Hello all, Been reading good stuff here for years. Finally I am joining the club and getting a 296 gtb in a few days. My very first red Ferrari! Box checked... Not new to exotics, just reaching out to see if folks here have good advice on caring for a 296 and had success over the years. I will always plug it in after each drive. Anything else? I have a well cared for mclaren and am excited about the 296. I decided to buy one after trying it out on the track few weeks ago. Very impressed with how it drove, handled itself like, well, a mclaren. Plus the Italian beauty and flair, hard to beat. I thought it was way better than the f8 which I drove back to back. Thank you all.
Really don't need to plug it in every drive, if you drive in most modes it will recharge. If you're leaving it a week or more, then yeah sure. I only did when it ran down near total zero EV range and I happened to be home or pulling in to the driveway. If it's no mileage (or at least, not chipped yet), aftermarket PPF is a strong recommendation. Some fresh microfiber towels and detail sprays for spills, bird poop, etc. Gas tank is small, so expect to fill up repeatedly. Be careful closing the front trunk. Mine had hood latches that were super tight, which meant I had to press very hard to close it... even being careful it could bend the hood trying to get it to shut. After a few weeks and maybe 6 times shutting the hood, I could tell the panel gap was not equal left to right. Dealer denied there was anything wrong, but I marked a pencil tip and could see it squeeze out. iPhone Pro Max size doesn't fit easily to the charge area if you have the charging pad option. Pressing the right-side Home button twice brings back the gauges after carplay is activated.
Excited to hear what you think of the car. I am a 720 owner with a GTS that should go into production any day...trying to decide whether to keep the McLaren or let it go.
Awesome dude, congrats. Maybe I'll change my mind, but you can't let go of the big mac dude. I have an orange 12c spider so I'm completing the ketchup mustard combo
What has been your experience in terms of ground clearance around town? Does the 296 gtb clear speed bumps and ditches to shopping centers without having to use the front lift? On the mclaren, front lips is very well designed so it doesn't bottom out mostly. There are rubber bits/fins on the undertray that gets ripped off easily.
Stock height is surprisingly good for that. I don't even recall using the lift, just entering/exiting on a diagonal like my other cars.
Generally fine however if you have lift why not use it ? It deploys from 25 mph / 40 km/h you will be below that speed everywhere you think there may be a problem and it resets itself once you climb above those speeds . I am just in ahabit of using lift and find once your mind is switched onto it you will have that extra insurance . If you have the standard carpet mats and want to keep them fresh you can remove them (very sticky Velcro patches near the seat on either side of the mat, be careful not to pull hard and fast so it slowly so as not to pull the pads off the actually floor) . I then bought some after market mats from autowin. (www.autowin.com) at about 20% of the price of any Ferrari mats . They fit perfectly . lastly do not worry if you lift the original mats and you find a diagonal ‘cut’ in the actual carpet floor. It is on all cars in the last few years as it gives access to where the chassis is stamped with the Vin. on PPF double is a good idea if you have carbon on the front and on the rear guards , as you would do on a 911 Any other questions feel free to message me
I don't have my 296 yet, so I can't compare. On the McLaren I did buy the McLaren front end protector from the dealer, even though I have the lift, because I live in the Chicago area and roads are always a mess. I've been glad I did on a couple of occasions where I didn't see a dip or was going to fast for the lift. I generally do use the front end lift on a 720 whenever I see a speed bump, might not have to, but why not if you've got it!
Just got my car today! Will post pics soon. One silly question. My car has standard seats, I believe the most standard, no memory buttons. Seems like these seats can only be adjusted forward and back, and then recline or upright. Non of the two buttons on the side can be moved up or down, even though the manual seems to suggest they should? Pretty confusing. There's nothing in the infotainment climate/seat menu that adjusts seats also. I know racing seats can only move two ways without the lifter but standard seats? That seems quite bare boned even for Ferrari.
Time for some Relish!! I'm in Chicago...no ketchup on our hotdogs here. Image Unavailable, Please Login
That would seem to add to the "holy trinity" moreso than my suggestion...so 3POINT8's suggestion should be considered. I just never really warmed to Lamborghinis.... I mean you could always to this route too? I have a friend who says, "if you gonna be a bear, be a Grizzly". Image Unavailable, Please Login
I use my lift a lot but I find that some underbody extensions sometime hit either way when going over traffic bumps.
