430 Converted Manual Owners’ Experiences Please

First thing I would try after a season of driving the car would be a Trev tune.

 

Converting mine to manual was the best thing I did; get the tune during the conversion .. or after. Not before.

 

Well the conversion is not inexpensive. Perhaps the tune would be enough to keep as is. I always knew I was going to convert mine. The Trev tune peps everything up.

 

F430 with an F1 trans is insanely great.

With a 6 spd, it's as good as it gets.

Done it, wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

No negative comments to add. In fact, I've read all those threads too, know many people who have converted, and I dont recall anyone saying doing the conversion was a mistake.

 

The car is insanely fun to drive now in manual. Wife will not ride in it. I don't think anything folks share in a thread would change what you already know inside.

 

I've done it 2 times and no regrets. I love it

 

Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login I had a factory gated 360. It was super fun. Then I was lucky enough to own a 458 Spider, which I also loved. But in my heart of hearts, I missed the 360 gated experience. I figured a gated 430 would be the best of both worlds: almost the 458 engine and other upgrades over 360, and the last of the gated cars. Someone told me recently that gated 430's will someday have the same 'halo' as the last air cooled Porsche (993). Who knows.

I am 62, so am of the stick-shift generation. I learned on my dad's E-type, with NO synchro in 1st, on the San Francisco hills!

Anyway, as we all know, factory gated cars have gotten crazy expensive, so I went looking for a nice 430 specifically to convert. I found a very nice and well equipped 2007. I had the conversion done (including TREV tune) and some other maintenance: motor mounts, new clutch, cam cover gaskets, deck the fab-speed headers, etc. etc. It took a while and it was expensive. I will probably never recover my costs....but I never planned to. I did it for ME and have never looked back. I don't think I (or most anyone without crawling under the car) could tell it from a factory manual --by looks or driving feel.

When the weather is nice and I can drop the top and rip around (race mode with Trev tune is GREAT), there is nothing better. I've had P cars, Astons, Vette's, etc. This is a keeper.

DO IT

-mark in austin (aka fossilfuel)

 

I'm a fan of manuals, but for me the F1 is what the car was designed for. This is apparent with the gear selector window not functional with gated manuals.

Many cars at this age have F1 systems that are tired. Fresh F1 Fluid, acculmator and Scud Inc F1 relay will have the system running prime. I actually really enjoy the F1 system, gives plenty of feedback and is more engaging over a DCT.

Instead of a conversion, I'd use those funds towards a 6 speed companion such as a V12 Vantage, Emira, Porsche

 

You make an interesting point.

I would suggest the window was added for the F1 as you don't now what gear you are in.

There was no need to get it working with the gated shifter, because you know what gear you're in.

When someone on the design team suggested adding the gear selected in the window for the 6 spd, the reaponse was probably 'becausa why?'

 

That is EXACTLY what I was thinking, before I converted mine. This gated Ferrari 6 speed is very different than other manuals... So no, not the same experience wit a Beetle, Toyota or a Bond wanna be car.

 

Makes me wonder what the market would be for a gauge face that eliminated the window. I was half tempted to contact one of the aftermarket companies and see what it would take to create a solid face. I'm sure night time illumination would look different on that area, but couldn't be too bad I'm guessing.

 

Best money spent

 

I have Scuderia SuperFast 2 and still miss my manual F430.

 

How did you get the shifter ball to high mirror polish?

 

I bought it off ebay Supposedly OEM..... But did not come in OEM box. Solid and nice, so it works for me

 

Just use Mothers metal polish with a random orbital sander / polisher, a polishing pad and you can get it mirror like finish.

 

That shifter ball looks to be for a 355. The reverse looks slanted. 360 and 430 reverse is straight back

 

all Ferrari original shift knobs are straight back.. all aftermarkets are angled..

 

I stand corrected then. I just been looking at 355 pics and most are straight back, a few are slanted

 

Money well spent. Completely changed the stradale experience for me. Not sure why I still have the box of F1 crap laying around lol.

 

Appears I’m going to have the last F1 car in existence with everyone swapping. Although at some point if my F1 gives me trouble I’ll probably swap also.

 

Good thing you got a backup!

 

Need to try that
Thanks

 

Best money spent here also. Car would be gone long ago if it wasn´t for the conversion, it totally transformed the car from a mediocre Ferrari experience to the emotional top shelf of the motoring world. I got an early EAG kit done by my Ferrari specialist here in Sweden and it´s been flawless since day one. Got an updated gate free of charge from EAG a while ago and the feeling/looks got even better.