430 F1 sluggish shift

[hypermark]

Hi All,

So I'm hoping to purchase an 430 soon and was out in one last week. However, one thing that did not seem right during the drive was the shifting speed; it was in standard road setting and TBH seemed a little jerky and sluggish. From what I have read and been told is that the F1 shift should be pretty much seamless and quick - I was assured that in this car it would get better when warmed up. I'm not convinced. Would this issue be down to clutch wear or some electrical issue? Apart from this, the car was very nice but I do need to know what I'm letting myself in for here. Any advice would be much appreciated.

[johnnyreggae]

It could be as simple as a driver who is not used to the F1 transmission and being tentative especially from standstill - many speak of it taking a couple of months to fully get used to - any mechanical issue should come up in PPI - take a look at Voicey's blog for more advice generally on 430 https://aldousvoice.com/

[mwstewart]

If you've not driven either an F430 or robotised manual here is some degree of acclimatisation; the engine has a light flywheel so it could feel jerky depending on throttle inputs, however the F1 system was reasonably well calibrated by the F430 and so shouldn't be unduly jerky. Having said that there is an element of configuration with them and so potential for it to be suboptimal. I do find the shift speed is slow - too slow for for a car of this type - but like the jetliners that could be either due to your point of reference or a genuine issue.

Ultimately if you are new to the model you really need an assessment in person by someone who is familiar with them.

[hunter 66]

Need to keep foot down on the accelerator ......... or select sport mode ?
new boxes are faster but still faster than manual , my Scud GT3 sift is fast enough but road cars follow above suggestions ..

[rubystone]

Mark was being driven by the salesman....who ought to know how to drive an F1 'boxed car...I personably think that because the clutch on this particular car is 75% worn, that this is manifesting itself in the jerkiness of the change.

[Cerberaherts]

There could be a few reasons for poor changing. These include, as mentioned, poor throttle control, but also a badly setup clutch. The 430 clutches tend to slip not become jerky when very worn, unless overheated. A properly set clutch should work well up to around 90% unless there are underlying issues.

[hypermark]

Thanks for all the helpful advice - its much appreciated. As my good friend rubystone mentioned the clutch is reported to be approx 75% worn - I guess I should have added this in the original post. The Aldous voice link was very useful as well. My assumption so far is that its pointing to clutch wear and maybe the calibration of the shifting electronics and hydraulics is out; either way some mechanical investigation is required or maybe a replacement clutch correctly set up.

BTW, who can I use to do a PPI? And what is the likely cost of this? Sorry lots of questions.

Cheers,

Mark.

[cgt2]

hypermark said:

BTW, who can I use to do a PPI? And what is the likely cost of this? Sorry lots of questions.

Cheers,

Mark.

The man in the post above (Cerberaherts) - only person I would go to.

[Durzel]

Why isn't the dealer changing the clutch at 75% worn?

Must admit this is a bone of contention for me, had a chat with a main dealer when I was in the market for a 430 who said they wouldn't change it in the prep unless it was 80%+, "plenty of life left in it, no need to change", etc but you can sure as st believe that if you pitched up with a car to sell with that level of wear they'd use it as an excuse to chip you down the cost of a new one.

[458man]

hypermark said:

Hi All,

So I'm hoping to purchase an 430 soon and was out in one last week. However, one thing that did not seem right during the drive was the shifting speed; it was in standard road setting and TBH seemed a little jerky and sluggish. From what I have read and been told is that the F1 shift should be pretty much seamless and quick - I was assured that in this car it would get better when warmed up. I'm not convinced. Would this issue be down to clutch wear or some electrical issue? Apart from this, the car was very nice but I do need to know what I'm letting myself in for here. Any advice would be much appreciated.

I'd just wait for another example to come up and buy that - you'll always have a doubt at the back your mind about this one.

[rubystone]

Durzel said:

Why isn't the dealer changing the clutch at 75% worn?

Must admit this is a bone of contention for me, had a chat with a main dealer when I was in the market for a 430 who said they wouldn't change it in the prep unless it was 80%+, "plenty of life left in it, no need to change", etc but you can sure as st believe that if you pitched up with a car to sell with that level of wear they'd use it as an excuse to chip you down the cost of a new one.

I suspect it's on SOR, or they've priced it at its current (high) price in order to cover the cost of a clutch if the purchaser wants to negotiate...