512 TR...is there any special area to look for??

Glen, Have to ask, how tall are you? I am surprised the Lambo is a better fit.

 

The Tubi sounds great especially with no cats, the Koenig isnt bad either, its even louder than the tubi.
The Tubi is nice & shiney so it looks much better than the stock exhaust when you lift the engine lid

 

Steve where did you find those seats & how much $ were they ? They look great. I have OMP recliners in mine which work well.
Ferrari quoted me $6k for each seat !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HaHa

I said I would only pay $6k for a seat if it had a built in Orgasmatron

 

the seats were in the car from the factory when new

 

I am 6' 1" 220 lbs I have had taller guy's fit and shorter guy'***** their heads like I do,Its all in your body type!

You sit way lower in my 98 Diablo SV and she has more driver head room and overall is far more comfortable for me,right down to the pedal placements,shifter height and telescopic tilt steering wheel positioning.

 

pong, u will have no regrets on this purchase. i love mine and plan never to sell it.
many good points made here, some of which only apply to usa spec cars like the seatbelt recall. you will probably have standard seat belts fitted and there was no recall on these.

i can vouch for wanting to keep the water off the engine cover. one of the vents allows water to drip right onto one of the engine management connections and if the seal is gone, then the water shorts it out and your 'check engine' light will come on and scare the **** out of you.

mine has a battery cut-off switch in the front compartment on the left hand side (looking at the car head on). i turn this off everytime i leave the car and it has served me well.

i would not worry about the belts. the current belt manaufacturer used by ferrari is different than the one on cars made prior 91, and has much higher lifespan.

i would not change the exhaust from stock unless you really have to have more sound. reason is somewhat personal in that i like things stock, and i also don't want to be so loud that i can't stand being in the car after 30 minutes. believe me, everyone knows you are there when they see you, you don't need to make yourself miserable to attract attention or feel like you are in a ferrari.

driving it around town can be a little tricky because the car is just so wide. always give yourself plenty of room. parallel parking is a bit of a nightmare, so i go out of my way to find an easy pull-in slot. also have noticed that the sides are easily dented by other car doors, so give others a wide berth.

as long as your thermostat is working the car will not overheat. the fans come on and sound like a jet just landed next to you, but it will not overheat.

don't bother putting in a fancy stereo unless u plan to be stuck in mega traffic all the time. once you actually are driving it and the revs get over 4000, you will not hear anything worthwhile anyway.

a few of the sidestrakes have come loose and need rewelding into place. this probably happened over rough roads, which may happen to you in bangkok as well. this is a bit of a pain because to do it right they have to take the panels apart. an easy fix is to put some kind of adhesive like blue-tac in there, but no gtees how long that lasts.

i have found the car handles better with tire inflation over the recommended level. so i have an extra few psi in there.

there is nothing like a rear engined flat 12 ferrari, so have fun !

 

Wildwarrior,

When you say "tight fit" what exactly do you mean??? You and I are comparable in weight, however I am 6-3" with a pretty athletic build. The reason I am asking is because I have been in a couple of F-cars but never a Testa/512 and that is the car that I want next. I figured (perhaps wrongly) that because it is a "bigger" car that it would be more comfortable for men our size than say perhaps a 348 or 355...

If you would, let me know what you thought about riding in it for extended periods of time and where you thought it was a little tight (fit wise). I would be interested in your firsthand unbiased opinion seeing as how I would be beginning my search within the next year or so...

Thanks man...

Cajun

 

I too have a muscular build and the 512TR is just very tight sideways aswell as head room. Most Exotics do have the close peddals so we won't go there.I was good for about 50 miles or so before I felt quite cramped,she is a great week end warrior and a blast to drive, just not on long trips if your much over 6' in my opinion.

You should drive one first, I did and because of how awesome a car it is, I bought one anyway with the thought I could get that perfect adjustment, it just didn't happen.

