458 Italia OpenFlash Tablet Review

I recently had the pleasure of working with one of our sponsors. Because the experience and result were both very positive, I felt it important to share details with Fchat members in a completely separate and new thread....

In February of this year, I found a 2010 458 Italia with the exact spec that I wanted. The car had 3k miles, and met all my purchase criteria with the unfortunate exception of one thing: The ECU had been updated in 2013, and as such the factory tune was no longer present. Which of course means no run-on, burbles, crackles, etc.

This was very important to me, so I of course took particular interest in this thread:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/458-italia-488/544337-how-many-458-italias-original-ecu-exhaust-crackles.html

Having spoken with Shiv at OpenFlash Performance about his tune that creates the desired sound, and having read about the other Fchat member for whom Shiv tuned his car to create the sound, I developed enough trust and went ahead with purchase of the 2010 458 Italia, with confidence that Shiv would be able to tune the car to produce the desired result after I had purchased it.

Immediate work began on the mods, which included 200 cell cats (Thanks Travis at FabSpeed!!!), and the OE Sport Exhaust with titanium tips. With the 200 cell cats, we started pulling codes and even went into limp mode on multiple occasions. It was concerning.

Enter Shiv from OpenFlash. He hopped on a plane and brought his expert tuning. The first thing he did was diagnose the codes. He found that there were misfire codes, which may have been coming from the engine start-up/warm-up routine. The first thing he did was change the tune alter this. The codes went away.

Then he tuned in the run-on and burbles. I'm happy to report that, as a result of Shiv's tune, my 2010 Italia sounds like a 2010 Italia SHOULD sound!! Absolutely outstanding. The burbles, crackles, and pops on run-on are indeed back!!

Lastly, Shiv changed the engine timing, which added about 10 hp, per Shiv's previous dyno research. This power gain, in conjunction with the roughly 20 hp gain from FabSpeed's 200 cell cats, PLUS the beautiful run-on sound, has resulted in an unparalleled dynamic that leaves me grinning ear-to-ear every drive!!

I also removed the factory electric seats and replaced them with carbon fiber shell seats from a 360 Challenge Stradale, resulting in weight loss of approximately 60-70 lbs.

The car now pulls VERY strong for an Italia. As the owner of two 458 Speciales, I can honestly not tell a difference in the acceleration between my now-modded Italia and the Speciale. Granted, the Speciale still has superior dynamics in the areas of shift speed, grip, down force, braking, steering, etc. But in terms of only acceleration and power, my Italia feels every bit as strong as a Speciale.

I am making this post as a special thanks to Shiv for going the extra mile in making all this happen. His superlative level of customer service is absolutely unheard of these days. He made TWO separate trips to tune my car, diagnose the codes, and then follow-up to make sure everything was working properly. He is a real pro, and as a 458 Italia owner himself, definitely has skin in the game, so to speak. I just can't speak highly enough of him, his tune, and his service.

It should also importantly be noted that, post-tune, Shiv leaves with you a device that can be used to remotely upload new/modified tunes at any time simply by receiving an email from Shiv. This easily allows updates/modifications/testing, etc at any time, even for non-tech guys like myself. If you know how to receive emails and downloads, you then have the ability to alter your car's tune at any point in the future.

For more info on Shiv and OpenFlash Performance, including some absolutely GORGEOUS photos of Shiv's car taken in SF, see this recent article in Autoweek:

http://autoweek.com/article/drive-reviews/we-drive-openflash-ferrari?utm_source=DailyDrive20170512&utm_medium=enewsletter&utm_term=headline-center&utm_content=body&utm_campaign=awdailydrive

I would encourage anyone wanting to (a) add run-on, burbles, crackles etc to their Italia REGARDLESS OF YEAR, (b) add power through a good tune, (c) add 200 cell race cats and NOT get codes, should definitely contact Shiv. He'll take good care of you.

 

Wouldn't be complete without photos
Other mods include reduced ride height, 20 mm spacers front and back, Forza exhaust bypass valve, OE lightweight wheels (painted Challenge silver), titanium wheel bolts, skidplate, BMC air filter.

Special thanks to 458Trofeo for having inspired this project in the first place, as well as his extremely valuable project oversight before, during, and after the mods process. None of this would have been possible, or even manageable, without the benefit of his YEARS of previous experience in modifying Lola. I was the beneficiary of his many years of learning and am grateful for all his input through every step of the way!

Future mods include headers, Euro bumpers, and.... who knows what else.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login