Ferrari 360 replacement, the 458

RACER X · 11-05-2009, 08:11 AM

Ferrari has rebooted its V-8 sports car range, starting with a sheet that's as clean as it was when the 355 gave way to the 360 Modena. Sure, the Ferrari 458 Italia is still a mid-engine rear-drive all-aluminum design, but the engine, gearbox, chassis, suspension, electronic controls, aerodynamics, instrumentation, and ergonomics are all revised. The actual manettino switch itself may carry over from the 430 Scuderia, but little else does as the 458 rolls out, ready to serve as the basis for the next decade's worth of V-8 Ferrari sports cars.

Starting from the very basics, the wheelbase is stretched 1.9 inches for greater stability while the overall length grows by only 0.6 inch, meaning the overhangs are way smaller, which reduces the polar moment of inertia, making the car more eager to rotate. New aluminum alloys cribbed from the aeronautics industry required Ferrari to employ novel bonding techniques, the overall result of which is a bodyshell structure improved by 20 percent in static torsion and 8 percent in static bending (dynamic stiffness increases by 16 and 7 percent, respectively). Even the body skin uses new materials that permit the roof, door outer panel, and front hood to be just 1 mm thick. The door inner panels are now die cast, and the door intrusion beams use an aluminum-lithium alloy that makes them 50 percent lighter than the F430's. The net result is a larger, stiffer bodyshell that weighs the same as the F430's.

Extensive wind-tunnel and computational fluid dynamics work yield a sleek-looking body with a slightly smaller frontal area (thanks to more compact architecture around the rear wheels) and a drag coefficient that drops from 0.34 to 0.33. More important, this new body's coefficient of downforce (0.36) is greater than its drag coefficient, for an overall aerodynamic efficiency of 1.09 (up from the F430's 0.90). And the front/rear downforce is balanced 41/59 percent front/rear, which nearly matches the weight distribution with a driver onboard so that the dynamic weight balance of the car never changes at high speeds. Downforce peaks at 794 pounds at top speed (202-plus mph).

Under the hood is a new direct-injected dry-sump V-8 engine optimized to spin to 9000 rpm (500 up from the F430, and the highest-revving street-legal V-8 production engine). Rated at 562 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque, it also sets records for specific power (125 horsepower/liter) and torque 89 pound-feet/liter) in a naturally aspirated engine. Smaller, lighter, lower-friction pistons with graphite-coated skirts help achieve the high revs. Further friction reductions come from a Diamond-Like Carbon coating on the valve tappets and superfinished camshafts.

Other engine-tech highlights include a three-valve variable intake geometry system to broaden the torque curve at lower and middle rpm, a new scavenging system that uses two separate crankcase scavenging pumps for the front and rearmost pairs of cylinders and the middle foursome, reducing losses from splashing and windage and boosting torque by almost 7 pound-feet at 3500 rpm. A variable-geometry oil pump consumes almost 7 fewer horsepower at 9000 rpm. Even the direct injection is trick: 70-80 percent of the fuel is injected during the intake stroke per usual, the remainder squirts in 40 degrees after bottom dead center, creating a slightly rich mixture right by the spark plug for better ignition and combustion.

Backing this new engine is a further development of the California's seven-speed Getrag-sourced dual-clutch transmission, updated with a more compact, faster-acting programmable E-Diff3 differential and all-new close-ratio gearing tailored to the car's 9000-rpm engine and chosen to ensure top speed is achieved in seventh gear. No, friends, there is no manual transmission. Ferrari has given up on this go-slow technology. They're in the go-fast business. And apparently many paying customers agree -- a manual is offered on the California, but according to company officials none have been delivered yet. Due to the engine, transmission, and aerodynamic efficiency improvements, fuel consumption is slashed by a claimed 13 percent, allowing a smaller and lighter fuel tank (22.7 gallons down from the F430's 25.1) while preserving the same range.

Not to be outdone, the chassis engineers have seen fit to redesign the suspension front and rear, stiffening the lower control arms up front and employing a new four-link rear suspension, including a very robust lower control arm with a toe-control link and an upper-camber link. Fitting Delphi MagneRide infinitely adjustable shocks has allowed spring rates to rise and anti-roll bars to shrink (with the shocks now shouldering more of the dynamic roll-control responsibility), all of which dramatically improves the car's dynamic roll control without the ride penalties that big anti-roll bars inflict. The vehicle dynamics programming builds on the Scuderia's F1-Trac/ESP 8.0 system by integrating control of the new E-Diff3 during acceleration and the next-gen ABS during braking with the new standard carbon-ceramic brakes. The system also has some authority over the adjustable shocks. The Manettino settings look like the Scud's (low-grip, sport, race, traction-off, stability-off), but the low-grip setting is now calibrated to sense ice or snow as distinct from wet pavement and alters its programming accordingly.

