Just curious how these cars handle vs a 360. Does the car feel balanced or front heavy? What about under steer? I was at the dealership the other day and for the first time ever my wife pointed out a black 550 and commented on how "hot" it looked. She usually doesn't say anything as it could be an excuse for me to buy anothe car.
I had 360, 430, 575 fiorano HP,,,,, If you are not a professional racing driver, you won't sense the difference or actually 550 will be better for you. I do racing in semi-pro racing league and I prefered 575 fiorano HP's balance than 360's one. Some say MR always has better balance than FR but I found out that they don't have both cars but just kept talking. Maybe they just read the others' commments who just like them^^ Again, if you are not a prefessional racing driver, there must be almost 'NO' difference between 360 amd 550/ 575 in terms of balance and handling. You know what? honestly, the position of engine is not that critical thsesdays since weight distributions are almost 50:50. NEWER is BETTER. My california is much better than 430 in balance I feel.
The 550 is more neutral than one would think a front-engine car would be. I think it is because of the engine being placed behind the front wheels. You can definitely tell it is a heavier car than a 360 but the extra 85hp (485 vs 400) helps it come out of the corners with a lot of acceleration. The 360 and 430 are both wonderful on a race track. I am a novice track driver but I was always amazed how I could steer through a corner with just small adjustments to the gas pedal. If you get a 360 fully side-loaded in a corner, you can get the car to "tuck in" if you lift on the gas a little, or you can get it to widen its arc by squeezing on a little bit more gas. Great fun to dance on that edge of adhesion as the car willingly pivots around its center. The 550 is more of getting it set into the corner and slowly squeezing on as much power as you dare as you progress through the exit of the corner. Here's the classic video of a Ferrari F1 car chasing down a small Fiat and Ferrari 550 on the track. Several good clips in this video of how the 550 goes through the corners at speed. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW5YyAqR6Xs[/ame]
that was pretty sick. I need to drive one of these soon. I am getting the itch for something else and cant swing the scud right now so maybe a nice 550/575 may do the trick.
Great cool fun classic video. Thank you so much In the video the 550 is so wobbly and noses heavily down, but sound absolutely great. So I am going to get some stiff suspension for my 575. I had it already lowered with more of a racing set up/negative camber at FoSeattle just this past week and it looks much better. And it sticks to any surfaces now!!! Image Unavailable, Please Login
360s rear end can feel a little twitchy before you get even close to the limit. I'm assuming due to the it's light weight and stiff chassis, not to mention rear weight bias. I've never had the chance to push a 550/575 so i can't give a direct comparison but considering a 550 has 50/50 weight distribution I would assume it's easier to handle.
What is the obsession with 50/50 weight distribution? DP cars, F1 cars, LMP, ... none of them run 50/50. They all have a rear bias, typically something around 45/55 but can be up to just over 60% rear. Lots of reasons why but that is far too involved for this discussion. The 360 feels twitchy because it has a much lower angular mass than the 550 so it can rotate more easily. Think of the 550 as a dumbbell; there is weight forward (motor), a lightweight center section (tunnel & driver zone), and weight rear. The 360 is more like a bowling ball with a stick on each end. The lower angular mass allows the car to turn in faster but there is less tendency to maintain it's rotation (lower angular momentum). This also let's the 360 twitch if there is slight variation in traction or throttle. lourus - I disagree that only a racing driver can tell the difference. The two cars drive VERY differently. Beyond the fact that one is a GT and the other is more sports oriented they feel different. The turn in is quicker on the 360 and it is very easy to throttle steer. The 550 is smooth, fast, and stable. It is like saying a Lotus Elise feels like a Bentley GT. They are not even remotely the same. As to the OP's question, the 550 doesn't feel front heavy. toggie did a great job of describing the difference. The 550s balance is great and it is a dream to drive. You can feel the 360 pivot around a point right behind the seats but the 550 doesn't have the quick rotational quality. You set it in the corner and carve a great line; laying on as much power as your traction will take.
I feel like I can do anything with my 360, IMO it is very easy to drive. To me it feels like a go kart. You just can't drive scared if you know what I mean. I have never driven a 550/575 but my initial thought is that it would not enter a turn as fast but of course exit speed should be be better than the 360.
In 1997, Top Gear proclaimed the 550 to be the best handling car in the world, the test included a 355.....and the 360 is a poor handling car anywhere near the limit.
not sure i'd really trust top gear's opinion. clarkson also thinks ferrari f50s are one of the worst ferrari's made so not sure you can really take his opinion much. tiff needle proclaimed the 360 to be the best ferrari ever when it first came out and at least he's a real race car driver.
The 550 was a highly decorated model that for sure. When evo did an article on the best drivers car for the last 10 years in 2004, this was the result; Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks for sharing this CM, enjoyed the read. Have also enjoyed the subject and comments in this thread. Bill FL
I wouldn't say the 360 is a poor handling car at be limit but its is definitely not the best. You can mess with the suspension settings and get it dialed in which makes a big difference. I really have to drive a 550 or 575, this thread has really made me more interested.
You are right one of the editors of EVO had one! They even did a long term test in their magazine!! For me the winner must have been the Lotus Elise, because it is Imo the most groundbreaking car in the list, no one used more modern technology... but that's another story...
