458 Auto Mode Re-Mapping

I recently bought a 458 Spider and noticed that it doesnt like low gears, even in Race mode and was wondering if there were any ECU solutions to explore. By way of background, I have a Porsche 991.1 911 and it holds gears much longer, and selects lower gears in Sport Mode (let alone Sport Plus) than the 458 does in Race mode. I could be going 30 in the 458 and be in 5th gear, while that would be 3rd in Sport or 1st in Sport Plus in the 911. Any suggestions/mods other than to manually shift the car, which is not always desirable?

 

Bummer you don't like the paddle shifters. If I'm going 30mph in Race/Auto my 458 Spider is probably in 7th gear. I only drive the 458 in Race/Manual. 4 - 5 LEDs on the steering wheel before shifting in low gears. I don't drive fast, I drive loud. When I put gas in the car anything better than 10 mpg is disappointing.

Hopefully someone else has a better recommendation for you in Auto.

Rob

 

Thanks Rob, I like paddles but in NYC, its common to drive on local roads and constantly shifting becomes a pain.

 

That makes more sense. Roads in San Diego are bad, but nothing compared to NYC. Hopefully other people in you area will add their experience.

 

Haha I'm (almost) the opposite of you. Unless I'm doing mountain carving/tracking I drive in sport + bumpy mode on manual. I shift between 3k-4k rpm. Going more than that just seems... weird to me. The throttle response is really hard to control over that rpm and the engine braking is tough as well.

@romeof1 you could potentially look at an ECU tune? Not sure how much you can mess with the auto computer, though. It's definitely programmed for fuel economy when you're just putzing around town.

If you ask the car to it'll hold a lower gear, e.g. when you give it a lot of throttle input. But if you're just putzing around town it won't. I guess why do you want to hold a low gear when you're just putzing? Maybe for the same reason @rob5819 does.

 

There is not much which can be done. Ferrari dct transmissions are pretty lacklustre in this department. Ferrari cannot program transmissions to save their lives. It is the same in a Lusso or 488, or F112. Driving along in auto and want to do an overtake? Yeah good luck. It might wake up after you stab the throttle a few times, but don't count on it. The guy that is in charge of this should be sacked. Go drive a Merc GTR with the exact same dct as a Ferrari, and it is bang-on. Just ridiculous.

Sent from my SM-G930F using FerrariChat.com mobile app

 

That makes sense - thank you. Seems like its not as simple as an ECU tune and that the only choice is to drive in manual mode, even in NYC on local streets, if I want to be in anything under 6th gear when going 30. Sad to say my 911S is much more fun to drive in auto mode.

 

The auto mode on my Audi A8 is sportier than my Ferrari 458, and the A8 is a land yacht. Not only does the 458 upshift at ridiculously low RPMs, but when you slow down, it waits to downshift until you're practically lugging the engine. I don' t know how anybody can drive the Ferrari 458 in auto mode and find it enjoyable.

 

I'd bet a dollar it's to get better fuel economy across its fleet. Your car can be pretty efficient if it's never able to accelerate.

 

Sorry guys; two people drive our 458; one in 'automatic' and one in manual. It works perfectly.....................................!