JayEmm on Cars does 4200 Manual
- Thread starter FIFTY
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Interesting- if you like that sort of thing !
Points I d like to counter...
I just fitted the second cat delete section to mine. ( x-pipe, 2nd cat delete and Jaren modded BBs) Not sure it sounds as warm and characterful as this one tbh...
Thnx 4 posting.
Points I d like to counter...
- Yes- Skyhook is sh1te! He used the phrase, "a touch worrying". He must have bigger gonads than me as it used to scare to fook out of me on bumpy B-roads, which is what he is driving on here...
- Brakes aren't billiant- they wont yield with decreasing pressure but rather lead you down the garden path until they all of a sudden, let go. This makes trail braking a challenge..
- Braking/steering...From experience, the calipers , rotors and pads all need to be in good condition to have them make sense if using them even firmly; as it relates to tracking and steering; tyres and/or pressures therein; this plays a disproportionately large part in how the car steers & tracks especially under firmer braking...
- Steering - cheap steering rack. I like the weight of it but its a little too "keen" perhaps. Skyhook is still useless & it doesnt go unnoticed with the whole steering thing. Nuff said!
- Gearbox- I agree- familiarity will make a huge difference here but sadly, I will always concede that the manual configuration is probably the achilles heel of this car. (Caveat- I will never be persuaded by a single clutch flappy paddle gear change- sorry ! Move on - nothing to see here...)
- MSP is incredibly intrusive. Never use it myself...But my car, whilst steering is still a little quick for anything but the concerted attention of the driver, the overall balance and feedback from the chassis is greatly improved by ARB upgrades & decent coilovers, good tyres and accurately set pressures, and brakes, as underwhelming as they are, in tip-top nick....It still needs respectful driving on trashed B-roads IME...18" wheels are a given.
I just fitted the second cat delete section to mine. ( x-pipe, 2nd cat delete and Jaren modded BBs) Not sure it sounds as warm and characterful as this one tbh...
Thnx 4 posting.
Last edited:
Andyk
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Well that settles that the 4200 is better than the 3200
Yep, that's settle it Phil....Glad we put that one to bed.
philw696
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I genuinely like both and having driven a few as well as working on many the 4200 is easier to maintain and gives less headaches.
Who's side are you on...?@TimR are the next items on your shopping list a big brake kit and the MC Victory steering rack?
I think a tanker load of premium fuel and drive it 'til it drops TBH !
Andyk
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After owning a 3200 Phil and driving lots of 4200's on the road and track would never have a 3200 over a 4200. For me the later car with that Ferrari engine was more reliable and far more drivable.
mjheathcote
Centenary Club
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MSP wasn't fitted to the early classico, just traction control.Interesting- if you like that sort of thing !
Points I d like to counter...
Hey- he's a big guy. Of course it feels small but that means you can take it places other beers dont reach !
- Yes- Skyhook is sh1te! He used the phrase, "a touch worrying". He must have bigger gonads than me as it used to scare to fook out of me on bumpy B-roads, which is what he is driving on here...
- Brakes aren't billiant- they wont yield with decreasing pressure but rather lead you down the garden path until they all of a sudden, let go. This makes trail braking a challenge..
- Braking/steering...From experience, the calipers , rotors and pads all need to be in good condition to have them make sense if using them even firmly; as it relates to tracking and steering; tyres and/or pressures therein; this plays a disproportionately large part in how the car steers & tracks especially under firmer braking...
- Steering - cheap steering rack. I like the weight of it but its a little too "keen" perhaps. Skyhook is still useless & it doesnt go unnoticed with the whole steering thing. Nuff said!
- Gearbox- I agree- familiarity will make a huge difference here but sadly, I will always concede that the manual configuration is probably the achilles heel of this car. (Caveat- I will never be persuaded by a single clutch flappy paddle gear change- sorry ! Move on - nothing to see here...)
- MSP is incredibly intrusive. Never use it myself...But my car, whilst steering is still a little quick for anything but the concerted attention of the driver, the overall balance and feedback from the chassis is greatly improved by ARB upgrades & decent coilovers, good tyres and accurately set pressures, and brakes, as underwhelming as they are, in tip-top nick....It still needs respectful driving on trashed B-roads IME...18" wheels are a given.
I just fitted the second cat delete section to mine. ( x-pipe, 2nd cat delete and Jaren modded BBs) Not sure it sounds as warm and characterful as this one tbh...
Thnx 4 posting.
Interestingly a lot of the bits fitted to the 4200 where also fitted to his 550!
How does it differ...?
mjheathcote
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Brakes and rear gearbox transaxle.
Nayf
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It absolutely does. It’s as transformative as an M3 CS/CSL purple tag rack over a standard E46 M3, if that’s a useful barometer. Quaife can create bespoke racks, I believe...
