What exactly would be involved in this conversion, and more importantly what would be the HP/efficiency gains..? Off the top of my head I come up with this checklist.. Engine Frame swap (5.2 to 2.7) Exhaust Swap (5.2 to 2.7) ECU/ engine wiring harness swap (single 5.2 to x2 2.7 ECU) Airboxes and twin MAF's from 2.7 car Discard 5/2 immobiliser anything else that Ive missed.. ?
10 hp? Wiring harnesses between the footwell relay panel and the ECUs. Wiring harnesses from the instrument panel to the ECUs Rewiring of relay panel. New instrument panel (to show two CELs and SDLs) New plumbing for secondary air (?) New ignition power modules Second idle air controller. Weld (?) new mount on engine for second crank sensor Different cams .... etc. What brakes do you have? Bosch or Teves?
I think there's a full list out there as the later challenge road car conversions had to do this as all challenge cars were 2.7. I know I've seen it somewhere but it's been quite a while
Yeah, I thought it was a bad idea. Asuming I went aftermarket ECU way , what power gains could be had by.. Conversion to 2.7 Air Intake alone? Conversion to 2.7 Air Intake and 2.7 exhaust..? And will the 2.7 exhaust fit into the 5.2 subframe ..?
No real power gains from simply converting to an aftermarket ECU. All that does is give you an easier platform for tuning. You will get (probably very minor) power increases on a 355 with cat delete pipes, maybe some intake port smoothing, and a live remap on a dyno. The 2.7 exhaust is the same as 5.2 except for the shape of the y-pipe.
So where in fact does the power advantage the 2.7 car has over the 5.2 actually lie..? Is it in the cylinder heads?, Twin ECU mapping? more efficient air intake system..? Ive heard that 2.7 cars have almost 10% more power than 5.2 cars which where substantially tamed for OBD2 compliance..?
I own a 5.2 and I drove once a friend's 2.7 with the same exhaust setup. 2.7 feels slighty more powerful at low rpms but that's all. Both 5.2 and 2.7 don't even have the 380hp claimed by Ferrari they definitely have less power lol, would rather invest money to make the car quicker with a proper set of tires and suspensions
Well you've heard wrong, the cars are the same - the 5,2 is apparently slightly less responsive at low rpm which tends to make people believe it is faster ... however the 5,2 ECU is in the cabin as opposed to the 2,7 where one is in each rear wing ... that alone makes the 5,2 a better bet. And yes the 2,7 has nicer a non airbag steering wheel (but that can be changed in 5,2 if you must)
There are many differences between 2.7 and 5.2. Here's my personal experience, ymmv https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/95-berlinetta-dyno-2-7-vs-the-world.482742/
I don't agree. The 2.7 cars draw cool air from the c-pillars. The 5.2 cars draw hot air by the radiators. Though I do not think it's a problem once you're on the move. The ECUs for the 2.7 are in the engine bay. The 5.2 cars have an ECU inside the cabin. Removing the wiring harness for the ECU is tricky and you can damage the wiring if you're not careful. There is a reason why the challenge cars kept the 2.7 setup when the production cars had the 5.2 system.
Sort of like how do you make a street 355 into a Challenge car. Sell it and buy an F355 CH. I can't imagine it being worth the effort unless you literally have two otherwise unfixable cars because of catastrophic crash damage or drivetrain damage.
Was wondering why my X-OST equipped 95 felt fast … Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
FWIW, I don't think there's much between them (and I have a '95). It will be more up to the individual car and it's health and state of tune than the year. Later cars had other material improvements eg. reinforced shock towers and the like that are material improvements. Biggest advantage to the 2.7 cars is the ability to tune them, so you can make more power out of a 2.7 because you can find people that can tune them where a 5.2 it's very difficult to find. That said, converting a ('99 with all of the improvements) 5.2 to aftermarket engine management would probably make it the best of the bunch...
Isn't it more to do with the fact the Challenge was based on the 95 car, ie the first series and that is when they sold most of the 100 odd ones (in kit form most of them too)n and as such so that they could all compete equally the had to be based on the same machinery ?
Yes. There was only one F355 Challenge that differed from the rest... Image Unavailable, Please Login It had hand controls and an F1 transmission to accommodate the driver who was confined to a wheelchair.
Yes. It was specially prepared for her: Humane Society announces $1M naming gift from Hollfelder family - The Beacon (sheboyganbeacon.com)
