430 .. just how much better 458 is to the 430

Wouldn’t this be a better post in the 458 section?

 

I've had both...458 way better. Its miles apart, but I do like the rawness of the 430 especially in a manual.

 

Let’s spin it a bit the other way - 458 is better in every way, except for being less analogue, less raw, less old school Ferrari, less involving, less refined and is much easier to drive fast.

In this plug and play world to go faster, easier, there is a lot to be said about the older versions, that for a weekend toy can prove to be more fun, more of the time!

I’ve gone off the looks of a 458 as well!

 

But, my F430 spider is 100% better in showing me the beautiful engine every time I look at it.

 

Lets remind ourselves of this from Top gear as well!

 

And the 488 and f8 etc etc

For the streets the 430 is more than enough!
I bet most dont even drive the f430 to its limits

 

I have a 360 manual and a 458. they compliment each other

 

and a 488 is better than a 458, and ...

The next-generation car always makes a jump. the difference is, Did the design attitude change in a way that makes people nostalgic for the previous generation? I expect F8 people to be saying, yes the 296 is better than the F8, but they have real buttons !!!, just like the 458 people say, they are NA vs the 488 Turbo even though the 488 in all measurable numbers is better.

 

"better" is just so subjective. I've driven a 458. I'm keeping my 360.

 

Agreed. Better at what exactly?

Both are good cars, the 458 is a touch too digital and too heavy for my tastes @ almost 1.5 tonnes (without a driver or fuel) but it is at least designed by Pininfarina. I think I'm becoming a grumpy old man as all the newer models interest me less and les, they are all a bit 'meh', almost everything post Pininfarina actually...

 

Meh, I drove a 458 once and was so bored I took a short cut back to the dealer to get out of it quicker and grab another go in the Huracan.

OTOH, the two times I drove a Scuderia was so thrilling, I admit I thought about stealing it…..well if it was any color other than black.

 

it's not the actual weight but the perceived weight. I drove a newer GT3 vs my 996 GT3. My 996 GT3 weight is similar to a newer one with all the carbon body parts and even with the extra HP the newer ones feel bigger, heavier, and less connected than my almost 20-year-old one. I think the 458 began that move for Ferrari, the cars started feeling bigger and feeling heavier and less connected even if they physically aren't. Every time I get the 458 itch, I drive one and decide I'll stick with my 430. The 458 isn't cheaper to maintain since it has its own high-cost repair and maintenance, so can't justify it that way... Now if I was tracking my car and needed the best performance, I'd get a 458 or even better a 488 or F8. On the street, I have more than enough HP in my 2009 F430 than is safe for me to use. BTW: I also want to say the 488 is a way better look to me than the 458. The 458 needs side intakes to make it more exotic.

 

Dont believe all the figures you read. The real world numbers are very different and the 458 is significantly heavier typically than these artificial examples would have you believe.

Agreed the real figures are actually quite hard to find and USA spec cars are much heavier and very spec dependant.

My 360 is an exception currently sitting sub 1100kg KERB weight but driving back to back against my 360 and a typically spec'd 458, not only was my example actually faster off the line and in a straight line, it could brake much better and felt so much more nimble in every way... Yes I get my car isn't the typical case as it's had a lot of development (and you could do the same on the 458 too) when you do compare a 400kg lighter car against each other the difference is so stark it's amazing we ended up going after more power and weight rather than less weight and a better power to weight ratio . So sad...

 

Its almost impossible to use 'top trumps' numbers like this to compare because cars are very 'spec' dependent when it comes to weight. The weight of options has such a considerable impact on final car kerb that its hard to do this any justice.

For example just carbon seats on a 360 shaved a considerable amount and actually the marketing dept's have become very efficient in recent years in rinsing ever more $ from a base model, and most options ADD weight. So the typical 458 had more options fitted than the typical 360. So the weights are quite a bit heavier in the real world. The F430s feel considerably heavier than a 360 and the 458 even more so, to 'counter' this artificially things where done such as playing with steering rack speeds and adding more power. Ultimately however you cannot defy the laws of physics. I once had a go in a 360 Challenge that was heavily modified and had its ballast removed, it had a kerb of 980kg. That thing was off the charts bonkers... my dream for Ferrari is to produced a sub 1 tonne car with around 500hp. You simply don't need more. It would be far more enjoyable than all this nonsense of edging ever closer to 2 tonnes.

I would suggest that the real world difference between a typical 360 and 458 could be as much as 150kg...

 

Drive my 360 back to back with a 458 and its absolutely no so cut and dry as some people think...

 

What a strange inaccurate statement, 7 years on there are still plenty of NA super cars from multiple manufacturers.

 

I absolutely loved that video when it first came out... I know some people don't enjoy Jay's video, but I am not one of them. Also, his taste in shirts needs to be complimented...

 

I've owned both and have 10,000 miles on both. Have a 458 now. Both great cars in their own right. Really, hard to go wrong here.

 

This is what has always separated the 458 for me in a negative way. I didn't like it as soon as it came out, and feel the same way today. Way too much area of hole-less sheet metal when looking at the side (back half) of the car.

 

I drove my 430 for the first time since putting it away for the winter last weekend. It felt a lot slower, like the car had lost some power and the handling was not so tight and accurate, I was going to get it checked out but then to my surprise, I had left a Kit Kat on the passenger seat? Phew! So Lobed it out the window and it’s back to normal and alls well.

 

Numbers don’t tell the whole story. I was shopping between a gated 430 and 458. Test drove the 458 first, I could appreciate what a great car it was, but didn’t connect. After driving the f430 I bought it on the spot, felt more raw and mechanical, and I liked the looks better too.

In fact, after the 458 test drive, driving home in my 981 cayman gts, I remarked how I even preferred the cayman to the 458, felt more tossable and connected. Clearly the 458 would clobber either car performance wise, but that doesn’t mean much on the road.