New Owner Questions

Good day to all. Last week I traded in my 2005 Gallardo Coupe for a 2007 F430 Spider. Glad to be a member of the Ferrari community and particularly happy to be a driver of this incredible beast. I have a couple of questions that, if anyone could answer, I would be most appreciative:

First, when I turn on the car and let it warm up for 5-10 minutes before taking it on a drive, liquid (probably water) leaks out of the tail pipes. Is this normal?

Second, when cruising around on the streets, at what RPM should I let the engine ride? Is it good to keep it in a lower gear and let it spin at 4000rpm or put it in a higher gear and lower it down to 2500-3000rpm?

Third, if I am in 3rd gear (for example) and I see that I will be stopping ahead, what is the conventional wisdom on slowing down - Do I down shift as my speed decreases? Do I just slow down and let the car downshift itself (I am not in Auto mode)? Do I put the car in neutral and coast to a stop? I am just curious as to how to treat the clutch and extend its life.

Fourth, I have the Becker 6112 head unit and in the manual I believe it says that I can pop a 4GB compact flash card loaded with MP3 files into the slot behind the plate on the left side and use this as a media player. Has anyone tried this? Does it work?

Fifth, if I driving in colder weather with the top down and I blast the cabin with warm air, even after a few minutes of running, the air still seems to have a bit if smokey quality. It's not really strong but it is definitely not as clean as the hot air that comes out of, say, a Mercedes sedan. Is this just exahust entering the cabin? Is this normal?

I will definitely have more questions but these are the first ones that come to mind.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

Todd

 

Congratulations on the new ride. Post some pics when you get a chance.

I have a 360 but I can answer most of these. Here is my best shot --

1) This is normal, nothing to worry about.

2) RPM is a matter of choice. I tend to shift 4000-5000 and cruise around 3000. That is when I am taking it easy. Otherwise it is 7000

3) Just apply the brakes and come to a stop. Shifting to N and coasting is against the law in most states, not that anyone would know. Downshifting is fun, I do this sometimes just to hear the sounds. BUT it will wear the clutch somewhat more quickly. OK, that makes this a matter of preference as well.

4) ?? someone else?

5) This doesn't sound normal. I don't have it with the 360 and I suspect that you shouldn't smell smoke. You need to better understand what it is; does it smell like oil or something like paper or plastic burning?

 

Congrats on the car. How did you like the Gallardo? How would you compare the two?

My answers:

1) Start-up.. some water out of the pipes is normal.
2) I cruise at about 2300-2500 rpm. I'm never (or rarely) under 2K. This motor is a gem, it loves to rev. IMO, Ferrari's motors have a unique feel.. whatever rpm you're at, they feel like they want to turn faster.
3) I have a manual 430.
4) Don't know. That would be cool, though.
5) If I run my heat at max temp, I get the smell you describe. If I turn the temp down a bit, it goes away. I just noticed it the other day, myself. I'm not sure if it's normal.

 

430 coupe owner
1.my car does this
2. i run at about 3k
3. just hit the brakes the downshifting is quick, most of the time when you go to rev up its in the right gear
4. don't know
5. call the dealer, have em check it out since its under warranty

have fun, its a sweet car

 

"First, when I turn on the car and let it warm up for 5-10 minutes before taking it on a drive, liquid (probably water) leaks out of the tail pipes. Is this normal?"
If you had an 05 Gallardo and never saw this happen then you must have been blind....or didnt have one...

 

Hey Todd... welcome to F-Chat and to Ferrari ownership. I think you'll find the F430 considerably different from your Gallardo. Not saying it's better... but it's definitely different.

First things first... you're going to get all sorts of responses to this and other general-help questions. You need to take every response you get with a grain of salt as most people will respond as if they actually know what they're talking about. Some do, most don't. The more you read, you'll come to know the people who are owners and the people who are not.

The first few posters did a good job answering most of your questions. On the downshifting question... I always downshift to 2nd gear and then let the car's computer figure out the best time to downshift to first. Why, it's fun to hear the downshifts (your F430 won't exhibit the same extreme rev matching the Gallardo does), but it's still cool and I find the car is better at knowing when it needs first vs second gear. Downshifting to first at the wrong time can induce a bucking action that's definitely not fun.


Good luck,

Frank

 

Welcome and congrats on your new 430. Questions answered already above. Personaly i keep always 3000 - 4000 rpms and shift of course close to 8000 rpm only with sport mode on I always downshift by myself, never let the car do it for me because i enjoy it. Usualy put neutral when stop on lights, etc.

