The Jedi-Mobile SINGS!! Oh what a lovely day :D | FerrariChat

The Jedi-Mobile SINGS!! Oh what a lovely day :D

Discussion in '308/328' started by Jedi, May 16, 2008.

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  1. Jedi

    Jedi Moderator
    Moderator Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Mar 18, 2008
    31,528
    Seattle Area
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    Dave
    yay! I'm so happy I'm just beside myself. After all the heartache, money
    (Oh, the Money), amazing surprises, and annoyance, I got my 328 Sofia
    back from my F-wrench Carlo this afternoon.

    Holy Mother of Jesus! I can honestly say I NOW drive a Ferrari. I have
    HEARD THE ORCHESTRA! I thought I did before, but NOW??? OMG!
    Seems Carlo found a bunch of loose bits - a couple missing bolts on some
    covers, a couple loose clamps, a hard line that lost a clip, etc. etc. that
    all contributed to a 'noise floor' that blotted out all that wonderful delicate resonance
    and sound. I especially love that 'jet engine sound' thats very high pitched.
    I'm assuming its the fuel injection distributor?? It just sings along with the
    new Tubi, new cat, and now VERY WELL tuned engine (ok, still don't have
    the advance working - but it's a very good compromise in all ranges now).

    And SMOOOOOTH! And more powerful, and shifts like butter. It was all I could
    do to force myself back to my home office and TRY to get some work done.

    So finally Jedi says good things in a post :D

    Hang in there fellow 'sorters' - sorting is FUNNNN! (ok, very very expensive too)

    Jedi
     
  2. Jdubbya

    Jdubbya The $10 Trillion Man
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    Dec 28, 2003
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    John
    Hey good to hear that! It's fun when you get them running right isn't it? I got mine back last night and am looking forward to putting a lot of miles on it this weekend!!
     
  3. jsa330

    jsa330 F1 Veteran
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    Scott
    Jedi, I hear you on being happy with your car. The 3x8QV can make an amazing range of sounds, including the subtle high-pitched jetlike one you describe, and in a tactile sense is pure pleasure...my car's 5-speed with gated shifter is flawless when fully warm, more so since I added a "Slickshift" gate. Any reputation for slowness the 3x8 series has certainly didn't start with the 308QV. It's really quick, with a solid, glued to the road feeling and sense of control from the very precise steering.

    It is surprising what a thorough servicing will find...my 308 had a full major, with the paperwork to prove it, in 2004. I wanted to start clean-slate, so went ahead and sprung for another major. They found dry and rotten hoses throughout the car, several missing clamps and other bits, worn suspension bushings, etc., along with the known issues--a faulty fast-idle setup and inoperative power windows. The extra sorting on top of the major was $3K, for a total of around eight grand, plus another $3.3K for the Tubi.

    The only thing I'm still dubious about is the Tubi. At low around-town speeds it produces a loud, flat and toneless sound, very similar to a ricer with coke-can exhaust. Although it does sound beautiful going through the gears at mid-to-high RPMs, the overall loudness level, melodious or not, isn’t to my taste. I also can't get over the feeling of being too old to be driving something that noisy…it’s kind of embarrassing.
     
  4. Jedi

    Jedi Moderator
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    Mar 18, 2008
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    I'm still adjusting to the sound of the Tubi. Before the new cat, I really didn't like it
    at all. Like you say, just too loud around town. But I really feel with the new cat that
    made all the difference in the world. It's not a free flow - just a plain Jane (good quality
    but nothing fancy) stock-type cat. It toned the sound down to where to me it's
    perfect now with the Tubi.

    I just didn't realize all the subtle sounds would be there - amazing how the zillion
    little rattles Carlo fixed were masking so many nice noises that all work together.

    Jedi
     
  5. jsa330

    jsa330 F1 Veteran
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    In TX, no emissions requirements for 25 yr. and over cars, so my 308 has just a test pipe. Maybe I should put the old cat back on and see what that does to muffle the sound...would be a lot cheaper than buying a new system!
     
  6. Tony K

    Tony K Formula 3

    Jun 7, 2006
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    Tony K.
    Awesome, Jedi! :)

    I'm glad it all paid off, and congratulate you for bringing a Ferrari back to good health! :D
     
  7. jsa330

    jsa330 F1 Veteran
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    Jedi...did you have a chance to compare performance with a test pipe in place of the cats?

    I went out to the garage and dug them up...one looks to be in good shape, but the other is shot. All the ceramic lining is loose and rattling around; when you shake it carbonized black stuff falls out.

    I'll call Norwood Perf on monday and see what they have to say.
     
  8. Jedi

    Jedi Moderator
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    Well, in a sense, yes. Sort of. We completely cleaned all the remaining bits out of the old
    cat when Carlo put on the Tubi. So it was essentially a test pipe, in that it was just that - a pipe.
    However, I strongly suspect the cat was more of a resonator, and not a particularly nice sounding
    one. I didn't like the sound. Since I had already passed emissions with the 20% failing cat (we have
    pretty light emissions here in WA), Carlo suggested I just leave it. But I didn't care for the sound
    so put in a proper cat. MUCH tamer now, and more to my liking. But a test pipe I'm sure would
    have a much better (albeit louder) sound signature than an empty cat pipe.

    Jedi
     
  9. climb

    climb F1 Rookie

    Sep 19, 2006
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    Stuart K. Hicks
    Glad to see you got it all together there.

    Pretty women always make you jump through hoops before you ride 'em and she's no different.

    Take it all in and enjoy it.

    Welcome to the good side of Ferrari ownership.
     
  10. jsa330

    jsa330 F1 Veteran
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    Jedi...thanks for the feedback.

    You didn't like the sound with the emptied cat: was it just too loud, have an unpleasant note, or both?

    I took the 308 out today and did the whole range, from slow city to highway speeds...the noise level absolutely has to come down, one way or another.

    The original exhaust system could be put back on...I drove the car pre-Tubi and it didn't sound bad, a nice muffled vroom. Problem is that it's only in so-so condition.

    Worth some research on options and a call to Norwood to discuss them.
     
  11. Jedi

    Jedi Moderator
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    Mar 18, 2008
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    Having been on all sides of this (original somewhat functional OEM cat and OEM muffler, new Tubi and
    empty OEm cat, and new Tubi and new cat) I can say I prefer the 'new + new' sound.
    I think the emptied cat was a cause of odd sound - and very loud. A straight pipe would have the
    same loudness I'm sure, but without the oddness of the large empty cat chamber. By oddness I mean
    inconsistent noise level and annoying rumble that rattled my teeth. The note was not the same as the
    Tubi and they clashed, causing annoying standing waves in the car that pulsated. Not very nice.

    My original cat and original muffler sounded dull and lifeless. With the Tubi and old cat it sounded just
    plain rumbly and not all that nice

    But I'm quite sure that a Tubi and straight pipe would (for me and many community noise ordinances)
    be stupid loud and downright obnoxious - "Hey look at me! I'm in a Ferrari" - that sort of thing. Even
    with my new cat and new Tubi, at 3K it's honestly a little annoying to me (especially with the top on!),
    but it sounds sweet and makes sense in context - just a tad louder than I would prefer if I could
    have had my way. Plus I spent $3K on it, so it stays!! The 'generic'
    cat was $700.

    So my advice, having heard all the combinations, decent new cat + Tubi (or other) seems the most
    'safe and sane' noise wise.

    Jedi
     
  12. doug328

    doug328 Formula 3

    Mar 11, 2004
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    Doug B
    Glad to hear that you got her back and is running good, now go and enjoy the drive and keep smiling.
     

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