Minor 575 tweaks, upgrades and stuff

Minor Tweaks, upgrades and stuff to freshen up my 575.

Just a simple THANK YOU to this great forum for all the ideas and invaluable information.

Hi FChat folks,

After a few years of driving my 575M and curiously reading all the tricks, tweaks, trials, tribulations, successes, then retries for improved personal taste tuning of our cherished Cavallinos, with the help of all your posts, I finally converged on a set of changes that seemed to suite my own personal needs.

1. CAR: 2003 Ferrari 575M

2. REQUIREMENTS: The "personal choice” requirements:

2.1. All fixes, tweaks or modifications must be with Ferrari OEM parts or other parts ( ONLY if they are EASILY REVERSIBLE within a short timeframe, without aide of a lift and by me.).

2.2. A deep exhaust note for cruising at low to mid speeds with windows down and spirited runs through the "twisties.” And, not to be subject to “beat you up” droning on long drives on the freeway in transit to a destination. (I’ve $$$ gone the Tubi route, Novalari route and they were all too loud over time and/or beat me up with noise fatigue on long drives and which, further, over powered the sweet mechanical noises of the engine and 6-speed transmission. So, I ultimately went back to stock and drove in silence for a few years until now. )
2.2.1 TWEAKS / UPGRADES:
2.2.1.1 Replaced the center resonator silencers with OEM straight through pipes: Removed center muffler Part#181794 with right and left flow through exhaust extensions Part#RH 200995 and Part#LH 200996
2.2.2 EFFORT REQUIRED: Had to have a service mechanic install these as I did not have a convenient hydraulic or electric lift.
2.2.3 RESULTS: With the stock OEM mufflers intact and with the windows closed, this upgraded created a moderate but minimal noticeable lower frequency, deeper note, that could be felt and heard in the inner driver / passenger cabin. I liked it. It presented a subtle feeling of the engine’s power. With the windows open, some how the lower frequency dissipated through the open windows and the exhaust note seemed to be as before, prior to swapping out the center muffler with straight flow through pipes.

2.3 The ability to control the exhaust muffler baffles at will, again, so I can listen to the engine and transmission mechanical music at will, or, when the horns come out, drive around with the subtle menacing threat of a V12 and not shake the windows off the neighborhood or countryside houses.
2.3.1 TWEAKS / UPGRADES:
2.3.1.1 Installed the bypass valve and remote control from Forza Componenti
2.3.2 EFFORT REQUIRED: Self installed. It took ~ 30minutes to do a test install to verify all is working and then ~3 hours to elegantly route the wiring and baffle control unit as a professional would do.
2.3.3 RESULTS: I really enjoy the ability to remotely open and close the baffles at will. At idle, with the baffles opened, the exhaust is a deep pulsing note with the windows opened or closed.
- California Crusin’ (music on): On the highway when I want to talk in conversation or on the telephone or listen to the entertainment system, closing the baffles allows a quiet in-cabin experience. At in-town or freeway speeds, the low frequencies of the open baffled exhaust are totally in conflict with the bass notes of the music / entertainment system when I want to do some California Cruisin’ with music playlist favs like “Free Bird”, “Like a Stone” or “Hotel California”, etc. and actually the deep bass of the music and deep throat exhaust, beat together to create the irritating and infamous droning we’ve all become familiar with. So, with the remote fob, I close the baffles and the beating tension of the exhaust note and superposition of music to compound the drone, dissipates immediately.
- Just Driving (music off): While at low speeds through town, I like the open bypass baffle exhaust as it gives heft to the exhaust note and commands a presence. If I drive around town for too long I end up closing the baffles again and the exhaust tends to beat on and wear me down. When the horns come out and going on full throttle and spirited runs, the rush of forceful air blasting out of the exhaust is quite apparent and I love it! But, thankfully, there is no window shattering or law enforcement alerting saber rattling exhaust notes to attract too much unwanted attention.

2.4 Better steering and road feel when going through the “twisties,” not so isolated with over hydraulic assist.
2.4.1 TWEAKS / UPGRADES:
2.4.1.1 Replaced the steering ECU from the original Part#168034 to the FHP Steering ECU Part#175891
2.4.2 EFFORT REQUIRED: Self installed. It took ~ 15 minutes to open left panel in the drivers side foot well and replace the ECU.
2.4.3 RESULTS: To be quite frank, I really can’t tell much difference between the two steering ECUs. At speed, both have a good amount of hydraulic steering assist.