Nayf
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Let me clarify that a little. Subjectively I love the standard GranSport.
Objectively, there are a few problems that arise from its somewhat difficult birth. I covered it in the MC article but because MC no longer exists the website has been taken down. Frank Stephenson revealed in an interview for Evo/Car that the GranSport was originally supposed to be a much more hardcore car along the lines of the 360 Challenge Stradale. However, pretty late in development Ferrari decided to stick their oar in - it was deemed too sporty.
Reading between the lines, and with anecdotal reports from those who shall remain nameless, the GranSport was simply too good. After all the packaging is excellent and the performance good for the time; Ferrari were worried that it might eat into sales of its cars, so demanded it be tuned down and made more of a GT.
This is why the GranSport’s steering is so drastically out of step with its suspension. The steering is sharp, but lacking much in the way of feel. Harry Metcalfe uses the term glassy to describe later Maseratis (GT/QPV.2) and while not quite as remote as those two, the GS doesn’t have the finger tip precision you’d expect from a suspension setup that errs so much towards sportiness. Compare the ride to that of a Carrera S 997 or a Vantage V8 of a similar era. The GranSport is a similar mini-GT to those two, but the ride is about as uncompromising as my 147 GTA on aftermarket oik coil overs. If the GS was an out and out sports GT, then the suspension would make sense.
I truly believe the MC V is close to what the GS was originally intended to be. I’ve heard it was to be a 2 seater (like the eventual MC Stradale), I’ve heard it was always a four-seater. I’ve heard that the steering racks in the MC V were originally built for the GS and were simply using what was on the shelf that had been left when the plan for the original GS steering had changed. I’ve also heard that it was developed exclusively for the MC V.
Ferrari could see the threat from Maserati - not for the first time (Chubasco/Ghibli Open Cup etc) nor for the last (California/Roma), but the MC V is a fascinating car. It feels quicker than a standard GS - not by much, maybe a revised intake, ECU, pistons, gearbox settings, but that could be down to the way that the driving experience is changed (seating position, mainly). It’s interesting to note on online parts catalogues that many items are bespoke to the MC V. We’ll never really know for sure unless someone rolling roads a GS vs an MC V, and even then that’s down to an individual car.
The key thing is that rack. The steering is even sharper, in fact if you drive it like a standard GS you’ll be shocked. But critically, there’s a connectedness that’s absent from the standard GS, which only encourages you to drive it harder and harder. It feels like a Ferrari. As connected as a 550 I’d say.
Objectively, there are a few problems that arise from its somewhat difficult birth. I covered it in the MC article but because MC no longer exists the website has been taken down. Frank Stephenson revealed in an interview for Evo/Car that the GranSport was originally supposed to be a much more hardcore car along the lines of the 360 Challenge Stradale. However, pretty late in development Ferrari decided to stick their oar in - it was deemed too sporty.
Reading between the lines, and with anecdotal reports from those who shall remain nameless, the GranSport was simply too good. After all the packaging is excellent and the performance good for the time; Ferrari were worried that it might eat into sales of its cars, so demanded it be tuned down and made more of a GT.
This is why the GranSport’s steering is so drastically out of step with its suspension. The steering is sharp, but lacking much in the way of feel. Harry Metcalfe uses the term glassy to describe later Maseratis (GT/QPV.2) and while not quite as remote as those two, the GS doesn’t have the finger tip precision you’d expect from a suspension setup that errs so much towards sportiness. Compare the ride to that of a Carrera S 997 or a Vantage V8 of a similar era. The GranSport is a similar mini-GT to those two, but the ride is about as uncompromising as my 147 GTA on aftermarket oik coil overs. If the GS was an out and out sports GT, then the suspension would make sense.
I truly believe the MC V is close to what the GS was originally intended to be. I’ve heard it was to be a 2 seater (like the eventual MC Stradale), I’ve heard it was always a four-seater. I’ve heard that the steering racks in the MC V were originally built for the GS and were simply using what was on the shelf that had been left when the plan for the original GS steering had changed. I’ve also heard that it was developed exclusively for the MC V.
Ferrari could see the threat from Maserati - not for the first time (Chubasco/Ghibli Open Cup etc) nor for the last (California/Roma), but the MC V is a fascinating car. It feels quicker than a standard GS - not by much, maybe a revised intake, ECU, pistons, gearbox settings, but that could be down to the way that the driving experience is changed (seating position, mainly). It’s interesting to note on online parts catalogues that many items are bespoke to the MC V. We’ll never really know for sure unless someone rolling roads a GS vs an MC V, and even then that’s down to an individual car.
The key thing is that rack. The steering is even sharper, in fact if you drive it like a standard GS you’ll be shocked. But critically, there’s a connectedness that’s absent from the standard GS, which only encourages you to drive it harder and harder. It feels like a Ferrari. As connected as a 550 I’d say.
