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Something I recommend to any car owner (not just 4C) is to take the car on a parking lot in the rain and play with it. Corner and hit the try different things such as hit brakes hard, accelerate hard when starting to turn, corner and trail brake. This exercise will let you see how the car reacts at a much slower speed than when dry and without putting you in any danger (just stay away from light poles in the lot) but will be exaggerated compared to the same thing on the street.

This will teach you how the car responds but also will reward a smooth transition in cornering, braking, accelerating. One of the best pieces of advice I got came from a pro rally racer. He said to drive like you had eggs under your feet. What he meant was to feel what the car was doing....not just jam on brakes and floor the gas.

Best learning experience is to go to an autocross....those are excellent for doing the same thing and won't endanger you or the car. Some times you will get lucky and they will have an autocross when it is raining. Many autocross's will have instructors who will be more than happy to work with you to learn and improve your skills.

The 4C has plenty of power and torque is excellent from down low so you can use that to your advantage in an autocross and the car responds to "steering" with your gas pedal. Try in D mode and than in R mode to see difference with and without the nannies. Again it is perfectly safe for you and the car but not the cones ;-)
 
Forgot to add that any car sold in the US will be fine. The cars that needed some tweaking were the earliest European ones and they were corrected under the Pit Stop program. Also...any issues or upgrades are done by the dealers when the car is brought in for normal service intervals.These are called TSBs (Technical Service Bulletins) and information about them is available in the Forum technical section. Generally these were firmware upgrade flashes of the transmission computer, minor tweaks to suspension, etc. Overall the 4C has been free of recalls here in the US.
 
^^^Dr. Pyro2K, you said "bearings" a few times when you meant bushings.

I'm not getting this "easy to get oversteer" stuff. On public roads in either N or D, I can feel stability control ease on if I do something dumb, like lift in a turn near the limit. Unlike my Ford GT, which has no nannies (ABS only). Lifting in a turn near the limit WILL make the rear end become the front end. You learn that even if you think you're too fast for the corner, you absolutely DO NOT lift. Your brain is screaming LIFT!!!, but if you do you are gone. Just hope there is some shoulder to drift, countersteer and recover.

I find the 4C to be totally unthreatening. Less understeer than a typical front engine car, but no threat of snap oversteer on dry road conditions. I'd call the 4C one of the most neutral handling cars I've driven and that is a compliment.

Adverse conditions are another thing. I drive in rain a lot, but I drive like the road may be slippery. Same in corners where there might be gravel on the road. Or when the tires are cold. High performance tires can be like hockey pucks when the temp is below 50F or so.

Understeer is intentionally built into almost all cars, because it offers a feeling of security. Perhaps adjusting to the 4Cs lack of understeer is what makes some people think it is a bit of a handful. I'm speculating, because I can't replicate the borderline white knuckle stuff that people report. Maybe I'm just used to rear mid-engine cars.
I completely agree with this. I have owned and tracked many mid-engined (and rear-engined) cars, and I would say that the 4C is one of the most controllable cars - similar to the first-gen NSX. The 4C has a short wheelbase which makes the car quite nimble through tight turns, but also has a wide track which keeps the car stable through long sweeping turns.

I get tons of feedback from the car, and it's easy to know how close I am to the limit before the rear comes around. Even then, it's relatively easy to correct. I am basing this all on the dry track as I do not drive my 4C when it rains outside.. On the wet road, I can see how it can be scary. The car is very fast coming in and out of the corner, and sometimes, I feel a bit anxious whether skinny tires would be able to hold on. And that must be amplified on the wet road.

My car has the optional, more aggressive set of tires that came from the factory. It was like ~$1K+ option. Perhaps, that helps, too.
 
Great thread and so interesting to read comments from more experienced drivers, particularly the ones that track the car regularly and have taken it to the limit.

In my case I am still getting used to it, having driven it only or twisty roads around here but never on track so far.

As a very quick summary, I love the reactiveness of the car and super quick steering that now makes my 993 feel a bit slow (not talking overall speed, just mean car reaction to inputs; of course the 4C is a much faster car) but have driven it on wet surface a couple of times (not pouring rain but wet tarmac) and found it difficult to feel when the front end starts sliding due to the light steering; I really had to pay attention to tell what is happening under the front tires. On dry tarmac on the other hand the front end grip is amazing and you get much clearer feedback, at least in my opinion.
 
* Dry roads = excellent handling.
* Wet roads = a handful.

:surprise: I can confirm the wet road part. Even in All weather mode the tail was twitching with too much gas coming out of a roundabout. Stab the accelerator and you can be in a whole world of trouble.



Understanding where the limits are is what's needed and ideally practised other than on public roads.
 
Understanding where the limits are is what's needed and ideally practised other than on public roads.
^ This is exactly why I booked into a skid-pan group at my local track.

