Guys, I was on a private track today with some friends. I will be honest that I am fairly disappointed with the acceleration of the 458 in the higher gears. Low end acceleration is great, but not so much in the top gears. It seemed to barely pull in 6th gear and by the time I am in 7th, it's almost got nothing left. I felt that my scud had a lot more left in her... Maybe the 458 is getting there quicker...?? Anyways, I really would like a little more performance as far as speed goes for those times when I have a big straight away at the track. Anyone have any parts or upgrades they recommend? Thx
I can't imagine any track that would require 7th gear. I rarely needed 6th gear on my SCUD even on a long straight. Did you redline in 5th before you shifted to 6th? You are basically shifting into an overdrive gear when yo use 7th. It's designed to save fuel on the highway and not much else.
What is your mileage? Mine is 2000kms and I feel the same and I hope it will get better after 5000kms like other ferraris I owned.
I own my own land in the country and have a 5 mile straight away connected to some other turns and such, but in reality that has nothing to do with an answer to the question I asked.
Currently at 6200 miles. My scud has 5700 miles and I've seen a lot more top end from the scud than the 458... Or maybe it just feels that way due to the rough ride
You could start with the exhaust system, that will give you another 35-50HP or so. Then put turbo chargers on the car, this should take you up to 700HP or so, which should satisfy the need for more speed in 6th and 7th gear. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
You might first benchmark your 458 against published road test acceleration numbers. Car and Driver tested an '11 to 150 mph and observed a 100-150 figure of 8.5 sec. That run will take you through 4th and 5th gear to 9000 RPM and 6th gear to around 7850 RPM. That should give an ample indication of whether your high RPM horsepower output vs. drag is nominal. Of course you will want to use a GPS and average two directions to correct for any wind or grade effects. If you find your car is much below nominal you can look into the reasons. Of course you may still want to add some mods. As someone pointed out, headers, hi-flo cats, and an engine remap will give a perceivable uptick. Beyond that you will need to consider the forced induction route.
This car is slow once you get above 100mph. I was shocked on how it barely pulled on some freeway runs. Mind you this was on 91 octane, I think this engine needs 93+ for full power due to the high compression. What fuel is available there?
The 300lbs+ of extra weight starts making a difference vs the Scud. I noticed the 458 was slow past 100mph, you could sit there easily waiting for it to pickup. These high compression NA engines really need the high octane fuel for max power, I know 91 oct is max available in half of the US. Could easily cause 10%+ loss in hp.
91 is the best in my area for non ethanol. I could look around and try to find 93... Hadn't ever even thought about that.
The 4.5L in the Ferrari has a very very high compression ratio it is amazing these cars can accept 91 octane at all. For comparison the M156 AMG V8 11.3:1 requires a minimum 93 octane US/ 98 RON EU. The 458 has 12.5:1 ratio. I am pretty sure a lot of the power loss is due to the engine computer systems running on a safer ignition map when you pump 91 octane. These cars need the 93 octane to run properly at max revs.
Anyone ever used octane booster? My parents used to use it when I was a kid, but I'd be really skeptical about putting it in a Ferrari unless someone could tell me otherwise
+1. The only possible reason to use 6th or 7th is in a top speed run. 7th absolutely for "cruising" IMO.
That is my understanding. 7th is there to increase fuel economy, not for the top speed. It's geared and engine mapped for cruising efficiently at highway speeds. The new Vette has a new manual with 7 speeds. GM said 7th is just for fuel economy.
Are you sure you were in race mode? I would think like in the 911 getting in to any sport mode locks out 7th gear(i.e. fuel efficiency gear), the 458 should also not allow 7th gear in race mode. As far as octane there are two octane options in Dubai, 98 (Super) and 95 (Special) but these are European standard I believe, not sure what they amount to in the US. But frankly it is disappointing to hear a 458 doesn't pull well enough over 100 mph. Being in the high performance super car category, these things matter. A 4.5 litre V8 should go strong till 200mph I feel. After all my 3.8 litre n/a 911 pulls well between 100-150mph but then starts to lose steam at 150. Also relate back to my earlier thread that ferrari should match mp4 hp. Also there is a current thread about mclaren that declares that the MP4 is clearly faster than the 458. All disappointing. Looks like ferrari will address this in the 458 replacement, but that is two years away The 458 scud will be good too, but not every one wants a track car.
Find a trusted friend line up next to your SCUD at 100mph hit it and see for yourself what car has the more top end I am saying 458 by far or there is always this [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsP4DjEC8j4]Ferrari 458 Italia Twin Turbo built by Underground Racing - YouTube[/ame] PROBLEM SOLVED!!!
You are absolutely right. It will be no contest unless there is something amiss with the 458. Without numbers and real comparisons, I tend to disregard vague statements to the effect that the car "feels slow" going into top gear.
I live near a track and can buy 100 octane unleaded fuel. Will that help a 458's performance when compared to 93 octane?
i recommend you dyno the car . sometimes there are issues . make sure that you have all the 565 hp on the flywheel .
I have seen dyno curves for the 458 run on 91 and 93 octane [US (R+M)/2 method] and the differences are quite small, only a few horsepower.
