Hello, While configuring the car on the Ferrari website, I was that the wheels shown below are standard, yet on any of the real pictures of the 458 I have seen, these wheels are not shown. I like these a lot better then the other ones you usually see, what do you think? Steve Image Unavailable, Please Login
There are lots of pics of the standard wheels that have been posted Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
These are the standard wheels, you can order them in silver or optional in dark chrome. Take a look at this thread: http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=269637
The reason why the majority of the current cars wear the optional sport rims is because Ferrari wants to sell as many of them for a premium. Which rim actually looks better is up to personal liking.
The optional 'sport wheel' is noted as being 40% lighter than the standard wheel fitted on the Scuderia + 16M . Perhaps a similar unsprung weight saving is gained compared to the standard broad spoke 458 wheel to. CH
Ah, finally an intelligent querry regarding the wheels, versus the usual "I like the looks of X more than Y'. If the standard wheel is, say, 24 lbs, and the sport wheel is 40% less, or around 16lbs, this would imply a saving of 8lbs per wheel. I've heard 'rules of thumb' that adding a heavier wheel to a car, for example, a wheel with just 1 lb more of unspring weight (meaning 4lbs for all 4 wheels), adds 6lbs more weight overall to the car. If so, this would imply that getting the sport wheels on the 458 would reduce the car's overall weight by 8X6 = 48lbs. That's a quarter of the weight the CS and Scuderia claim to save over the 360/430 respectively. So its highly significant. If I get the sports wheels I definitely want to know from Ferrari what the weight savings are. Pls. post if anyone finds out this 'secret' information! Btw, its a sad fact that most exotic owners know little about wheel weights and related performance dynamics. Even RUF, porsche performance king, sells its traditional 5 spoke Ruf wheels to style conscious consumers, yet they are heavier than just about every other wheel available!
+1000 The "standard" wheels pictured here IMHO are better looking. Because the "sport" wheels were so commonly seen (and very plain), and the standards rare to see, when I did see some pics of the 458 with the standards, I thought those were the optional wheels that were the upsell/more expensive.
I do see your point, but again, if you don't like the looks of a certain wheel style, but that wheel is lighter, then what is the point of having it on your personal car if you don't like how they look?
+1, also, the sport wheels are lighter, hence a car with the sport wheels will perform a bit better, Ferrari wants their cars to be at the highest performance for there release when everyone is most critical. I personally think the standard wheels are a lot nicer. Steve
Also, the standard wheels were designed in conjunction with the car, hence they look the best. The sport wheels are just a simple lightweight 5 spoke design that would look good on any Ferrari. Steve
