I'm a 308 owner, just recently rode a '98 F355 F1 with the paddle shifter ? I don't know whether to be thrilled or not but the friend who drove me around in his 355 went up to speeds of 260kph in the evening ! It's quite fast, but I really didn't feel the torque of a manual car inspite of the 355's horsepower. As I watched my friend shift and shift using his 355's paddles and afterwards, automatic mode of the car, I couldn't help but feel like I was riding my BMW 5-series sedan at high speed. What do you FERRARI ENTHUSIASTS PREFER WITH YOUR CARS ? IS PADDLE SHIFTING THE WAY OF THE FUTURE ? I KNOW THE ENZO AND 612 ARE SPECIFICALLY PADDLE SHIFTER CARS.
At least for me, Give me a stick. I drove a M3 SMG for two years and while it was a great feature I find I am having more fun with my Spyder GT. It does seem true that it feels like you have less tourqe with a paddle shifter. If I was planing on tracking my car I would go paddles but for bombing around town I need the stick.
I'm pretty certain that the 612 will be available with a standard gearbox -- but I read that over 80% of production will be F1a.
I used to think a 6 speed, but I'm getting used to the paddles. I think that the paddles work better for both street and track. I don't like the automatic feature, because of the rough shifting, but manually shifting works just fine. Art
There are literally dozens of threads and hundreds of posts debating this topic. Here's just a few... the first being a poll... 5479 12189 11551 1189 801 You can find even more posts than that on the topic in the old forum archives as well.
I like the involvement that manual sticks and clutches bring to the track days and just plain regular driving.
You know it's funny...one's preference (on this topic) should be a required field in the profile and visible to the board below the post count! DL ps..I'll bite again. Manual
My left leg has served me well all my life. Therefore, I like it when it is used. Automatics should be banned from racing. I think Bernie is listening. Never drive less then 12 cylinders
I used to think that I would never go for an F1,of course after I tried it I was (and am) converted,i definately prefer the "paddle shift" however I also agree the "Automatic mode" is awful I have used it just to make sure it works but would never use it for any serious driving.
The 'auto' mode in F1 was banned a few seasons ago and the is no question of ever bringing it back. On the other hand electrohydrolic clutches and sequential gearboxes are here to stay and I think it is very good like that. I personally vote (and use) F1 for road, track and even traffic jams (using a lot of N of course) but never in 'auto' mode... I also think it is a pity there are automatic Ferraris but sensibly only 2+2 are produced like that. I have to admit I wouldnt mind driving an F2004 even though it 'only' has 10 ;-)
I take (mild) offense at this. There are new technologies at hand, working their ways into the designers psychy (sp). For one is a new kind of shifter actuation system that disengages the previous gear only when the subsequent gear applies TQ to the output shaft. These gear boxes "should" shift cleanly without any clutch activity and without reducing power from the engine. both up and down. Codename: Zeroshift. If this technology come to pass, clutch work will be a thing of the past except for dead stop starting. If it works at F1 power levels (TQ actually) and is reliable, then why not get rid of the clutch (mass) and use it only for the first start and for pit stops; allowing a much lighter clutch due to lower heat inducement.
Apologies, no offence (even mild) intended! I guess we can consider 'double clutch' systems and similar to be evolutions of the electrohydrolic clutches and therefore in the same 'spirit' of paddles etc. They are certainly not torque converters ('automatics') which we all hate but they are even further away from plain vanilla manuals the traditionalists like. No cling clang, metal gates etc. I probably should have said 'electrohydrolic clutches and their descendents are here to stay'. Especially in F1 where Max Mosley clearly stateted last week that they are staying with 'modern boxes'. http://www.itv-f1.com/features/features_story/20940
sounds like you're trying to roll back automotice technology to the stone age. where do you want to draw the line? maybe we should discourage innovation completely? abandon carbon ceramic brakes, outlaw wind tunnels since this might result in more efficient aerodynamics which can't be a good thing. why stop there. i'm sure newer engines were designed to operate at higher temperatures, etc. and therefore require synthetic oil. i think we should consider banning synthetic oil. composite materials are for wimps. good old iron and steel are the way to go. inflatable tires seem too high tech. they should be banned also. in the old days i'm sure people got by fine on solid rubber tires. btw, i think bernie still hand cranks his old clunker in the morning. this is the way it should be. we need to ban starter motors. if we all put our heads together i'm sure we can list hundreds of innovations that should be banned
I ran a pole on this not too long ago....check out the results..... http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5479
"sounds like you're trying to roll back automotice technology to the stone age... if we all put our heads together i'm sure we can list hundreds of innovations that should be banned" If you automate enough stuff, the word "driving" ceases to make sense. The day is not far when you'll be able to strap yourself into a high performance sports car, push some button, and experience the absolute optimal high performance maneuvering through the twisties -- max speed, max lateral acceleration, even some am-I-gonna-survive-this oversteer for excitement -- all hands-off, courtesy of a few bits of silicon. It'll be fun but it won't be driving!