2.5 Upgrade the suspension to help eliminate the car from “porpoising" on undulating roads.
2.5.1 TWEAKS / UPGRADES:
2.5.1.1 Replaced the Shock Absorber ECU from the original ECU Part#183960 to the Shock Absorber ECU Part#205619
2.5.2 EFFORT REQUIRED: Self installed. It took ~ 25 minutes to open the right panel in the passenger side foot well and replace the Shock Absorber ECU.
2.5.3 RESULTS: This ECU worked like a dream. Finally the 575 does not porpoise and is comfortably taut on the mountain roads I frequent, on highway undulating and rough in town roads. At the same time, it does not beat the Mrs. up with an overly rigid ride. A good GT compromise. ( my other cars do a fine job of providing a super stiff ride so this does not become so much of a requirement for the 575M )

Minor Items: At the same time my tires were close to their wear bars, my TPMS went out and remote key fob went intermittent, so...
2.6 Tire pressure monitor system, TPMS, batteries went dead.
2.6.1 TWEAKS / UPGRADES:
2.6.1.1 Replaced the 315Mhz TPMS sensors with new ones OEM Part#000224548
2.6.2 EFFORT REQUIRED: Had to have a service mechanic install the new 315MHz TPMS sensors in each of the four wheels along with new tires.
2.6.3 RESULTS: Calibration was frustrating. The calibration reset button was pushed as described in the manual and the car was driven for 20 then 50 miles to get the system to reset or calibrate. It never calibrated. The trick was to go through the drive cycle and then allow the tires / wheels to cool down over night ( I suppose a temperature heat-up / cool-down cycle??? ). The next morning I took the car out for a drive and within 20 minutes the calibration light finally turned green!

2.7 As well, the 575 remote key FOB battery weakened to the point that it would intermittently lock / unlock or not start / start the car. This was irritating, as I would be stuck in a parking lot thinking I’d have to have the car towed home. After, multiple more desperate depressions of the FOB key button, the car finally unlocked and I was able to get home. However, being mindful to not make anymore stops for fear of getting stuck with a car that wouldn't start because the FOB would not enable the ignition.
2.7.1 TWEAKS / UPGRADES:
2.7.1.1 Replaced the 12 volt battery (camera battery available any any pharmacy store) in two of the black FOBs but left the red FOB battery in tact as the LED light still seemed to be very strong.
2.7.2 EFFORT REQUIRED: Self installed. Easy. No need to reprogram the black key FOBs with the Red one as I had feared from all the FChat readings and dreaded a long process to reprogram.
2.7.3 RESULTS: It worked immediately!

2.8 Simple dash cover to prevent the known 575 dash shrinkage problem.
2.8.1 TWEAKS / UPGRADES:
2.8.1.1 Fortunately, the car does not have any dash shrinkage to date as it has always been garaged and a sun protector was used when parking the car in the sun. However, seeking sun protection while driving the car, I decided to make a dash cover by going to a fabric material store and buying enough synthetic vinyl leather looking material for a dash cover.
2.8.2 EFFORT REQUIRED: Easy to cut out and self installed with double stick velcro tape. Take it off or easily put it back on at will. Less than a minute to pull it off and rollup or unroll it and slap it back on.
2.8.3 RESULTS: Doesn’t look perfect but then again, I’m the only one that will be staring at it and knowing that the dash is protected from the beating sun on my long drives is comforting.

2.9 The ugly stickies… :-(
I’ll be reading the FChat forum posts before attempting this. It sounds like a laborious, daunting and dirty task.
I can tell the stickies are starting as one switch is turning to a shiny stickiness than transfers to your fingers when touched and the circular vent vane adjusters are starting to get a more engaging tactile feel to them.
Can you just remove the stickies like I did on a TR? The TR’s underlying flat black plastic material looked great. Or, do the parts require a repaint coating as in some of the 550/575 posts I’ve read so far? Any further thoughts here would be greatly appreciated!!!

Once again, FChat folks…Thank You for all the tips and the richness of all your experiences!

...drivin’ a Ferrari…what a Life!
ccferrari

 

Yes, I will post...
- Picture 1: Connectors to the bypass solenoid. (looking from under the car)
- Picture 2: Drilled hole for wiring to the trunk of the car. (looking from under the car)
- Picture 2a: Clean up of Picture 2.
- Picture 3: With the carpet removed, wiring inside the trunk spare wheel well. (looking into the trunk from the rear of the car.)
- Picture 3a: Clean up of Picture 3.
- Picture 3b: Clean up of Picture 3 after the carpet was reinstalled.
- Picture 4: Baffle Bypass unit (black box) mounted to the right rear fender well, velcro adhered on top of the audio amplifier (silver box). (looking to the right rear fender well from inside the trunk)
- Picture 4a: Picture 4 with the carpet/felt door cover installed.
- Picture 5: Baffle closed by depressing button B, right button, on the remote fob.
- Picture 5a: Baffle opened by depressing button A, left button, on the remote fob.

