Ferrari 360 manual or F1 gearbox?

[DrG.]

Are there any issues regarding the F1 gearbox in the 360 Modena?
Should I go for the manual version?

[Mobilier]

The ladies-

[Michael]

There exists a host of reasons I'd steer you towards the F1 transmission .. but ultimately, you'd have to decide whats most desireable to you. I know that on the resale market, the F1 tends to be more desireable, a bit easier in drive-ability, but for the 'true' Ferrari feel, you might opt for the manual transmission. My advice .. test drive both .. than decide.

[ferrarilou]

I love my F1, but there are a few things to keep in mind:

The transmission control units have been upgraded multiple times to improve adjustability. The 1999 and '00 cars, I'm told by the dealer service shop, had very little adjustability so the shifting was the jerkiest. The first TCU upgrade came in MY2001. My experience has been that the PIS (Point of Initial Slippage) setting for the clutch needs to be adjusted annually and must be done by the dealer or other shop that has the Ferrari diagnostic computer.

Early cars also had sticking throwout bearings and a service campaign on the ring gear. If the car has had at least one clutch change then these were likely addressed. A dealer can look up the history of your car and check it for you.

From chatting with other owners F1 clutches seem to have a life of about 20,000 miles. I've had two clutches; first at 14,000 miles when I bought the car, second just recently at 35,000 miles. Some people claim to have much more, but I live up a steep hill with a k-turn at the top, plus I track the car a half-dozen times a year. For my recent clutch change I've had the disc relined in kevlar, so I'm hoping for a longer clutch life. There was some concern about smoothness of the clutch, but so far it feels very good.

The F1 pumps also seem to have a short life, partly blamed on a weak relay and partly on the pump itself. Ferrari now installs the upgraded pump from the Challenge Stradale. I know some owners that claim to change out the relay annually as a preventative measure, as that is a trivial task.


Lou

[Michael]

And as a side note, if you elect to run the F1 transmission in 'automatic' mode, you can count on a clutch life much shorter than anticipated. 'Bout 10,000 tops !