Roma on the Track | FerrariChat

Roma on the Track

Discussion in 'California/Portofino/Roma' started by dan129007, Feb 2, 2022.

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  1. dan129007

    dan129007 Rookie

    Apr 20, 2018
    43
    Florida
    I haven’t seen much written about use of the Roma on the track. I was fortunate to take my Roma to Daytona, and it was absolutely spectacular.


    While still relatively new to track driving, I have driven the F8 and the 812 on a track before. The Roma did not disappoint at all, and I was amazed at how well it performed. It has the same F8 engine, with plenty of power. I initially thought the handling would be tougher in the Roma, given that it is front-engined. But actually, the balance was very good through the corners.


    In race mode, the power was incredible on the high banks of Daytona – the acceleration and power were fantastic. The engine sounded incredible near the redline. The suspension and handling were great – the car felt absolutely solid through the infield turns. And the brakes were incredible – very powerful and absolutely amazing.


    Having owned the car for 6 months, I never really appreciated its power until it was on the track. The car really has 2 personalities – it works great as a GT car, and does fantastically well at high speed.


    Most of the reviews I have read have been in street situations – I don’t think most people appreciate the magic of the Roma on a track. This really is an incredible piece of technology.

    I’d love to hear if any other have taken theirs to the track. It really gives you a new perspective on the car, and gives you an appreciation of what Ferrari has accomplished with the Roma.


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  2. John Mclane

    John Mclane Rookie

    Feb 7, 2019
    8
    Chicagoland
    This is really nice. I have been looking for some feedback on Roma/Porto track day use, but it's very rare. In my point of view a car needs to have power, brakes and suspension at a similar level for a track day to be fun and not cumbersome/dangerous.

    So, share some with this soon to be ex-Porsche owner. How did the brakes fare? Did the car lean too much to the point that the tires become noisy? How did the tires manage the temps? Did you get track insurance, if so, how much?

    Thanks for sharing!
     
  3. dan129007

    dan129007 Rookie

    Apr 20, 2018
    43
    Florida
    The car felt solid very through the turns – absolutely stable, and the handling is just as good as any car I’ve driven. I didn’t appreciate any significant lean or rolling – and there were some pretty strong G -forces through the turns. In Race mode, the suspension really does firm up.

    The ceramic brakes were very powerful – I was able to brake quite late going into turns, and the setup was great.

    The stock tires held up very well. The car only has a few hundred miles on it, and the tires were in great shape. I had my eye on the pressures through the day. At the end of my session the temps were getting a bit high as they heated up, but I didn’t need to let any air out. I really didn’t lose any grip. On the banked turns I was generally running around 160-180mph, and the grip was perfect. The extra downforce from the active spoiler probably helped as well.

    I really can’t say the characteristics of this car translates to the Portofino – the Roma is really its own unique car. The Portofino M may be closer to this, but I think the setup is still quite different.

    Haggerty did not offer track insurance for Ferraris. The only policy I could find was from Lockton, but the limit was only 150k – which doesn’t cover the value of this car. From what I understand track insurance is becoming harder to get these days.
     
  4. John Mclane

    John Mclane Rookie

    Feb 7, 2019
    8
    Chicagoland
    Thanks for the reply, very informative.
    The Porto is a bit softer according to what I could gather from a short test drive and some Ferrari documentation.
    The local tracks in Chicagoland are cramped and hard on brakes and tires. The closest track that you can actually experience high speed turns is Road America. They’re like a giant Autocross. Some find amusing being tossed side to side nonstop.
    I think opentrack may still cover, I purchased from them in the past, they always have competitive rates.
     
    dan129007 likes this.
  5. dan129007

    dan129007 Rookie

    Apr 20, 2018
    43
    Florida
    Unfortunately open track doesn't cover Ferraris anymore.
     
  6. ATLBond

    ATLBond Formula Junior

    Oct 30, 2021
    281
    Atlanta
    Full Name:
    SR
    I went to place an order for Roma but after test driving both Roma and Porto M went with Porto M because it felt more visceral and fun. Maybe the open top gives that vibe, maybe the old school knobs and analog tach makes u feel more connected. I am not expecting my Porto M before Dec or probably only Q1 ‘23. Dealer has invited me to test drive 296GTB next month. Maybe that’ll be even more fun.
     
