Front Lifter - Get it or skip it?

How many Ferrari owners with LIFT can honestly say they have NOT scraped their front ?

FWIW Im the guy that gets on his knees and looks under cars especially the front. Virtually every second hand car whether it has a lift or not has a scrap.

So what's the point of the lift ?

Being aware and taking car and approaching at angles and also having scrape guard IMO is the best solution.

But hey you can get the lift and ill say 99.9999% you will be caught out one day and xxxxx

 

You're probably right about the inevitability of an eventual scrape. That said, just because a lifter "only" prevents 999 out of 1000 scrapes, does that mean it's pointless?

With my GT3, the only time I ever scraped was because I *thought* I'd pushed the button to get into my home driveway, but had obviously not pressed it hard enough. The geolocated lift memory, which the 296 supposedly has, solves for this. So, given that, I think it has the chance of a 10/10 success rate in my personal use. YMMV, of course!

 

Yes.

And with your example you have clearly stated **** happens even if you have the lift.

I am in no way wanting to persuade anyone with the merits of a lift but the fact that many even though have the lift , **** happens and they still scrape the bottom.

Crape guards a better IMO but with proper execution of dips or rises.

The lift does nothing when a Ferrari gets to close to a footpath. Ive seen 2 crunch. What I am saying its whether the owner cares enough.

I do but I have seen many that dont.

 

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If you take note of what the 296GTB looks like under the car.

Note there are no painted surfaces that will scrap the ground , rather plastic pieces.

Putting scrap guards on those pieces IMO is just as good. Actually those plastic pieces are cheap relative. Now if you were to have carbon well yes they would be dear to replace. Well about 10 times the cost.

 

I found that with traffic and other drivers being inpatient around, it’s difficult to maneuver and take it at the right angle as you rightfully suggested. I’ve been in these situations and either couldn’t get the angle because of on coming traffic or had some guy in a big truck behind me who wants to run me over. The lift reduces my risks by 70% I’d say.

I’m enthusiastic about lift’s because I had long arguments with Ferrari sales reps over the years while ordering cars and made the mistake of not getting a lifter once and regretted very much. Every time I’m reminded about how much it costs including the headlights I think I could get special paint or luggage or some visible option I can enjoy for that money.

 

With the AF package, wouldn't all those lips and skirts be carbon by default?

 

Keep in mind when you raise the front, you lower the rear a little. Lifter is still nice to have. Adds functionality.

 

I really want the AF, and I personally don't need the front lift...however resale would probably be tough without it.

 

I don't think it's available yet.

 

Most likely. I'm not a fan of cosmetic carbon. But hey people like it and no issues with that but very expensive to replace.

 

Point I'm making is look at the pic of the 296 GTB above. Now compare it to the F8 or 488 GTB.

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Accidentally scraping the bottom of the 296 GTB is less of an issue , just replace the plastic part or even better put scrap guards. With all the previous Ferraris there was paint. At least the 488 GTB had a separate panel bottom spoiler BUT the F8 its all one part the whole bumper.

IMO waste of money. Spend it on a better paint colour

 

With the AF pack the front is carbon as it has the winglets that add 10kg of downforce….
The side skirts and diffuser are optional.

 

Maybe I missed it? but what brand/manufacturer is everyone using for the 296 GTB plastic guards in the front?

My order has the AF package so hopefully they are compatible with the carbon pieces.

 

If I were to purchase a pre-owned 296 GTB without the front lifter, is that something I could add to the car at a later time, if I, or the next buyer wanted it?

Thank you.

Brian

 

No you can’t add it in a cost effective way. If you ordered without and had problems scraping, your only option would be to install these plastic skid plates so they take the scrape instead of the underlying pieces.

 

Thanks. I can't recall but 1 or 2 instances when I've scraped the bottom in my 458 Italia.

But there's a 296 GTB that I am coveting that does not have the lift. I'm more concerned about resale.

 

I think it’s a good option for resale. I use mine often.

the 296 isn’t as bad the F8, that car scrapes over everything (especially the rear).

 

Defo get it. I have had a few scrapes when forgetting to turn the lifter on. Must have if you live anywhere like London where the speed bumps are quite severe.

 

I’m in the lifter camp. Use mine frequently. (F8, 812)

 

7 Ferraris, never ordered it, never needed it.
Different strokes....

 

we have dumb city planners I guess!!

 

Just careful where I drive and always use caution on ramps, etc.
Ya pays your money and takes your chances.

 

I have a lift on my Pista, and I had one on my Portofino M. Sometimes I am rushed by traffic behind me and it is a bit stressful. But I am much more confident entering driveways and navigating speed humps and dips on side roads in Cali. So for me, I only looked at specs that included a lift.

 

I live in the remarkably hilly city of Birmingham AL. A lift on these vehicles is absolutely necessary in some parts of town. When I am shopping for a secondhand car any without the lift are immediately weeded out even if the rest of the spec is perfectly suited for my tastes.

I think the usefulness of the option and the additional attractiveness to secondhand buyers is worth selecting it.