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center of mass on the gearbox, and we have been able to get it. It was also made stronger because of the increased torque of the engine.’


LOOKS FAMILIAR


The F458 looks similar in some ways to the F430 but, barring the cabin’s interior, the majority of the chassis, major systems


and placement of the ancillaries have been re-worked. It would be a stretch to call the mid-engined two seater a completely new design, but the majority of the underpinnings and the body panels are different enough to stand out in a direct comparison. ‘About the chassis, we wanted


to improve the suspension design with the same philosophy. Now


there is a race suspension on the car with fabricated uprights and control arms, we no longer use the production control arms of the road car. For the rest of the car, we did not so much try to change the major concepts, only to put the weight as far at the bottom and to make the car very light.’ Beyond the change in


The whole suspension and chassis has been re-engineered, and attention has been paid to keeping weight as low as possible in the chassis


construction methods, the F458’s multi-link suspension underwent possibly the most radical re-design of any aspect on the car, with revised geometry and optimised c of g and polar moment of inertia. The move to wider 12.5 x 18in front wheels, adopted by most contenders in the category, also helped alter the F458’s balance, while the rear wheels are slightly wider too, at 13 x 18in. Both Michelin and Dunlop offer tyre options for the car and, while tyre sizes vary slightly between the French and British rubber up front, with Michelin’s 300/650-18 units offering a shorter sidewall than Dunlop’s 300/660-18 provide, both make a 310/710-18 for the rear. Controlling the wider fronts is aided by the F458’s electro-hydraulic power steering system. Brembo brakes are used, with six- piston calipers and 380 x 35mm steel front discs, with four-piston, 332 x 32mm units at the rear leading to very different handling characteristics for the new car compared to its predecessor.


AERO CHANGES Aerodynamically, the F458 is considerably different to the


F430. The latter manifested a number of aerodynamic add ons over the years, with a variety of flicks, dive planes and floor revisions used to keep pace with class development, but the car’s overall downforce levels was always a question mark. With the F458, many of the F430’s sleek and flowing lines have been replaced with more abrupt, rakish transitions, designed to produce more downforce from nose to tail. ‘We concentrated very much on the aerodynamics, trying to improve the already very good parameters of efficiency of the 430,’ says Dindo. ‘At the moment it’s a little bit more resistant than the 430 and so is slower on the straight, but we’re working on that side to match the speed of the 430 at least. However, it has a little bit more downforce, which should make the car quicker in the slow and medium-speed circuits. [The reason] why, at the moment, we are suffering in the high-speed circuits is being investigated, but we are working to get a new kit for Le Mans.’ Asked if Michelotto had


quantified top speed issues as being more downforce or drag- related, Dindo confirmed his team will be looking for ways to carve as many excess pounds of drag off the F458 as possible: ‘I think the downforce is a little bit more than the 430, but it’s not the problem. The car is wider because of the bigger tyres, so we needed to get back some drag to compensate the wider front surface. So we work not to reduce the downforce


Gone are the production suspension components of the 430, in their place a purpose -designed race set up, with fabricated uprights and control arms


Le Mans • www.racecar-engineering.com


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