488 [Official] Ferrari 488 Pista

[mihc]

Stunning duo, 488 Pista and GT3 RS. Looking sinister in black!

 

[Soup]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[chonkoa]

^ That was a resounding victory for the Ferrari, but I have to say the McLaren is a better value (ahem) proposition.

 

[hovabongZA]

Wouldn't the 720s and GT2 RS been better for this test . this test was pretty obvious. great performance from the baby Mc .

 

[mihc]

Can I just say that this dude isn't the best driver? As much as I love Pista, they compared it with lesser models from competition. And again Ferrari with super incredible factory support, million tyres, etc. And Porsche? On worn tyres! Plus WTF was with that early shifting on the GT3 RS!? The car is naturally aspirated, the point of GT3 is that you are revving it hard. And the laptime 1:14,7!? Evo magazine did on the same layout 1:13,6 with 991.1 GT3 RS, and 1:13,4 with standard 991.2 GT3! And also 600LT laptime was very unimpressive. Fair comparison would be Pista vs GT2 RS vs 720S, with better driver and with the same fair factory support for all three cars!

 

[TopspeedPT]

It should be vs GT2RS and "720LT"

 

[Porsche Guy]

Can I just say that this dude isn't the best driver? As much as I love Pista, they compared it with lesser models from competition. And again Ferrari with super incredible factory support, million tyres, etc. And Porsche? On worn tyres! Plus WTF was with that early shifting on the GT3 RS!? The car is naturally aspirated, the point of GT3 is that you are r...

I get what you're saying but no car is really a direct competitor to another. There is no performance rulebook that they all have to follow. Road cars are not race cars.

 

[bmwz4coupe]

And the Quattroruote test, when is it released?

 

[Mafalda]

usually in spring...
my bet is late april on paper

 

[Yaz]

Why even try this?

 

[A.P.]

Because they envy Lamborghini?

 

[Deleted member 25]

Because some people are just dumbf#cks, but i have to say that green orange matte combo is surprsingly good looking on it.

 

[kingjr9000]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Comment from the driver:

Right before I got in the car, I was asked to give a ride for this charity event. I wasn’t going to go full tilt with my passenger, went slower in the esses and carousel. The Pista is a rocket, this car might be quicker than a 720s. If you aren’t ahead of the laser shifts, you’ll just ping the rev limiter. If you hit the rev limiter, it’s typically around a .4 of a second loss. Back when I drove the 488GTBs, my only comment was on how soft the suspension was. Guess what, the Pista is VERY soft, unfortunately soft, scratching my head why it’s so soft. If it had a stiffer spring rate, it would be more ideal for certain sections at COTA. I did a 2:23 during one of those laps but the key fell out of my pocket and it took me a bit to figure out where the noise was coming from. Killed my lap...I’ll be needing another go in this car . Also, the seats are not ideal for the track, not sure if this car wasn’t equipped with track focused seats and the car went into limp mode on me. But wow was it fast! Look at those shifts! I’m in manual mode...

 

[kingjr9000]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[mihc]

 

[kingjr9000]

This came from the owner of the grey Pista Nurburgring video on Fchat:

My first impressions of the Pista were that it was the most beautiful car that I own and that still stands.. I use my cars primarily on the Nürburgring so looks are nice but the driving characteristic is the most important.

I will just say that if you have one coming and you're going to use it on track chances are good that you're going to love it. The car is brutally fast in a straight line and the traction that the car has is one of the best I have driven. You need to turn dsc off to get out of the apex to full potential but once you do that the thing is a rocket. You can see in the video below how it picks up speed. It is quicker from turn to turn than the 720s is and it picks up speeds above 230kmh much much faster. The midrange power and torque pins you in your seat each time you get on the gas and or switch gears.

The transmission (programming) in the 488 was a big reason I sold mine, I really disliked it... the Pista is different, the pause where your head slams forward during the paust between gear changes has been eliminated and it feels as if its been replaced with the slipping of the clutches when engaging the next gear. The result is an immediate change that magnifies the torque of the engine when upshifting. It is a wonderful thing rowing through the gears of the Pista.

Often such as in the video below, we are not giving 100% to performance and are out enjoying the car. In this case the characteristics of the drivetrain are perfect. Push the car to 80-90% and it excites you to no end. Did I mention the grip? The car simple rockets forward and that is so cool.

For the bad.. This is where some may not love it... I still am not that fond of the seating position vs what McLaren are doing, for taller people you will not get a helmet on in this car. Another note is that the DSC is a bit intrusive if you run with it in Race Mode. This issue is mainly while the steering wheel is not straight and you want to apply power. This forces you to turn things off right away. Finally the suspension is a bit soft, the car comes from the factory with quite a bit of ride height, especially in the front and you should not drop it down much as there is a lot of roll and the car squats down heavily in compressions. There are about 4 places on the Nordschleife where I scrape the lip during compressions. When driving the body roll does not kill you that much however you can get into a bit of understeer and I think a little stiffer roll control would help this considerably. The 600LT for example with 225-19 tires on the front has a bit more responsive front end and similar aero.. but a much stiffer suspension and roll control.

In all the car is very fast, very capable and is a step up vs the speciale hands down in terms of performance. What I can say about the speciale is that it was more playful, loose and a nicer soundtrack. The motor in the Pista is a weapon and to be honest I would take it over the 9k RPM NA motor.. it is that good of an engine.