Post some pictures!

 

Thanks to everyone that responded. This was very helpful.

I will try the compact flash card and report back as it seems like few, if any, have tried this.

As far as the heat, I probably didn't accurately describe the smell. It's not smokey but it has a smell that approximates a mild oil scent you might smell when standing in the service bay of any auto service center. I will try what RobD suggested and see if that helps.

Differences between Gallardo and F430 - wow, where do I start?!

I bought the Gallardo new about 3.5 years ago. I really enjoyed driving it. It is really an attention getter which is always fun. Driving it around just makes people smile which I get a kick out of. The way I see it, Lamborghinis have angles and Ferrari's have curves. Looks are a matter of taste but I think the Gallardo is a great looking car. Not better than the 430, just different.

The Gallardo is fun to drive but I thought it was a much tougher ride than the F430 is. There were nights where I was just tired and I didn't want to put the energy into driving the Gallardo so I took my sedan (not often, but from time to time :0). You've to really watch the shifting. My biggest complaint about the Gallardo is the clutch in lower gears. You've got to baby it and get it out of 1st gear fast. The car just hates being in 1st and just puts up with being in second. For the short time I have owned it, the F430 just seems to be better mannered in this department. Additionally, the 430 feels a bit more luxurious than the Gallardo. I always described the Gallardo as a big go-cart. Not in a disrepectful way but if you go over a speed bump in a Gallardo, it's like going over a speed bump on a Razor scooter - very little between you and the bump. The F430 takes those types of things better. My Gallardo did have something called a "Sport Setup" which I was told made the suspension a bit stiffer than the standard car - however, I haven't been able to confirm this. I know some people might find it awkward that I am even thinking about luxury in a super car but the closer I can get to rip your head off performance blended with Mercedes S550 comfort, the happier I am!!! The F430 gets very high marks in this regard.

As far as speed off the line, I would say the Gallardo appears to have more torque initially but the F430 feels like it kicks in big time coming out of 2nd into 3rd. Couldn't venture a guess as to which would win in a 0-60 race and I don't really need to know but the comparison is interesting.

Haven't driven the F430 on any canyon roads yet so I can't compare handling.

The dashboard readout of the Gallardo is a bit more generous with information than the F430. You can get the info on the 430 but you have to push that Mode button to the left of the steering wheel - which you can't see while you're driving unfortunately. Not a big deal but I do like comfort and I think that the nuances found in the Gallardo, thanks to Audi, give it a nice touch in this area. On this point, however, the stock radio in the Gallardo is pretty bare. As I read more about the Becker unit in the F430, it has so much functionality that it blows me away. Way more than the Gallardo stock head unit. If only the Becker screen were a bit bigger

I've got the Daytona seats in my F430 so they absolutely blow away the seats in the Gallardo as far as feeling like you're in a race car. The Gallardo was good in this area...the seats felt good. But, when you sit in a Daytona seat in an F430, there is no comparison.

The sound of the F430 engine is vastly superior to the sound of the standard exhaust on the Gallardo. The F430 sounds like it's dying to be raced - the Gallardo didn't sound like that - but when put to the task, it definitely held it's own.

You can probably tell from my response that I did enjoy the Gallardo and can't say that it is vastly outshined by the F430. I do believe that the Ferrari is a classier car. It just exudes something that the Lamborghini doesn't - may it's sophistication, maybe it's something else but I do think the F430 commands more respect than the Gallardo.

I am going to give the comparison question more thought as I am sure there are plenty of fun things to compare about these two machines.

Thanks again for the answers to the questions. I expect to have many more as I explore this thing further. So far, I couldn't be happier.

 

Congrats on the F430!!

Condensation from the tail pipes at start up is normal. I keep a rag in the garage to wipe the paint around the tail pipe after its done to keep things clean. Sometimes just wipe out the inside of the tail pipe before it gets to hot to soak up the condensation.

Driving around at lower rpm's is always better for the engine, less work, wear and tear.

I never coast in "N", I just downshift when needed, but mostly use the brakes to slow the car. I also just allow the car to downshift from 2nd gear into 1st gear.


More importantly, WHERE ARE THE PICS!!!!!! We need pics!! Remember, no pics, it never happened!! Just kidding, but I'm a pic whore!


Robert

 

Well, I haven't had time to take my own pics because I gotta get to work and it's getting dark out but I stole some pics from an add the dealer had placed elsewhere. This is the car I bought. It's now sitting in my garage under a pretty little red cover with a horsie on it!!
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Great looking car, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Welcome to the club.

