An amazing set of shots of the Ferrari 458 in FIA spec. Pics were taken at the 2012 FIA WEC event at Fuji Raceway, Japan.
5 Responses to “Up Close and Personal with FIA Spec Ferrari 458 (High Res)”
Leave a Reply
Visit our shop's website!!!
Visit our shop's website!!!
Kwame
Z1 Performance
Jonathan
Corner Balance 
These are some great shots, I love the up close view of the wheel!
I’m curious about somethings, as I don’t know much about these FIA Spec cars:
– Why does it have the yellow tint on the head lights? Is the warmer and lower color temperature better for visibility on the track?
– What wheels are those, and is that spoke pattern ideal for weight/strength balance? I see it on a lot of race cars, but maybe because there’s not a big aftermarket for centerlock wheels?
– The replacement brakes in the front appear to be 4 piston vs the stock 6 pistons (unless I’m seeing it wrong). Is the weight savings really worth it or is the design of these that much better to reduce heat soak and or knock back?
Jason – I know the yellow lights are to distinguish the GT cars from the prototype cars (like the diesel Audi and Peugot’s for example).
The wheels are made by BBS. The general design (and open, center locking mesh), is popular because it’s able to provide a light weight, but a spoke pattern that is able to disperse the loads evenly. Center locks are not a popular street car feature, reserved for only the highest end vehicles (Carrera GT came with the, as did the 997 GT3 and RS’s, but I forget when they were introduced). Conversion kits exist in the aftermarket believe it or not.
The brakes actually are a 6 piston kit by Brembo up front, and out back uses a 4 piston caliper. The full front/rear kit goes for about $28k (we’re a Brembo dealer if you need a set lolol). Piston design is a complicated thing, but has a lot to do with overall pad longevity, which in endurance racing is particularly important. In a very general oversimplification, the more pistons, the more evenly the pad is pressed against the rotor face.
Thank you for the info, really interesting!
I had a feeling they were BBS but wasn’t sure. My Evo X MR came with forged BBSs with the same spoke pattern – it’s good to know it not only looks nice but is functional too!
It’s funny that those brakes are worth about the same as my entire car haha. I never thought about pad longevity before, didn’t realize it was such a bit concern in endurance racing, but it does make sense.
Thanks again!
I am entertaining the idea of starting my very own blog
site. Can you give me a few pointers?
Really love browsing your website. Have you got any techniques to set up one?