355 Fiorano Handling Package Vs Challenge Suspension ECU.

Your supplier sold you challenge bushings because he either doesn’t know any better or he can’t source the original OE FHP bushings. Most likely a combination of both. He labeled “Fiorano Handling” in the description to make you feel better.

Most people here quoted the challenge bushings in the past as part of the kit. I believe I was the first to correct that and provided part numbers for the OE standard bushings.

Challenge bushings are going to perform better, but most likely with NVH introduced if not constantly maintained. But the proper thing to do is run them front and rear. Not just the rear, while the fronts are softer.

 

This is Superformance’s own part and own material. Whatever you choose, you want the front and rear to be the same so it is doing the same movements.

 

The hardware is the same. The mapping is not. Only Ferrari has the IP for the mapping.

 

Figured I’d update this thread to:

1. All 4 dampers refreshened. Stock specs. Lower bushings replaced with new.

2. OE Brembo drilled rotors installed front and rears. Found a set of 8 out of 10 condition OE black calipers I’ve been hunting for (my car came with painted red calipers). FHP spec Pagid yellow pads are in along with Girodisc titanium shims. GruppeM stainless steel brake lines are in.
Endless RF-650 brake fluid.


Waiting for 1 more lower fork to come in to make a set of 2. Gathering a group of parts to get zinc coated before installation.


It’s the waiting game for proper parts, whether it being finding them or freshening them up (properly), which drags out the process. The reason well-sorted cars should command a premium $$$.

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How’s this coming along?

 

It’s go time.



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FHP rear springs, rebuilt dampers, new lower damper bushings, freshly plated hyperblocks etc. Every piece on the F355 was designed with artistry. Can’t say the same for the new stuff.





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Unfortunately, yes. My recent discovery of this fact delayed my progress for a year. Why? Because now I have to hunt them down while my suspension is still apart and get them zinc plated.

Once one realizes zinc plating is done in large batches at roughly a fixed price (+ prep time), he’ll find himself removing other things to plate. Multiply that task by 2 cars . I’m now restoring 2 cars at the same time, when I usually prefer to focus on one at a given time. I’m still removing parts from both cars, so there will be a second round of plated goodies.


Finding a local plater who is willing to finish the parts to my liking is another huge challenge. I wasn’t willing to ship parts out and risk some UPS bloke losing them delaying my progress for another 5 years.

Most of what you see here is from the rear of 2 355’s. They’re all 355 rear forks. FHP rear forks are the straight ones. FHP/standard forks are the same up front.

 

I luckily found some NOS Genuine Ferrari hyperblocks in yellow zinc plating. Alot of the new stuff from Ferrari these days for our older cars is now done in silver zinc for whatever reason straying from the originally yellow cadmium plated items.


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I just opened these up today for the first time to compare Ferrari’s yellow zinc plating (in untampered/unused form) to my newly zinc plated parts. As mentioned above, I have been picky in my selection of who was going to plate my parts as I wanted close to OE as possible. I can say my freshly yellow zinc plated parts look 99% identical to Ferrari yellow zinc plated parts (when they were offering them). This might appear trivial to some, but it took me a whole year to get to this point.

Here’s a comparison.

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Therein lies the problem. Original Cadmium plating appears to be banned for the most part unless for specific industrial use (military etc) … Some still do it, but they’re hard to find and even then, there are still variances in yellow cadmium.

Ferrari switched to yellow zinc at some point. Probably post 2000’s. It’s all silver zinc now.

 

Most platers I came across only offered one yellow zinc finish, which was too polished or too gold for my liking.


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If you can’t tell which is which, the one on the left or top is Ferrari NOS.

 

Hey Barry. I’m curious… what sway bar arm did they install with your front uprated sway bar?

95’s come with #16183, however 5.2 cars (FHP cars) come with #170075. If you’ve got a pic of it, I should be able to tell which one.


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