[6th element]

Okay, bad title; it's late, I couldn't think of anything else.

Remember when version 2.0 of the Ferrari 458 press car kept beating the original 458 press car's lap times at all the magazine test tracks? Usually by about a second or so, making it ever so conveniently as fast or even a tenth faster than the 12C. And remember when anybody questioned it, the upgrade to Michelin Pilot Super Sports was rammed down our throats? Over and over... "Michelin claims the Super Sports are 1 - 1.5s per lap faster than the Pilot Sport PS2, so that is why the new press car is faster than any of the previous tests that ran with PS2 tires!". Or, "you have to subtract another gazillion seconds from Sport Auto's Ring time for the 458, because they tested it on PS2 tires, not the faster Super Sports!".

Man, if I had a dollar for every time the Super Sports factor was touted around the Internet, I'd probably be bidding on that F1 GTR going up for auction.

Well, here's the rub(ber). Any Michelin-equipped 458 had Michelin Pilot Super Sports the whole time. See attached clip from Car & Driver mag tire test summary. [this is the sound of hearts breaking around the world wide web]

"But wait! The 1+ second laptime improvements could be explained by the finer tuning of the F1-Trac and suspension, even without better tires or any addiitonal horsepower!!" Of course it could... And somewhere a pig just got takeoff clearance from ATC.

That's why I love Ferrari! They won't even tell customers the truth when it comes to what tires are on their car! [send the hate mail to Car & Driver please, I'm just relaying the news as I read it]

p.s. the tire that finished 9th and dead last in the C&D test? Pirelli P Zero.

 

[depthofshine]

Interesting but why Ferrari using Michelin if I was the head Pirelli now I would end that relationship, in the tyre test there obviously no Goodyear eagle asymmetric 2 which is prob the best all round high performance tyre for all changing weather conditions. These test are pointless unless you do maybe 100 laps on each tyre to take a average or take reading on a dino for grip levels at different temps for deteriation of the rubber etc.

 

[ergoproxy]

Best title ever! Not lost on we fans of cinema.

I don't remember any of those lap times, but im glad someone was watching. Not so long ago, dodge sent a tech team to nurse and tweak the viper's suspension during a high-end comparo. No one shrieked. Imagine if Ferrari had done that!

I can't imagine the (finally sorted) 12C losing any performance comparisons. The math's dont add up; it would take a big difference in driver, rubber, and software.
Question is, will it be as fun as that curvy, tempermental coquette in a clingy designer dress--the 458? I'm betting yes.

 

[6th element]

Oh I can not resist, I have to post this one.
The PS2 tires have different customer specs (N, M, BMW, etc)
The Michelin PS2 customized for the 458 are marked K1 and they included some features that have been founded in the PSS (ex. use of Polyamide instead of steel as cord reinforcement).
In the PS2 K1, the pattern, the carcass and the compound used are those from the standard PS2.
Everyone, having a 458 with PS2, can verify the pattern (LOL).
What C&D wrote is, clearly, inaccurate.
Just thinking about that but :
If it’s clear all over the world that Ferrari is cheating with press cars why loosing time to find same more evidence ?
A tire’s shop owner with no relationship with Ferrari chat ….(LOL again)

Point being it was not a standard PS2, so why pawn it off as such? It's all moot since a Ferrari press car tire is likely not available to any customer, now is it? Or are you going to claim to be more in the know than Chris Harris, too? Forgive me if I side with Car and Driver over somebody by the name Guest on a public forum.

 

[ergoproxy]

Car and Driver scared of angering Ferrari. Chris Harris, not so much, he was insulted enough to grow a pair.

 

[6th element]

Car and Driver scared of angering Ferrari. Chris Harris, not so much, he was insulted enough to grow a pair.

Don't waste your breath, ergo. I just reviewed his previous posts from wtdoom's Acceleration Figures thread. He's hardly the impartial user he's pretending to be. Don't bother feeding him.

 

[qvpower]

its known that many italian companies in the past prepare special cars... I think we all know that Ferrari preps their cars, so it wouldnt surprise me if they tried to make their cars look good... Because thats all it is... prep the car up so it performs really well and makes the people on the long waiting list justify to themselves. It is the ultimate in automotive marketing... But honestly, if really Mclaren followed Ferrari's route , power for the 12c is readily tweakable to make much more power than the 458 ever will and it wouldnt matter on how fast the 458 becomes... Because the bottom line is that the ferrari v8 is NA and there is a finite amount of things that can increase up the performance vs a force induction mclaren engine... And if by some miracle, the 458 becomes faster than the mac, we will all know that whatever power they will being claiming would be total hogwash given its greater weight and power deficit...

 

[gallardo62]

as i have said last time, i let drove my mp4 to an ex michelin test driver. My friend reported me that ok the p0 std are not as quick as the PSS, but he is not sure those PSS would have been better than corsas. PSS are sold out, he found me a pair of tyres for the front. Just waiting for the rear now...

 

[TougeSpirit]

Come on, get Michelin to make some Cups for MP4-12C sizes

 

[6th element]

sigh. maybe I should check my friend's 1:12 scale model

 

[997]

sigh. maybe I should check my friend's 1:12 scale model

6E, Don't feed the troll.