Another 360 CS TCU install- My thoughts

Today I had my 2003 360 TCU swapped for the CS unit. I thought I'd share some impressions.
First off my car had the late version of the TCU, already pretty good. I was in search of a "sportier" shift. Well, I kind of got it.
I had the install done here at a local shop. He used a Leonardo Devinci to read the data off the old TCU, then he moved "some of it" over. He did reset the PSI to 4.9, on the new TCU, that's the data from the old one. Oddly, he couldn't read the "clutch wear" on his machine; it just came up as "0". This bothered both of us- in the end, it had no effect. He used the very steps listed here on f-chat and they worked great.
Results- These observations are all seat of the pants stuff so take it with a little grain of salt.
In the normal setting, the difference is generally subtle. downshifts are crisper, and even more so, with your foot on the throttle. Upshifts, are quite similar. In sport, the difference is more notable. Accelerating upshifts are quicker- notably so. Downshifting is also again, quicker and seems more precise. The roads here in Memphis are poor. For normal driving, I prefer the normal mode for the softer, more compliant suspension. This eliminates most of the gains to be had from the CS TCU. I got a cheap deal on it, so I'm going to keep it.
Knowing what I know now, I'd not pay the retail price for this unit. I'd put the money somewhere else, (maybe towards a 458!). It is an evolution, not a revolution. If you have the earlier TCU, perhaps it's worth it. Just my opinion.

 

I am interested in your original TCU if your willing to sell. PM if interested. Would like to know part number off old TCU.

R

 

another thought: since the transmission boxes of 360 and F430 are idential, why don't poeple swap over the F430 TCU? if the pins are different, i would imagine it isn't that difficult to modify or is it?

 

I know the 430 uses a CAN bus system for control, which in not compatible with the 360.

 

that means all electronics have to be swapped over to make it right?

i.e. might as well just buy a f430?

 

Yes.

 

It's been posted here before, that some 430 TCUs can be used in 360s if reprogrammed properly.

 

Robbie
Sorry I don't know which is the part# but here is the information off my old 1999 TCU
03.09.09
176552 62000.008.01
FOLOOCO
FERRARI F131
Y-05J399
CFC201F .01

Alan

 

i have to say i like the "slowliness" of the 360 gear change. In the beginning I kinda hate F1 ( i have another 360 with 6speed ) , then I started to like that F1, but after I drove my friend's f430, i wanted the f430's gear change feel so much. now after 2 months of missing my 360 F1(small accident), i started to love it! It is really weird that I now love the slow F1 transmision, anyone has the same feeling ?

 

No.
You say you want the 430 gear change. Is it slow too? I think not.
CS TCU was my best upgrade.
Is your F1 slower than your manual 6-speed?

 

i might mis represent my idea

I thought the F430 gear change is FAST , faster than 360 F1 and in turn 360 F1 is faster than
my not-so-great stick gear change.

however, I started to have this strange feeling that I loved the slowliness of my 360 F1 gear change, more than i love the stick and the F430 fast gear change. this strange feeling started after I had a small acciddent on my 360 F1 and i wasn't able to touch it for about 2 month already

 

Thanks for the pm. Wrong part number as I am looking for the next version tcu. Introduced late 2003.

 

Thanks Alan. I looking for latest tcu version. I think it's 211023. That is the tcu I'm looking for.


R

 

Robbie
So the 176552 is the part number?
Alan

 

Yes. But The best tcu for the 360 is part number 211023. It retains usage of normal and sport mode. Very slight difference vs stradale tcu. I don't plan on tracking car but if a stradale tcu comes along as well I may consider. They made about four or five versions of the tcu. 211023 being the latest and greatest besides the stradale tcu. Challenge car tcu is out of question as it does not work with street 360 and stradales. The rest of the tcu's for sale are a dime a dozen ranging from $600 - $1,000. 197533 being offered is the tcu just before 211023. Still a good upgrade but if priced accordingly.

R

 

Eric355 can reflash any of the late TCUs (not the very early one, different hardware) to a CS TCU. Several owners have done that.

 

After the new TCU is installed it is important to optimise the PIS to get best performance. This is an iterative process using the diagnostics computer (i.e. SDx). The minimum recommended PIS for the CS is 4.2mm. A lower PIS results in faster shifts and the value also affects shift smoothness.

 

Thank you for chiming in. Yes, He explained this to me. We followed up the installation with several test drives at different settings. We settled on 3.82. I thought it was "jerky" at less. I should've included this in my original post. Is there any other setting that could further optimize the CS TCU? Really, the difference isn't staggering, at all.