812 GTS Exhaust Upgrade – Novitec vs. Capristo & Regrets?

Most people's expierience with modified exhausts pre date the particulate filter. This issue is very different as the PF parts are now integrated into the back box- additionally the ECU is programmed for it. Changes to the CATS would require a new tune which Ferrari will call foul on. That's my understanding. Proceed with caution.

 

Why would my local Ferrari dealer or the other Ferrari dealers I've spoken with and dealt with lie to me about changing exhaust and tuning ..changing ECU and engine operations parameters... void the warranty when these businesses use to sell and profit off this type of work?

If a car under warranty develops a power train issue the dealer must get the warranty work approved by Ferrari the manufacturer and that process includes sending ECU data and photos of various parts of the car for proof the car has not been modified from stock form as Ferrari designed it?

I'd LOVE to make my F8 sound better but not at the fact not even risk but fact if I had an engine, engine parts or transmission issues the expense comes out of my pocket.

I had novitec springs on my 488 and leaky shock not covered due to modification of shock operation outside of design parameters. No issue issue i pay to put a new shock on. Simple as that.

 

Never said they would *lie*---those are your words. They **choose** to tell people this no doubt because they would rather not deal with the complaining clientele that can exist in the select group we are dealing with here. They are not lying by telling you they will not cover it--they simply make that decision, but this is a local choice, not a global choice as clearly noted elsewhere. Things don't fail more once you cross the Florida border, so likely they set a parameter to avoid having uncomfortable conversations (which happen all the time anyways about more likely broken parts frankly). Again, this is a dealer-specific issue as is well-documented around the country and world, hence my original comments about finding another dealer if people hear things that don't jive, or find a well-trained independent Ferrari shop and call it a day. I use both paths for different purposes and have never had any issue in either setting.
As to the F8 sound....yes it most definitely can and more importantly should sound better than stock. What were you going to do then when out of warranty? Were you just waiting to change it then, or were you not going to modify it then? I think it sounds like you are probably in the camp of never change it from what you wrote, which is surely fine as it's not for everyone. But that doesn't mean the car will self-destruct if so. A long time ago I was hesitant to change these on my cars and after researching a LONG time, learned the realities of this and practically all my cars have had this done with amazing effect (even daily drivers). Honestly, the cost-benefit ratio of a proper upgraded exhaust is WAAAAY in favor of the benefit on any of these. Dollar per miles satisfaction is really worth it.

 

I remember reading somewhere the Capristo 250 cell downpipe on its own does not trigger CEL on cars fitted with GPF

Can anyone verify where that thread was and if that is still the case?

 

Someone here mentioned that. They didn’t have the system installed very long. I did not have confidence in the recommendation- to each his own.

When I spoke to people I felt knowledgeable- it would cause problems at some point in the future due to the need to reprogram the ICU- need a new tune. A can of worms. Caveat Emptor.

 

For any exhaust manufacturers reading this; the writing is on the wall.

Create a freer flowing GPF similar to lower cell count downpipes that do not trigger CEL, or any other solution for a louder exhaust without CEL, and you will have dozens of purchases from here alone.

For those concerned about the legalities of it, just have your standard "for race purposes" only and let the customer take on the risk....

Not only from 812 owners but 12 cilindri also no doubt....

 

It was me. I have had Capristo 250 cel cats on my 812 GTS and a capristo exhaust for months. No OBD killer needed. No codes whatsoever for 3-4 months. 812 is now a 10/10 whereas before it felt like nothing special given how restricted the engine sounded. I’ve never modified a car prior to this but felt the engine note was severely lacking and given that’s a massive part of why someone would buy this car, I took the risk and modified. I couldn’t be happier now.

I recently purchased an F8 and am going with the same setup. I’ve heard the F8 is drastically different than the 812 so let’s see. Hopefully I have the same results and don’t run into problems otherwise ill go back to OEM. Should have installation done in about 2-3 weeks. Will report back when completed.

PS- I mistakenly went with fab speed sport cats on the 812 prior to Capristo and it was an utter disaster. Codes and limp mode non stop. 0 issue with Capristo 250’s. Lot of nay sayers here but this has been My journey

 

Thanks for this! Can I ask do you have the whole system? (X Pipe + Backbox?). General feedback suggests the backbox and x pipe does not make much difference in the 812 in terms of noise and I was wondering if I can just install the 250 cell downpipe for a bit of extra volume - and wonder if this will still trigger CEL

 

There are people here far more versed than me but I do believe the cats alone will give you the desired effect and will substantially increase volume. 250 was the perfect amount for me. Not overly obnoxious.

