Those who have F1....

I'm narrowing down my inquiry....

I've read the 6-speed vs F1 thread(s). That's really not my question. I've been test-driving both tranny's and have come to accept 2 things: The 6-speed is generally cheaper to maintain, more "authentic" and offers what many suggest should be my first Ferrari experience.

The F1 is the master at the track, easy in traffic and the future of tranny's.

I drove the F1 yesterday for quite some time. My right hand felt empty, my left foot unused: something was missing. I didn't even feel connected enough with the car to try to push it. WILL THIS DISCONNECTED FEELING GO AWAY???

The salesman says I'll get used to it, grow accustomed to it...come to like it. BUT WILL I JUST GROW BORED OF IT????

How many have had F1 and went back to 6-speed? I've heard a few F1 owners say they went with the F1 to try something different and then grew bored and returned to 6-speed.

What was your experience with the F1...did it take time to get used to, are you as fully capable (or moreso) with the F1 as the 6-speed? If you had it to do again....which would you go with?

....and thanks!!!!

 

LOL you a very interesting fellow

i have the exact same problem now but i've been reading a lot but haven't test driven both yet but most will say that a great sports car should have manual no matter what because of having control over everything and have a maximum amount of driving pleasure. In such cases about the difference between the 6speed and the sequential, to me for city use such as for high density places such as HK (which i am located), i think i'll most probably choose the sequential tranny because i don't wanna get tired from traffic jams. but if i am located in the americas or europe, places with more space and less traffic i'd definitely choose a 6speed. As most people say that technology is killing the fun of sports cars in the 21st century and i couldn't agree more

 

I agree that working the gate & playing with the clutch is all about the fun. My query is whether or not the F1 becomes comfortable and I'm just experiencing a disorientational issue that will subside. The next query is whether the F1 gets old and many F1-owners return to 6-speed.

For what it's worth, I'm pretty much set on the 6-speed. Beyond the control, I feel more in-touch with the engine, the RPM's and the general feel of the car. I'm wondering it these components come with the F1...or does it always leave the driver feeling "disconnected"

Gosh...this is worse then that time when we had that bachelor party and couldn't decide which stripper to hire. Getting them both worked back then...but I have room & funding for only 1 Ferrari. Sometimes life isn't fair. LOL, how many guys would love to have this problem....

 

I think i do not agree : F1 is great for track and open roads. stop and go in traffic is not the best operating condition for the F1 : it will keep on riding the clutch and generally wear out v. quickly. the auto mode is not helping in that respect.

For around town I think the best is normal manual.

 

try this: right foot for gas only, left foot for brake only. works great!

john

 

My 355 is a six speed, and I haven't driven an F1, but I still think what I've got to say might be of some use to you, so here goes...

As I see it, both transmissions offer you the same thing: Manual control. So it isn't a case of comparing a manual to an automatic; both types are manual due to the fact that *you* choose what gear to be in and when. The only difference is that one has a clutch which is operated for you; the other you have to do it yourself. The reason I say this is that I don't see how you should feel 'disconnected' from the car - you are still making all of the driving decisions (unless you put it in fully automatic mode of course) and you still get all the same feedback clues from the chassis and steering.

I drive an auto on a daily basis. The first time I drove an auto I kept reaching down for the gear stick as I was so used to a manual. After a few days I stopped doing it altogether, and was able to switch between auto and manual cars without thinking about it. Familiarity with the F1 box will come if you get it, and it won't take long. I'm sure of it.

The F1 box will only make your car go quicker in the right circumstances. I would agree with the view that for a car that spends a lot of time in the town a manual might be better.

I think it is worth remembering that the method of changing gear isn't the only important part of driving. There are a whole load of other things you need to do and not having to spend time operating the clutch just gives you more time to spend on the other stuff. You can snatch that last change down before a corner that you wouldn't have had time to do in a manual car. My point is what it takes away from you in one area it gives back to you in another.

As I already said I drive a six speed and I haven't driven an F1, but I'd have an F1 any time. I'm happy with my six speed and wouldn't change it just to get an F1 transmission because I am very pleased with the rest of the car too. This leads me onto my last and perhaps to me the most important point: You should be buying a car on condition and history. The transmission type should be a secondary consideration given all of the above.

Just my opinion - hope it is of some use to you.

Ric.

 

I recently went through the same dilemna regarding transmissions.
I drove a 360 in both versions. Then I drove a 550 in a 6 speed and determined a front engine V12 was what I wanted. I then tried a 575.
I live in the country where we have open highways and little traffic. The 6 speed is right at home out here. The paddle shifters were a little impersonal for my taste for the 550/575 car. When I drove the paddle shifters I kept wanting tp step on the clutch.

 

My F1 360 is my daily driver and I live downtown. Most of my driving is in downtown. I have it in sport mode always, 19k miles and no clutch replacement yet. As for that "empty feeling" with that left foot, you might consider getting another sporty car that is a stick - that combo works pretty well for me. It took a couple if months to get "comfortable" with the F1 but that feeling went away - kind of like when I learned how to drive a stick after driving an automatic. It's just a different animal and definitely not for everyone but those of us who love it, we REALLY love it!