I found that in race mode in the wet, the 4C makes a lousy drift car. This is because the e-diff will transfer drive from a lightly loaded spinning wheel to the wheel on the grippy side of the vehicle. Throw in some turbo lag and the power delivery comes in with a rush. This then causes the rear wheel that was gripping to break traction too, so the e-diff now recognises that it has wheelspin on both wheels and stops doing its tricks with the rear brakes - at that point you had better be looking where you want the car to go and be really quick with the steering inputs and throttle adjustment, or you will find yourself spinning quickly.

The good news is that once you practice it a bit, the car transitions from understeer into a neutral slide for a long time before it will do the snap oversteer, so you have to be ignoring what the car is telling you to really cock things up.

Now this is on a flat concrete surface, with an even layer of water flowing over it and a relatively constant coefficient of friction and therefore grip. In the real world, there are changes of road surface, camber, potholes, depth of water, gradient etc etc to throw into the equation. That makes the real world a very different proposition to the purpose built skid pan. Throw in power poles, street lamps, curbs, cyclists, trucks, cars, children, pets, the odd moose or two, kangaroos, cows, horses, drunk pedestrians, zombies on their phones etc, then you have the potential for some very different outcomes to just spinning your 4C in front of a group of motoring enthusiasts.

That's why Alfa gave us a DNA switch - use it whenever the rain drops appear on the windscreen and you will be quite safe as long as you are smart with the use of the loud pedal and the flat bottomed thingy in front of you. :grin2:

Cheers,

Alf.
 
As 4Canada said get the road shims from Alfaworks in the UK. Completely changed the car. I cannot emphasize that enough. Especially for a LE car which would be a 2015. It went from a car that “hunted” when it came to seams in the road to rock solid.
 
As 4Canada said get the road shims from Alfaworks in the UK. Completely changed the car. I cannot emphasize that enough. Especially for a LE car which would be a 2015. It went from a car that “hunted” when it came to seams in the road to rock solid.
As long as any 4C has had the alignment confirmed, there is no difference in suspension or handling between the different cars including the LE...at least here in the US. This assumes you have the identical suspension....either stock or the Sports version. I have a 2015 LE that is still stock but with confirmed correct alignment and tracks fine. With the stock tires there was just a tiny bit of residual tramming after alignment....with new Michelin PSS tires the remaining tramming went away.

I have nothing negative to say about Jamies blocks though and you may enjoy the changes they give you....mainly that you can get even more negative camber and a bit more caster which will also reduce tramming if that is still a big issue for you. But make sure you do a full alignment after installing them per Jamies directions.
 
I was driving home today from my optometrist and turning right from standstill at the lights my rear end flicked out. I remember reading these cars dont act like a RWD where it can swing out and back as safely due to the weight in the middle. My question is was i close to losing it and spinning? I didnt exactly floor it but i did lose the rear and it self corrected instantlt but still scary.. At what point will i lose the rear end?
 
Have been lurking the forum for a while, love the 4C ever since its release. I recently test drove a 4C spider and found it surprisingly easy to drive (the lack of power steering requires more effort only at slow speeds, once the car is moving it's not bad at all) and I love the design. I believe it will be an incredibly fun little car to take around canyons. So I have started shopping for one, but only signed up today for a question. From all the talks at cars and coffee in the past few years, I heard some owners described the car as having a lot of feedback at slower speed, but once it's up to speed the steering is too light and so it's a bit sketchy to drive. Some said it's very unforgiving (from short wheel base? skinny tires?) Most said it's probably the best driving machine they have and these guys have over a few mil dollars of cars in the garage. So dear owners, what's your impression of 4C's handling characteristics in comparison to some other cars? is it sketchy to drive at speed? particularly canyons and tracks. Is it a safe car for the average driver?
does it have snap oversteer like a s2000? vs stable modern porsches (cayman boxster 911s)? forgiving and playful like modern midengine ferraris? Appreciate any experience and insight into this from current owners
You're asking good questions. I had a lot of similar concerns because I had read too many reviews and watched too many videos and there is a lot of misinformation our there. Here are a few important points:
1. Is it sketchy or unforgiving? Some of this is relative--a Nissan GTR is really easy to drive fast but not that involving/rewarding; and older air-cooled 911 is really involving/rewarding, but they can be a handful. This car requires two hands on the wheel and constant attention, but taking high-speed sweepers at 70-80 mph it feels totally planted and predictable.
2. I think the steering effort is perfect! The steering weight is accurately correlated to your cornering force so you can feel exactly where the grip threshold is. If someone says otherwise, they have never spent any time in a real classic sports car.
3. The chassis is extremely tune-able and small changes make a big difference because of the 2465 lb. curb weight. When I drove one I loved it, but I knew there were modifications that I would want to make to improve some known quirks--these weren't deal breakers but there were flaws. Well... installing Alfa Works blocks to add caster (and a good alignment) worked wonders to mitigate tram lining and "dartiness" felt on poor quality road. I also down-sized to 17/18 wheels and went with Bridgestone RE-71R 225/45/17 and 255/40/18 tires--Wow, what a difference! More grip, less understeer, better comfort, and suprisingly less steering effort. ???

