F12 still have its slightly busy suspension and twitchy steering, and the 812 is for all intended purposes quite firm. I understand the desire to tout their abilities, but they are both very sports car oriented, and from an actual GT like comfort stadpoint, I don't think any of them really excel. I don't see this as a negative as neither of them actually sits in Ferraris GT lineup, it is just the nature of them. I haven't been in a Camry since 1992 I think, but I don't see much in common between an 812 and an actual GT. That is simply giving the car attributes it does not have. Is it co.fortabme? Yes. Will I take my GTS for a 3000km road trip and enjoy? Yes. Is it as comfy as my 488 Spider when both are in cruising mode? Pretty far from it.
That is the uncanny party trick of both the F8 and 488. The GT side is almost as comfy as my Lusso, but yet in Sport and Race it gets properly mid engined sports car in nature.

Just my take on it and why I think this video is lacking

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