Can you drive the FF on a road like this? | FerrariChat
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Can you drive the FF on a road like this?

Discussion in 'FF/Lusso' started by ferrari169, Mar 14, 2016.

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  1. ferrari169

    ferrari169 Karting

    Jan 14, 2014
    147
    Northeast USA
    #1 ferrari169, Mar 14, 2016
    I would like to take the FF up to the mountains, but the road up there is a somewhat rough gravel road. I am mostly worried about bending a rim or damaging a tire at anything other than extremely slow speeds. Does anybody have any experience with this sort of driving? Other cars I have taken up there have been fine at speeds of up to 60 MPH. There are the occasional section where you have to slow down in any car, where there are some stones poking up or some ruts/holes, but nothing too extreme.

    http://www.shenandoahnaturalists.org/images/721_DSSRview_rdx.JPG

    Here's a video someone posted:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_PT238hfRc
     
  2. Bas

    Bas Four Time F1 World Champ

    Mar 24, 2008
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    #2 Bas, Mar 14, 2016
    Can't see any issue except for if you have run flats, which from my experience on roads like this always pop.
     
  3. Zaius

    Zaius Formula Junior

    May 8, 2014
    863
    #3 Zaius, Mar 14, 2016
    Don't do it.

    These interiors develop creaks fast.

    Is it really that pleasurable listening to rocks hitting against the undercarriage and wheel wells?

    Nature is best enjoyed without a machine.
     
  4. Jasone

    Jasone Formula 3
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    Nov 15, 2011
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    #4 Jasone, Mar 14, 2016
    absolutely no issue driving an FF on a road like the one in the video with the exception of possible rock chips in the paint. At speeds below 50mph you will have all 4 wheels providing traction.

    Not sure I would want to drive my FF on that road but it's absolutely capable of doing so.
     
  5. Elisesko

    Elisesko Karting
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jan 27, 2016
    210
    #5 Elisesko, Mar 14, 2016
    I don't see any problems for it there unless you were to get rain between starting and finishing, in which case mud could become a challenge that easily overwhelms any car with sport tires, 4 wheel drive or not. And you could be detailing dust out of spots for days.

    Additionally, if you were to drive such a road frequently (and maybe not so frequently, but fast), the wheel well will become imprinted with the tire channel/groove pattern.
     
  6. ferrari169

    ferrari169 Karting

    Jan 14, 2014
    147
    Northeast USA
    #6 ferrari169, Mar 14, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    The drive up to that road is glorious. Wide open country back roads with lovely twists and turns. The top of the mountain is a bit of a highlight of the road trip but requires a few miles on roads like that to get to. And oh, yes, do the vehicles I take up there get dusty! This is what they look like after the trip.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  7. Elisesko

    Elisesko Karting
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    #7 Elisesko, Mar 14, 2016
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2016
    Haha. Awesome. I don't mind detailing the dirt and dust I can see, it's the stuff I can't that bothers me. Bet it is a fun drive. In the FF, put it in snow or wet setting and you can have quite a good time. I'm not a good enough of a driver to see what happens without that assistance. I'm sure it wouldn't go well. :)
     
  8. Brian L

    Brian L Formula 3

    Jun 17, 2015
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    #8 Brian L, Mar 14, 2016
    Certainly capable no problem, but would it be fun to bang up all that way? I don't know.

    Wheel wells are lined with a heavy felt like material that washes off easily enough. Stock wheel width won't don't throw a lot on the paint but could.
     
  9. Elisesko

    Elisesko Karting
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    #9 Elisesko, Mar 14, 2016
    The wheel well issue I am referring to wouldn't be washed off with water as it is caused by the wear difference on the felt from varying amounts of material being thrown at it by the tire. The channels don't pick up and impact the felt the same way as the contact points. I don't have it on my FF as i've seen the slot car race tracks on my GL63's durable felt and as a result, don't tear around on the dirt roads in the same way. So, in the end, I guess I will grant the possibility the FF's felt is just more durable.
     
  10. Chicko

    Chicko Formula 3

    May 3, 2005
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    #10 Chicko, Mar 15, 2016
  11. Noblesse Oblige

    Noblesse Oblige F1 Veteran

    Nov 7, 2011
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    #11 Noblesse Oblige, Mar 15, 2016
    A definite +1. Use a Jeep or old Four-Runner -- something that does not have a unibody.
     
  12. Brian L

    Brian L Formula 3

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    #12 Brian L, Mar 15, 2016
    How does the unibody respond to steep driveway entrances taken at an angle would you guess?
     
  13. Ak Jim

    Ak Jim F1 Veteran
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    #13 Ak Jim, Mar 18, 2016
    You could always put mud flaps on it to reduce the rock damage.
     

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