2 questions about going catless on a 458

Streetcars should have cats. There is no good reason to remove them even if you occasionally track the car. Taking cats off is way more trouble that its worth not to mention illegal and a hassle to replace every 2 years. With 550+ horsepower if you aren't racing you are already wasting about 450 of it. Honestly there is so little to gain plus your car will stink if you drive with the windows open.

 

My information is that an ECU tune is definitely in the cards if you want to remove the cats. That is not necessarily bad, and several aftermarket companies do that. But it is possible that you will lose your pops and gurgles. You might want to look into hi-flow cats which still give some exhaust clean up and give a couple of horsepower and additional sound.

 

perhaps to put them back on for emissions testing?

 

Sorry. Location says city of angles. I thought Los Angeles. California has emissions testing every 2 years.

 

Why do you want to go catless?

 

Well I'm not a 458 guy but if indeed an ECU tune is needed then you got to find out what kind of tune and at best that would mean you have two tunes one for catless and one for cats meaning you got to go to the guy to switch every 2 years for smog or own something like HP tuners and swap tunes yourself if the ECU is hand flashable. I don't think the 458 ECU is like say a corvette ECU where you can flash with a hand tuner. You might end up easier time with multiple ECUs and swap them out when you swap cats back in. Then there is a question of how that would effect the immobilizer? Can you have two ferrari ECU's on the same set of FOB's? It sure sounds like a hassle for not much gain. Also, realize that Star testing is in play. Star targets the high abuse potential cars. That means Ferrari, P-bugs, ricers etc... You can pass the sniff test but will fail a visual if anything on the car does not have an EO# from CARB. So things like aftermarket headers and aftermarket high flow cats will fail you. To my knowledge no aftermarket Cat or header for a Ferrari has an EO number.

 

I agree with the above posters and would not go catless. I did it on my 360 spider and paid to put the cats back on. The smell of toxic fumes and CEL were not worth the trouble as it did not make much difference in sound or power. Yes you will have to get an ECU reflash.

Especially since you love the pops and crackles, I wouldn't reflash away from your pre 2011 tune that has the ecu with the pops and crackles. I think the headers you are adding will make a much bigger difference in sound for you.

Plus I'm not a tree hugger but taking the cats off is pretty nasty. It's like making your car a 1970's emissions era car and the exhaust will actually smell strong and hurt your eyes.

(BTW I have the Ferrari Sport muffler as you do -- I can appreciate your mission)

 

Here you go..........Ferrari 458 with straight pipes!! - YouTube

 

Here is another one 458trofeo,with straight pipes the 458 simply sounds out of this world!,do it............. Straight Piped Ferrari 458 Italia Says 'Hi' to Beverly Hills - YouTube

 

That is a cool set up but wont be enough......lol

 

458trofeo: GMG is the answer! Here is a brief vid of their work last week on my 991 TTS Cab:

Porsche 991 Turbo S Cab with GMG Headers and Exhaust System 2 on Vimeo

 

Here is some information about late model cars and removing catalytic converters (installing catbypass pipes or straight pipes ) and or installing high flow sports racing catalytic converters

In our dyno testing and street and race track driving certain Porsche Ferrari Lamborghini and mclaren cars really respond well to quality high flow German sports racing HJS trimetalic catalytic converters. Earlier Ferrari 360 and 430 cars have 6 catalytic installed by the factory when built.
Porsche has installed upwards of 4 catalytic converters on many of the watercooled Boxster, caymans, 996, 997 and other cars. Lambo and mclaren have multiple restrictive 700 cell cats installed as well.

Car enthusiasts can definitely add some significant power and sports car sound replacing redundant catalytic converters on these normally aspirated and turbocharged cars. You will achieve plenty of power and sports ar sound with HJS catalytic converters that use Emitec OEM cores but with proprietary trimetalic European level 5 coatings so you should not have CEL lights and pass emissions. You will get sports car sound and pops bubbles and extra sound depending on how many catalytic converters are replacing on these individual cars.

Each of these cars are different and different results are achieved when swapping out catalytic converters for sports racing cats and or straight pipes. For example a Bentley CGT or Ferrari 599 or gallardo lp560 2009+ model year each has secondary cats and these are very simpleto replace with a high flow exhaust while the car retains the primary catalytic converters closeto the engine. No check engine lights are possible and each car picks up +35hp Bentley CGT , Ferrari 599 + 32hp , gallardo +22hp and each car losesalot of weight.

The Ferrari 458 has only 2 main large ceramic cats these can be replaced with HJS 200 cell trimetalic catalytic converters and you will not have any cell lights and will pass emissions testing. A catbypass pipe may add slightly more power I would wager another +5hp but definitely a CEL light . A 458 with a sports race catalytic converter will make a lot more sports car sound and power and will pop on overrun and will bolt up to all factory components if properly manufactured. A 458 catbypass pipe will be much louder as any and all catalytic converters are very compact efficient mufflers given their spiral cores and mesh.

HJS Germany manufactures the worlds best catalytic converters that are extremely high flow and have proprietary wash coatings of precious metals that scrub or catalyze the exhaust. Fabspeed is HJS Germany's second largest volume customer in the world . We have designed catalytic converters with HJS and partnered with them on exotic cars.

IMHO I would run a high flow HJS catalytic converter on exotic car if I wanted more power and sports car sound all in one emissions legal package. The cars ECU will automatically self adjust setting and you will not have to chip or retune the ecus. If the exotic is a dedicated over 50 days a year track DE , club race car I would strongly consider straight pipes or catbypass pipes if I needed the small edge in power and throttle response and did not have to fuss with emissions and noise restrictions were not an issue.

Many tracks have noise limits and limits are coming to many race tracks so even my last advice means a Racer often has to adjust sound as needed. You won't be racing a Ferrari 430 or 458 at lime rock part with no cats!

Fabspeed open house may 10th 2014

 

if going totally catless, you and /or passenger may also get lightheaded in stop and go trafiic due to all the carbon monoxide you are breathing if windows are slightly open and wind blowing back into car from rear ( something older members here " fondly " remember as kids, in traffic, in the 60s)

trailing cars will not be impressed as you will smell like something is seriously wrong with your expensive engine, as few today remember what catless motors smelled like 45yrs ago...they will not think "great sounding loud Ferrari" , but instead " that guys Ferrari is broken and spewing a bad smell" !

 

Please tell me you are not that guy running around Beverly Hills at 8000 rpm and 40 mph screaming " look at me! Hear me!"