F1 trans vs 6 spd? - feedback requested

James,

God help you there big guy, the FChat Police will be along shortly.....and I'm guessing someone will say "use the search" and "congratulations, this is the 100,000th time this has been asked...." and the like.

IMO, I like the F1 except at slow speeds.

All the best

Jamie

*exits a lot quicker than he came in*

 

I think the F1 would be a tick faster on the track, and the manual would be much smoother in any circumstance. The shifting in the 360 manual is so smooth (even when the engine is cold) you would not believe it compared to a 348. There is no doubt in my mind that if I ever graduate to a 360 or newer car it will be a 6 speed manual.
BT

 

Popcorn, get your popcorn!!!!!






Darrell.

 

LOL! Good man.

 

It has been a few months since I've seen this topic, so I think you will get lots of honest feedback. If we can't rehash these subjects here there will be nothing to talk about after a few years. So get the manual, F1 is way too common.
BT

 

Paddles are for girls and left leg amputees. Get a real gearbox.

 

I am sure I am out of my league but as I understand it in a syncromesh manual transmission it takes the synchros a bit of time to match the input and output shaft and speed shifting does not work on them it just makes the synchros work harder and leads to a longer shift, from what ive been taught you select the gear fast and surely, give the synchro time to work. but also do not do it too fast or too hard as it leads to lots of missed shifts as you may not be able to get it into the gate, as well as worn syncros then your left not being able to get into that gear at all which happend to me. the f1 transmissions ive driven non ferrari mostly bmw smg, do shift fast but its not a replacement to doing it myself. f1 gear engagment is ok but its still sequential and I do alot of 4th 2nd shifting the clicking down past 2 gears cant be much faster than me just going from 4th to 2nd with some threshold braking and heel/toe. and the satisfaction you get from perfectly executing said manuever never gets old. the only downside is you cant left foot trail brake while moving to maintenence throttle for the mid corner. as the right foot will already be on the brakes as you need the left for the clutch on turn entry.

I am not an expert but I go with what feels good . I say manual all the way get your whole body into it connect with the car there is nothing else like it. you will know its right when you the car feels like its an extension of your body and becomes transparent to your brain. not to be corny but you and the car become one.

 

If you do a search (seriously) I did find a good post on the 'pros' of the F1. Personally I've never driven a 6-spd Fcar, but I love the F1. It's certainly not great for stop and go traffic, if that's your normal situation I'd go with the good old fashioned 6-spd. But if you have some open road and want an experience as close to an F1 Grand Prix as you can get in a street car, go with the F1 tranny. I'm glad I did (I still have a 6-spd daily driver to satisfy the engineer in me working the pedal and stick).

 

I agree-I bought my wife an M3 conv. with SMG(I'm assuming very close to the Ferrari F1 system) so she could poke along in auto mode when she didn't want to shift. Car's probably a waste on her but I got it so I'd have a lot more fun when I drove it. She had a MBZ convertible prior that was just aweful to drive. After driving it for awhile I'm realizing it's not all that much more fun than an auto and definetly has a learning curve to shift smoothly, especially at slower speeds. It works OK for my situation but if it were me driving it I'd never go with anything but manual.

Jeff

 

Check out my "stick vs F1" impressions from awhile back - Tim

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42737

 

I've spent a little time in a '99 355F1 and I'm not impressed. It is interesting and I'm sure quicker on the track, but I get a stiff neck in traffic with all the jerky motion. I would much prefer a manual. You get to pick when and how to shift. It is inappropriate for stop and go traffic as it kicks to neutral if you sit still too long. A cool feature if you are a racer or a pirate (peg-leg)

Completely separate but equally important is the forseeable maintenance. WAY MORE EXPENSIVE and difficult.

 

James, before you are flamed, carded and banned forever, I'd just like to add that Ferrari's F1 gearbox has steadily improved over the years. You would find the 599 F1 far smoother than say that in a '99 360.

 

James,
I am a die hard gate shifter, as I like the feel and the look of it and because I am not in a race when I use the car.
I have tried the F1 and I have to admit I liked it; once I got the hang of it (which it did not take long at all, by the way) but there is another aspect of the F1 transmission that no one here is mentioning: the cost and and the annoiance factor of frequent clutch replacements.
How frequent depends on how you drive, obviously, but I was told as often as you have to replace the belts, at best.
That for me would be a killer, but that is just my opinion, of course.

 

Go with the manual....clutches are so much more fun.

 

Some good person on here should take the time someday and go through all the threads on this topics and paste all of the best posts into one big record so that we can make it a sticky on here.

Also, there should be a sticky thread to post those pictures that get reposted 1000x, like the wooden F50.

 

Has anyone had to replace their F1 system? I heard you had to buy the kit which is around $15,000. Is this correct?

 

Apparently the F1 pump from Ferrari is $16k. Yeah, scary. But reality is it rarely fails, and if it does it can be rebuilt for under $2k. Throw in a new clutch and it still seems like peanuts compared to new valve guides or a timing belt change

 

360 F1 pump cost a bit less than $1,000 when I replaced mine. Prices may have gone up now but I highly doubt it's $16,000.

The $16,000 figure came from a 355 thread on this site. The 355 owner eventually found one for a more reasonable $3,000.

There are threads on the F1 pump for 360 and 355. Please look them up.

 

My bad, I should've clarified I was referring to the 355 - I know the situation is much better for the 360. Either way my point is supported then, F1 pump cost isn't too bad.

 

Manual is the way to go, F1 takes that fun out of a 355, just my opinion

 

360 timing belt change at a dealer should be about $1500...

Gary

 

My opinion is Yes on the F1 on the 430 and 355 and No on the 360.