 

If you don't mind, can you share a vid on how it sounds?

 

That is definitely correct and verified.

 

Will this set up pass state emissions testing?

 

I don’t think so but it would be worth it to me to pull the cats off and replaced with OEM for that one day to have the car firing on all cylinders(Pun intended) the years in between tests

 

oil changes aside, anytime you think you have a serious problem or a potential problem. you simply change back to the oem exhaust. other than that, enjoy your aftermarket system

 

In Australia we get 7 years free servicing so every year you'd have to swap back to oem before service - not really feasible. I reckon its a way for Ferrari to keep tabs on the car so they can track what customers are doing to them

 

According to my Ferrari service- that’s not accurate on GPF cars- in that they will be able to tell.

 

Still waiting for the person to speak up whose warranty got revoked for having an aftermarket exhaust on a 400K+ car they bought.. I hear the the threats and warnings about it ad nauseam on here but have yet to ever see someone post about the time they brought their car in for service and lost their warranty.

 

Exactly. Totally correct

as for the above video, how many people have the novitec or other system and how many issues are there? I just don’t hear about them. Specifically broken car or no warranty. That guy was probably dealing with Tampa lol

 

Nico's car is tuned, big difference. as far as changing your exhaust back and forth, all you have to say is that it had an exhaust leak. done...

 

My understanding- because of the GPF, changing the cats will require a tune or the engine may not function properly OVER TIME. I believe that doing an x pipe & exhaust is fine for the car- just not for the warranty.

Caveat Emptor. It's your money so do what you want. Eyes wide open?

 

That is a huge difference and again most people are not aware of the facts on the actual issues or non-issues as is were. People missing out. That’s for sure.

 

there r many different ways to fit an exhaust on a car, from headers back to just a muffler but in general catted 200 cel downpipes vs non catted. straight thru down pipes w/o cats require a tune, most 200 catted cel downpipes do not.

 

I’ve never modified a car in my life. 812 is easily one of the most enjoyable cars I’ve ever owned pre mod. As much as i loved it, I would not have kept it had I not swapped the cats/exhaust. Was handicapped due to the GPF.

 

You mentioned you have the Capristo 250 cell cats. These appear to include a replacement GPF or maybe they are somehow using the factory GPF?. Unless I am reading their website incorrectly.

https://capristoexhaust.com/product-category/ferrari/812/812gts/

I looked into this for my Comp as I would like to have more clarity to the sound. Especially in the lower and mid rev range. I am happy with the volume level. It turns out it's not like in the past where you could swap out the factory cats with something less restrictive. In that case, if you stay within a range, the factory tune will not throw any codes as it does have a certain amount of tolerance in its operating range.

My understanding from talking with several factory techs and also some independent mechanics, dealing with a GPF is different from dealing with a catalytic convertor for 2 main reasons. First there are separate sensors for the ECU to monitor, which will throw codes if there is nothing to monitor, and second, the GPF requires periodic cleaning as it fills up with particulate matter. This is done by the engine running a rich fuel mixture that will heat up the GPF. Apparently it gets pretty hot. If theres no GPF this can cause damage to other items in the chain. I was told one story of an engine itself that overheated and resulted in a substantial repair bill. You can get a cheater module which will clear out the CEL but that won't solve the issue of the system looking to overheat the GPF for cleaning. If it matters at all, I have been modifying cars for over 25 years and I am talking with people who should know.

If you have no CEL and no cheater OBD or other plug-ins/ reprograms/ installed, then I would imagine your Capristo exhaust somehow uses the factory GPF or has a replacement GPF. Maybe if they are replacing it, they are using less cells in their GPF (not sure if it works the same as the cats) and this allows you to hear it better. My understanding is that the V12 cars place the GPF in the same module as the cats; and whereas the V8 turbo cars with GPF like F8 they are separate.

This is not to say your car doesn't now sound better, but I would caution anyone reading this, you need to approach modifications on GPF fitted cars with an extra degree of caution. In my case, I decided the modification was not worth it.