F1 Driveability - Your Opinion

pretty sure you can just put it in auto for city driving. but i wouldn't know.... mine is a real car with 3 pedals!

 

Lots of people like the F1 even in city traffic.

However, if anything in the clutch+transmission is out of kilter, the F1 will leave you stranded, while the M6 will allow you to drive it home. For example, A slave cylinder that sucks air (std failure mode) as the clutch engauges can be driven home in an M6 but not in an F1.

 

LOVE the F1!!! When I was looking for a 355 (modern Ferrari) I wanted it to have the most modern technology close to F1. I agree it's fun to have a 3 pedal car (like my daily driver STi) but the F1 is a real treat. Flat foot WOT 8500 rpm shifts, woohoo!

Here's the requisite 'how to use' video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDEeoYwt3Qc

As for reliability, I've had zero problems. They could eat clutches faster, but those are very easy to replace on a 355. I will say the F1 isn't much fun in stop and go city driving, but it's worth it when you get to open it up. Moving to neutral is simple, just pull both paddles back at the same time.

 

I love the F1 but in my opinion if you are going to be doing city driving the 355 is the wrong car. Way too many problems can happen and the cost.....$$$$$$

Just my 2 cents

 

I bought my 355F1 Spider sight unseen and had never driven a 355F1. I had only (barely) driven a 360CS.

I was prepared to hate the F1 aspect of it. In actuality it works very well. No complaints. I never drive it in "auto" unless I'm cruising on the freeway in 6th. Then, for fun, I'll hit auto and floor it. The thing grabs 4th with 2 blips and you are gone.

 

I was once told by a Ferrari tech that using the auto mode in city driving is a sure way to eat up the clutch. Apparently it uses a lot of slip to have smooth shifting and that really smokes the clutch material.

 

Auto just shifts at a preset rpm, I would think the shift speed is the same as in 'normal' mode, which is slower and softer than 'sport' mode.

snow/ice I believe just launches in 2nd instead of 1st for less torque, and shifts at a still lower rpm. I hit it once for the novelty when I actually drove in snow and ice Aside from that, pretty much nobody with an F1 uses auto mode or snow/ice mode.

 

I went to the 1982 Rose Bowl in my cousin's brand new Midas Gold TR8. Roadtripped from Seattle to Pasadena... UW thumped Iowa 28-zip, heh. I was a hi school sophomore with only a learner's permit but my cousin let me drive. First stick shift car I ever drove. We got stuck in the snow. We put chains on. The wipers would not turn off. The wind on a mountain pass blew the driver door open all the way once until it hit the front fender. I listened to REO Speedwagon on my Walkman. We saw "Time Bandits" at the theater. It was that kind of trip and my cousin still has the car.

So hey GBRandy, wanna trade that thing in?
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In the Ferrari tech world, it is well known that the F1 transmission was not very good in the 355 and was perfected to a more trouble free mode in around the 2nd to 3rd year of the 360. The F1 shifter is good for track but the 6 speed is more fun over all for the 355 owner. I myself would never opt for the F1 tranny unless I had a 430 or newer car.

 

I'll agree, price no object, might as well take a 430 F1 over a 355 F1

Back to reality, if you already have a 3 pedal sports car and want to shift like Schumacher in a 355, well the F1 is a great choice. Very reliable and lots of fun...

 

Just get the F1. Drive it. If it breaks, fix it, then move on.

F1 trans makes F355 that much more of a modern Ferrari, to me at least.

 

I had never even driven a Ferrari before buying her sight unseens from Las Vegas. She did pass a PPI, and I LOVE the F1 in my 355!

 

I must have missed that class.

Personally if I was going to have an F1 I would rather it be the 355. I enjoy the interaction that the non drive by wire throttle provides. This allows me to heal and toe down shifts the way I want to, not the way a computer thinks I should. That extra amount of driver input is quite satisfying when the technique is mastered.

