355 OBD performance chip?

Unlike a Modern engine management system where there is variable valve timing, intake runner flaps( changing from short to long depending on the ECU) and wide band O2 sensors (lambda sensors) a tuner can adjust valve timing and control the plenum air flow efficiency plus timing and etc on a 355 there is very little adjustments possibly tricking the ECU in thinking it’s running lean to have a richer fuel map when it’s really running fine and maybe some timing is the most they can get which can do real harm to the engine and the pricey “CAT’s” like others have send with putting a supercharger or turbos and them tuning the ECU you will not get any extra horse power from a chip I call b/s too
I believe that Ferrari has put every thing they can into the car to stay with in EPA regulations and pull the most hp and that’s why Ferrari safety devices to monitor CAT temps to warm us to slow down you don’t see that on others to much because they leave a lot on the table and play it safe with EPA
Stay away


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This is what a serious company obtained on the dyno:

https://www.biesseracing.com/it/listino/ferrari/355:27:355-/ferrari-355-3-5-v8-380cv.html

 

Not sure. I would be surprised if there was more than a few hp to be had with any adjustments that could be made.

 

All interesting info, but I would like to hear from 10 people who have done a chip flash and that 9 of them found it noticeable and safe. Bueller, Bueller??

 

I had piggy back ECU installed on my 95. Changed the timing, more advance, and removed fuel since the fuel curve was very rich especially on 95's. Gained about 20hp and made the low end much more responsive. Coupled with Goth's one off exhaust and GruppeM intake we were getting around 330 RWHP on a Mustang dyno which would be around
360 RWHP on a DynoJet. Car was very quick with great low end power. Willrace has it now. Ask him

 

This sounds about right. My 95 had the chips done by my friend who knows guys in the Ferrari factory. Cost me a couple grand. Combine that with the timing advance and redline at 9000 rpm and you get amazing power gains and lose the low end bog down. Straight line speed is faster than my challenge car but remember that challenge cars are not allowed to alter the ECUs

 

F355bob says the car runs rich. Intmd8 says car runs perfectly. Which is it ? .

I’m thinking any company who flashes ECUs with a general tune for these 10-20 rwhp gains without the car being there or even taking mods into consideration is probably trimming fuel in the safer zones and advancing timing modestly. On a 95 car at least. That’s the only way they can give you something without a live dyno tune. Raising the rev limiter to 9k is a nice touch as well.


I think people forget or don’t realize 95 cars have bigger injectors than 96-99 cars.

To me, the car smells like it’s running rich, but in the same token, I don’t have all the mods on.

 

All I can speak for is the 2 I've owned and also the 348 I ran on the dyno. All 3 had very good air/fuel ratios of around 13.0-1. Going slightly richer at very high rpm but what you would expect for a nice oem calibration.

There are some GM vehicles I calibrate that take high rpm fueling and dump it so rich to preserve the cats it just flatlines the chart at 10-1. On those vehicles there is of course a gain by leaning them out and optimizing timing but if stock, not usually 20hp before/after if done in a controlled manner.

By that I mean, establish a baseline as far as starting water/oil temp and make 3 runs stock. Finish calibration and make another 3 runs starting at same temps/conditions. Review results. I've not seen anything like that for the F355.

If you were selling a "performance chip" would you not present that info. I also like how they step up the power (2nd company) they also magically give you 4-6mpg? LMAO

All 355's (well pretty much any car) will smell rich if it has no cats as unburned hydrocarbons are certainly exiting the exhaust. I've never heard anyone tell me their car smells lean.

As for them running rich, I don't recall seeing any graphs showing the air/fuel ratio excessively rich. Really the most I see have no air/fuel ratio data on them at all so not sure where that's coming from.

In my opinion there may be a few hp to be found but again, you don't reach that specific output almost 30 years ago by leaving a ton of power in the calibration.

I do think gains in acceleration could be had with a raised rev limiter, if people actually shifted it higher.

I wouldn't personally spend the money for any chips in the original ecu(s). At this point, if I decide to go that far I will just replace it with something modern.

The purpose of which would be deleting maf sensors, being able to calibrate it in real time, having a closed loop wideband at wot and also flex fuel capability, not because I think recalibration itself would be worth a bunch of power.

