Capistro exhaust.....Junk???

I have a capristo twin sound on my 360. I just dropped the car off for its annual service and was told the same thing, capristo is junk. Mine worked great for about 3-4 months but developed an annoying rattle from the driver's side tip. It still sounds fantastic but at idle the rattle is annoying. He is going to fix the rattle but I expect more from an exhaust that costs so much. I wouldn't buy another Capristo.

 

It wouldn't be an exhaust thread without my 2-cents

Jim...sorry to hear about the problems with your Twin, that's very upsetting. My 360 came with a stage-3 Capristo and the muffler-section did rub against the rear framing (just behind the grill) a bit. The shop that installed had apparently taken a grinder to the frame to make a small channel and avoid contact...but yeah, under heat the muffler section will expand and contact the frame. That doesn't make the Capristo "junk"...it just means it's not very well designed for a proper fit. As for the pipes sagging...no.

When we went to remove the muffler, the mount was partially broken...the isolator material had cracked and the bolt was dangling loose. Some of the "high quality" bolts also broke/sheared as well.

Lately there have been some issues with the 430 systems having welds breaking....BUT Capristo has been (from what I hear) replacing their units and trying to make their customers satisfied. The weld problem has also been addressed; the noise sounds like it's coming from inside the muffler, but it's actually the joining bands along the pipes that causes the problem. I think, at this point, Capristo has the system dialed in. Aside from a potential for drone/resonance at lower to mid rpm's. it's reknownly an amazing-sounding system! They are not "junk".

 

First generation Capristos had some bracket issues. I owned one of the first ones ever made that had "360 Modena" stamped on it before Ferrari intervened and asked them to stop using their model designation. Had some issues with the the main support bracket cracking but that was easily remedied. The exhaust system itself was (and still is) awesome. It's on Cig1's yellow 360 (my old car) and if any of you have heard the car ... there is nothing like it!

I have a newer version on my current 360 and it has had NO issues - brackets, alignment, or otherwise. Fits perfectly, sounds awesome, and is definately not junk. Anyone experiencing fitment issues needs to find a more qualified installer. My mechanic installed the Capristo in two hours which included removing the rear bumper, fitting the exhaust, aligning it, and replacing the rear bumper.

 

+1 !!!!!!!!!!

 

Capristos are the best sounding exhaust for Fcars. I dunno what u get as a hp but it really make your car sound amazing

 

Same problem example as described above: rubbed on the frame ahead of the back grill. FoS simply loosened the exhaust and repositioned (pushed back the exhaust toward the engine away from the frame, and pulled out the tail pipes to keep the same amount out the back). Problem solved. - Tim P.S. Mine was also one of the "360 Modena" labeled series.

 

anyone got a soundclip without test pipes, having stock cats ?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRnj2GMbMiM

 

It was the "ahead of the back grill" part I was looking for. This is exactly what I am experiencing. Good to know that the exhaust can be pushed forward, and that it was just an install error. Thanks!

 

I actually have one of the earlier ones, with '360 Modena' printed on it and I just love it! I havent had ANY problems at all and its been on the car for nearly 2 years now and yes I've driven nearly 10,000 miles with my Capristo fitted.

I cannot understand why are so many people are concerned about keeping the stock exhaust? Sigh, it really sounds flat. The only factory exhaust that sounds great is the 360CS item.

Having sad that the Capristo I have sounds absolutely AWESOME and the welding quality on the exhaust is great. The shape is great and its highly polished so looks great from the back of the car through my challenge grill.

I just love it, its the BEST thing I ever did to my car for pure sound thrills. If anyone is really that concerned about the bracket bending when you rev the engine and the exhaust taking the torque, you can always get someone to weld a small additional $20 bracket on. I never bothered and have not had any problems at all.

I think many of the problems experienced are down to poor fit of the system in the first place!

 

Let me just throw this in for readers who do a search and find this thread in the future:

There is a world of difference between living with a stage-3 Capristo in a coupe versus a spider. With the top up, the noise is really no big deal....but with the top down, the (how can I best say this)....INTENSITY can be overwhelming in a deafening fashion.

Another factor is a U.S. car vs. a Euro car...the Euro car having no pre-cats also brings a heavier punch to the decibel scene as well.

As for living with the stock 360 exhaust system....it's just wrong!