  7. John Mclane

    John Mclane Rookie

    Feb 7, 2019
    8
    Chicagoland
    I agree with you. I find the Roma steering and tablet at least annoying. Perhaps it’s something people get used to. I liked the Porto interface better. Both interiors are nice in different ways.
    I also drove the F8 and I was amazed how compliant the ride is. Magnetic dampers are the best. I’m used to sports cars that will shatter your fillings and mash your spine, but the F8 is far more comfortable than my 992. Or maybe I’m bias and I didn’t care for any back pain as I drove it. Even the CF seat it had was better than my 18w. Shame it’s out of production and the used market is nuts. A 488 would suffice, same problem.
    The 296 is certainly going to be fun to drive. Im holding on ordering a Porto for a little bit, waiting to see if this Roma Spyder is just a rumor. My kids can’t fit the back of either car anyways, so I’ll use it like a 2 seater, like most.
     
  8. ATLBond

    ATLBond Formula Junior

    Oct 30, 2021
    281
    Atlanta
    Full Name:
    SR
    To be honest, rear seats are a joke in most coupe’s. Two seater Ferraris are as purposeful as any 4 seater coupe and my kids are grown up anyway. I so badly wanted the F8 Tributo but it was not meant to be. Dealer has invited me for a 296 GTB test drive next month. If the sound does not disappoint, I’d place an order for that and swap my incoming Porto M for it, whenever it comes.
     
  9. John Mclane

    John Mclane Rookie

    Feb 7, 2019
    8
    Chicagoland
    The Porto owner’s manual say the back seat height limit is 1.5m. The 911 gets a little more bc the seats are lower (fuel tank is not there). But they are a joke indeed. The last fun 4 seater (I don’t do beemers or mercs anymore) was the GTC4 IMHO. the purosangue will sit on stilts and I really don’t like SUV or whatever abbreviation the marketing people like.
    The 296 looks and engine noise are giving me pause. Also, the normally equipped price is around 400k and honestly I don’t see that value on a 6 pot, no matter the tech. On a V12, that’s a different story.
    One think I loved about all the Ferraris I tried is that they are an event no matter the speed. The proper short gear ratio lets you have some mild fun at legal speeds. Porsche lost that with those stupidly long gears and you have to flog the engine to hear something (GT excluded). My car has sport cats and muffler delete, it’s louder but not nicer. Ferrari V8 turbos are still decent to hear. NA are just awesome.
     
  10. ATLBond

    ATLBond Formula Junior

    Oct 30, 2021
    281
    Atlanta
    Full Name:
    SR
    Completely agree with u on everything including 296 not looking as attractive as Tributo (at least in pictures) and top dollars for a V6. I too drive a 991.2 911 with sports exhaust and the sound of Ferrari’s V8 in Porto M is magnifico; 911 is not even close.
     
  11. REALZEUS

    REALZEUS F1 Veteran

    Feb 16, 2011
    7,658
    Bournemouth, UK
    One buys performance and experience, not cylinder count. If the 296 is quicker than an 812 (it is) and sounds half decent (it can't sound like a N/A V12), then it is worth the price of admission.
     
  12. 008

    008 Karting

    Jun 6, 2006
    217
    Houston, TX
    Been tracking mine a bit recently. It is a lot of fun but it's under tired, under braked and I can't get the dealer to do a more aggressive alignment so I have to take it elsewhere or destroy tires daily. It's very quick and pretty nimble, hopefully I can get mine set up to maximize what it has to offer. It'd be great if more folks track theirs so we could share data, etc.
     
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  13. John Mclane

    John Mclane Rookie

    Feb 7, 2019
    8
    Chicagoland
    Have you considered Cup2s? The OEM tires being an issue is not surprising, but the brakes as well? How are the tires temps varying? The very few videos of the Roma on the track, I could notice the singing of the tires. Overheating tires makes for a not so fun track day.

