Advice Needed: Taking the FF to the Track?

Any Advice on taking my FF to the track for a day? Do it? Don't do it? Assuming moderate track driving will I burn through anything?

 

Pretty simple ... DO IT ... If I get the opportunity this year I hope to take mine to Mid-Ohio, we will see. Two years ago I took my California there for a Driver's Education event with an instructor. It would hit 140 mph by the end of the long straight. I had five 30 minute sessions. I went through about 50% of the brake life and destroyed a fairly worn set of PZero's.

The FF will clearly be faster in the straight, maybe making 150, that is a concern but for the rest of the track I would hope similar performance or maybe a bit faster than the Cali. I would also plan on the same brake and tire consumption. Be sure to keep an instructor in your car to keep from pushing it too hard. I really never came close to pushing it too hard, the Ferrari performance is WAY better than me.

Now, if you only do 30 minutes total then the wear will be minimal.

If we are talking autocross then the wear will be minimal as well.

I'd take advice from those with plenty of experience on tire pressure. With the Cali I found that the car did MUCH better with equal tire pressure front & rear. Set the way Ferrari tells you it would under steer pretty good (push for you NASCAR southern boys). Equal pressure stopped that.

Rick

 

As Rick said: Do IT!

I've done two track days in our FF, and it's an amazing car on the track. You'll be amazed at how much more the car has in it than you could ever possibly use on the street.

I did chew up tires, but not nearly as much as I had anticipated and had done in prior Fcars. I didn't mess with tire pressures: left them at stock settings. Using a IR thermometer, we observed even temps across the treads after 20 minute sessions with no unexpected extra wear on the outside or inside tread blocks, so left the pressures as is. Understeer/oversteer seemed almost nill, but mostly I suspect because the AWD system comes in when it senses excess slip in cornering. basically, it handled flat and smooth. Feels like a much smaller car.

I started both days in sport mode, with traction control system active. Left it that way most of the day until last couple sessions when I noticed it was starting to really cut in. Turned it off, and had a blast! Never did get it as fast as I think it could go. The limits are spooky fast.

After a track session I always have the brake fluids changed, but other than that, there's really not much to do but plan the next track day.

 

Just uploaded a short video of the last rack day. Its just the first few seconds. Gives nice sound track of a performance launch with echo of exhaust off concrete barriers on either side of car. FF Performance Start - YouTube

 

If you aspire to track at Road America hit me up, I instruct up there!

 

Do it... Get out there and have fun with the car! It also depends on what type of HPDE event you do. If you want to conserve the brakes and tires run in a novice group. Express to your instructor in advance of the first session that you do not intend on running the car to its maximum potential and ask for 'easier' braking and less aggressive cornering speeds. This would be the group to run more conservatively in (yet still being coached on the line and technique) as to not impede faster drivers in the other more advanced groups- yet you still have your fun.

 

I have tracked my FF several times, also when the track was covered in snow. Its a blast and much better than you will expect!

As always with ceramic brakes: remember one cool down lap before going in. VERY expensive to cook the disks.

 

Another suggestion that my instructor did to me with my California was to leave the manettino in Comfort until I was pushing the car hard enough to feel it intruding. Turn 9 at Mid-Ohio happens while climbing over a sharp hill, there the Cali (after a bunch of laps of me getting my act together) started to make a very loud CLANK sound as one of the brakes was hit hard by the computer. I then asked his permission to switch to Sport and the CLANK went away, indicating that previously I was getting near the Comfort limit but still not near the Sport limit. I never did get it to clank in Sport, guess I never got near the limits of the Cali.

Rick

 

Also, don't put the emergency brake on coming off the track - just lv the car in gear till brakes cool down - also, the less computer control the better for the car - it is not fighting you to stay in control and wasting brakes etc

 

Track work is always exciting and good way to improve skills and see what your Ferrari can really do.

However, make sure your insurance covers it - most do NOT. There are insurance companies that specialize in track insurance, provided you're not actually racing. Those costs are not cheap (> $500 per track day + high deductible) and you need to give notice of a couple of days prior to actual track day.

Good luck.

 

I'm not a good example but I have run many of my ferrari's over the years with no insurance on the track - as many of my friends have

 

I've done it as well, until I saw someone nearly total their car on the track after a car with much better brakes suddenly passed and then decelerated right in front of them.

If your well-off enough and can afford to lose the car, then there is nothing wrong I suppose. However, if you have a note on it or cannot afford to replace or affect major repairs, track insurance is something you should probably do.

Even if you are a good track driver, if someone else on the track isn't, that is all it takes sometimes.