ccferrari
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Hi Clyde,
FYI, I started the project this year because it is now 10 years since the last 2005 575M was produced. And, I was told that manufactures are required ( by law????) to provide parts for 10 years after the last production of a car??? Perhaps this is loosely adhered to as there are already "unobtainium" parts for the 575M. So, I purchased all the parts on my list and in summary, it took almost 4 months to acquire all the ECUs, exhaust extensions, etc. from the US and EU. Some parts were back ordered for a few weeks with no definitive dates of delivery and others projected weeks out. I also noticed, prices for these parts have already escalated considerably, but not astronomical yet, with the EU and UK being much cheaper in cost than here in the US.
Thanks!
ccferrari

 

Hi Eli355,
Yes, FChat is a great forum.
ccferrari

 

Hi Jürgen,
Thank you! This is very helpful, especially knowing underneath the rubber film coating the switches are black plastic.
Regarding the three circular vent vane adjusters in the upper center dash, is the entire circular ring made of rubber? Or, is it a plastic ring with the same rubber coating that turns sticky?
Pardon asking detailed questions. Just trying to make sure I can finish the project once started rather than being surprised having to buy a part that becomes backordered for weeks or months.
Thank you, again!
ccferrari

 

Hi Taz, duly noted and a great plan to just replace the battery on New Years.
Thanks!
ccferrari
p.s. and...welcome back!

 

Hi Jürgen,
Thank you! I'm relieved that the rings are made of black plastic. And, I will take your note of caution on paying attention to the mixture of the alcohol solution.
Now I can launch on the final project of removing the stickies.
Thank you again!
ccferrari

 

Hi MogulBoy,
Yes, the drilled hole was larger than the actual cable size because the quality connector that Forza Componenti provided was quite hefty, to my liking. So, I just initially drilled a small guiding hole with a small drill bit and then matched the next drill bit to 1/16" larger than the connector. That is the net of it. However, here are the detailed steps that I learned and hopefully will reduce your installation to less than 3 hours.

1. Reference Pictures 2 & 2a: After locating where you want to drill the hole. Start with a small drill bit, ~1/8" as a starter guiding hole. Ferrari does an excellent job of packing thick and dense fiber insulation sandwiched between two hard materials on the underside and trunk side surfaces. This fiber will wind around your drill bit and perhaps stop your drill. Back it out slowly as it is also pulling all the surrounding fiber insulation with it. So, the starter hole allows inserting a thin pick tool and rotating it around to clear the fiber insulation around it so the next size drill can be used and go straight through with minimum interference. I basically used three different sized drill bits working my way up to the connector width + 1/16th".

2. Reference Pictures 3, 3a & 3b: In Picture 3, the carpet covering has been removed, exposing a squishy rubber mat type material. With a box cutter knife, a slot was cut to route the cable so the final routed cable would not protrude as a bump in the carpet covering once it was replaced. Picture 3b, with the carpet reinstalled shows no evidence of the routed cable underneath. Note, you'll be provided with two cables, a long and short one. For this routing application, only the long cable will suffice as it must traverse many length eating 90 degree angle corners and turns.

3. Reference Pictures 4 & 4a: The black colored bracket that supports the amplifier (silver colored unit) provides a very good ground for the baffle bypass unit, green wire in Picture 4. I spent quite a time trying to figure out how to mount the baffle bypass unit because, I wanted it free standing for minimum antenna interference, for the remote fobs, and maximum cooling for the electronics. With such limited space available in the fender well, I ultimately converged on mounting the baffle bypass unit piggy-backed on to the amplifier. This was a compromise because I was concerned about cooling for both the amplifier and baffle bypass units. So, chose to velcro the baffle bypass unit with stand-off space between the amplifier in hope of minimizing any heat transfer between the units and the potential for causing electronic gremlins due to operating outside of temperature design limits on extremely hot or cold days.

RESULTS: So far so good. The baffle bypass remote fob works flawlessly with no radio frequency interference from the amplifier or amplifier housing, and the piggy-back attachment has not caused any electronic gremlins to raise their heads from the audio amplifier side (noise contamination through the speakers or speaker amplifier) nor the baffle bypass unit becoming intermittent or failing in its entirety. As well, I was worried that the silver aluminum amplifier unit would act as an radio frequency shield and therefore dramatically attenuate rf signals from communicating between the fob and baffle bypass unit antenna and transmitter / receiver.

