Dr S F430 Gated Manual Conversion

Good luck on your conversion! Something about company websites that do not list their phone number is just annoying. Google Dr S Class LLC and all you get is contacts for a doctor in Sarasota!

 

There are a couple of threads on this gated topic where Dr S is very communicative. I've never spoken to him on the phone, but email response is super quick, always thorough and a few people on here seem to have a long history with Dr S. The lack of a phone number wouldn't bother me, I'd try reaching him through his website first.

Also, Trev360 did a great write up on some of the non-mechanical issues this topic faces. That's worth a search and a cup of coffee if you are considering this. Of course there is always the EAG option if you are uncomfortable. Personally, I like the fact we have options these days and Dr S has always responded quickly. In full disclosure, I have not done the conversion yet, I'm waiting for Dr S to have the ability to flash the F430 ECU's in house.

 

The guy that runs the Dr. S conversion is an active member here and I haven't had any issues contacting him. Web design is probably just not his strong suit and this is clearly not his daily business. I could see how he might not want his number there. I think this is more of an enthusiast bringing a solution to market with his side gig and passing the savings of not running a large shop to us. There is clearly a large investment involved so I don't feel like it's a fly by night but rather a want to do things the right way.

That said, I don't have either kit and can't comment on the quality. I feel like the market is still young and both versions might have their bugs to work out since there seems to be so much variability on each install based on the customer's car. However, I have been in touch with both companies and haven't had communication issues with either.

 

The ECU conversion issues are just as challenging with F430s as with 360s, there are very large number of superseded parts and incompatible firmwares across model years. This isn't easy and requires a lot of work to make work 100% perfect.

Some tuners don't realize this and end up screwing up cars. Lorenzo's gated conversion car got screwed like this by a famous tuner who ghosted him when he realized he was in too deep but thankfully I was able to help him out. The number of cars I now end up having to fix because inexperienced people have messed with their ECUs software is just shocking.

Absolutely not all firmwares are compatible and resetting to factory doesn't work either as you loose required parameters to ensure your car can actually pass SMOG!

You cannot just edit the firmware either as I pioneered and disclosed freely for all on GitHub by publishing source code to my early work because all the recent legislation in USA now means you'll likely fail your SMOG too and cross flashing without knowledge can screw up your settings and forget about making the car run well if you do aftermarket sports headers...

Quite simply if you don't have proper engineering background please don't try experimenting on other people's cars or you can damage expensive engines! I'm surprised how many people with a little bit of knowledge are "gung ho" with others cars. By all means experiment on your own personal car but don't think it will be the same across all cars. Quite simply not doing the required "hundreds of man hours of work reverse engineering" to understand all these different firmware software versions that hundreds of engineers developed is dangerous! Its scarily foolhardy on engines that costs tens of thousands to repair.

The fact people are willing to try out their "experiments" on other people's cars is crazy to me... Again the result (best case if they don't break something) is they still won't pass SMOG.

Yes you can pm me for a proven solution for gated F430 conversion that isn't just cross flashing and hoping for the best or patching without understanding the implications. The fact I've been working on these ECUs for hundreds of man hours and even written my own software to both analyze and flash ecus with more than 5 years experience on them means your in safe hands.



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Hi all,

I've got the second Dr. S kit in my car. George builds a very quality product and has been a pleasure to work with. I've recommended it to friends and continue to do so.

The kit instructions made install pretty trouble free. I opted for the factory style conversion that removes the F1 pump completely. So if you're comfortable with clutch swap level jobs, this is pretty similar. All the parts were built either to factory specifications or improved specs and George has improved and updated parts that he sent out without asking. If you have any questions just let me know.

 

Jay- The F1 pump also powers the E-Diff, so how did you make that work?

 

My car is a 360

 

For F430 the product below allows complete F1 pump removal. Can be added to DrS kit when ordering https://gatedconversion.com/ (when in stock) or purchased directly from the manufacturer in Switzerland:

https://www.scuding.com/Shop/en/ecu-solutions/126-smart-ferrari-f430-ediff-bypass-ecu.html#/seb_ecu_version-permanently_disabled_e_diff_version_blanking_plugs_kit

 

BTW, thank you to all for questions and comments. I run the DrS www.GatedConversion.com so please feel free to also address any questions to me, either PM on FChat or website inquiry. I will gladly discuss any gated conversion topic over the phone or in person if preferred. I don’t have a record that the person trying to discredit DrS regarding the phone number above has ever tried to contact me.