So how does it work?

It bends the mind and makes one question the superlatives one has so blithely applied to what now seem like much lesser vehicles. It makes the F430 seem like the model one graduates from when one's means at last permit purchase of the 458 Italia. The performance seems on par with the track-optimized 430 Scuderia, but the car is far more civilized, slightly quieter, and considerably more comfortable than the Scuderia. Indeed Ferrari officials claim the 458 ties the Scuderia in the hallowed metric of Fiorano lap times, at 1:25 -- coincidentally the same as the Enzo.

That's the kind of coincidence that makes one instantly wonder whether an edict has been handed down on a stone tablet declaring that no vehicle shall undercut the hallowed Enzo until its better-performing replacement is released, but the technicians shrug off such conspiracy theories pointing out that the Enzo had an incredibly low weight-to-power ratio of 5.0 pounds per horsepower, but comparatively crude vehicle dynamic control systems, tires, suspension, etc. The Scuderia was completely track optimized and wore competition-spec Pirelli PZero Corsa tires. The 458 leverages its copious power and electrickery to achieve the same time on normal Michelin Pilot Sports. (Might the inevitable Scuderia or Challenge Stradale 458 variant finally be allowed to out-lap the mighty Enzo?)

On the vaunted Fiorano circuit, the car amazes with its ability to instill confidence. The giant 15.7-inch front, 14.2-inch rear CCM brakes seem always to possess a bit more stopping power than you really need, and the stability control safety nets keep you out of trouble in such an unobtrusive fashion as to make you think you learned something from Dario Benuzzi's demonstration lap. (You didn't.) Switch off the traction control, and the stability control allows 20 or 30 degrees of drift before stepping in. Turn the stability control off and you can easily loop it, but the fear of crashing results in less aggressive throttle inputs and, for me at least, a lower lap time.

Out on the twisting Apennine byways, even in full Race mode with stability engaged, the car tracks remarkably true to the driver's intended path, but the electrons are incredibly busy. If the go-pedal's down, the stability light is flashing, though there's no apparent brake intervention or power trimming (often the intervention is handled in the E-Diff3 or some other system). Leave it in automatic mode, and its gear selection is nearly faultless, though we often thought 1st gear would have been more appropriate for the tightest hairpins, which it generally chose 2nd for. Nevertheless, the relentless zepto-quick upshifting under wide-open throttle, and the frenetic rev-matched downshifting while braking hard for the next corner stimulate an endorphin rush the likes of which few cars can summon.

2010 Ferrari 458 Italia
Base Price $213,500 (est)
Vehicle layout Mid-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door, coupe
Engine 4.5L/562-hp/398-lb-ft DOHC 32-valve V-8
Transmission 7-speed twin-clutch auto
Curb weight 3300 lb (mfr)
Wheelbase 104.3 in
Length x width x height 178.2 x 76.3 x 47.8 in
0-62 mph 3.4 sec (mfr est)
Fuel econ (Euro comb) 18 mpg (est)
On sale in the U.S. June 2010

Rider · 11-05-2009, 08:29 AM

Pure sex!

Dave · 11-05-2009, 08:33 AM

bro, this is an 430 replacement

the 360 has been gone for some time now. Loving this new model. especially the F40 style triple exhaust

RACER X · 11-05-2009, 08:42 AM

k, my bad lol

Adeptus_Minor · 11-05-2009, 10:08 AM

Wow.. Dave actually likes it.

Yeah, it's sexy as hell.

Speedracer42 · 11-05-2009, 10:22 AM

Its an awesome car. But styling wise I still prefer the 430 exterior. Esp when coupled with the Novitec Rosso treatment.

z06boy · 11-05-2009, 10:26 AM

Man I wish I was rich...that's sexy.

Dave · 11-05-2009, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adeptus_Minor

Wow.. Dave actually likes it.

Yeah, it's sexy as hell.

well... i dont like the lack of a manual

Adeptus_Minor · 11-05-2009, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave

well... i dont like the lack of a manual

Yeah, I know.
7 speeds and dual-clutch?
Transmissions are getting too damn complicated for me these days.

z06boy · 11-05-2009, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave

well... i dont like the lack of a manual

Yeah I agree with that too. I know the auto's are so sophisticated now that they change faster and more effecient than a person can but still...just not the same as doing it yourself.

Hitting a paddle shifter is doing it yourself...but still not the same.

