Pista Exhaust Upgrade

488GTB valves are close until around 2800-3100rpm. Totally closed at idle. Pista valves are open at idle, then close after you pull away then open back up about the same as the 488. There is a difference in valves opening between Sport and Race but it’s minimal….seems to me Sport opens around 3000/3100rpm and Race opens slightly sooner around 2800/2900rpm.

 

As someone who's spent a bit of time listening to Pista exhaust options in person on a few different set ups (several of my own included), I'll have to say that anyone that doesn't provide a big YMMV qualifier to their impressions of Pista exhaust setups is not doing you any favors.

The Pista's OEM exhaust seems like it is highly tuned from an acoustics standpoint for the driver to enjoy the sound INSIDE the car. While there are exhaust options for the car, it look a lot of experimentation for me to find a setup that I personally liked. IMHO, the Pista is one of Ferrari's most beautiful designs and the car itself is just a dream to drive and own. Sound is just not what I think of when I think about the Pista.

Constrastingly, I don't think anyone disputes that a V12 Ferrari.. literally ANY V12 Ferrari with nearly ANY exhaust, including OEM, sounds brilliant to just about anyone. The same seems true for a V12 Aventador. In both cases, you've got to be trying really hard to make a bad sounding exhaust - it's nearly idiot proof.

 

Is there much of a difference in sound between these brands after the change or do
they all sound similar?

 

Stock is a unique sound, but rather uninspiring. It got louder higher in the rev range, but the tessitura didn’t change. I would stay away from a valved exhaust, as I don’t think it provides a lot of change from stock (as SECRET knows). I’d rather have a better sound at all times with an X pipe.

 

So if I go with an aftermarket nonvalved exhaust, do I have to plug the vacuum lines that feed into the oemvalves?

 

They each sound different. Also, as a benefit to anyone reading, I'll clarify some inaccurate information out there regarding how interchangeable the cats are (i.e. if you wanted to use cats from one manufacturer and the muffler/x-pipe from another or OEM muffler). AFAIK, there are only three brands that make cats that are OEM fit on both the turbo side inlet and the muffler side outlet: Kline, Fabspeed, and Brooke. Novitec and Akrapovic are not OEM fit on the muffler side. I could not find factual info on the Capristo options.

The one thing I would add here is that the idle on a Pista's OEM system is unmistakable, special, and personally I do miss it. The reason I miss it is that when you introduce changes to the downpipe and muffler, the resonance of the exhaust at idle goes away. This also changes the timbre of the idle from inside the car. The thing that goes away is that very deep (low frequency) rumble. For those that understand acoustics, it's almost like the entire exhaust system, including the hot tube, was designed to constructively resonate, and that changing this up resulted in some type of destructive interference or cancelling of those tones.

That said, the money maker was the x-pipe. I tried ever so hard to hang onto keeping the valves, but it just wasn't possible to attain the sound I was hoping to get. My final system is quite nice, and I enjoy it a lot.

Yes, you just cap the vacuum lines.

 

I went the whole hog when I changed so can’t comment on how it sounds with cats in place, but was told that just the rear section alone is not a massive change..

It’s very loud, but it’s harmonious. High pitch tone as you go through the rev range and the downshifts are brutal. I would say that they sound tails off a touch nearer the red line but I don’t mind that as I’m 90% not at redline in 3rd,4th,5th etc

I don’t think I would own this car without an aftermarket system - its a necessity to bring out the Ferrari character imo.

 

What's the latest best setup? I'm scared to spend that much money on 20% improvement.