What is a Manettino Dial?

If you’ve been researching your next Ferrari, you might have come upon the manettino dial. Meaning “little lever,” the manettino dial is a rotary switch located beneath the steering wheel that allows the driver to quickly adjust traction control, suspension, electronic differential and the electronic gearbox. Each driving mode delivers a different experience, ensuring you’re getting the most out of your Ferrari at all times, on the streets of Chicago or on the track.

The Manettino Dial — aka the Ferrari Dial

You might have heard of the manettino dial by another name–the Ferrari dial–as it’s exclusive to Prancing Horse automobiles. It’s also possible that you’ve heard drivers refer to it as a lever; this is because the controls that would be managed by the dial were initially managed by a red lever. The manettino dial arrived in 2004 on the F430, though a similar system was used on the Enzo Ferrari from 2002-04. The Enzo used individual buttons rather than a switch or dial.

Debuting on the F430, the dial was created by the designer of the model, Frank Stephenson. Drawing inspiration from Formula 1 cars, Stephenson took their utilitarian approach to quick performance changes and finessed it into something fit for a Ferrari.

Manettino Driving Modes

The specific names of your driving modes will depend on the Ferrari you have, but you can expect a Ferrari manettino dial to rotate you through options like:

• Snow / Ice Mode for maximum stability and traction control.
• Low Grip / Wet Mode for increased stability on wet and dry surfaces — a comfortable ride without impacting handling.
• Sport Mode is the default setting, balancing safety, stability, and performance.
• Race Mode is optimized for the track, with enhanced shifting times and minimal influence from stability and traction control.
• Comfort Mode is engineered for the smoothest driving experience, though at the expense of peak performance.
• ESC-OFF is for expert drivers, disabling the entire electronic stability control system

Learn More About Your Ferrari

The manettino dial is just one of the many, many things that make a Ferrari an unparalleled automobile. Learn more about what you can expect from your next Ferrari — contact us today, drop by our showroom, or let us bring the showroom to you with our Atelier Design Studio.