11-05-2009, 08:11 AM	#1
RACER X AMA Supersport Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Richmond, Tx Moto: '10 Tuono Factory Posts: 4,569	Ferrari 360 replacement, the 458 Ferrari has rebooted its V-8 sports car range, starting with a sheet that's as clean as it was when the 355 gave way to the 360 Modena. Sure, the Ferrari 458 Italia is still a mid-engine rear-drive all-aluminum design, but the engine, gearbox, chassis, suspension, electronic controls, aerodynamics, instrumentation, and ergonomics are all revised. The actual manettino switch itself may carry over from the 430 Scuderia, but little else does as the 458 rolls out, ready to serve as the basis for the next decade's worth of V-8 Ferrari sports cars. Starting from the very basics, the wheelbase is stretched 1.9 inches for greater stability while the overall length grows by only 0.6 inch, meaning the overhangs are way smaller, which reduces the polar moment of inertia, making the car more eager to rotate. New aluminum alloys cribbed from the aeronautics industry required Ferrari to employ novel bonding techniques, the overall result of which is a bodyshell structure improved by 20 percent in static torsion and 8 percent in static bending (dynamic stiffness increases by 16 and 7 percent, respectively). Even the body skin uses new materials that permit the roof, door outer panel, and front hood to be just 1 mm thick. The door inner panels are now die cast, and the door intrusion beams use an aluminum-lithium alloy that makes them 50 percent lighter than the F430's. The net result is a larger, stiffer bodyshell that weighs the same as the F430's. Extensive wind-tunnel and computational fluid dynamics work yield a sleek-looking body with a slightly smaller frontal area (thanks to more compact architecture around the rear wheels) and a drag coefficient that drops from 0.34 to 0.33. More important, this new body's coefficient of downforce (0.36) is greater than its drag coefficient, for an overall aerodynamic efficiency of 1.09 (up from the F430's 0.90). And the front/rear downforce is balanced 41/59 percent front/rear, which nearly matches the weight distribution with a driver onboard so that the dynamic weight balance of the car never changes at high speeds. Downforce peaks at 794 pounds at top speed (202-plus mph). Under the hood is a new direct-injected dry-sump V-8 engine optimized to spin to 9000 rpm (500 up from the F430, and the highest-revving street-legal V-8 production engine). Rated at 562 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque, it also sets records for specific power (125 horsepower/liter) and torque 89 pound-feet/liter) in a naturally aspirated engine. Smaller, lighter, lower-friction pistons with graphite-coated skirts help achieve the high revs. Further friction reductions come from a Diamond-Like Carbon coating on the valve tappets and superfinished camshafts. Other engine-tech highlights include a three-valve variable intake geometry system to broaden the torque curve at lower and middle rpm, a new scavenging system that uses two separate crankcase scavenging pumps for the front and rearmost pairs of cylinders and the middle foursome, reducing losses from splashing and windage and boosting torque by almost 7 pound-feet at 3500 rpm. A variable-geometry oil pump consumes almost 7 fewer horsepower at 9000 rpm. Even the direct injection is trick: 70-80 percent of the fuel is injected during the intake stroke per usual, the remainder squirts in 40 degrees after bottom dead center, creating a slightly rich mixture right by the spark plug for better ignition and combustion. Backing this new engine is a further development of the California's seven-speed Getrag-sourced dual-clutch transmission, updated with a more compact, faster-acting programmable E-Diff3 differential and all-new close-ratio gearing tailored to the car's 9000-rpm engine and chosen to ensure top speed is achieved in seventh gear. No, friends, there is no manual transmission. Ferrari has given up on this go-slow technology. They're in the go-fast business. And apparently many paying customers agree -- a manual is offered on the California, but according to company officials none have been delivered yet. Due to the engine, transmission, and aerodynamic efficiency improvements, fuel consumption is slashed by a claimed 13 percent, allowing a smaller and lighter fuel tank (22.7 gallons down from the F430's 25.1) while preserving the same range. Not to be outdone, the chassis engineers have seen fit to redesign the suspension front and rear, stiffening the lower control arms up front and employing a new four-link rear suspension, including a very robust lower control arm with a toe-control link and an upper-camber link. Fitting Delphi MagneRide infinitely adjustable shocks has allowed spring rates to rise and anti-roll bars to shrink (with the shocks now shouldering more of the dynamic roll-control responsibility), all of which dramatically improves the car's dynamic roll control without the ride penalties that big anti-roll bars inflict. The vehicle dynamics programming builds on the Scuderia's F1-Trac/ESP 8.0 system by integrating control of the new E-Diff3 during acceleration and the next-gen ABS during braking with the new standard carbon-ceramic brakes. The system also has some authority over the adjustable shocks. The Manettino settings look like the Scud's (low-grip, sport, race, traction-off, stability-off), but the low-grip setting is now calibrated to sense ice or snow as distinct from wet pavement and alters its programming accordingly. So how does it work? It bends the mind and makes one question the superlatives one has so blithely applied to what now seem like much lesser vehicles. It makes the F430 seem like the model one graduates from when one's means at last permit purchase of the 458 Italia. The performance seems on par with the track-optimized 430 Scuderia, but the car is far more civilized, slightly quieter, and considerably more comfortable than the Scuderia. Indeed Ferrari officials claim the 458 ties the Scuderia in the hallowed metric of Fiorano lap times, at 1:25 -- coincidentally the same as the Enzo. That's the kind of coincidence that makes one instantly wonder whether an edict has been handed down on a stone tablet declaring that no vehicle shall undercut the hallowed Enzo until its better-performing replacement is released, but the technicians shrug off such conspiracy theories pointing out that the Enzo had an incredibly low weight-to-power ratio of 5.0 pounds per horsepower, but comparatively crude vehicle dynamic control systems, tires, suspension, etc. The Scuderia was completely track optimized and wore competition-spec Pirelli PZero Corsa tires. The 458 leverages its copious power and electrickery to achieve the same time on normal Michelin Pilot Sports. (Might the inevitable Scuderia or Challenge Stradale 458 variant finally be allowed to out-lap the mighty Enzo?) On the vaunted Fiorano circuit, the car amazes with its ability to instill confidence. The giant 15.7-inch front, 14.2-inch rear CCM brakes seem always to possess a bit more stopping power than you really need, and the stability control safety nets keep you out of trouble in such an unobtrusive fashion as to make you think you learned something from Dario Benuzzi's demonstration lap. (You didn't.) Switch off the traction control, and the stability control allows 20 or 30 degrees of drift before stepping in. Turn the stability control off and you can easily loop it, but the fear of crashing results in less aggressive throttle inputs and, for me at least, a lower lap time. Out on the twisting Apennine byways, even in full Race mode with stability engaged, the car tracks remarkably true to the driver's intended path, but the electrons are incredibly busy. If the go-pedal's down, the stability light is flashing, though there's no apparent brake intervention or power trimming (often the intervention is handled in the E-Diff3 or some other system). Leave it in automatic mode, and its gear selection is nearly faultless, though we often thought 1st gear would have been more appropriate for the tightest hairpins, which it generally chose 2nd for. Nevertheless, the relentless zepto-quick upshifting under wide-open throttle, and the frenetic rev-matched downshifting while braking hard for the next corner stimulate an endorphin rush the likes of which few cars can summon. 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia Base Price $213,500 (est) Vehicle layout Mid-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door, coupe Engine 4.5L/562-hp/398-lb-ft DOHC 32-valve V-8 Transmission 7-speed twin-clutch auto Curb weight 3300 lb (mfr) Wheelbase 104.3 in Length x width x height 178.2 x 76.3 x 47.8 in 0-62 mph 3.4 sec (mfr est) Fuel econ (Euro comb) 18 mpg (est) On sale in the U.S. June 2010 __________________ ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ 2014 GROM! 181cc of FURY 2010 Aprilia Tuono Factory - SOLD 2009 SFV Gladius - SOLD 2008 Hayabusa - SOLD.

