Issue with the 296 Boost Hose

I've owned a 2024 296 GTS for 5 months and 4k miles (including 1 track day and multiple mountain passes). Looooooove the car. The only thing I wish it had was a bit more sound volume (love the tone, just too quiet). So I decided to install a couple of Capristo products:

1) https://capristoexhaust.com/product/e2e-exhaust-remote-kit-c-for-electric-valves/
2) https://capristoexhaust.com/product/ferrari-296-250-cell-sport-cat-downpipes/

I gained about 20-30% increase in volume and so I honestly liked the result. Then on a recent roadtrip from Norcal to Socal, I experienced issues:

1) CEL
2) Limp mode (or in Ferrari world, turtle mode)

It was a pretty terrible experience, needless to say. When on turtle mode (which would come up pretty much every time when pushing the pedal aggressively), the car won't go over 4k RPMs to protect the engine...

So I had my local mechanic (not the dealer) look at it.

1) First, we checked the codes, and sure enough the car complained about emission issues. We cleared the codes
2) Then we put the car back to stock, returned the products to Capristo (who have been great all along and refunded me the money right away), and then
3) Headed over to my local Ferrari dealer.

I openly told them about the whole story - I always prefer to be honest and upfront, and they know me very well. So they tested the car, checked the codes again and then... the big surprise: The code showing up this time was related to lack of pressure.

So then they checked the boost hose, and... See the picture attached.

So this left me thinking of 3 things:

1) Did the Capristo products have any effect on the hose cracking? Here's what AI suggests:

would 250 sport cats cause a ferrari 296 boost hose to crack
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/what-can-cause-a-ferrari-296-b-TiFC.EUdRoGymzSqPzCaSw

2) What actually caused the crack? I can 100% guarantee the car was NOT TUNED at anytime.

what can cause a ferrari 296 boost hose to crack
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/what-can-cause-a-ferrari-296-b-TiFC.EUdRoGymzSqPzCaSw

So the dealer charged me a whopping $2500 for the new hose and the labor to install it. Since I told them about Capristo products, they said this could not be covered by warranty.

3) I'm going to drive this 296 like there's no tomorrow, both at the mountain pass and at the track. Should I consider aftermarket products? Here's Fabspeed's video, but there are other brands offering

Fabspeed hoses video:


Capristo:
https://www.vividracing.com/novitec-turbo-inlet-high-temp-heat-protection-set-ferrari-296-gtb-20222025-p-156262378.html?matchtype=&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_keyword=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21849297966&gbraid=0AAAAA97k17kGZZuzKW6HWfJtcQKeyyB5g&gclid=CjwKCAjw9anCBhAWEiwAqBJ-c8zjVGtjCkEYPiT03vl1rxFBuV6zsYOLBWIh7ayoAjQ3ANQ6nWDaoxoCQAAQAvD_BwE

Thoughts anyone??? I bet this will get a lot of boost heat and pressure... no pun intended
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Wow I’m sorry to hear that. That’s way worse than mine.

 

No, zero gain there.

But to clarify: I'm not certain at all that the 250 cel cats would cause the crack of the hose. Here's what one of the links I shared said about it:

250 sport cats alone are unlikely to directly cause a Ferrari 296 boost hose to crack if the car is otherwise stock and the hoses are in good condition. The risk increases if the car is tuned for higher boost, or if the hoses are old or made of less durable material. Upgrading to reinforced silicone hoses is recommended for any high-performance application to mitigate this risk

 

Yes. Fabspeeds is built differently to make it more durable and it’s colored red. Ferrari OEM is the same as the one I showed in the picture.

 

yeah so basically after all the research I’ve done and the multiple conversations I’ve had, the 296 is one hell of a car, possibly one of the best modern Ferraris (I’d personally say the best myself), but it’s the biggest drama queen as well. And by drama queen I mean you’re best NOT to mess with it, not modify it, and really take good care of it.

Given the complexity of the ICE+electric engines (which is a tech marvel and runs incredibly), anything you do to it will trigger a warning light, turtle mode, whatever. Even Novitec is apparently in their 3rd version of their exhaust system for the 296 (while in the 812 and the F8 it’s been flawless for years and thousands of miles).

One LA dealer told me that even the relatively basic remote valve controller will mess it up and trigger the CEL.

I don’t know how the hose cracked, so potentially if you’re going to drive it hard, you may consider getting an aftermarket.

having said all this, in my experience if you leave the car stock and pay attention to the recommendations regarding the charging of the battery, the car should be fine. I’ve had no other problems in 5 months and 4k miles.

 

I actually disagree. I’ve been fortunate to drive my Ferraris quite a lot: 458 (33k miles), F8 (19k miles), 812 (11k miles), Scud (4k miles) and the 296 (4k miles). None have given me any major issues. The his hose issue is the first and it seems driven by poor quality material but I can’t tell if my mods were part of the problem tbh.

but in general I don’t consider Ferrari to be unreliable - but you do need to be proactive in servicing them!

 

Oh I forgot to mention: When I took the 296 to the local Ferrari dealership they told me about this firmware update!

https://www.perplexity.ai/search/exhaust-flap-actuator-ferrari-kmX06A13TV6o5eAS9SlWng

I'd suggest all 296 owners to swing by the dealer and get it.

 

From what I know, pretty recent. I only know it from about 2-3 weeks ago.

 

yes if you read a few comments ago I mentioned the Capristo remote valve controller. Insignificant difference unless you couple it with the 250 cel cats. And… according to the dealer, a source of issues for the drama queen!