Following on from thread: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125393 Has anyone tried Stiffer springs on their F430 ? There are several threads on lowering the F430, but it would appear from the above thread that there is a very real probability of bodywork damage due to the way in which lowering is achieved on the F430 with the standard suspension setup. I know that Novitec-Rosso and Hamman offer replacement Lowering Springs - and probably many others. Interested in hearing from anyone who has experience with this. Thanks.
Not interested in lowering. But stiffer springs might be an option if one could be SURE that it would NOT have a negative impact on the electronic suspension functions. Thoughts? TIA! Regards, Richard.
this is somewhat a loaded question. stiffer? well it all comes down to actually *tuning* the suspension for a given set of base parameters. when my clients come to me and ask *what should I do? go stiffer?* I have to ask the key questions: 1. How do you use your car? daily driver? weekend cruiser? track car? etc. 2. What other things do you plan to do to the car? wheels? tires? and if you plan to change the wheels/tires this will need to be taken into account 3. What is your driving skill level? 4. What is the purpose? track events? lowering for looks? better spirited street driving? 5. do you want more oversteer or understeer? or do you even know what this means? if you don't know now is the time to learn. 6.do you like the caracter of a linear spring or a progressive spring? do you know what they are and how differently they act? with these questions answered, I can best sum up what might be the right solution for each of my clients needs. My advice? ask a pro who knows suspension and set up, they will help you get what is right for you. If you need help let me know.
Tru dat. Having driven all types of cars many miles and having put tens of thousands of miles on ex. Le Mans cars on the street I've found that this is a VERY tricky issue. You can destroy suspension geometry, move shocks out of range, jar your self insensate, cause tram-lining, etc. etc. The best thing you can do IMO is to remove weight. Your car will stop better and go better. Next improve brakes if necessary. Aero tweaks make a great difference as well. Lowering too much can ruin a car on the street. P 4/5 is much more drive able than an Enzo on the street simply because we reduced the most important street dimension, front over hang, the distance between the tip of the nose and the center of the front wheel. We (Rene Arnoux) and I tested P 4/5 on the banking at CERAM. With stock springs and a 400 lbs weight reduction and twice the aero downforce of an Enzo we didnt put the rear body work into the tires until we reached 200 mph on the banking which was about 5600 lbs of downforce (2G's banking 800 aero) which IMO is more than most will encounter in their 430's on the street so I wouldn't worry about stiffer springs for the street. What ever you do use a PRO. You can ruin a good car in a heart beat. Best
