Aftermarket manifolds on but still not happy

Did the welds seem to take and hold up well? The reason I ask is I had heard before that the type of steel used in the OEM manifolds could be tricky to weld. Just curious how the welds worked in your personal experience?

Also, I can't recall, but did you remove the precats from your MKIIs?

 

Im wandering if theres a way to keep the aftermarket manifolds for the sake of better quality and find a way to quiet them alittle bit.

 

My challenge headers are basically stock headers without the precat and they are maybe 10-15% louder. Nothing like the aftermarket headers with the oversize pipes. The bigger pipes can flow more so can give some hp at full RPM. But these bigger pipes/collectors may well be responsible for the mid-range torque dip many have experienced.
Challenge cars and scuds have the same size header pipes as stock 430's. Pretty sure Ferrari knew what the were doing. (aside from the solid exhaust mounting on 430's that causes the cracking)

 

I'm the same as your friend... I didn't notice much difference with the AP. Maybe on cold start since I think the valves open a bit on cold start? With the valves closed and stock muffler, I really don't see how it could be too loud.

 

Lots of great feedback on the forums for the Capristo mounts. Super high quality build and materials. I plan on keeping an eye on the glass packing as that seems to be the first sign of header failure.

My shop carefully inspected everything they could without taking the clamshells off. Everything looked great. At the end of the day, I'm willing to accept the small risk of header failure because I've mitigated it as much as possible. I have Mk II headers (sure, still not perfect), they've passed inspection, and we're using the Capristo mounts. I simply wasn't willing to live with the annoying AP setup any longer.

I've owned my 430 two years now. She's got 33k miles now, 14k of which are mine. After about $25k invested in maintence and service, she's running and looking better than she likely did when she left the factory. Couldn't be happier.

 

I think Fabspeed headers are not as loud as AP.

 

They are exactly the same product made by the same factory.

 

If that's the case, then I may consider AP for less. I don't daily and Ronnie's youtube videos sound so amazing. Any supporting info on Fabspeed and AP being the same?

Al

 

Very common knowledge. Lots of threads on this. Only suckers pay the Fabspeed markup on those headers.

 

Yes, 3 headers are identical. Fabspeed/AP/IPE

 

How do you tell if you have the MKII manifolds? Here are my versions off the car:
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I don't know that I have ever seen a definitive answer to your question. This is as close as I can get:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/technical-q/482650-430-how-tell-visually-if-headers-mki-mkii-version.html

The only reason that I know that I have Mk II headers on my 430 is because I have the service records from the prior owner that indicate that the 1661 bulletin was followed under warranty.

 

An exhaust leak pre-o2 sensor will throw off the fuel trim readings, possibly causing the car to run rich. This incorrect fuel composition will impact catalyst wear and durability. Over time if the cat breaks apart it falls into the cylinder and can cause significant damage.

The crack is not spreading to the catalyst or cracking the catalyst, it's the byproduct of how the car runs with cracked headers.

 

Reminds me of Porsche's IMS problem. People are still asking about it on the forums even on the newer cars - it hasn't been an issue in years.

But I guess if we didn't talk about the 430 Headers all we'd have left are "How much is my ______ worth?" and "How many _____s were made" threads.

 

If any vehicle has an exhaust leak pre-o2, it should be repaired quickly.

I would not advise anyone to run any vehicle, especially an F430, with a cracked header.

If you choose to file this with 'my 360 made it 7 years between belt changes', that's fine, but understand it's a risk and not recommended.

Most people suitably maintain/repair their cars, so there aren't many stories of catalyst failures due to exhaust leak. There are many documented cases of cracked headers though, so the failure is not disputable imo.

 

I'm not sure I follow your disagreement and ensuing story. Are you saying your car didn't have a CEL? That's not unusual, it's not a catalyst below efficiency threshold error like a secondary o2 sensor would report. The first o2 sensor actually reads some of the a/f mixture and tries to keep fuel trims adjusted. If outside air is introduced via a cracked header, this can cause the car to run more fuel/rich and that wears the cats out and causes potential crumbling that falls into the cylinder.

While you may not have enjoyed a perceived increase in sound w/ replacement manifolds, you can't argue that it's ok to run cracked headers for a long period of time.