Lowering my Pista

if your car is not seeing any track duty, lowering it as much as most are doing, whether on factory springs or novitec standard 488/Pista/F8 springs is fine. most street driving and even weekend twisties will be fine.

but on any track with somewhat high elevation changes and/or high G high camber corners, the lowered height that visually looks amazing on streets for the 458/488/F8 chassis is not functional on track. — that is unless you are modifying a few other aspects including the wheel arches. if you are driving the car anywhere near it’s potential, the body roll means you will rub even w/o spacers, and you will likely scrape the diffuser.

i haven’t pushed to see how long i can go before i see issues but i probably won’t push much further than i already have. having done so in the past on the speciale with novitec standard springs, i don’t think it’s worth it to me
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When I end up using something else for the track, then the Pista will definitely see a little bit further of a drop as well.

 

It depens on the area you drive as well. Like @SECRET said, elevation changes etc matters. If those things are present and you like to push the car a bit, lowering quickly becomes a big no-no.

Some call them diffuser fins - I refer to them as bump stops

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Love the stance/ride height right there. I understand that there are some G's acting on it as well, but does it look beautiful!

 

Novitec suspension is a MUST on all the vehicles they support.. I have been running/selling/installing their products for years. Only true option to lower (adjustable) supercars, and is nice they setup the spring rates for cars going lower. Plus they really change the stance of these platforms tremendously

 

They are not a MUST. They are for those who want a lover stance.
For those of us who track a lot and drive our cars hard, it is not necessarily the right thing to do.

Let me quote you directly from Novitec. "The sport springs are developed for sporty all day use on the streets and not recommended for race tracks.". This is a direct quote form Rill. So to say that all cars without exception needs these, is 100% incorrect.

I don't have anything against the Novi springs, but I think when a vendor recommends something, it's also important to be up-front about what the manufacture of the parts intention and recommendations are.

 

Ohhh Sam... I just want to hate you! Damn gorgeous... I agree... A little lower in the front and I may just go there to see it in person!

 

Good point... With you I have to go to law school to ensure I have proper disclosures before I say something. But to his defense, although not stated, he was most likely referring for non track rats.

 

I doubt it will rub. You said it yourself, you aren't going rapper/Pro-Athelete low. In my opinion, if you nearly match the rear, you have yourself the perfect ride height. perhaps a few mm is all you need.

 

Haha, nah, I'm like Fangio. Not a fan of lawyers

I just didn't like the "this is a MUST" in all capital letters. When I read his post, I read it as everyone should do this as it is better on all fronts. I think vendors have a responsibility to be very clear, that's all.

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Your honor please strike the phrase "You must" and substitute for "We recommend for non track purposes".

 

From a looks point of view, I think you hit the nail on the head. I would leave it alone. It will probably also settle 3-5 mm the next 1500 miles. Your car has a virtually perfect gap all the way from 3 to 9 o'clock. Unless you want the more "squashed" lowering look, leave it alone.

It's like a good painter doing a painting. Hardest thing is to know when to stop and walk away. Your car is stanced so well and retains a great factory look.

As for rubbing and scraping. Sometimes that line is hair thin. You mig ad just another 10 mm, and you end up scraping a lot.

Get some miles on her before you do anything. You might find that you are already on the limit for your driving, especially once the new springs have settled.

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The back has settled so well. I figured that the front must have had as well. I guess, if you say it takes more time for final setting into it; waiting won't hurt or cost anything as it can always be adjusted, one way or the other.

 

Yeah I never mentioned anything about tracking the cars. Since majority of owners on here aren't out tracking their cars, I was more speaking to those F-car owners that would be reading this at lunch or before bed, that are just looking to get rid of some body roll and have the car not sit like a monster truck lol. I'll make sure to choose my words wiser next time for those who couldn't figure that out.. but of course, a completely different story for the track folks. I don't know of any brand that I'd recommend currently for setting up a newer production Ferrari without having to redo the whole vehicle. JRZ?

 

This advice is totally correct. I love Novitec, I've had them installed on my 488 and my Pista. However, they will eventually rub at the track, especially on banked corners where the g-load is particularly high. The hardcore track guys just gotta leave their cars with the SUV look. I speak from personal experience, not internet lore. I'm sure Secret does too.

For street use, I'm fully on board with Novitec with a good corner balance and alignment, and am presently running them. I far prefer the canyon drives, anyway.

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Love those wheels!

 

Thanks, man! I'm usually not down with aftermarket wheels, but you can't argue with saving nearly twenty pounds of unsprung weight. It seems the HRE LWs are even lighter than the Ferrari carbon wheels, which are pretty impressive in their own right.

 

And a lot cheaper than the $30,000 for the carbon wheels!

 

when you lower the car you want to maintain the factory rake angle... you want to lower the front and the rear the same amount. Rake angle play a big part in the cars handling. only reason to change this angle is after your done many laps on the edge of adhesion and you have a pro further dialing in the car for a particular track, tire, alignment set up.
Yes your front looks way high compared to the rear. Looks like you lowered the rear more than the front on this dang stunner of a Pista.

 

As far as lowering the car...Novitec springs are stiffer than stock and can handle the g-forces at a track better than just lowering on stock springs. If you lower on stock springs I would get the ride height measurement 1st and see where the car sits compared to the factory parameters. There is a 5mm up and 5mm down from factory specified ride height.

If you lower the car on stock springs I would not go 10 mm lower than 5mm lowest spec. 5mm lower than the low spec would be fine and look fine. Novitec you can go a little lower and be fine due to the stiffer springs.

 

That I agree with and have mentioned before. Hence why it is much better to use Novitec than stock.