458 owner in using for intended purpose shock!
Discussion
Yes I have done a trackday a proper actual trackday in my 458! I have previously done a couple of very short sessions at Croft when I first bought it and a single wet Ring lap but as my track car is STILL 14 months later off the road I had an invite to go to an RMA trackday at Silverstone and thought it would be a really memorable experience to go in the Fez
So what was it like? Well coming from the background I do in "proper" track cars ie Lotus cars I have to say its actually very good. The balance of the car is superb and its great to really stretch the cars legs. The much maligned 458 brakes really do shine on track when you get some proper heat into them the stoppers are awesome and you reap the benefits of improved braking feel afterwards too as the discs are fully deglazed. No hint of any fade all day and amazing ability to draw up the car from high speed.
One thing that did happen is I pretty much killed my tyres! It on old Pilot super sports which in retrospect I should have got swapped out for PS4s when I bought it but hey ho I had it in mind to swap them out but though I would get the last bit out of the old tyres. What I wasnt expecting at all is for the old Supers to get so soft! They provided really good grip but I was constantly building temps into them all day. Normally on a trackday you adjust your pressures 2 or 3 times and you'll get an equilibrium where you are out doing sessions but the session length will balance out against tyre pressure and you'll maintain good grip levels. The Supersports just kept building more and more heat and pressure unto them and never cooled off even with a 2 hour lunch break due to rain. they ended up looking like this:
In the end it was game over as I was loosing a huge amount of front end grip due to this graining so PS4's will be inbound shortly.
The engine and box of course performed superbly all day theres a real hardening of the engine note at about 7k which I've barely noticed on the road but what an experience its certainly wetted my apatite to do more on track with it especially with some better rubber!
First time also with RMA I must admit I was a bit apprehensive about the both side overtaking rule they have plus the level of machinery there was very impressive/intimidating with GT3 cup cars/Ferrari and McLaren Race cars all over the place but driving standards were very high and numbers of cars on track usually pretty low so it was really very good and I think I'm a bit of a convert and will be joining up as a member in order to do more days with them.
I would certainly urge 458 owners to get on track with your cars! You only tickle the cars capabilities on the road and they really are very capable track cars. The thought has already occurred to look at AR1 Tyres and a set of coil overs but I think I'll leave it stock for now!
So what was it like? Well coming from the background I do in "proper" track cars ie Lotus cars I have to say its actually very good. The balance of the car is superb and its great to really stretch the cars legs. The much maligned 458 brakes really do shine on track when you get some proper heat into them the stoppers are awesome and you reap the benefits of improved braking feel afterwards too as the discs are fully deglazed. No hint of any fade all day and amazing ability to draw up the car from high speed.
One thing that did happen is I pretty much killed my tyres! It on old Pilot super sports which in retrospect I should have got swapped out for PS4s when I bought it but hey ho I had it in mind to swap them out but though I would get the last bit out of the old tyres. What I wasnt expecting at all is for the old Supers to get so soft! They provided really good grip but I was constantly building temps into them all day. Normally on a trackday you adjust your pressures 2 or 3 times and you'll get an equilibrium where you are out doing sessions but the session length will balance out against tyre pressure and you'll maintain good grip levels. The Supersports just kept building more and more heat and pressure unto them and never cooled off even with a 2 hour lunch break due to rain. they ended up looking like this:
In the end it was game over as I was loosing a huge amount of front end grip due to this graining so PS4's will be inbound shortly.
The engine and box of course performed superbly all day theres a real hardening of the engine note at about 7k which I've barely noticed on the road but what an experience its certainly wetted my apatite to do more on track with it especially with some better rubber!
First time also with RMA I must admit I was a bit apprehensive about the both side overtaking rule they have plus the level of machinery there was very impressive/intimidating with GT3 cup cars/Ferrari and McLaren Race cars all over the place but driving standards were very high and numbers of cars on track usually pretty low so it was really very good and I think I'm a bit of a convert and will be joining up as a member in order to do more days with them.
I would certainly urge 458 owners to get on track with your cars! You only tickle the cars capabilities on the road and they really are very capable track cars. The thought has already occurred to look at AR1 Tyres and a set of coil overs but I think I'll leave it stock for now!
davek_964 said:
What's the general complaint about the 458 brakes? It's not something I'm aware of.
Can be a bit oh my god I am not gonna stop, they are older generation ceramics and thus really need some heat them to work well, the hotter they get the better they get but also be careful as on track use they can also easily delaminate too which leaves you with a 10-15k replacement bill if you do all four in.It is why a lot of the USA guys run the Girodisc or Tarox steel brake disc on the car, direct fitment which cost about 2k in comparison.
Just be aware of their cold limitations and they are generally fine.
Done a couple of light track days in my car and as the poster above says, they are awesome on track, but so they should be as these cars are like around 1470-1500kg with fuel from factory, so they are pretty much GT3 weight or there abouts with more power, throw a set of Speciale Cup 2 tyres on the car and it will be improved greatly on track.
MDL111 said:
maybe get Cup 2 instead of PS4S? still work well on the road and quite good on track
Be a big improvement on track in the dry.They are OK on the road but if you do a lot of road trips in your 458 and hence could be driving through rain storms then the PS4S is superior as a road tyre and safer.
The PS4S also gives quite a ride improvement over the MPSS and Cup 2 tyres as well due to new sidewall technology.
If my 458 is to be dry use only and track use then yes fit Cup 2 tyres and the Speciale sizes will probably fit the regular Italia wheels fine, just not sure if a tyre size change would play havoc with the traction system in the car but my guess would be no as your going up one size front and rear so in theory the rolling radius difference between front and back which is what the traction system monitors would remain the same. The result would be an improved stance due to the slightly taller sidewall.
Hi I saw you and was pleased to see 1 ferrari there given the other 2 were competition cars. Iwas there and also impressed at the quality of metal there. It was clear lost of these guys in particular the gt3 RS brigade have done Silverstone and plenty track days before as I got eaten for breakfast! I decided not to take my f430 although I have had it on track before but I wanted more focus on racing lines rather than taking my car round and will admit don't fancy new ceramic disk bill on line either!
1.of the semi pros below
1.of the semi pros below
No change driving back to Wakefield from Silverstone. Normally as you say you spend the drive home with a clack clack clack clack bang as the graining comes off. They kept building pressure all day as well and couldnt cool them down. The rears were almost ready for swapping anyway.
Edited by fridaypassion on Sunday 29th August 07:56
I had a couple of pax laps around Yas F1 circuit in a speciale a few years back (kept as a track toy by an American resident)
Now he knew the track and knew the car but my god did those laps make me re-evaluate what was possible in a road car!
The most amusing thing was that the weekend was organised by Ferrari themselves and I also did a couple of pax laps with one of the factory drivers in another speciale..... The American was substantially quicker lol.
Both were light years ahead of me when I took my 360 for a few laps later in the day.
Great cars!
Now he knew the track and knew the car but my god did those laps make me re-evaluate what was possible in a road car!
The most amusing thing was that the weekend was organised by Ferrari themselves and I also did a couple of pax laps with one of the factory drivers in another speciale..... The American was substantially quicker lol.
Both were light years ahead of me when I took my 360 for a few laps later in the day.
Great cars!
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