Interesting... care to explain why?

 

Thank you sir

 

Yeah the stock fuel system isn't that great for big power. There is an upgraded fuel system you can install and it will be significant. However with extra fuel and power you may have to upgrade the pdk clutch pack too..

 

Yeah, I'm at 546awhp right now with a Europipe and a Cobb custom tune. I need better intercoolers, new plenum, Y-Pipe, and more boost. Still I'd prolly max out around 600ish awhp. I had no idea there was an upgraded PDK clutch pack either. I'm told you can't even tune these transmissions. Still very green on the Porsche platform, as I said coming out of an American sports car...

 

you can probably max out around 650 awhp actually on the stock fuel system. Either way a Dodson clutch pack upgrade will run you 11k+ likely or more after that.

run water methanol next and retune for race fuel. Get a good tune and dial it in. Also yes there's somebody out there tuning PDKs.

Ultimately Motor Werks. Look them up.

 

Sound advice: Rent the 458 and drive the 911 everyday

 

man , my neighbor has a new aventador (2015) i think . it sounds amazing. i would love the 458 , but i think the GT3 sounds amazing too . for me it would be between the 458 and a new GT3 .

 

Sold my 458 and just bought a pristine 997.1 TT Cab. After owning several F-cars I've concluded that Ferrari ownership is like owning a boat, great experience if it is running and you are using it, more trouble than it it worth if you are not using it or if there are problems. Here are my thoughts, ymmv:
458 Pros: Absolutely stunning from every angle inside and out, probably the best car I have ever driven from a driving feel and response standpoint, phenomenal engine/sound/transmission. Overall an amazing car that is a pleasure to drive and enjoy.
458 Cons: Terrible dealer support in my area (there are tons of electronics on these incredibly complex vehicles), lots of attention when not wanted (never really comfortable leaving parked), and mileage stigma associated with Ferrari's. The previous points resulted in a point A to point A experience. All these points are even more frustrating given how good a car and fun to drive the 458 really is. You will note that these are all very personal matters and really have nothing to do with the car.

I went back to the 997 because my first 997 C2S was a phenomenal trouble free car that just needed more power, excellent dealer and indy support, point A to B fun, no worries with stacking on the miles, drive and feel that is 90% of the 458 experience (bonus points for the 6 speed experience) and room to cruise with both kiddos (twins). I have put more miles on the latest 997 in 1 month than I did in a year with the 458.

In conclusion, the 458 is a phenomenal car, just be sure to avoid viewing it through the same lens as the 997 from a practicality perspective. If you can do it comfortably and have good support in your area, go for the 458, just don't discount the 911 practicality and enjoyment resulting in being able to drive it more often.

I would be glad to answer any questions that you may have. Good luck, we are fortunate to have so many great choices.

 

Thank you so much for the excellent review of your 458! You've answered many of my questions regarding a comparison between the two cars. I do have a question with regard to maintenance on a 458... does it really cost crazy money to do an oil change? It's roughly $300 on our Porsche's, and I've heard it can cost as much as $3k to do an oil change on the 458! To me, that's a huge factor because it's silly money to spend on a car I can't drive based on plummeting car values as miles rack up. Then have to pay more crazy money to change year old oil with virtually no miles on it.

 

GT3 seems to be "the" car around here. I like the Hurcans too. Sound wicked!

 

So you're looking for:

- more raw experience
- more sound
- more power potential
- reasonable maintenance costs

Sounds like the right call is the 997.1 turbo

But just to be fair and to expose the "grass is greener" concept... keep in mind with 550-600 AWHP on the TTS, it'll still dust most cars with much higher HP. Unless you just want the big HP #, a 550-600 AWHP will be faster than most higher HP cars. Watch longboarder's vids as a reference..I think he's making under 600 AWHP.

With that said though, I'd take a 458 all day if I could afford one. But my reasons may be different..I love the looks and the throttle response of a high revving, NA V8.

 

I totally understand your last statement.. I came from a 1k hp C7 Corvette. To say it was fast was an understatement!!! It was stupid fast, to the point of blowing the tires off it at over 100mph roll on drag radials. The sound of that car was music. It's what I truly miss about the car, nothing else. I love love love my TTS buuuuut it's just docile. The 458 is rolling art to me as I've said in an earlier post. And yeah the exhaust note is what calls me to that car along with the sexy body lines of it. Thanks for your post, it made me think about what I really want.

 

Sound is certainly underrated.. I had an E92 M3 prior to the 997.1 turbo. I do miss the sound of the 8,300 RPM V8 screaming...especially when I first got into the 997.1 turbo when it had stock exhaust.
A GMG exhaust instantly fixed all that though - went from sounding like a sewing machine to a GT3-like snarl. Although I'm not into having 1,000 HP, the options are there with a .1 turbo.
..but neither of us would care about that with a 458

 

sure...TTS is my car and despite the fact you aren't really having to deal with the lag on the track, it's still there, and it doesn't sound as pretty.

The rest deserves an explanation because it's not a dig at the F-car. The GT3 sounds great, the F-car sounds better. The GT3 feels more solid/substantial/durable, maybe just mind over matter. For reasons mentioned in other responses, I just wouldn't feel comfortable driving the F-car around. Costs for upkeep, the attention it grabs...just not for me.

 

Annual fluid service through an Indy ran about $700 including brake fluid. Costs associated with 458 roughly ran as follows (ranked highest to lowest):
1. Depreciation (you can avoid this by never selling or waiting to buy until to curve flattens out in a few years, I know myself and can't keep a car more than a few years)
2. Capital opportunity cost (figure at you own expected return rate)
3. Maintenance (average $1,500 annually with the variable being tire wear).
4. Insurance
Set aside a mental $8-$10k fund if something non-trivial breaks. The probability of this increases as item #1 decreases. I never experienced a big failure with the 458 and would not expect this to be an area of high probability.

In short, depreciation and capital opportunity are your real costs for the 458, maintenace and insurance are minor in comparison. A 15% hit on a $225k car is a lot more painful than 15% on a $70k car. Again, these are very personal viewpoints, apply as you see fit.