sport vs. regular, on the suspension, not clutch

In sport the dampers have less effect (they are stiffer) which means that more of initial shock of a compression movement is transmitted to the chassis (and the occupants).

That said, I'm sure that running in sport versus normal will have such a nominal effect on wear as to be discounted in your decision-making process.

 

I would say that Sport is easier on the suspension on a nice smooth rode - it will have less travel than normal. On a really bumpy rode, it will likely be tougher since it will transmit more shock to related components.

Good luck!

 

I wouldn't that say that the suspension is fragile, but since the start of 360 the lower and upper ball joint is of low quality. Almost all 360 or 430 that I have tested has this problem. I changed mine on the 430 Scuderia after 9000 Km or 5500 miles. Hill Engineering has ball joints made of stainless steel that will last, get them changed and drive as hard as you like...

LBJ-360 - Ball Joint by: Hill Engineering - Hill Engineering Ferrari

 

Nice! Thanks for the link...will check out the suspension when I get her home - and in the air!

 

Do you hear the knock when turning only? Or does it happen driving straight down the road? I can hear a knock sound when my wheel is turned all the way to one end, usually pulling out of the driveway.

 

I would check the sway bar end links.
One of mine loosened up and it caused a rattle/knocking in the suspension over slight bumps as well.
It's VERY easy to check, and fix. With the front end in the air (just to have access to that area underneath, not sure if you can reach in otherwise), put a wrench on the end link where it screws into the sway bar and try to tighten it. It shouldn't budge if it's tight. Mine was lose on the passenger side, but I couldn't tell until I actually put a wrench on it, it didn't look lose.
I have a thread on my issue, I'll try to find it if I can. I'm not saying that it's your problem, I'm just throwing it out there since, it drove me crazy and it's almost impossible to solve a noise issue via the internet.

 

Here is my thread showing step by step troubleshooting of my clunking noise. I misdiagnosed it at first, but realized that it was just a loose end link. I was beyond ecstatic! I would have never thought that such a horrible noise would be such a simple fix.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/360-430/407201-intermittent-clunking-sound.html


There is a good chance that your car has this issue since you say that it is worse on the smaller type bumps, and less on corners. Same characteristics as mine.

 

Excuse my ignorance, how does the car stiffen up in sport mode? Done mechanically or electronically?

 

Did the shop inspect the car and tell you what was wrong, or did they just guess at the common stuff? The reason that I ask is that my clunking noise sounded like it would be a ball joint as well. The advice I got was that it was "probably the ball joints" because those are known to fail. It makes sense, but I wanted to feel the "looseness" for myself, that's how I discovered the real problem. I also initially thought that it was related to the steering rack but thankfully realized that my testing was flawed and it wasn't that either.

As far as I know (or think), it's both....the switch on the dash electronically tells the shock absorber to stiffen up. The shock then mechanically stiffens up internally.

 

What he said. Typically I leave my car in standard mode and switch to sport once I hit the highway

 

Oh, ok, at least he looked at it. In that case, it changes things. If he is good and you trust him, I'm sure he knows more than us just guessing at things.
Please let us know the outcome when you find out the cause.

 

My suggestion to check the tightness of the end links isn't affected by loading and unloading the suspension, so if you put a wrench on the end links on the end of the sway bars and they didn't budge, it definitely isn't the same issue that my car had. Unfortunately it's going to be more serious than that and I'm guessing it's going to need a mechanic. Good luck and please keep us informed on what you find.

 

Check the ball joints for wear. Insert pry bar where shown and see if you can cause deflection between the two surfaces. If you can, they're worn. Can be done with suspension unloaded and wheels in place also.......
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I've noticed the front end of my scud sounds a little clunky too over larger bumps in the road. Trying to figure out the configuration of the front suspension. Does anyone happen to have a diagram of the 430's front suspension?

Edit: I looked at the Ricambi diagrams, but they don't show the front suspension in a fully assembled state, which is what I'd like to have. Thanks.

 

Here....

Ferrari F430 (05-08) Parts : Table 45 - FRONT SUSPENSION - WISHBONES

and here ....

Ferrari F430 (05-08) Parts : Table 44 - FRONT SUSPENSION - SHOCK ABSORBER AND B

 

Yeah, as I said, I looked at the Ricambi diagrams. What I was hoping for was a diagram that shows the entire assembled front suspension (instead of separate diagrams of pieces of it). I searched for one but came up empty.

 

Just got the Hill Engineering upper and lower ball joints for my scud. Are there any other aftermarket suspension joints you guys would recommend? Bushings, tie rods, end links? I'm thinking that if I'm going to replace the ball joints, I may as well change out the other joints that are a weak point on the car (if any).

 

My scud now has the rattles and metallic sounds from the front suspension, did the replacement ball joints eliminate the sounds?

 

In my case it did.