Capristo Headers Only

Pat, very often there is confusion made between engine responsiveness and a healthy running engine. With such sport cats, it's no doubt that your engine will have a better response (short time result) but that doesn't mean your engine is running in an optimal way (long term impact). We often forget that sport cats are an integral part of the engine. It's not because it's an external part that it can be changed or removed easily without considering the impact on the engine. I mean that engines today are made and calibrated to run WITH the right cats as one single assembly. Some add spacers to cheat on the ECU's, some remap their ECU's, some do nothing at all and cope with the CEL’s, but without knowing exactly what has been changed (most tuners have no clue on how the entire software works and don't have the very expensive software/hardware test bench neither the team to QC the modified ECU as Bosch has/does).

Cats are made to get hot, they have to, but having cats without any insulation is quite a "roulette russe" Any liquid getting on your cats would inflame immediately. That's why the stock cats are very well insulated : to keep the minimal needed heat when you're cruising and to protect your car. Any aftermarket cat should have at least the same level of insulation.

With such aftermarket cats, you can get CEL’s for many reasons : cats too small getting too hot at full load, cats too large getting too cold when cruising, engine running lean, etc. But as I wrote once before, the ECU’s are not only checking simply the lambda values of both sensors. They use these lambda sensors to evaluate many other aspects of the engine. Using spacers for instance will lead the ECU’s in error and your engine will run at the maximum tolerated programmed values (ECU protective programming) with will trigger eventually a CEL. Try to run an engine 50.000 miles in such conditions of excess…consider the long term impact on the engine

All in all, replacing a stock cat is a very difficult job and the chart of specifications is really complex. Most aftermarket cats just don’t bother with all this…and one wants to put this on his super car??? For what benefit? A couple of HP maybe. The F430/Scud stock cats are excellent cats and they do a great job respecting at the same time the emission regulations. I would consider changing them only if I can get a TUV approved solution because only such validation means that there has been a tremendous amount of work done with a real specifications chart (in the same way car manufacturers do by putting a huge budget on it).

But that only one point of view (but shared with quite many others though),
Stef

 

Have you checked what code is triggering the CEL? If the cats are red hot the motor could be running lean. If thats not it, then the cats are the issue.

Cats will help the motor breathe better, unless they are failing. Test pipes are good, but you almost always need a reflash to compensate for the change.

 

Fabspeed

 

Stef's view is shared by anyone who professionally works with engines or engine calibrations. The software in any modern Motronic ECU is so complex that most aftermarket car "tooners" can only guess. Possession of an internal file - specifying calibratable objects in a foreign language - isn't much help if you don't understand the underlying functionality of both engine AND Motronic firmware.

Jim

 

Stefan, that's a long and useful explanation. I just don't have the knowledge. Well I shall go for The capristo headers and bracket eventually. But I am just testing a set of new CATs. It will arrive shortly and will share the result. Here

 

Sure Pat, please let us know how the new Cats go

 

One thing I almost forgot to mention about the Capristo headers upgrade: as many wrote here, the stock headers with the exhaust valves open, create a terrible drone sound between 3500-4000 rpm. Fortunately, with the remote control unit, I was able to manage the exhaust valves and close them when my ears couldn't cope with this drone anymore.

Now, even with the exhaust valves open, the drone is completely gone ! Wasn't expecting this at all but this is a very good thing

 

Still waiting for price quote from Capristo Germany... Very slow to answer

 

Contact Andrea from Capristo USA,very good service.

 

Stef,
May I ask if the headers come with air-rail. What does the air rail do? I notice some other company has 430 header and scud header, The difference is the air rail.

Thanks

 

A friend of mine tells me the fuel consumption is higher with the Capristo installed? Anyone has more feedback on this? Sounds weird to me as the car is a little bit less weight?

 

Who cares about fuel!!!
The sound is just insane that you will forget about anything else!

 

Buy an Prius rather than installing modified headers, save more $$$$$.

 

Pat,
The air rail is used only on the Scuderia, not on the 430. Headers for the 430 should come without an air rail.

