sport vs. regular, on the suspension, not clutch

I tried searching and found lots of threads saying sport mode is easier on the clutch but I am asking about the front suspension. I ASSUMED that because sport mode is stiffer that it was harder on the rather fragile suspension and I have been driving exclusively in "regular" mode since I have some worn parts in my front suspension. Specifically, I have a knocking sound that my mechanic says is either the ball joint at the steering gear OR the steering gear itself is worn. I was trying to pick up the car after a major and he didn't have time to figure out which, my only concern at the time was can I safely get by with that noise until I need my clutch later this summer and do it all at once.

So tonight riding with my daughter to dinner, it was about a 45 minute drive up in the mountains and she asked about sport mode, I told her how why I don't do it and showed her what it felt like to be in Sport mode as I am still shocked at the difference and the knocking sound on the front end went away, I expected it to be worse not go away.

So is sport mode harsher on the suspension or easier on the suspension ?

I liked the faster shifts and will still get what ever it is fixed after summer when I do the clutch but maybe I should stay in sport for the summer

 

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!

 

Yeah, I already did the Hill Engr. ball joints last year when the front end sounded like a bucket of loose bolts, just one "knock" on bumps left now. Also did all the front end bushings at the same time, along with rear shock bushings. And I would say its fragile, it certainly should last more than 50,000 miles.

I may hit 60,000 miles on the way home from work tonight and if not then over the weekend to the grocery store, I have spent quite a bit on the front suspension already, fragile may be the wrong word, but its better than the truth which is "crap quality" On the way to work today I stayed in Sport mode and the front end knocked a LOT less than normal. With my clutch at 20% left a few thousand miles ago, it wont be long before I drop the car off.

 

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.

 

bumps, worse when driving straight but also happens on corners, its small bumps that cause it, big bumps are fine.

 

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.

 

Think I will put it on the lift over the weekend and check those end links, I trust my shop and they said it was either the ball joint/tie rod at the steering gear or the steering gear itself but since I will be getting dirty with my daughter's BMW on the lift this weekend, I might as well put the 360 on it and double check.

To answer my original question, I think sport mode is probably easier on the suspension because it moves less, I would have said it was harder because its more impact on the parts.

 

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.

 

The shop did a major on the car, belts, cam seals, fluids, etc. and AFTER they told me the car was ready but before I picked it up, I mentioned the knocks, they didn't have a lot of time to look at it, they narrowed it down to the area by the steering gear but I had a 2 1/2 hour drive home and wanted to get going. I only asked them if they thought it was safe to drive and wait until I did the clutch, so yes they spent a little time but not much.

I have the 2-post lift out with my daughters BMW on it right now, i will put the 360 on it before I put it away (Its a MaxJax so it unbolts and stores in the shed).

 

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.

 

well fixing my daughters BMW was more work than I thought, had to drop the rear sub frame, so my 360 only got on the lift this weekend.

I poked around the front end and could not find a reason for the knock, I am wondering if that is because it was on a 2 post so the suspension was unloaded, I will put it on the 4 post later (that is a pain, have a non running car being stored on it) and take off the front under panel and poke around again, but at this point, I think my mechanic was right. So that is my update...no news....

 

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.