Anyway yes, my experience is the following graph. Could you add a bit of fuel through the low and midrange and slightly lean it out up top? Yes, but don't think it would make a drastic difference.

JMO!

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Agreed. This is most concerning; if valid data was shown, sales would be strong. So, why?? Some of these companies have been around and I would hope they have some knowledge about what they are doing.

20 HP and 15 ft lb. claim; not a lot, but those numbers would be noticeable. but where is the data? I have never heard of flashing ECU thru the OBD port? Is this common?

Do you know of something specific?

 

Motronic is more modern.

 

Isn't that what is in our cars? 2.7 or 5.2 Motronic?

 

Just keep in mind, you would have issues with emissions if the car still needs to do an obd2 plug in test. Where I'm at obd1 vehicles aren't emissions tested so wouldn't matter on my 95.

Many I've seen run a Motec system.

I would probably use Holley HP efi on my own car. I'm familiar with it and works awesome on my 69 Charger

 

Not a claim, dyno measured. You can look Biesse on Youtube, they measure the car before and after. Where did you read it's flashed through OBD port? AFAIK this old ECU can only be modified by re-writting the chip.

 

Here:

https://www.biesseracing.com/it/biesse-flasher.html

Sounds interesting, but I have never heard of this.....???

 

My Scud with ITG foam air filters, capristo headers, straight pipes, and x- pipe valved muffler smells 90% like it did when I had 100 cell cats. I was actually surprised after switching from 100 cell to straight pipes. Made almost no difference in smell and doesn’t have a noticeable “rich” smell. Smells like it’s catted .

 

@INTMD8 Btw, how are you checking the A/F?

 

I understand that this flasher doesn't work on the F355. Back then, just the North American cars had the OBDII port.

 

A 430 engine with variable valve timing can minimize overlap at idle/low rpm which would reduce the amount of fuel smell from the exhaust.

An F355 with fixed cam timing (and timed to achieve max power at over 8000rpm) has a substantial amount of valve overlap at idle in comparison, which would make that phenomenon more noticeable.

As for how I am checking air fuel, I'm using a bosch wideband through the Dynojet.

 

Where are you probing ? At the muffler tip?

 

Yes, but with a tube that inserts into the tip by 12" or so.

 

I definitely would steer clear of that chip. I do remember reading about a gentleman in Italy that can remap the ECU for a define 15-20 gain in HP and TQ. From what I gathered is that the USA destined 355’s have higher emissions standards with the cats and more restrictive muffler for decibel levels. Once you’ve upgraded your exhaust system with headers and high flow cats you can remap for noticeable gain. From what I understand is that the challenge 355 didn’t have emissions requirements in Europe so the ecu had a more aggressive map. So essentially if you get your 355 remapped, it’ll match that of the euro challenge cars. Seemed legit to me. I read that fabspeed sells the tune, but they ship your ecu to that guy in Italy for the remap. I’ve got fab speed headers already. Once I upgraded my stock muffler, I’d be interested in getting a tune. I can’t imagine Ferrari left anymore room on the table for anything more then the 355 challenge cars.

 

Which chip?

 

Wait, doesn't the muffler get exhaust from both banks? I don't think the left muffler tip is left bank and right muffler tip is right bank. Don't you need a bung in each cat welded in otherwise how do you know which bank needs changing?

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Who said a bank needs changing? I was monitoring air/fuel ratio during a pull I have no ability to make adjustments to the factory ecu, much less bank to bank.

 

Although 355 challenge cars do have re-flashed ecus for each event, outside of the muffler, the setup is the same as a standard car. Perhaps running primary straight pipes, but they still ran catted Y-pipes and standard headers. Not too sure about air filters.

According to @INTMD8 ’s dyno tests, if I recall correctly, primary straight pipes gave 8-10 rwhp over 200 cell cats and a de-catted Y-pipe also gave 8-10 rwhp over a catted Y-pipe.

I believe his setup with a standard ecu is posting slightly stronger numbers than a standard 355 challenge.

Only thing they probably did with challenge ecus is advance timing. A better exhaust setup would net more power.