On the Scud, the air rail is used to inject fresh air directly into the exhaust (using an air pump). Air is injected only at cold start to reduce the emissions of the richer A/F ratio at startup.

 

Well, I would say to opposite. Have been driving now many miles since. When cruising on the motorway, I noticed a noticable fuel consumption reduction.

But yeah, who cares! I'm not driving such car to check my fuel bills

 

You are really expert thanks man

So yours hasn't ot the air rail.

 

Hello to all of you,
First of all I wish to thank Stefan for driving 1.500 km to see how the headers actually work.
I think there is no way to make a better test, driving 750 km with the serial headers, makin
a dyno test, modification of the car, again a dyno test and then driving 750 km with the
modified headers. I think this is the best way of performing a test.

Regarding the question
whether the fuel consumption has increased with Capristo headers, I am of the opinion that
the fuel consumption reflects the performance that you get from the car. When you drive
your car before and after the modification at constant speed, you can be sure, that the
car will not consume more fuel. But if you feel attracted to use the car at full power, you can
be sure that the fuel consumption will increase, because the fuel consumption is dependent on how to use your foot on the speed pedal.

Regarding the catalytic converters we are now in a position to supply catalysts which fulfill the Euro 4 standard in spite of the fact that they are 200 cpsi cats. We have researched
for about 2 years until we found the right coating. We have tested several catalysts of
various manufacturers and found that the coating was so thin that sometimes the check
engine lamp went on and when testing them at the German TÜV they even did not fulfill
the Euro 3 standard. Especially with the F430 it is important that the catalysts are so well
coated that they do not function only the first 5.000 or 10.000 km, but they have to work
on long-term basis. On the new catalysts we guarantee the functionality for a 80.000 km
period. To ensure that the engine will not suffer from back pressure problems, we have
selected a 130 mm diameter and with 200 cpsi a optimal flow of exhaust gases is guaranteed. It is a matter of course that the serial catalysts are very good as they are
300 cpsi catalysts. In order to gain an improvement, you do not have to consider just
200 cells, but also a diameter who may not be smaller in diameter. That's why we used
130 mm diameter. I suggest everyone to leave the serial catalysts on the car, but if you
want to get a gain of 5 or 6 HP, than you should chose catalysts of 130 mm in diameter .

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best regards, Antonio
to improve them

 

I guess the use of the air rail probably means that there are no Precats in the SCUD Headers ?

 

Sfef, my Capristo Headers and Mounting Bracket will be fitted next Tues July 5th all being well. Just a question, on the 90 degree angle mounting bracket, does it just sit on the Rear Cross Member Lip which is below the rear grill as on my 430 Spider at least I have no current hole there + where is the OEM bracket that it replaces ?
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I'm afraid Richard that all F430's including the Scud have precats. On the Scud, they added an air pump + air rails to reduce the emissions at startup. By injecting directly air into the exhaust flow, it makes the cats heating up much faster which as a consequence reduces the emissions. A cold engine, to be able to startup need a rich A/F mixture but causes a high level of harmfull emissions because the cats are not hot enough to eliminate these gases. By blowing air in the exhaust headers, it makes this A/F ratio leaner increasing as a consequence the temperature of the cats.

As the Scud was launched well after the F430, Ferrari had to improve their emissions too to remain "in the business".

 

Richard, can you see the two big bolts on the cross member? On the photo bellow I surrounded them in red. You have to remove these bolts, put the exhaust bracket against the cross member and put the bolts back.
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I tried to paint in Red all the OEM parts that will have to be removed and will be replaced by the Capristo brackets. With all the parts/bolts removed, it's a little weight saving too.
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Sfefvan that is brilliant so the 90 degree angled brackets are only held in place by the lip and friction of tightening the 4 bolts of the rear chassis end cross member ?
what do the gearbox attachments do support the cats ?

 

Yes, that's perfectly right Richard

 

Richard, once you'll have the Capristo exhaust brackets in your hands, you'll understand immediately how strong they are made. The 90° part which is against the cross member is a very strong piece of steel and has no difficulties to hold up the entire exhaust line. Dito for the suspended part.