F430 Gear Indicator Icon and Extended Shifters

Morning All.....Proud owner of a new (to me) F430 Spider, '07, Nero. I only have 15 miles behind the wheel, but am already in love with this machine. Once I learn how to use this site, I will post some pics.

I had two quick questions for some hopeful feedback from this knowledgeable group.

First, in driving home yesterday, there was an occasional"icon" that appears in the gear indicator area. It only appeared sporadically, so I could not safely take a picture, but it appeared to be an arrow. I don't yet have the manuals for the car, so scanned one on-line and there was no mention (on page 84 they discussed the F1 selector, but that was about it). Safe to assume that this is some sort of "recommended" shift point? As mentioned, it was not a permanent icon, and when the car was cruising under what seemed to be 4.5K RPMs, it was not there...just the 4, or 5 gear.

Second, while not horrible, I find the "10" and"1" placement of the paddles somewhat short. Scanned some threads here and saw that Carbonio and Exotic Car gear both offer an extended set of paddles. They look awesome in the pics, but curious if anyone has purchased, do they at all interfere with the driving experience, inability to reach the turn signal stalk, accidental shifts, etc?

Many Thanks.

Scott (Cole is my son, and since he loves cars so much, I used his name as my handle on here )

 

I cant unfortunately help you with the triangle indicator. However I can’t recommend the carbanino paddles enough. Only the drive the car once without them and I would never go back. It greatly improves the overall experience and looks with 0 drawbacks.


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I believe it is an up shift indicator. Totally agree on the carbonio paddles.
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/810018/Ferrari-F430-Spider.html?page=14#manual

 

Ok... thanks for the quick replies. I assumed that it was an up shift indicator, but just wanted to play it safe.

As for the paddles, that is also great feedback. It seems as if the pricing on exoticcargear.com, is a couple hundred dollars less, and they look to be the exact same paddles.

For you two, no interference with normal driving or accidental shifts or inability to get to the turn signals given how long they are?


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Thank you so much for sending that screenshot of the manual. I totally overlooked that page. Many thanks


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Yes it is the upshift indicator. I also have the extended paddles. Highly recommend them and easy to install. I believe Dan (whattheheck) has a good writeup about the paddles.

 

Ok Good deal Will find the review and then likely order Thanks again for the quick replies


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I am a very proud dad. She is at home tucked in the garage


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I’m the first one to not recommend to spend more on a product. However the carbanino are worth their cost I’ve never regretted the purchase whatsoever. I’ve never had the exotic gear paddles but I can vouch for the perfect carbon weave and figment of the carb’s.


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I have parts from both vendors and they are top notch.

 

OK… Good to know. The folks from exotic car gear were very responsive, and if I can save 200 bucks why not


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I have made a few purchases from Exotic Car Gear and happy with all their products. Embarrassed to say but I bought their carbon fiber cup holder to replace the ash tray. Since I don’t smoke, it was a great swap. Awesome way to transport my coffee.

 

The info on the triangles regarding the recommended gear shift was news to me - have had my car 5 years and still discovering!
I have a question to the cognoscenti : On my F1, if I have auto button engaged then presumable the car will shift up as soon as each triangle threshold is reached.?
But when paddle shifting, if I ignore the triangle in any one gear then surely there is no harm to be done? And does the triangle timing alter depending on the manettino position?

 

I recently purchased a set of the extended paddles from Exotic Car Gear. They are very good quality and the customer service was great.

 

Hi Scott,

Lots of threads here on your new baby. Here are some recommendations on your new F430.

• Warm up the engine before you go for a drive. I warm up mine for about 10 minutes before going for a drive.
• It is normal for the clutch to slip a little when engine is cold. So ensure engine is fully warmed up to prevent or reduce clutch slip.
• Go easy on the throttle until the engine is fully warmed up, > 160F.
• Do not mash the pedal until the clutch is fully engaged. You will feel it when clutch is has fully grabbed. This prolongs the life of the clutch.
  