 

Just my 2 cents:

My F355 Spider has Capristo 1's and is extremely well made, beautiful welds and finish. I installed it myself and it fit perfectly. Too bad you can't see it with the heat shields on! Sounds awesome when I want it to....at cruising nice sound, not too loud..When I accelerate, watch out, I can't imagine a system could sound any better!.....EXACTLY what I wanted on a spider.

My 360 Modena came with Capristo 3's, newer type with Capristo stamped....it sounds great! no fitment problems, no broken brackets, no issues at all, and it looks great too. The sound is excellent, but I agree it would be too much for a spider.

Overall I am pleased with both Capristo's and wouldn't hesitate recommending them.

 

i am on my 3rd capristo exhaust as the first 2 failed. It cracked in several places.

 

I got my car back and the rattle is now fixed (thank you so much Andy Falbo). One of the vacuum 'cannisters' to control the valves on the twin sound had failed and that caused the rattle. He replaced it with a factory Ferrari part from a stock 360 exhaust and now it works great with no rattle. I love the sound of this exhaust but again, I expect more from an exhaust that retails for $5000. It shouldn't fail after only a few months.

 

Does not sound any better than my 360 with Tubi NGT and Hyperflow cats

 

I guess it is time for me to state a few facts & get a few thing straight as I am the largest volume USA Capristo distributor & I sell to other independent shops & dealers in the USA. I have a very close business relationship with the owner Antonio.

I have the best knowledge & customer service on Capristo products due to my close relationship with the factory in the USA. Potential customers are always qualified & I always recommended the correct sound profile for my clients for their lifestyle & personalities.

I have seen a bit of Capristo bashing here on F chat on some threads by a certain few & I can tell you one thing, their service along with mine together as a team on these exhaust systems is second to NONE.

TO combat this bashing, Antonio Capristo has now implemented that all new mufflers now come with a 5-YEAR transferable warranty! Another fact is there are approx 5,000 mufflers built & out in the world over the last 3 plus years & if they were to have a few problems, I would consider that from a percentage amount to be very little.

I have yet to sell a muffler & have a issue other than a bad valve damaged during shipping, or a remote control that needs a re set or some cracked isolators on 360's due to incorrect installation procedures. or rattling valves to the twin sound systems due to no preload adjusting during installation.

I have seen a separation of the metal that ties the two tail pipe tips together on the 360 system, but they have been old systems & it is also a quick 10 minute tig weld fix.

Typically 99% of the problems are caused by the technician during the installation.

SteveR. I was the one that told you about all the Capristo improvements & the so called problems etc during our conversations via telephone & I am glad to see you are now telling everyone on F chat, as I have been away from F chat for some time.

I have seen threads that Capristo's that are rattling from the inside. To this day the factory or myself have never seen a muffler with internal rattles, it is not possible! If anyone has one, send it to me or the factory we would both like to see it! I will pay for the shipping to my address!

Many installation facilities do not torque the muffler fasteners AFTER the engine is up to operating temperature. Capristo recommends that final torque of the fasteners with isolators be done when the Muffler has expanded to its normal operating temperature, that stops isolator failures & broken bolts!

Most installation facilities also do not set the preload on the valves on the twin sound systems so the valve sits there & rattles. Any valve system muffler will need adjustment over a period of time including the factory Ferrari mufflers, the valves for the twin sound & 430 systems are made by the same supplier that Ferrari & Lamborghini & uses so they are all have had a few problems on the valve style exhaust systems.

With respect to the 430's it is the Ferrari factory mounting design that is the issue, Capristo now supplies new mounting hardware that eliminates the problematic OEM mounting points!

Capristo has also designed a new valve assembly that will be on the market shortly that Lamborghini will also be using also on their production cars.

I repeat, most problems are caused by bad installation or lack of knowledge by the re seller of the unit. With most performance parts, they should be purchased from a dealer or distributor who has mechanical knowledge & not just part number knowledge; performance parts & OEM parts are a different animal.

Another fact, There is no muffler company that I do business with where I can contact the OWNER 24/7 like I can Capristo. with myself being avail 24/7 along with Antonio factory. That is pretty hard to beat!

I just wanted to set a few things straight as I have had some fellow F chatter’s bring some threads to my attention.

Below are some pics of the 430 system with the new style isolators. The new mounting system does not use any of the OEM brackets, so the problems caused by the OEM brackets & the muffler is gone!

Everyone keep in mind, this is a chat site, there is allot of GREAT INFORMATION & allot of mis information and too many personal opinions.
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Now that's more like it!
If Capristo and their respective reps make good on service issues and warranty claims, then I will be happy to continue to be a Capristo fan.

