458 ground clearance

[JDH1]

Recently been thinking about a 458 and seen a nice one which doesn't have the lift system. I'm looking for a little guidance on how critical this is. I'm primarily thinking about speed bumps. As a point of reference, I recently had a 650s which got over most (but not all) local bumps without the lift activated. Does anyone know whether the 458 is likely to be better or worse?

[Rari]

I have lift on my 458 but rarely, if ever, use it. I find it has good clearance compared to my 355

[andyr]

I have “lift” but never use it for speed bumps - it’s mainly needed for getting onto driveways built on a slope etc. or ferries

I even drive over most speed bumps at a speed similar to other cars.

If you buy a number plate holder for the front, then that will take any scrapes first

[Drl22]

It’s not an issue at all, I don’t have it and have never caught the front.

[JDH1]

That's very useful info guys. Thank you.

[chippy348]

My 458 doesn't have the lift either.

Been to may mainland Europe underground hotel car parks with Zero issue at all, my 430 used to scrape all the time and my 348 is hopeless, the 458 no issues at all,

[JDH1]

All very positive. I had a couple of 355's and a 430 in the past and never thought about it, because it wasn't available. Good to hear that the 458 is better than those cars in this regard.

[supersport]

Mine doesn’t have lift either and although only had it a few weeks it feels a lot higher than my 430.

That scrapes all over the place, especially in little French towns.

[Gibbo205]

The 458 does not need lifter, I've owned mine for four years and covered 15,000 miles and never had an issue, I've done most the roads in Wales and Scotland in it without issue.

Speed bumps not an issue and my drive has an incline and it has never scraped.

Now my GT3 on the other hand, very much required the lifter as does my 600 LT, but the 458 its not required.

[W4NTED]

Never needed the lift on mine ever! My Taycan rubs at least once a day though

[pete]

Gibbo205 said:

Now my GT3 on the other hand, very much required the lifter as does my 600 LT, but the 458 its not required.

That's very good to know, thanks! The GT3 has a disastrous combination of a really long front overhang and quite a low, jutting front splitter. I need lift to get my GT3 from drive/pavement to the road, even driving at an angle, but not having to find lift on a 458 opens up the used car search considerably.

[Gibbo205]

pete said:

That's very good to know, thanks! The GT3 has a disastrous combination of a really long front overhang and quite a low, jutting front splitter. I need lift to get my GT3 from drive/pavement to the road, even driving at an angle, but not having to find lift on a 458 opens up the used car search considerably.

Same exact issue with my GT3, even exiting the drive with an angle it would a scraped, thankfully it had lifter and it was required, also needed it on some speed bumps too. Ferrari has never been an issue without lifter for me.

[craig511]

My first 458 had a lifter, never used it.

My current one doesn’t have it, never been an issue.

You just don’t need it.

[willy wombat]

Have a look at the photos posted on page 2 of the “And Away” thread currently running. The turn into the car park is exactly the sort of situation when I’ve found the nose lift on my 458 valuable. As I’ve got it I do tend to use it for steep ramps (always an Italian specialty), boarding Euro Tunnel trains etc. However I very rarely use it in the UK so whether it’s worth having probably depends on how you use the car.

[Drl22]

willy wombat said:

Have a look at the photos posted on page 2 of the “And Away” thread currently running. The turn into the car park is exactly the sort of situation when I’ve found the nose lift on my 458 valuable. As I’ve got it I do tend to use it for steep ramps (always an Italian specialty), boarding Euro Tunnel trains etc. However I very rarely use it in the UK so whether it’s worth having probably depends on how you use the car.

Done the euro tunnel trains multiple times, no lift no issue, don’t let the spec boys fool you. Would have to be very steep to cause an issue.

[Gibbo205]

Lifter not required, just adding additional weight to the car.

[willy wombat]

What I was trying to say, albeit not very well, is that because I’ve got a lifter I use it and it is probably the case that a lot of times I don’t actually need to. I stick to my guns though that it really is very useful for some of the extreme ramps you encounter on the Continent. However if I was currently looking to buy a 458 I wouldn’t be put off if the car I fancied didn’t have a lifter.

[andyr]

I agree with the below. Whilst its not needed 99% of the time, it is still useful and I'm glad mine has it. I have scraped the nose of my car on a speed bump, but I have a metal number plate holder on the front and that took the scrape.

One other note - when you have lift you also have the AFS lighting by default.

And that is useful. https://www.ferrari.com/en-EN/auto/genuine/458-spe...

So don't let the spec-poor boys sway your decision.

[sc992000uk1]

Same as everyone above, has lift but rarely used. Ground clearance seems good compared to a 91.

[DumDum]

If you intend on sorting out the ridiculous 4x4 ride height, then you definitely need it.
The side skirts are the biggest risk, the sills are very low on the car.