11-05-2009, 08:33 AM	#3
Dave Chaotic Neutral Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Cherry Hill NJ Moto: GV1200 Madura, Hawk gt Posts: 13,992	bro, this is an 430 replacement the 360 has been gone for some time now. Loving this new model. especially the F40 style triple exhaust __________________ TWF Post whore #6

11-05-2009, 08:42 AM	#4
RACER X AMA Supersport Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Richmond, Tx Moto: '10 Tuono Factory Posts: 4,569	k, my bad lol __________________ ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ 2014 GROM! 181cc of FURY 2010 Aprilia Tuono Factory - SOLD 2009 SFV Gladius - SOLD 2008 Hayabusa - SOLD.

11-05-2009, 10:08 AM	#5
Adeptus_Minor Hopster Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Austin, TX Moto: 2009 Buell 1125R Posts: 4,743	Wow.. Dave actually likes it. Yeah, it's sexy as hell. __________________ “Well, obviously before; after was all gendarmes and dick stitches.”

11-05-2009, 08:29 AM	#2
Rider Moto GP Star Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 12,156	Pure sex!

11-05-2009, 10:22 AM	#6
Speedracer42 Kneedragger Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: PDX Posts: 170	Its an awesome car. But styling wise I still prefer the 430 exterior. Esp when coupled with the Novitec Rosso treatment.

11-05-2009, 10:26 AM	#7
z06boy Letzroll Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Lake Norman area, NC Moto: 07 Red R1 & 07 Blue R6 Posts: 5,265	Man I wish I was rich...that's sexy.