430 F430 Exhaust headers & Manifold.

I had ~ 25,000 mi on my '06 with no discernable issues before I replaced my OEM exhaust. FChat is an invaluable resource particularly for F car owners, however, following threads on certain model issues I think tends to make some a bit paranoid and maybe a little over-cautious at times. That said, the potential downside from exhaust manifold cracking on the OEM setup was significant enough from my perspective to warrant taking some action. Being a bit envious of the improvement in exhaust note from aftermarket headers that I was hearing on other 430s, was enough to convince me to justify the expense of a complete aftermarket exhaust system.

If you study other threads on the subject, there are apparently some telltale signs that will indicate if you have a cracked OEM exhaust header, but that's when I started to wonder if I was hearing things that weren't there and decided to just bite the proverbial bullet.

 

If you intend to keep the stock manifolds I would recommend the Ferrari sport exhaust put on easy to do and gives alot of play to the manifolds for expansion

 

A relatively cheap mod is to fit the Capristo expansion brackets and remove the oem brackets, this will take some of the strain off the manifolds. Some people swear by them, others dont. I had no problems at all.

 

Have a look on the Capristo.de. web site as they show the brackets and the parts you need to remove.