 

A toast to Capristo!
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VERY WELL SAID. You helped me over the phone (for about 10 minutes) with a rattle/buzzzzzzz (at the time on my 360) that sounded 100% like it was inside the Capristo III system. Nick was right, "10 minute tig weld fix" . . . it was the weld on the (chrome) exhaust tip !!! As a side note, I did not buy the Capristo from Nick, it was a used (older model) Capristo that was installed on my 2004 360. It was great for about 6 to 7 months with no problems, until that loud Buzzzzzz. I'm thinking of getting a Capristo III for the 430 Spider, and if I do . . . it will be from Nick. Thanks again for your time and commitment to this issue.

 

Thanks LUCCA-7 for the complement. Antonio Capristo is very passionate about his work & I have been conversing with him about some of the threads on F chat. He asked me if I would post this letter that was sent to me, he does not speak English, (Italian & German are his languages) so one of the guys in the shop translated it to English, so here it is.

QUOTE:
First we have to say thank you to all who believed in us. Also we want to clarify that Capristo Exhaust Systems is not perfect (like all other manufacturers of exhaust systems). But what we can say is that customer satisfaction is our main goal and we do not want that customers stay alone with their problems. We are working hard to manufacture a product, which gives pleasure to our customers. And the feedback of our customers flows into our product. We always try to recognize and solve problems if they arise. But we must be informed about these problems through our customers. Customers can reach us around the clock and we always do our best to help them.

OK, let’s start with the 360 story.
For our first systems we had used the original factory bracket system. Then we had problems with the brackets, they cracked. “Experts” told us the reason is our exhaust system. We modified our brackets and install them with heat resistant silicon rubber blocks and the problem was solved.

Then we started with the 430 system. We used all the factory-mounting parts to have as much original parts as possible.

It was a big mistake to trust in somebody others construction.

The tubes from the end pipe to the muffler cracked, brackets cracked, and we had no explanation for this, because we were using the original mounting parts. After a while we found out that Ferrari had the same problems with their factory exhaust, the brackets also cracked. Ferrari and other aftermarket exhaust producers have not found out up to today what the reason for this problem is. Ferrari reinforced the brackets with the consequence that now the manifolds are cracking.

We had put a 430 on our dyno tester and simulated a long distance drive. During this drive we observed the under-car with several cameras and found out the following:

The exhaust system is fixed on a traverse that is build like a bow. This bow shall absorb vibrations. The design fault is that this traverse is fixed on the gearbox and on both sides from the muffler. The effect is that this curved traverse cannot expand while it is going to heat up.

When the car starts the following happens: The exhaust system, manifolds and cats are getting hot and must expand backwards. But the system cannot expand backwards because the traverse is fixed on the gearbox and at both ends of the muffler. The effect is cracking tubes or brackets.

After long and difficult developing time with costs of about $200,000 Euro we have solved the problem. We eliminate the entire original mounting material and install the system on silicon blocks. These blocks can absorb vibrations. We developed brackets with slotted holes. Now the complete exhaust system with cats and manifolds can expand and concentrate unhindered.

It is very important that during the installation of such a system the clamps, which fix the cats to the manifolds, must be unscrewed because the system must be rest on the silicon blocks free from torsion.

If everything looks well the clamps between Cats and manifolds can be fixed, than fix the clamps between Cats and exhaust system. It is also important that the fasteners that connect the silicon block and the bracket with the slotted holes are not fixed too hard so it will allow the system to expand & contract during operation of the vehicle.
So there are not only construction mistakes but also installation mistakes. But regardless what mistake we have given all the times the latest parts to our customers free of charge.
Customer satisfaction is always the most important for us; don’t care who has made the mistake.

So we want to ask our customers: If there is a problem, please contact us under
[email protected]. We only can respond if we know about the problem. Every problem is different.

Furthermore we want to ask everybody who has installed such a system to give the system enough space between muffler and rear frame part to expand. If the exhaust system gets hot it will expand backwards. This must be considered if a system is installed.

END OF QUOTE:

I have also enclosed a TUV PDF file. All Capristo exhaust systems are subjected to TUV’s strict testing & guidelines, which means they meet or exceed all of the OEM requirements. The PDF is in German; maybe one of us out there can translate it? I believe this one is for the 430 system
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I am in awe... your car sounds stupendously sick! I LOVE IT!!!