Cat replacement on '86 328

hyperflow cats. or test pipes. but you might not like how loud test pipes are. alternatively, i imagine there are many sets of slightly used original cats out there cheap. like the pair in my garage. unless you want to change them, you have emissions problems or your slow down lights are on, i wouldn't bother. They are extremely easy to change, you could do it in your driveway. by the way, you only need one. hyperflows are about $750, test pipes about half. labor shouldn't be more than 2 hours. all and all under $1k.

this should be posted in the tech or 328 section.

 

When the OEM cat on my 328 went bad, I bought a Hyperflow from Ricambi. The car passed with flying colors and it sounds better without being excessively loud. There might have been a small performance gain, but it isn't noticeable, and the Hyperflow folks told me that the gain on 308s and 328s is less than on other Ferraris due to the exhaust system geometry. And you'll get great service from Daniel at Ricambi.

 

Do you know on what basis they told you the cats needed to be replaced not now but within 2 years? My 87 has the original ones and until you fail smog you really don't need to replace them on any given time interval. When that will happen is anyone's guess unless you have a 2 year period between tests and you just barely passed the test this last time. Even then, I'd make sure the car was tuned up and test it before I automatically changed the cats. They are not cheap and they are not a routine maintenance replacement item.

 

Just as a point of interest..... when I bought my '88 328 in 2000 I contacted a company regarding the price of conversion to U.S. specs. I told them it was a Swiss market version so it already had a cat. and that there were only 12,000 miles on the cat. from new. They told me it did not matter--- that it would have to be replaced because of the age. Don't know if that's accurate/correct but that's what they said.

 

There is only ONE cat on a North American spec 328. If it is bad, the only good recourse is to purchase the Hyperflow. The oem cat from Ferrari will take your breath away. The Hyperflow should offer a small improvement, but best part is it is better made and less expensive.

BTW, I have see a few of your threads. Don't be in too big a hurry to change or modify things right off the bat. Drive the car, talk to other owners, and build a small list of things you wish to repair or mod. Then prioritize them and tackle them slowly. The reason is priorities or your opinion may change, and you may end up redoing it again later.....and anything on these cars is quite costly compared to anything else.

 

Definitely worry about that when the time comes. I bet Carlo can lean out the CO adjustment a bit and probably squeak you by again!