    I ask those things as I tracked an "inappropriate" car and replaced with another "inappropriate" one (991.2 cab base to 992 C4S). The single thing that improved the most the overall experience were Cup 2s, but I'm not experienced in the F-world track day or whatever warranty implications that could have (Ferrari rules are odd). After I finished fine tuning the 991.2, it was giving a run for its money on some other Porsche products... On the C4S I over sized the brakes, and now I have more trouble getting the temps up in the first lap. What I could do in one, it takes 3 in a short track. I prefer this way, once they're in proper temp, there's very little variation.

    I'm considering the Roma to replace the C4S, and I would like to track it as well, hence my interest in this thread.
     
  14. mcw

    mcw Karting

    Aug 10, 2008
    186
    Tires for use on a race track commonly are not in street tire condition. Tires with street tire tread will have too much tread flex, heat beyond optimum friction coefficient for the track, and wear out rapidly. Tires for track use commonly have tread shaved to a specified remainder, have one track session to bring up to temperature, and cool. Next track session may have maximum grip and then a few more heat cycles (sessions on track) and the tire is done. If lucky, a track tire might get more than 6 heat cycles, but usually done in one or two days on the track depending on sessions. A set of tires per day or per weekend is typical budget item for tracking.
     
  15. 008

    008 Karting

    Jun 6, 2006
    217
    Houston, TX
    I did a bit of tire testing Friday, taking temps and playing with pressures. The Cup2s are very good tires for a mix of street and track and will likely try them next, I ran them for years on my 911. They also make some decent sizes for the Roma, hopefully can upsize the fronts too, but the wheels are quite narrow. Having to run a bit higher pressures than I would normally like to keep the outside shoulders from baring too much of the heat.

    As for the brakes, I got the "over heated braking system" warning light a couple of times and had to back off. I had it exclusively in race and esc off and it was noticeable how much rear brake was being added in race when you leaned on it. Esc off still seemed to have some intrusion but much less. It hasn't gotten hot yet which has me a bit concerned. We'll see how it goes but I'll probably track this car 15-20 times per year.
     
  16. SB27

    SB27 Karting

    Dec 2, 2015
    125
    It wasn't Daytona but had an interesting time today. I was pulling onto a 5-mile Express Lane this morning with very few cars on it. A newer Aston Martin (didn't get the model) was on my ass. So I hit it and dropped him. He tried to keep up -- couldn't and decided to take the very next exit.

    And this was on a 2016 California T with the Novitec Piggybank tune and Sport Exhaust. I have not dyno'ed the car but probably doing about 650HP at the crank.

    The engines in all these cars just continue to amaze. For such a heavy car (Cali T), the engine does a fantastic job of moving that mass -- especially once underway.
     
  17. airprtlts

    airprtlts Rookie

    Mar 7, 2023
    1
    Winter Park
    Have a 2023 Roma coming soon. I will track it at Sebring and let you guys know what I think. I have driven Porsche 987.1, 997.2, 982 GT4 and 992 GTS and love them all. The Roma will be a new experience. I don't plan to track it more, but want to see how it does.
     
  18. 008

    008 Karting

    Jun 6, 2006
    217
    Houston, TX
    It’s a lot of fun on track but lacks the mechanical grip necessary to get the most out of it. Could really benefit from some stickier tires. Also if you’re inclined, I really recommend a more aggressive alignment.
     
  19. ATLBond

    ATLBond Formula Junior

    Oct 30, 2021
    281
    Atlanta
    Full Name:
    SR
    I owned a 991.2 C2S before switching to 296 GTB last Mar. Porsche’s are reliable clinical tools that gets the job done. Getting behind the wheel of my 296 GTB feels like a love at first sight romantic experience every time. The sound from the engine is intoxicating, the acceleration is maddening (I suppose 911 Turbo S is similar but without an evocative roar to go with it) and it feels like a grand event every time I go for a drive. I test drove Roma and Portofino M (Ferrari messed up my Porto M order and production ended. Story for another time) and the roar of the V8 was spectacular. I am sure Roma will be a hoot on the track like 296 GTB was for me (I don’t track much but driving the 296 GTB was otherworldly experience. Acceleration and braking is truly neck snapping), but it is the complete experience of piloting a Ferrari that’ll be fun even if your lap time is just slightly better or equal to GT4. Enjoy in good health.
     
  20. 3POINT8

    3POINT8 F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jan 23, 2014
    4,399
    Thanks for the write up!
     

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