My opinion is that this is the best driver's car of the last decade. I have zero interest in driving my Cayman S now. I am so glad that I didn't let some unreasonable reviews deter me. If you want creature comforts and a lot of "stuff" this car isn't for you--if you love to drive, and you want every drive to feel special... look no further!!! Just know that you are going to have to dial it in. I think Alfa Works blocks, a great alignment, and new tires are a pre-requisite.

Also... I think we are currently at the bottom of the market. Ten years ago you could buy a Lotus Elise and put 50-60k on it over 6 or 7 years and then sell it for more than you paid. That is where we are right now on the Alfa 4C.
 
I was driving home today from my optometrist and turning right from standstill at the lights my rear end flicked out. I remember reading these cars dont act like a RWD where it can swing out and back as safely due to the weight in the middle. My question is was i close to losing it and spinning? I didnt exactly floor it but i did lose the rear and it self corrected instantlt but still scary.. At what point will i lose the rear end?
Man, you've got to start going to autocross events, or at least hooning it in park lots or safe environments. You've got to find that point so you know where it is, and how to come back from it. It's so important in a car with a rearward weight bias that you understand that the throttle is your key to recovery. The best thing I ever did was get some instruction on a track to understand the dynamics of weight transfer. These cars definitely DO NOT have the snap-oversteer tendency that old 911's, NSX's, and 2nd gen MR2's were known for. I had a 91' MR2 and that sucker really like to rotate and keep coming around... The only way it is really going to come around on you is if you have turned off the nannies or if you do something really silly like jump on the brake pedal.
 
As they all said above...... I was thinking of changing from the M2 to the 4c and came here asking questions as you have. Nothing answers what you are asking more than driving one more than once. The more i got in it the more i wanted to do it again..... It became addicting. Oh did I say I bought one....yea I couldn't stay away :grin2:
I have always been a "Porsche guy". I was on my way to Rusnak Porsche to drive a 718 Cayman S (I already owned a Cayman S)--but first I went to drive an Alfa 4C because I was always intrigued. Five minutes into the test drive I knew the Alfa was going home with me, I didn't even bother with the 718. If you truly love driving, there is no modern car that compares.
 
I was driving home today from my optometrist and turning right from standstill at the lights my rear end flicked out. I remember reading these cars dont act like a RWD where it can swing out and back as safely due to the weight in the middle. My question is was i close to losing it and spinning? I didnt exactly floor it but i did lose the rear and it self corrected instantlt but still scary.. At what point will i lose the rear end?
Same thing happened to me when I pressed gas too much turning right onto faster road when I was still getting used to my 4C. Nothing unusual, when you add too much gas and perhaps also the turbo spools the back goes. You loose rear end when adding too much gas in a curve in any rwd car (powerful enough). It used to happen in my rwd BMW too, especially when it was wet and I wanted the back to go.
 
Same thing happened to me when I pressed gas too much turning right onto faster road when I was still getting used to my 4C. Nothing unusual, when you add too much gas and perhaps also the turbo spools the back goes. You loose rear end when adding too much gas in a curve in any rwd car (powerful enough). It used to happen in my rwd BMW too, especially when it was wet and I wanted the back to go.
Yep sounds right I suppose. My old TT soarer was only 280hp and god knows how heavy and was still a blast
 
Man, you've got to start going to autocross events, or at least hooning it in park lots or safe environments. You've got to find that point so you know where it is, and how to come back from it. It's so important in a car with a rearward weight bias that you understand that the throttle is your key to recovery. The best thing I ever did was get some instruction on a track to understand the dynamics of weight transfer. These cars definitely DO NOT have the snap-oversteer tendency that old 911's, NSX's, and 2nd gen MR2's were known for. I had a 91' MR2 and that sucker really like to rotate and keep coming around... The only way it is really going to come around on you is if you have turned off the nannies or if you do something really silly like jump on the brake pedal.
This. Exactly this.

The 4C offers so much feedback, if you know to listen to it and understand what it is telling you. But it takes some experience near the limit to be able to identify its approach - and to correct, or even better yet, re-load the car so as to extend its limits. There are 5 ways to steer your car. Only one involves your hands. Until that statement makes perfect sense to you, instruction and practice on the limits would be my #1 answer. Even long after, too.

The 4C is sensitive to tire pressure, and the stock P-Zeros are not great. They (rears) also wear very quickly until you tame your right foot. You may want to check these things also.
 
The 4C is sensitive to tire pressure
Very! I recommend everyone drive back to back the same route with different tire pressures: inflate the tires to 1 psi above the recommended level in the door jambs and go on a drive. Then when you come back take off two psi (at that point the tires will be hot so just measure and subtract two). Then when you come back add one psi and go out again. For me it was a revelation. Like three different cars. In my view the recommended cold pressures work exactly the best for street driving.
 
(y) 👆👆
However, if you go +1tire size you probably should try 25F/28R# cold as the new normal (more tire volume so less pressure needed).
 
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