Another heads-up: 315MHz or 433MHz?
One cautionary note, that may or may not be relevant in your case but is something I was initially concerned about. The baffle bypass unit uses 433MHz to bidirectionally communicate with the remote fob. I was concerned that this frequency would interfere with the TPMS sensor transmitters / receivers which are using the same 433MHz frequency. Fortunately, after taking the tires off, my TPMS sensors were found to be 315MHz so there would be not interference what so ever. If, indeed they were 433MHz, my backup plan was to just use the toggle switch option and hardwire route a switch cable through the center drive shaft tunnel into the passenger compartment. A disclaimer: My cautionary fears may be overbearing as I do not know if the 433MHz in the remote fob will interfere with the TPMS or whether the TMPS ECUs have sophisticated algorithms to filter out stray 433MHz noises from such interference as the baffle bypass fob.

Lastly, if you attempt this and are going in with the same "personal choice or preference" requirements, you will be absolutely satisfied to be in total control of your bypass baffles for all your in-cabin deep exhaust note or quiet, or, open window edgy spirited driving or cruising experiences.

Enjoy!
ccferrari

 

Hi jakemc,

I'm not sure what the FChat posting policy is on vendors and part prices...???

However, here are the sources I've found where you can get them.
Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini Parts - Ricambi America, Inc.
Scuderia Systems Performance & Prestige Car Parts
Order Ferrari, Lamborghini & Maserati Parts | Order Online Eurospares

Without getting into the detail, at the time I ordered, ricambiaamerica was the most expensive, scuderiacarparts was the least expensive and eurospares was slightly higher in price than scuderiacarparts.

Even with shipping and duty charges and less VAT taxes, scuderiacarparts and eurospares was ~35% less expensive than ricambiamerica.

ccferrari

 

Hi Taz,
Perhaps this might help???
HomeLink is not optioned in my 2003 575M. However, if in the later 575M model years HomeLink was provided, and if, there is more than one garage door opener button, a 2nd or 3rd, then perhaps you are in luck. The baffle remote fob can be programmed to the 2nd or 3rd Homelink button. Resulting in, the remote fob no longer being needed, nor are, physical wires and a switch needed to open/close the baffles.
ccferrari

 

Hi Taz,

That is a VERY NICE installation of HomeLink in the 575M dome light! It looks totally OEM.

Regarding compatible frequencies, this is what HomeLink says, directly off of their website:

1. HomeLink transmitter and receiver frequency ranges.
"...HomeLink is an integrated transceiver (a transmitter and receiver) that can be programmed to activate Radio Frequency (RF) devices such as garage door openers, estate/community gates, entry door locks, home/office lighting, or other RF devices. HomeLink is compatible with radio frequency devices operating between 288 and 433 MHz. Select 2007 and newer vehicles are compatible up to 433 MHz…”

2. Again, directly off the HomeLink website, a .pdf of all the documented compatible devices.
http://www.homelink.com/assets/downloads/homelink_ukenglish.pdf


I had to check this previously for my Aston Martin V12 Vantage that has a HomeLink system. I wanted to install a relay to control the exhaust baffle flap with a remote fob and had the same question of frequency compatibility. The relay’s remote fob frequency was 315MHz and is not documented in the .pdf list. However, it was in the proper frequency range of 288 and 433MHz. So, after installing the baffle flap relay and remote fob, I attempted to pair/synchronize the remote fob with the HomeLink system. It paired immediately. So now, the V12V can open the baffles with the HomeLink buttons or the remote fob. I use both interchangeably.

Back to the 575M:
The remote fob that Steve provides is 433MHz, the HomeLink 288 to 433MHz range, so this should also be compatible with your HomeLink system.(???)
Hopefully, Steve will be able reconfigure your baffle bypass system for the wireless remote fob that you can then pair/synchronize to your HomeLink buttons. During installation, my 575M system had the option for both, fixed switch or wireless remote fob, of which I chose wireless.

Just so there are not surprises, what I learned from pairing/synchronizing the baffle bypass relay to the HomeLink system in the V12V, is that, of the three (3) Homelink switches, two (2) are required to replicate the same operation of the remote fob. Example, Homelink Button #1 is used to open one’s personal garage door, Button #2 is programmed to open the exhaust baffles, Button #3, is used to close the exhaust baffles. In both cases, the remote fob is used to point at and train/pair/synchronize the HomeLink system.

ccferrari

p.s. Now with your success of having a HomeLink system stalled in the 575M dome light, I may have to try this as a future project...