With my Diablo seat all the way back and steering wheel adjustments she is night and day more comfortable in comparision.Nothing against the Ferrari 512TR , they are a beautiful and totally awesome ride, unfortunatly I think they were designed to comfortably fit a 5' 8' 150 lbs Italian, shoes and all, as were the earlier Lamborghini models.

All you can do is drive one you may just fit, then you'll be hooked! Glen

 

Congrats Pong! you have such a nice TR.

BTW is there a F512M in Thailand? Down here I've only seen one 512TR and No 512M, but a couple of Testas

 

if you are serious about a tr buy one with sports seats as they are set alot lower than the standard seats about 2 inches and it is alot easier to drive if you are that tall i am 5ft 7 and have had both but could never get the standard seats in a good driving position as they are to high especially at the front of the seat
All you can do is drive one you may just fit, then you'll be hooked! Glen[/QUOTE]

 

your brakes need to be checked. you are reporting unusual behavior there.

sounds like you need to check the camber of your front wheels as well. the steering should not be pulling so hard to the left.

this car is not easy to drive if compared to an nsx, so your wife will remain disappointed unless she gets used to it - tell her its an extra work out per day !

 

Glen,

Thanks for the reply and your perspective. The friends I have who own exotics are not as big as we are. I have been in a Diablo and I was impressed with its "roominess". I guess I assumed that the 512 would be similar. You are right, I will just have to drive one!!!

Congrats Pong, you have the car that I will be looking for soon!!!! Enjoy in good health...

 

Congratualtions Pong!!

Hey - update your profile so that we can read more about you...and add a picture of that beautiful car of yours! I want one too...

Cheers, MARK

 

Stunning!!!! MARK

 

Wooahh!! I've just realised something...if you drive that beautiful car down Sukhumvit Road you're certainly a braver man than me!!! Cheers, MARK

 

That sounds like my 328!!! Later, MARK

 

The 512 TR is the most relaible of the bunch, the only issue is the starter failing to engage at times during hot weather or over time. Look on this site as I have a listed a fully explained and simple fix of it.

The other is a small 3" long water in take hose should be repalced with a high grade racing tube/hoe otherwise it fails over time. I ti slocated aove the #2 cyclinder under the intake so hard to get to unless the engine is out but can be done.

 

Whoa, you pondered that one a while didn't you?!?! A thread from 2004 comes back! I believe - and sincerely hope - you're right on that. The 512TR has this nearly unburstable feel. Stuff works. I just have a growing confidence in this car like virtually no other exotic. It's really hot here, and I ran the car pretty good at lunch today. Got back to the garage, shut her down, started it right up 3 times in a row just to 'see' if the started dragged or hinted at overheat. No problem.

Thanks for the tip on the water hose.

 

Can you give me the link to site that talks about the starter problem, there is no link in this post.

 

Great car and you will really love it !

I have my 512TR now for 4 months and already 300 kms on the road ! (512TR on the far right)

Only one remark at #12: the slowdown lights. I had quite an other experience with the ligts and described it at:
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=237716

You also will sense that the 512TR drives best between 4000 and 8000 rpm... DO drive it this way and not always in 5th gear !!

Gear shifting will take some time to get used to also.

Photo's are from last weekend, we drove to the max.... twice reached the 305 km/h on gps...how much is that in miles...?

Have fun !
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Congrats Pong, you will never look back once you live with this thing. Traffic in Bangkok is similar to Jakarta. I will only drive mine after 11 pm and take it to the highway. Not because the car will overheat, but my left leg will ache when I get stuck in traffic.
About 3 months before I got my car, I was in Bangkok for a holiday and there was a red 512TR at a PUMA shop in one of the big malls. I was drooling like an idiot for like half an hour while my wife was shopping. Is it still there now ?

I suggest you change the gearbox fluid, change the coolant, brake fluid, fuel filters. Good clean fuel was a problem in my country back when this car was imported. Check the plugs and change them too. When you so the exhaust, remember to get straight pipes for pre cat and main cats. Mine was clogged / damaged because of leaded fuel then.