 

I have both kinds of manuals-F1 and 6 speed full manuals (and a couple of 5 and 4 speeds too!). I have also have real high performance slushboxes (Benz AMG's) and the honest thruth is that, in my particular case, each car's particular tranny suits it just fine.

I have a 575 with F1 and that is a match made in heaven, especially in urban traffic. The 575 is my daily driver, along with a big Benz S55 and it is perfect. I recently got a CS and the F1 was absolutely made for it. My F40 however could be nothing but a stick with a gate to hammer home the lever.
The question is "would you turn down a 360 or 575 because it had an F1 tranny?" I know I wouldn't.

 

No...it's not that. I have found 355's with 6-speeds AND a 355 with an F1... But when I drove the F1 it just didn't quite feel right. I think I just like having a clutch pedal and working the gears through the gates.

I was hoping to hear from someone who had the similar experience and would tell me how they got used to it and loved it....or never got used to it and went back to 6-speed.

Think I got it figured out.....

 

I loved my 355F1 for what it was!

DL

 

You sound like you need to be convinced of the F1, in which case I say skip it. Stick with what you know and enjoy. If you bollux the shift, you did it. But when you nail that double clutch 4-2 as you're about to hang your tail out, nose over the apex lined up perfectly for the next straight - stick with the gate.

Biased? Me? Never...

--Dan

 

I'll second a couple other posts:

1) Learn to left-foot brake... your left foot won't feel unloved at all... and you'll have even more of that go-kart or F1-car feel... plus, its faster on the track.

2) If you have another car with a manual tranny, then you can get your gear-rowing fix there.

 

F355 6 speed, love it. 550 6 speed love it. 360 F1 hate it. F430 will be a 6 speed if available.

As for racing? Want a 360 Challenge which is F1 only. Steering wheel and brake pedal will keep me busy enough so won't miss not having the stick and clutch.

 

From my own experience, I found F1 to be fun on windy roads where there is a lot of upshifting/downshifting, and less comfortable to use in traffic. I never found it to be as enjoyable as driving a stick. I sold the F1 and bought one with with a 6 speed, and felt more in control.

This is just my preference, but I don't intend to go back to an F1 until I absolutely have no choice, or the technology is improved. I'd like to see the paddles move with the wheel (or buttons, perhaps), and a rethinking of how to handle starting from a standstill.

 

i don't own an F1, mine is a manual

i drove an F1 prior to me purchasing my manual and my feeling was exactly as yours, i felt like something was missing. so i went traditional

i have two buddies that own F1's and one of them is a first time fcar owner, so he might not know any better
but
the second guy had a 348 prior and he say's this is the last F1 he's going to own, he flat out hates it after 9 months of ownership

plus, they seem to be unreliable to boot
- buzzers going off
- F1 fault light going off
- car goes into neutral 1 out of every ten shifts or so
- clutches only seem to last about 10k miles
- jerky
- LED displays burn out
- sometimes actuators need realignment, dealer only deal

PITA if you ask me

 

My story involves a M3 SMG.

When I test drove SMG, my immeidate reaction was much the same as yours: ok great for the track and the downshifting is amusing, but this is boring and a bit too much like a video game for street use.

Well, we got the SMG because I thought I would grow to appreciate it and my wife could drive it.

Over the next 18 months we discovered 2 things. 1. It was not enough of a manual for my taste; and 2. it was not enough of an automatic for my wife's taste.

As a result the car sat and collected dust and did no one any good. We sold it.

I will never again get a paddle style gear box. I'd rather have a regular automatic- its easier for most people to drive and its almost as uninvolving for street driving.

If you were getting a track car, Id say go for the F1 all the way. But if you enjoy shifting, think its part of the fun, then I suggest you go with what your gut is already telling you.

Best Regards,
Jerry

 

Wow...great info & thoughts. From what I can determine:

1) There is no "answer"....it's not like asking if a Tubi breathes better then an OEM exhaust. It's all subjective on this issue. No surprise there.

2) Many question the reliability of the F1...yet there are few F1 owners who have come forward to confirm these issues. Could this be similar to the hype on the valve-guide issue??? At the same time, nobody can argue greater clutch wear and costlier expense in maintaining it.

3) F1 is definitely the winner on the track for faster times.

Many argue that my first Ferrari should be a stick, others feel passionate that a true sports car, especially for fun, should also be a stick.

Everyone agrees that the F1 takes something away from the whole process..that can be good or bad. Good for speed, competitiveness, ease of driving in traffic, etc. Bad in that the thrill of moving through the gates is gone.

I'm fairly certain the uncomfortable "foreign" feeling I had with the F1 would eventually turn into being okay with it. Being in an unfamiliar setting caused hesitance to open it up and push it....so I'm sure I could come to get used to it, but then again, others came to dislike it. There are those going from F1 back to 6-speed....so that says something too.

But, in drawing my conclusion....I'm not into the track (yet). I'm into cruising up PCH for a nice lunch in Santa Barbara, or just cruisin' through sections of Malibu Canyon and other scenic roads. I love rowing the stick, playing the gears and feeling like an integral part of the machine.

I'm inclined towards going with 6-speed. Thanks!