F1-a Transmision and clutch Life

When I first got my 612 OTO I used to go to neutral. Then I noticed occasionally the gear indicator would flicker. I asked a Ferrari expert about this and he said doing that could "confuse" the computer. He recommended I just downshift through the gears (I always do in manual, never in auto mode). Have never seen the gear light flicker since.

It probably causes more clutch wear, but it sounds so damn good it's worth the cost!

 

F1A clutch is really substantial. Other than trying to avoid slipping it too much, I wouldn't worry about it. Treat it like a manual clutch and you'll be fine. It's the earlier F1 systems that you need to worry about.

I do wish they had a light which told you when the clutch was slipping.

 

The early FIA 612 (and Superamerica) clutch (pre-599 clutch for Sessanta and OTO) is identical to the 456/550/575M clutch. The 599 clutch on the Sessantas and OTOs is really tough.

Best advice for driving F1 is just drive it like you do your 3 pedals except the clutch pedal is missing. If you are a downshift to 1st driver with 3 pedals, do that. If you are a coast to a stop in neutral driver like me, do that. Babying reverse is always a good idea, since the ratio is too high compared to most reverse gears. As a technique, I never let the system make shifts. Most of those occur just before the engine was going to lug. More fun to do it yourself at reasonable engine speeds.

Shifting gears is not very hard on clutches. Starts are where most clutch wear takes place. Coasting to a stop in neutral is slightly easier on the clutch, throw-out bearing, and synchro rings. If coasting to a stop in neutral and traffic starts moving, hitting either the upshift or downshift paddle will get you the same gear. That gear will be too high for normal acceleration, so a good technique is to use the downshift paddle to get back into gear, followed by an immediate downshift to get a usable gear.

 

Short answer - No

 

If you have a single plate clutch (pre OTO and not a Sessanta), a knowledgeable Ferrari technician can look through the access port and tell you how worn your clutch is, whether F1 or manual.

Shift at whatever speed is comfortable for you, not exceeding 4000 rpm until oil temperature reaches ~160 F. I never pay any attention to what speed I am going when I shift gears so actually have no idea after 11 years of driving F1. When cold, I usually shift around 3000-3500 rpm and I do lift/feather the throttle in the lower gears.

 

In regard to coasting to a stop, I do it all the time. Never had an issue with the F1A in my OTO.

What does get a bit confusing is if you are coasting to a stop at a very slow speed (below 5mph or so), and traffic starts moving, and you want to go. You pull on either paddle, and it beeps at you because you are supposed to have your foot on the brake when stopped to put it into gear (to prevent unintended acceleration). No big deal, but a bit annoying when it happens.

 

Matt- Personally, I would stick with OEM clutches, especially for F1. All the algorithms the F1 TCU uses are based on OEM clutch material.

 

I forgot about that, it was another reason I stopped coasting. The problem was you had to brake to shift into 1st, meanwhile the guy behind you is expecting you to keep going rather than coming to a stop for no apparent reason.

 

Never have had that happen to me after 11 years of driving. Do not know why.

 

Sorry guys, Paul is right on this one. The F1 has 'on the brake' or a minimum speed to select a gear. If you are moving very slowly it won't select a gear; I don't know the speed but it is probably 1 mph or less. Now if I brake to a stop quickly, I reach stopped and can select a gear no issue. If I coast to the stopped cars and I am just about to stop when the traffic moves or in stop & go traffic it may refuse to select a gear until you are on the brake.

 

As the Fonz would have said, you're "correctamundo" John.
While approaching a Stop sign, I tugged both paddles to coast slowly on N last Sunday. I thrice pulled on the downshift (left) paddle to no avail; tranny stayed on N. No action occurred until I briefly stepped on the brake while still coasting even slower, then it downshifted to first gear amazingly after I pulled on the upshift (right) paddle. Who knew!

 

Maybe it’s a regional thing, or maybe it was changed in later software updates, but I can definitely engage a gear whilst coasting in neutral at pretty much any speed. Certainly works fine at 70mph on the motorway- not something I would normally do, but I wanted to test it after reading this. I just pull on up or down and it seems to put me in a sensible gear for the speed.

 

No surprise there. If you read what we wrote, this happens at very low speeds like coming to a stop. Try something like 1 mph and let us know how it goes.

 

Ah, gotcha. Will try!