BOLD RIDE
If you hadn’t caught the big news last week, Ferrari has built a new limited production supercar of sorts—the F12tdf—a lighter, more powerful version of the already storming F12berlinetta.
It summons 769 horsepower, trims 242 pounds of heft, leverages 87 percent more aerodynamic downforce, and shifting happen 30 percent faster.As can be seen, the numbers are very impressive, but when it comes to going faster on the track, one modification stands out more than the rest—the F12tdf’s new all-wheel steering system.
Yes, the pinnacle of ‘80s sports-car-geekiness finds a home underneath the new Ferrari, of which only 799 will be built. Take a look at the video below to see just how Ferrari will make it work.
At normal speeds and under normal road conditions, a car’s rear tires won’t struggle to maintain grip while cornering. But as those speeds and lateral g-forces increase, the rear tires will eventually meet their grip limits and the car will oversteer.
On Ferrari’s all-wheel steering system, both front and rear wheels will steer in tandem, which allows the driver to reduce overall steering input, keep the back end in compliance, and carve an even tighter line through corners while maintaining higher speeds. Notice how the F12tdf exited the turn about a half car length ahead of the Berlinetta in the video simulation. During race or track driving, it’s fairly easy to see how all-wheel steering could shave full seconds from a lap time.
Ferrari says the all-wheel steering was added specifically to balance the F12tdf’s new wider front tires and negate oversteer. That said, something tells us that owners will have no problem getting their tdf’s rear to step out when they so choose…769 horsepower on tap will do that.
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