TUBI exhaust & air box views

Well, after reading everything I could on ferrarichat and talking to a number of people, I decided to ignore everyone and buy a Tubi hehe.. just kidding

All kidding aside, I did place an order for a brand new tubi 360 exhaust and also their carbonfiber air boxes today. Both should be here next week. I would like to really thank MufflerMan for his excellent posting with the video of the 3 cars:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=94976

And of course, thanks to everyone else I spoke with in regards to exhaust systems for the 360. In the end, it came down to having had personal experience with a tubi on my 355; the sound of the tubi; and also my conversation with Tubi USA prior to ordering.

In searching for an exhaust, I considered the following brands: Tubi, Capristo (Level II), Ansa, Kreis-sieg, Larini, Koening, Fabspeed and, last but not least, the GruppeM titanium exhaust (which turned out not to be available, although the company says a stainless steel model is available for the 360). The links to those companies appear below (in alphabetical order):

http://www.ansaautomotive.com
http://www.capristo.de
http://www.fabspeed.com
http://www.gruppemeurope.com
http://www.koenig-specials.com
http://www.kreissieg-usa.com
http://www.larinisystems.com
http://www.tubistyleusa.com

My original intention with this post was to detail my experience and views with regard to each exhaust I considered along the way. However, after thinking about it, I decided this wouldn't really be fair (after all, I ultimately only selected one company's product). I certainly didn't want to cast anyone in a negative light. Instead, I think it would be more helpful to simply relate why I decided to go with Tubi and let ferrarichat members do their own research on all the products available in the market. My feeling is that much of selecting an exhaust system (or any other part for your car) is very subjective. More likely than not, my views on why I didn't select one particular exhaust, may be the exact reason why someone else loves it. As my friend John said, "Ray, if everyone agreed with you, Ferrari would only make Titanium colored cars" - he might have a point there

If you take the time to read this board and call around, you'll find there is certainly no shortage of information, videos, views and opinions. In my research, however, I think it's fair to say that the two most popular exhaust systems currently are Tubi and Capristo. In the thread mentioned above, an informal poll seems to show preferences split about 50/50 between the two.

After doing a great deal of reading on FerrariChat, talking to dealers and friends, I finally called Tubi USA directly to ask them some questions. I have to say, one of the things that impressed me about Tubi was that they were one of the few companies who didn't have anything negative to say about their competitors. Myself, I always have more respect for someone who tells me what is good about their product, as opposed to someone whose sales pitch involves bashing competitors.

Tubi was very up front with information about their products. I asked them a number of questions that I had about their product and they addressed every one (these included the weight of the product, the specific grade stainless used, etc). As many of you probably know, Tubi works closely with Ferrari and, at least for me, that counts. Myself, I'm a very good welder and fabricator; I could probably build my own exhaust if I wanted to. However, I'm not in Italy, nor do I know anyone at the factory. So knowing that Tubi does work with the company that builds my car - that means a lot to me. Whether it translates into a better exhaust system - that I don't know. I would like to think it does, but I couldn't say either way frankly.

As mentioned, I'm a welder (although that is certainly not my trade). I taught myself to weld at the age of about 18. I can MIG, arc and gas weld no problem. Other welders who have seen my work have commented that my welds are attractive and have good penetration. While I haven't yet seen the welds on the 360 Tubi, I did see them on the 355 tubi I installed. At least on the 355 Tubi, the welds were very nice - clearly done by a skilled welder of SS. When I receive the 360 tubi, I will photograph the welds and write up a little article on it for anyone who may be interested. For now, I will attach a photo I kept of the 355 welds on my previous car's Tubi - for anyone who can weld, it should answer a lot of questions regarding quality of the product.

While Tubi didn't provide dyno sheets or make any specific claims as to guaranteed HP gains, they were kind enough to relate what other customers (who had installed their product) had told them. I don't know if those customers had actually dynoed the cars before and after installation, but the numbers I was hearing seemed very level headed and plausible. BTW, I should mention I grew up building motors (specifically turbocharged motors) and so when people tell me they are going to get 30 HP just by installing new air filters, I am always very entertained. I think we can all be quite sure that if you could get 30 HP from a $100 air filter, Ferrari would have taken notice.

Ultimately, I purchased my exhaust from Tubi due to the relationship Tubi has with Ferrari. If I was working on a Datsun or Chevy, that stuff might not matter as much. With my Ferrari, it carries some weight (at least for me). Sound was also a very personal and important issue and I completely understand that not everyone likes the same exhaust note. In comparing the different exhaust, I personally felt the best sound came from the Kreis-sieg exhaust actually. However, I also don't want to wake up half the town when I drive to get my mail at 2 am I am going to install hyper-flow cats with the Tubi, so that will probably bump the exhaust note up a bit further. Finally, my experience with the company and their 355 product also carried a lot of weight for me.

Capristo deserves an honorable mention here. They seem to have a very nice product, although for me personally, the sound was a little too loud and unrefined for my taste (speaking in reference to the Level II exhaust). Clearly, it's a beautiful design and my understanding is that the capristo uses a slightly higher grade of SS (although I would suggest calling Capristo to confirm this). Tubis are made from 304SS. Here is a reference on T-304SS:

http://www.azom.com/details.asp?ArticleID=965

I have one of those little laser heat guns - once I get the 360 setup with the Tubi, I will take her out for a few hard runs, then come back and take a few temp readings off the exhaust ;-)

With regard to the carbonfiber air boxes, I selected Tubi here also. I felt the Tubi air boxes looked a little nicer than most (they are lower than some of the 3rd party ones, and this makes them look just a touch sleeker in my opinion). Tubi also confirmed that their product is made from 100% real carbonfiber (using an autoclave process), not the "carbonfiber" known as Texalium (which is popular on lower cost carbonfiber products). I'm not expert on Texalium, so hit google if you want to find out more.

I would also like to mention that I purchased my Tubi products from T. Rutlands. Many of you know they have been around for some time. I have dealt with them in the past with 355 parts, so I call them again this time. Steve over there was very helpful and I have to say I was pleased with the transaction. If you are looking for parts, it would probably be worth your while to give them a buzz.

http://www.trutlands.com/

If anyone has any questions about anything and/or my experience, please don't hesitate to drop me a line. In the end, my advice is to do your own research and make your own decisions however. In my experience over the years, if you spend more time researching & reading, than buying and installing, then usually in the end you will come out with a product you are happy with and which works well with your application.

Next on the list are some hyper-flow cats and perhaps some challenge wheels

Ray

following is a photo I took of my 355 Tubi some years back prior to installation:
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That's a good looking exhaust! I like the tail pipes

Ray

 

Lose the tack welded on logo Otherwise, looks nice.

 

Air boxes arrived and have been installed. Here is the thread if you are interested:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=110010

The tubi exhaust also arrived. It's a work of art, what else can I say.

Ray