Phone number is not on the website to avoid spam.

 

Also the main thing I have learnt during tens of years of experience in engineering, product lifecycle management, people management, managing, starting and running businesses etc is to do a proper time and capital allocation.

The most common reason for business failures I have seen was excessive borrowing with excessive spending, often on fancy buildings, showrooms, staff of pretty receptionists and sales people greeting visitors etc. No such showroom addresses are provided for DrS, no walk-ins. In person meetings by appointment only. Money at DrS is instead spent on better engineering and to lower the product price for the customers. Flashy businesses often end up delivering below expectations and are more prone to going out of business (sometimes by surprise when investors suddenly pull the plug). DrS is managed to stay in business for a very long time.

Experience is critical and it would be unwise to use parts or services of inexperienced people on a Ferrari. Of course it may happen, especially if there are no alternatives. That’s why my decades of experience have given me the contacts and know how to use top engineers and other specialists with top facilities to do the DrS work.

For example DrS is currently the only company in the world manufacturing Ferrari OEM style cast aluminum shift towers. Not by accident, but because the expert responsible for DrS casting has tens of years of experience doing aluminum castings ONLY and he can get the complex projects done.

 

People ask why shifting DrS conversion is closer to Ferrari OEM feel than shifting other conversions. It’s because DrS parts are like and interchangeable with OEM. For example the expert responsible for DrS springs has years of experience doing just that, only springs. So if you put a DrS spring and a Ferrari spring side by side or if you measure parameters of the springs, they are the same. We don’t just cut a “close enough” looking spring to size, we do precise custom springs manufacturing.

The list goes on, like with electronics. I’ve spent years designing and programming devices similar to Ferrari ECU myself, but that was long time ago so I no longer consider myself a top expert in this area. That’s why when I program 360 ECU I use a toolset designed and made (professional connectors and all) by an engineer with over 10 years of full time Bosch ECU experience (and with his other Bosch ECU related products used by many thousands). Plus those 360 software changes have already been tested on many Ferraris, with thousands of miles without any issues.

We have also discussed the ECU topic with Trevor and Trevor can also do ECU programming for DrS conversions if that’s a customer preference (Thank you 360trev). Obviously for the F430 for which I don’t have a tool, but also for 360 if that’s someone’s preference.

All the best to all! Enjoy your F1 cars or conversions done by whomever you want using parts whichever you want - you have choices

 

The factory gated cars had the Ediff module control the pump. Wire the Ediff module by adding several pins and wires to control the F1 pump and leave the ediff intact. We have done several and would never consider just removing the ediff from the car.

 

Absolutely true, it's the customer choice. DrS kit comes with instructions on how to do this as well (keeping the F1 pump and E-diff)

 

BTW, it's probably obvious to most but maybe not to everyone. When converting the 360 or F430 to manual everything is identical (same parts and same labor procedure) except for 3 differences:
1) Console around the shifter tower (F430 has an extra cap on the top, included in DrS kit)
2) E-diff present only on F430 (as discussed above)
3) Different engine ECU design and programming (as discussed above)

 

Not sure if you are asking Trevor or myself, but I (DrS gatedconversion.com ) can provide you with all the parts needed for 360/f430 conversion from F1 to manual. For the F430 ECU I don't program the ECU but Trevor (or whatever other person you choose) programs it. Trevor does the complete required ECU conversion/programming.

If you don't do the labor yourself or don't have a trusted mechanic to do the installation, I can point you to some experienced installers depending on location.

 

@modificator Wanted to ask on our message chain, but figured I'd ask here so others could benefit from the answers.

Do you manufacture all of the parts of your kit or are some sourced from Ferrari still?
Are your parts exactly 1 for 1 with the Ferrari design or have you made any changes (improvements or otherwise)?
Do you mind sharing how many cars (360 and F430) your kits have been installed on? Any current customers on Fchat willing to share an experience story?

Thanks!

 

Trevor is located in Europe

 

@Atlantic I believe you can get Trev’s tune through NZN

 

Joe, I can verify for you that George,s parts are top notch. I've seen most of them and some were tested on my own car.

 

If u want to talk to me about it feel free to call if u still have my number