  
• Spider roof is temperamental especially when engine is cold. So raise and lower the roof when engine is fully warmed up.
• I have a post on here on after market roof ECU. I highly recommend it. You wont have to press and hold the switch to activate the roof and you can also raise and lower your roof up to 25mph.
• DO NOT overfill the oil reservoir. Ensure the engine is fully warmed up (again) and car is level when checking oil quantity.
• And always, always, drive the car the way its designed to be driven and meant to be driven.

I shift mostly on red line. These engines loves to sing at high RPM. Dont deprive them of the opportunity to sing for you

If you live close by come by my house to say Hi and have a beer or two. Or join us on weekend drives, and lunches.

Enjoy!

Dan

 

Hi dan... wow, great tips. Thanks! The only one that stands out to me is the recommendation to let the car idle for 10 minutes. I had always assumed with my other cars, that letting it sit for 20/32 was sufficient to get things going, but then to just drive slowly until the temperature came up to speed, what’s the best way to warm up an engine. I think it’s sitting for five or 10 minutes after a coldstart would not be the way to go. Well I totally believe you, for a newbie, any insight as to why that would be? The onl The only one that stands out to me is the recommendation to let the car idle for 10 minutes. I had always assumed with my other cars, that letting it sit for 2-3 minutes was sufficient to get things going, but then to just drive slowly until the temperature came up to speed, was the best way to warm up an engine. I assumed it sitting for five or 10 minutes after a coldstart would not be the way to go. While totally believe you, for a newbie, any insight as to why that would be?

Thank you for the generous offer to get together. I am not sure where are you and your guys live, but I am here in South Florida in West Palm Beach


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Great question Scott!

Its because as I said above, the clutch slips a lot when the engine / entire car is not warmed up & the roof mechanism system doesnt work very well when its not fully warmed up.

Here's a good test:
Start the engine, and after 2 minutes start to take off. You will notice how much the clutch slips.
You want to see how much the clutch slips even more? Drive off on an uphill on a cold engine. Ask me how I know, I have an incline driveway.

Cold engine: Try and raise the roof. Most likely it will hang.

The recommendation above is what BMW recommends. I owned many BMW's, including M5, M6 Coupe, M6 Cabrio, M4 Coupe. That warm up procedure works for BMW.
I find out Ferrari is different. And I find out the hard way.

Hope that helps.

BTW, Im here in Everett, Wa. Come by anytime!

Dan

 

Ok... again, great advice.

On the clutch slip part, I am getting more comfortable with the transmission with each day. I seem to learn that I just want to give it a little bit of gas until it starts to engage, and then dip into it a little bit more to get it going, but I’m certainly not mashing the throttle.

And when driving around town, I love the sound of that downshifting engine. Especially as I’m coming down the road and about to make a right or left hand turn, going from fifth to 4th to 3rd to 2nd just sounds amazing[emoji3]. I know I am probably eating up a little bit more clutch that way, but it’s music to my ears


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Just to clarify, the recommendation of not having to warm up the engine and just start driving off and just not push the car hard until the car is fully warmed up is recommended by BMW. And it works on BMW's.

And when I said Ferrari is different, I meant Ferrari F430 F1.
Most likely from 458's and on its different / better as its newer technology like double clutch and improved F1 System.

Enjoy your car to the max!

BTW, Letting the F1 System downshift itself from higher gear to 1st gear doesnt really eat up any clutch at all. And yes, Ferrari engines sounds amazing.

In case you're interested, here's what's upgrading to Agency Power and Kline Innovation Exhaust System sounds like on an F430.
This is my F430 Spider after the upgrade.



Take care and drive safely always!

Dan

 

Ok.. update Got the car back today, with the new exotic gear carbon fiber extended paddles installed. What a difference. I totally am in love with them. I highly recommend them to anyone that’s been considering them!


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Any pictures?

Dan

 

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Totally changed the driving experience No negatives that I can see


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Looks awesome Scott!

Yes, very worthy upgrade. I too love mine.

Enjoy!

Dan