Ferrari F430 SPIDER Owner's Manual page 89

Driving with the "ABS" braking system
The ABS system provides the following
advantages:
- It prevents the wheels from locking and
skidding during emergency braking,
particularly in low-grip conditions.
- It allows braking and changing direction
at the same time. This feature is affected
by the physical limits and lateral grip of
the tyres.
- When the ABS is activated, you will
feel a slight pulsing of the brake pedal
during emergency braking or in low-grip
conditions. Do not release the pedal but
continue to push it to give continuity to
the braking action.
- The ABS prevents the wheels from
locking, but it does not increase the
physical limits of grip between the tyres
and the road: keep a safe distance from
the vehicles ahead and reduce speed
before curves.
Driving using the driving mode switch
The driving mode switch on the steering
wheel allows the driver to use the vehicle
potential in a quick and easy way.
There are five modes available, which
correspond to the grip level (from low
to high) and consequently to the level of
driving assistance required (from high to
none).
In the ICE mode, performance is
reduced in favour of maximum stability,
which is essential for driving on roadways
with very low grip (e.g., snow or ice).
Traction stability control (CST) is at the
maximum level (Level 1). The vehicle
runs extremely "smoothly". On vehicles
equipped with F1 gearbox, automatic
gearshifting is disabled at high engine
speeds and wheel-locking is prevented
even on ice.
3 - Driving your vehicle
The "Low grip" mode ensures
stability on both dry and wet roads. It is
advisable to use this mode in low-grip
conditions (e.g., rain) or on slippery
or particularly uneven roads. In this
configuration, unlike the previous one, the
driver is left the choice to drive the vehicle
using the gearbox as desired. Suspension
damping is optimized in order to provide
the best possible driving comfort and the
CST remains set to the previous level.
The SPORT mode is the basic
driving mode for the vehicle and provides
the best compromise between stability
and performance. This position ensures
stability only in medium- to high-grip
conditions and not in low-grip conditions
(in which case it would be better to return
to the previous position). In this mode,
the vehicle maximum performance can be
experienced on open roads. For this reason,
the suspension damping level is shifted to a
higher one, so as to enhance performance,
handling and stability at high speeds.
Also the CST is shifted to a different level
(Level 2), giving the driver greater freedom
without excessively reducing engine
performance (for this reason, stability is not
ensured on low-grip roadways).
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