Proper way to drive a F1 transmission?

If you press hard on the brake it does stay in 1st, until 10 min. If you release the brake it does stay in 1st, but if you don't press the gas to launch the car, it will drop out of 1st after 10 sec.

not seeing any safety benefits over staying in 1st with the clutch disengaged.

 

I've been driving an F1 transmission car since Ferrari introduced it on the 355 in 1998. My current car is a 360 and I just changed the clutch for the first time after 23k miles. Over 14 years, I have experienced several of the situations explained in the owner's manual and discussed in this thread.

The transmission in the 360 will upshift automatically at redline unless the car is in sport mode. You will not hit the rev limiter in normal mode.

The transmission will always downshift automatically. However, while that works well enough for slowing to a stop or boulevard cruising, the automatic downshifts will not come soon enough to put you in the right gear for a corner, even in sport mode.

The transmission will shift to neutral after 10 minutes on the brakes or a few seconds off the brakes without moving. However, something else can trigger a shift before 10 minutes, like opening the driver's door or, as has already been pointed out, unknowingly easing off the brakes. A less obvious but not uncommon cause is overheating of the F1 pump, which can happen in periods of stop-and-go traffic. Another one, which took me a while to figure out, is the opening of the engine lid. It's not that I was pulling the release lever. The lid had just enough play vis-a-vis the pressure switch that a bump would cause my car to shift to neutral. Extremely annoying in NY traffic.

I don't know about the wear implications, but I've always gone to neutral at traffic lights, train crossings, etc., as I have with every other manual transmission car or motorcycle that I have owned. I've never understood why so many of my fellow bikers keep their clutches engaged at traffic lights, and I don't understand why a car driver would do so either. But then I also always put my automatic transmission cars in park. I figure you can't lurch accidentally if you're not in gear. I realize there will be varying views. This is just my experience.

 

Terrific discussion !! This is what this forum is all about.
Congratulations to all involved lecturers.

 

The manual says "During long stops, with the engine running, the gearbox should be left in "N""

This is on page H23 of the 355 F1 manual.

 

2006 F430 F1.
Less than 25k miles, weekly driven.
Over 40 LC and performance starts
2nd clutch/flywheel setup.

The system uses a self adjusting hydraulic bearing that uses input from the car to determine what pressure to run (it checks and adjusts pressure accordingly... constantly).

Personally I will keep it in 1st in manual mode if I am stopped for a short period of time. If I am coming to a light and will be there for a bit, I will coast in Neutral to avoid the engine braking function in hopes of reduced overall engine wear. The manual also recommends to avoid freewheeling or 'coasting' downhill, recommending you allow the engine braking, but I believe the reason for this is fear of brake fade more than anything

430 manual says:

"If the vehicle stands still for long periods of
time with the engine running, it is advisable
to keep the gearshift in N.
If you allow the vehicle to move forward in
N (e.g. on downhill stretches), when UP is
requested, the system will engage a gear in
relation to the vehicle speed.
For safety reasons, the system activates the
buzzer and automatically shifts to N when
you do any of the following with the vehicle
standing, the engine running and a gear
engaged:
• not push the brake pedal or the
accelerator for more than 50 seconds;
• push the brake pedal for more than 10
minutes;
• open the door without pushing the brake
pedal or the accelerator;
• open the engine compartment lid."

The manual also recommends leaving the car in 1st for parking and starting on a hill (which I do often). I have to look over the transmission hydraulics to make any informed comment on the particular operation of the car when on the brake but I am sure the brake engagement is key to clutch engagement. Most automatic cars will pull away when the brake is released and in 'D'. This model 430 does not move unless the gas is depressed after releasing the brake. Don't know if other years or models are very much different.

X2

 

I was wondering why my car was beeping at this one light.

 

Coasting downhill for any distance at speed is never recommended in any car - highly dangerous, they are not designed to run in a free wheel mode at speed. I seriously doubt brake fade is an issue though.

Ferrari F1 gear boxes are 'automated manuals' not 'automatics' - the operations of the 2 types of gear boxes cannot be compared in any fashion.

 

I,m in the transmission business and brent is Right ,you should allways leave it in neutral at a stop light, Your clutch is not ingaged AS LONG AS YOUR FOOT IS NOT ON THE BRAKE!!!!!!
So at a light if your on a hill use E-brake.Yes the throw out bearing allways rides on the pressure plate ,but with far less force than when depressed in gear.To prove i'm right put your car in neutral and then just press on the BRAKE and you will feel and hear the clutch ingage.So remember your foot has to be off the brake sitting in neutral for less wear.

 

Are you seriously recommending holding the car at a stop light with either no foot on brake or with the handbrake? Seems woefully impractical to me...and not particularly safe either.

 

seems a tad scary to me too.

 

My 355 stays in 1st gear , never just goes into N

 

Sorry, no offense but incorrect on all counts. Maybe in the transmission business but certainly not the Ferrari F1 transmission business.

When stopped in gear and foot firmly on the brake, the pressure plate is fully retracted by full pressure on the TO bearing. When stopped in N, same exact configuration. Both cases are identical to manually operated standard with clutch peddle held firmly on the floor whether in gear or not. There is no difference to the wear of anything. You will not hear or feel anything if you apply the brake in a 355 or 360 F1 car sitting in neutral because nothing happens except possibly brake pads contacting rotors.

Sitting at a light (hill or not) in neutral with hand brake engaged doesn't hurt anything, but it doesn't help anything either. It simply creates a bit of a safety concern since it takes what could be very precious time in an emergency to get everything disengaged and re-engaged to get the car moving.

 

After I got mine back from its major I tried what a poster above mentioned. If you just have your foot lightly on the brake sometimes it will shift to neutral. When I have my foot firmly on the brake it will stay in 1st.

 

As a biker, I sometimes stay in gear at busy intersections in case I need to quickly move out of someone's way. In Chicago, it's not so uncommon. My typical MO for an ordinary, uncluttered stoplight is to find neutral and give my hands a rest.