F40 with Cat & Adjustable Suspension????

I'm told the F40 to get is one without catalytic converters and non adjustable suspension so are the cars with the catalytic converters and adjustable suspension much less desirable? Is the adjustable suspension problematic? Also is there a valve wear problem on non cat cars running on unleaded fuel? Thank you in advance for any replies.

 

I think the lifting suspension is great, and there is nothing wrong
with the cat cars.

I and a few other F40 owners I know, could not negotiate our driveways,
some gutters and some speed humps without the lifting suspension. As
a bonus, over 100 kms an hour it automatically goes to a
lower (race) setting than the fixed suspension, lowering the
centre of gravity for track days.

So there are 3 height settings. Medium, high, and low (race), while
the fixed suspension cars have only medium.

Some owners have had problems, but after I fitted the easy factory
recommended mods, it is fairly trouble free. I have had my car for
almost 9 years.

Some have complained that the adjustable suspension cars ride
differently, but I find that is only on the high setting, which is only
used for a short time to clear an obstacle usually.

I don't know what your concern is with the cats, but I assume it
is the worry that they suck some power (which is what people
usually talk about I think). It is not advertised by the factory,
but it is known that the cat cars had the wastegate adjusted
for extra boost, to compensate. Some owners hollow out the
cats at very little cost and gain extra power above the
non cat cars. And on the outside, everything looks stock
standard. The cat cars are the later produced F40's, and some
say the later cars are better (I'm not sure that is so).

 

tim is one of the rare stories of a satisfied adjustable suspension owner

when i was at the silverstone gathering last year, none of the adj susp guys had good things to say about it. multiple failures, unintended movement etc.

however, if you find a good car that has it, i would not let that be a deterrent. as time has said, you can get it to work right.

 

Personally I would go for a non-cat car because the magnetti marelli ecu runs the car rich, which is normal. However that tends to load up the cats with raw fuel, and then when you get on it they can catch fire. Especially if you plan to track the car.

You can remove cats but that can be problematic.

My 2 cents

 

The F40 was designed without cats or adjustable suspension and that is the configuration it "does best in". If you can get a light version (the ones with the 3kg doors and lex an windows) then they are the most desirable and rarest.

 

I definitely would not want lexan side winows!

 

???

Why on earth?

There were only 50 made....

Don't tell me that you are concerned with aspects such as comfort in an F40!

 

I am not sure that was correct. As far as I know, the lifting suspension was offered as an optional extra by the factory, but was not ready when the F40 was released. All or most of the F40 frames came with holes for the hydraulic pipes, and the mounting bracket for the suspension accumulator at the front, with the promise that the lifting suspension kit could be bought and retro fitted. Late model F40's were offered the optional lifting suspension fitted at the factory.

The cat cars are a response to the changing regulations in the 90's. In the cat cars, the muffler is different (different part number), and I believe the engine ECU's had different mapping and did not run as rich. Also CAT overheat and oxygen sensors were fitted plus additions to the engine breather system. The F40 had a lot of upgrades in addition to the cats, and was extensively reworked by Ferrari to accommodate new regulations.

Some owners have hollowed out the cats, and disconnected the sensors, and the cars seem to run just fine.

 

The F40 cabin tends to get quite hot, but the air conditioning works very well.
For normal road use, an extra few kilograms of glass makes little difference to performance,
yet allows the pleasure of driving with the windows fully open. Little sliding lexan windows maybe acceptable on a racetrack where every bit of weight saving helps, but I suspect that many drivers (including myself) would not want them for street use.

 

Satisfied is probably not exactly correct.
I and others I know need a lifting suspension to be
able to freely drive to all the places we want to. The trade off is learning to overcome the lifting suspension system initial shortcoming, with the mod published by the factory. That mod of an extra hydraulic fluid header tank, (I fitted an F360 F1 hyraulic fluid reservoir complete with Ferrari written on the cap) and an ECU reset switch under the dash (2 wires).
The complete instructions on how to do this is published by Ferrari and is really simple. I did it myself, but any mechanic can do it easily.

Another advantage of the lifting system, besides an extra low racing setting, is that it is a ride height leveller.
No matter what the fuel load is, or if there is a passenger or not, the ride height will always go to the same level.
Full 120 litres of fuel compared to low fuel tanks makes a difference of 50 kg.

 

Thank you all for the interesting and informative answers so far. Are the non cat/non adjust cars valued more highly in the market with cat/adjustable cars more difficult to sell? A friend of mine today rang a Ferrari Main Dealer Parts Dep't and was told that all the parts for the lifting suspension are not available from Ferrari which is a bit of a worry if true????

 

I think you will find *a lot* of parts are no longer available for the F40. In some case you have to source from the original manufacturer or if that is not available you must make your own parts or use an similar/aftermarket part.

I guess it depends on your intentions with the car. For collecting, I could see the lexan windows may be desirable. But for driving and enjoying it as a street car, they are a PITA and add no useful value. Like others have said the weight savings in nil. Most the time I'm driving with the windows down.

 

I think Lexan sliding windows for the street would actually be quite dangerous, from a sideways visibility standpoint, as they are often quite scratched and somewhat opaque.

 

Simple, really

Lightweights produced: 50
Total F40: +1300

And who cares about windows up or down when you are driving the original design? Ask Michelotto!!!

 

*Cough* Head gaskets *cough* *cough*.

 

This still baffles me. I'm quite certain that the F40 is still a relatively ''widely used'' car, i.e. lots of owners do actually drive them. Why doesn't Ferrari still make an item like this is beyond me.

Luckily new ones can be made at not to significant a cost...

 

There are MUCH worse parts scenarios that one could be in with Ferrari. Imagine having a 456GTA and needing a new gearbox or a new carbon fiber hood for the M. I know the transmission can be rebuilt but 'new' GTA boxes are next to impossible to get.

 

'Desireable' can probably mean from an relative market value POV or for simply enjoying. For what its worth, I've had a 91 Cat/Non adjust car for 8 years and love it. Drives great on 93 with some fuel additive. On mine, the suspesnsion pick up points have 2 sets of holes. I set the car on the higher ground clearance setting holes and its generally fine on the street - not much different than most modern supercars as fars dealing with speed bumps, etc. I dont take the car on track, so these comments only apply to sprited street driving.

 

I know of a new box


But You are right... sadly there are a lot parts impossible to buy....

 

What he said......No problems with mine either now for the last 7 years either. IMO people talk rubbish without experience, when they slate the Cat/adjustable cars IMO.

 

Is there any owner here who is considering selling his non cat Ferrari F40?

 

Hello, good evening to everybody,
maybe, does someone of you know how many no cat f40 has been produced ?
Thank's in advance.
ciao, dino

 

Roughly 55 ( some say 86 ) units have been so-called Series 1 ( slider windows ), and another roughly 300 units have been produced as non-cat / non-adjust, Series 1.5. The so-called Series 2 with cat around 1000 units, including all US cars. But there are also cars that are non-cat but have adjustable suspension etc.

 

Thank's a lot !

 

anytime, if you are interested in more details let me know, I can share a few interesting and very detailed sources about this topic