1000km In My 458

First please forgive and bear with my poor English.
I have had the car for almost two month now and loved it so much since the first day. My purchase was originally started as a Cali but I changed my mind to a 458 in the last minute. I am now very glad I did it. Not I’m saying the Cali is a less exciting car but just the 458 is so amazing in every aspect. My order was switched in late September and I took delivery of the car in the first week of December. I was lucky enough to have the car flew over free of charge by the Ferrari. But take in consider that we are paying triple price here in China compare to the US market, the factory should provide this service anyway. The car drives super smoothly in automatic. You wouldn’t even realize that you are sitting in a mid-engine sports car until you noticed the driving position is so low to the ground compare to the other cars beside you at a red light stop. The ride comfort is superb and it’s even better than my 911 and Aston. In ‘snow’ mode the suspension filter away most of the unpleasant feedbacks form a bumpy road. And the exhaust also stays very quiet make it fair easy driving out of neighborhood in the late night. However when you are in the mood for a little bit of melody all you need to do is change to manual mode and harder on the gas pedal. As soon as the engine goes over 4000 rpm the sound is coming out and getting louder and louder and then screaming all the way to 9000 rpm. Every time I do this I will end up with a big smile on my face. I also had the doubts about the dual clutch gearbox being too smooth that you’ll miss the shock we used to feel between shifting while driving violently. However when you switch the Manettino to ‘race’ and floor the throttle then all those doubts are just gone. You can clearly feel every brutal kick in the back every time it shifts from first to seventh gear. The steering wheel takes time to get used to, but once you do its effortless to operate. Without all the old-school stalks around the column as in other cars really makes performance driving less busy. The full electric seats are very comfortable as well. The longest time I had sit in there was about four hours without casing too much pain to my back while I couldn’t spend more than two hours in my 911. The super racing seat looks fantastic but I passed on this one as heated seat is crucial to survive the winter here. The ELEV option is a must have in my opinion. With the front end lifted I haven’t had any problems with the speed bumps or going up and down slopes so far. Unlike a Ferrari, I had zero issues with the car for the first 1000km ownership. Everything is just as reliable as ‘Made in Germany’. It is definitely the best car I have ever had.

Still, I have some questions and wish someone with more experience on this forum could answer me.
1. There is some kind of repeating noise coming from the right front wheel when rolling away at low speed from a cold start. You can hear it clearly in the cabin. It will strangely disappear after the car is warmed up. Is it normal or I should ask the dealer check it out?
2. What areas should I do clear bra if I don’t want to wrap up the whole car? In other words, which areas are the most vulnerable to stone chips?
3. Do you warm up the car in stationary for a little while after starting the engine or just drive straight away from a cold start. What I usually do is start engine and wait for the RPM drops to around 800 and stay steady then pull away. I would hope this could help prevent damage to the engine while it’s not properly lubricated.
4. I heard there are new cars delivered with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres which are used on 599 GTOs. Mine came with Pirelli Pzero. Is it worth the upgrade to the new Michelin tyres?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
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Great post! Poor English - are you kidding?!

1. The sound isn't normal. I'd check visit a tyre or brake shop at least if the dealer isn't close. It doesn't sound serious and might be a pebble caught somewhere.
2. I recommend putting clearbra on everything forward of the windscreen, plus sills, mirrors, wheel arch edges and the Pininfarina badged panel.
3. Your warmup technique is correct - drive away gently until oil temp reaches normal operating temperature.
4. I'd keep the Pirellis for now and try another brand at replacement time if you want to.

Please post some more pics of your car in the countryside!

 

NICE. I read on businessweek.com that women account for about 20% of Ferrari sales in China, four times the world average. 11 of the world’s 20 richest self-made women are in China. No wonder we can’t get any allocation ; D

 

Interesting "458 Italia" graphic on the rear decklid! How did that come about?

 

IMO, I think differnt cars make different sounds. Sometimes due to friction, sometimes due to Other issues. I'm having squeaks (most likely coming from engine side) each time I upshift when accelerating hard in race mode. Anyone knows what is going on?

 

Nice car, Congrats!

Also nice pics n cool writeup I really enjoy reading it. Keep posting!

Thx for sharing...

 

Wow, $750,000 to $900,000 for a 458? I wonder what an Enzo or GTO would cost there! Does this mean that the FF will be a million dollar car in China!?