 

Its beauty!!!

 

A keeper for sure!! Thanks for the pics!

Interesting to note you have the red tach, like to hear your comments on that display after you get some drive time.

Robert

 

It's a beauty.

Thanks for the comparison. I've only had limited experience in Gallardos (test drove stick and egear '07's and an egear '08 SL). IMO, the 430 feels altogether livelier, sharper and racier. It also feels quicker than the two '07 G's I drove.. likely due to the 430's gearing and rwd. The Gallardo felt very buttoned down, almost Porsche Turbo like. It does sounds nice, though.

I don't know, the Ferrari just feels more Italian, to me. The Gallardo felt part German, not that it's a bad thing, just not what I was looking for coming out of Porsches.

 

Thanks for the pictures... nice car.

I agreed with pretty much all of your comments regarding the F430 and the Gallardo. I went the other way and have an F430 coupe and a G-Spider. I only disagree on the exhaust note. My '06 Gallardo has the most amazing exhaust note imaginable.

As soon as my F430 is out of warranty, I'm going to install hyper-flow cats and a Capristo to make it sound a lot more angry.

Good luck...

Frank

 

NEVER allow a car to idle for any period of time following start up. Every modern car is designed to immediately drive off following start. Drive moderately until the oil is thoroughly warm.

An idling car risks washing the cylinders reducing lubrication and increasing wear.

 

Jamie140, thanks for that piece of info. I have never heard this before. I have always been told that letting it warm up for 5+ minutes before taking it out is a good thing.

Does anyone else have any insight on this?

Thanks.

 

+1

 

NEVER, EVER do that. Just drive like a granny 'til the oil is completely warm. Then drive her like you stole her.

Dude, that's a gorgeous car. Should have added that to my first post.

 

I've noticed that the F1 shifts can be very rough if you don't let the car warm up for at least 5-7 min before taking off.

 

On question 4, I have used the CF card slot in both of my spiders (an 06 and an 08). In the first one I actually had to file one side of the CF card down to get it to fit in the slot (weird since they are all supposedly the same size), but it worked fine once i got it in there. The system will only read up to a certain number of entries, so I recommend just making a few different folders on the CF card and dropping songs in them. These will then work kind of like playlists. I have an ipod adapter on my 2008, and it works a bit better than the CF card (primarily because the ipod has the file structure already built in). I note that on the ipod the radio is also limited to reading a certain number of entries (e.g., I cannot get much past the "r"s when I select by artist), so I have started using a bunch of playlists. You can add iPod functionality to your radio with a $60 cable that your dealer should be able to get for you. Of course you lose CD player functionality once they hook it up.

Enjoy the spider!

 

REALLY??? Mine won't come close to moving without a 2-3 minute warm-up. It coughs and chokes like a ***** until it's at least a little warm.

To the OP: She's a beauty. Congrats!

 

I don't buy this one Jamie. IF your are running way too rich and/or you have terrible oil pressure this MAY be an issue. In modern EFI cars the ECU adjusts the mix and idle as the car warms. They run less rich at idle and the fuel should completely atomized leaving nothing to coat the walls. Plus the F tends to have very high oil pressure until it is warmed up; this will keep a solid film around the rings.

NOTE: all of this assumes modern engines (EFI) not carburated engines.

I did a search and found several references. Some speculation and some appear to be knowledgeable like:

"On today's EFI cars, the cold mixture is still rich, but more on the order of 11-12:1. The fine atomization and nearly direct injection of the fuel means you don't need to run them as rich on cold start. It also means that regardless of the rich mixture, it remains gaseous in the chamber instead of liquid, so the cylinder washing is all but eliminated. That parameter of cold running is effectively eliminated with EFI."

There are others that basically say that modern engines adapt and they can be driven cold so long as you don't drive the hard. Some point out that things warm up more quickly if you are diving the car. Another points out these points and goes on to say that you are just wasting gas but there will be no damage.

I didn't find any credible sources that said that idling will damage the engine.

Maybe some of our local experts will chime in with specifics. Also please feel free to site sources for this claim.

 

Thanks for the info on warming up. Looking forward to hearing more input on this. I want to treat her properly.

I tried out a 1GB CF card last night in the Becker head unit - worked perfectly!! I am thrilled. Now I've got to go out and get a 4GB CF card and with this plus 6 CDs, I've got enough music for a drive from LA to Vegas and back. Wahooo!!!

 

Where is the card slot? I have an 08 with Bose. Does that have it?