I read so many horror stories on here about the F1... it is likely the single most understood system on any of these cars. With the proper tools, full understanding of the system and proper maintenance I have found these to be completely reliable and no harder on the clutch or trans than a 3 pedal car. The key is understanding the system in its entirety and doing proper set ups of all the parameters.

 

My 355 F1 has been flawless and a joy to drive. As Dave Helms mentioned you control the system and not the computer. It really becomes evident when you drive one.

Try one out and see what you think, either way a 355 is a hoot to own.

 

My F1 has been just about perfect- but you have to go into it knowing that this is NOT a new car- and the way in which this transmission operates is part of the joy of the car- in other words- if you're timing shifts with a stopwatch or planning to put the car in "Auto" mode and putter around... you'll be much happier with a much newer car.

But- just as my 88 Carrera is an absolute joy because it is what it is- the 355 with well maintained f1 transmission and clutch is pretty damned good- Shifts are reasonably quick in Sport mode, and after a few months of getting the feel for the car you find that you are hitting the paddle and working the pedals with as much finesse as you used to use on a stick- and it starts to feel organic.

I drove a 430 last week that I was mildly interested in owning- drove my 355 to the dealer- got in the 430- took a test drive- obviously just blown away by the power of the car, the torque, the speed of the shifts, the grip- Just amazing. But then I got back in my yellow 355 F1 for the drive home and decided to retrace my steps through the roads we took the test drive on- While the 355 is NO MATCH for a really crisp 430- it's great in it's own right.

It felt narrower, lighter, a bit quicker into a corner, a bit slower out of a corner- but more chuckable- It did not feel like an older car but it felt "classic"- if that makes sense. My car with the GruppeM Intake system and a Quicksilver stage 3 exhaust sounded a lot better- I thin kunless you plan a TON of track time or you plan to commute in gridlock traffic every day... A well maintained 355 F1 should a hell of a good car.

So much of the driving experience is not just "How fast" or "How Much"... it's the combination of sounds, feels, feedback through the wheel, the pedals, the view through the windshield- and of course enough performance to make it interesting.

I like the F1 tranny a lot- and other than a stick in a vintage car- I would only go for paddles in any future performance car.

 

Hey RL... long time! How have you been? Car still behaving?

 

I've been traveling a bunch but when I'm home I get in sometime to drive my car. My car has been great, I haven't had a single problem with it. Like we were once talking before I bought my 355, you buy a car that has been well taken care of, keep it maintanied, and one can experience great 355 ownership.

Every once in awhile I get onto Ferrari chat and look for your posts, guess you keeping busy and lots of 355 owners out of trouble!

RL

 

I do what I can trying to help. I am now a breath away from having my own 355 and will then have a test mule in the garage to experiment with, it is near a clone to the one you got. We have come a long way since we last saw you... its been quite a ride these last few years! I have perfected the process of digging big holes to throw money in.

I have often wondered if the 'experiment' on the F1 selector on your car was successful long term. I have had 4 calls this fall for winter service work where the same problem was occuring. Each of them has been quoted low 5 figures to fix it by others. I figured it must have been at least marginally successful given I had not heard anything to the contrary. One example doesnt prove anything but it sure gives one cause to try it again on others.

 

+355

I did not set out to buy an F1 car when I was shopping, but am certainly glad I bought mine!!!

Like Dave and others here have said, you can master the shift points and heel-toe to a very enjoyable and rewarding experience.

 

I have a 1998 355GTSF1 that I bought new. Once I got the hang of it, I realized I could never drive a manual car as well. I thought I could drive a manual pretty well until I got the F1. Plus I wanted to shift like Schumi. LOL

The number one rule is to keep your foot on the brake when stopped or the next sound you hear will be a beep when the tranny drops to neutral. In traffic hitting lights I pull both paddles and shift to neutral myself.
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Couldn't have said it better, Thanks Dave

Plus about a thousand