The aero on the Pista feels more impressive than the 720s which is saying a lot. The cool thing is that even though we are dealing with nice levels of down force, it still has very strong top end acceleration numbers. The Aero on the Speciale was nearly non existent by comparison and the acceleration, while being quick was nothing to really comment about.

That is a quick overview and I promise to get more into it when I have some time. Until then here is a little video cruising on the Nürburgring. The car has so much potential, I really am taking it easy in this video due to the amount of traffic and cars holding me up. Its alway important to exercise patience on days like that!!

 

[Porsche Guy]

I am a little suspect of anyone who talks about feeling downforce on a road car.

 

[WBarnes]

Indeed, it's too subtle to be felt. Unless it's a Viper ACR myabe.

 

[kingjr9000]

I am a little suspect of anyone who talks about feeling downforce on a road car.

There was one guy over at Rennteam who owns the f1gtr with "CES4R" plate, and said that he could fell the downforce of his Laf. So I guess if it's high enough, it probably could be felt as stability or extra weight.

edit--Found it:

Finally I took delivery. Just epic. What a car! By far the fastest and most intense to drive. So much fun too, it just gives you more and more confidence as you push. It's a bit big on some mountain passes but it's alive! The hybrid tech is awesome, the E engine torque fills at low revs and helps at high revs for max power.

We pickup the car up at the factory. So far Ferrarri has delivered approx 50 cars. The guys were super nice, I called them to tell them we'd be 8 mates! No problem they said. Private factory visit then invitation for lunch at Montana and then the delivery. The coolest delivery ever. Champagne canapés blah blah blah. Then Fabrizio chief test developer took me for a spin. Easy drive out of Maranello and then floored it! That will answer the question about the brake in procedure then. Sport, Race, TC OFF, kick the back out, the TC calibration is the work of genius. Then back to the factory, pictures, keys and ciao ciao! Off we went, four car, 355, 458 Speciale, F12 and Laf.

2000km, numerous mountain passes, started full blast with col de Turini, a rally de Monte Carlo special, it's a bit difficult to judge far right side because you sit so low and the wheel arch is quite big but it's ok. In Sport the TC castrates the power too much, in Race too, better response and gear changes but still no slide. TC off is the way to go, soon the learn to lean on the car, it talks to you, it's approachable and yet the V12 is savage, so violent, traction is ridiculous, coming out of hairpins floor it in 1st gear, nice oversteer, 2nd gear and you're already too fast for mountain roads. The Speciale was better suited, obviously. More passes, non stop, gorgeous weather, the stuff of dreams, Vars pass, Izoard pass, drove all the way up to 2200 meters.

The brake pedal is a bit weird, it's quite hard, because of the regen of the E engine but you get used to it.

There is an E mode called Start & stop EVO, it's not like the 918 or P1, you can't drive it in E mode but you can crall in E mode. Ferrari says it's to leave your house in E mode and silently (the car is mega loud when it starts). So you can crawl in E mode but as soon as you accelerate the V12 starts.

Noise: Freaking awesome. Extremely loud. Just so so angry. It doesn't sound as sweet as the LFA or Carrera GT but it's so much louder, it's epic. Then there are the other noise, the HY Kers makes the weirdest noises, when you brake it sounds like a Star Wars spaceship landing, then when you accelerate gently, you hear all sort of weird noises coming from the back, very mechanical and unusual.

Performance: Biblical. We clocked 0 to 200 in jus above 7 s, starting from a tool booth without launch control. Race mode and floor it. This is the first road car I drive where you can feel the downforce, on the motorway from Genova to Nice, you have fast bends, the faster you go, the more planted the car feels. It's freakish. Not GT2 levels of course but half way there, it's amazing. And at the same time, suspensions in bumpy road mode of course, so it's comfortable.

Comfort: Perfect, in bumpy road mode it's just perfect. Makes the LFA hard! Inside it's super snug. No room at all. The driving position is perfect. I'm 6ft and I have to push the pedals all the way back but the steering wheel adjust very close. It's the closest in driving position I've been to a GT2 car. The view too. It's ultra low. The view out is perfect. The huge mirrors let you see back very well too.

The instrument cluster is amazing. Full digital. You can personalise everything. You can switch between classic display and race display. There are two cameras for the telemetry, one filming ahead and one filming the driver and can view data and video after a track day like in a race car. Can't wait to try it.

Drawbacks: Details but the boot is ridiculous. So unless you have a support car you can't take stuff with you which is a shame. The GPS is standard Ferrari which means it's shit. The Hifi is also pretty crap but at least there is one. The paddles are fixed, same as other ferraris and that sucks, race car paddles move with the steering wheel and it's easier to shift in fast bends. Frankly that's it.

This car is a triumph. It's mega mega fast and yet it's so easy to drive. Best road car ever made for me. Period.

 

[Porsche Guy]

There was one guy over at Rennteam who owns the f1gtr with "CES4R" plate, and said that he could fell the downforce of his Laf. So I guess if it's high enough, it probably could be felt as stability or extra weight.

On most road cars it's minimal. Lamborghini's Huracan Evo has 6 times the downforce of the base Huracan. What does that say about the base's level of downforce? Same goes for the Pista.