2005 Maserati GranSport Mods/Restoration

those wheels look awesome!

 

I will be happy to take the question mark away from the exhaust system, Rob

 

Wow! Beautiful! These cars seem like an amazing value.

 

I've done pretty much all these upgrades on my car and on some friends cars, here are my comments:


- FD Drive by Wire - 2011

This should have been included with the car by the factory, its that good

- FD Front Big Brake Kit - 2011

Great performance for the track, highly recommended. Waste of money for normal roads, unless you race on normal roads.

- FD Performance Kevlar Brake Pads - 2011

Nothing interesting, you can get the optional Maserati official super-pads which are EBC Yellow OEM pads, pretty much the same in their results.

- FD Stainless Steel Brake Lines - 2011

Very good upgrade for the track and for those high speed down-hills that make your brakes feel like sludge!

- FD Sport Springs - 2013

The Skyhook suspension on the GranSport is already hard enough for a GT car, these can give you a lower ride height if you track the car, but otherwise most people will be annoyed by the harsh ride. These are a better upgrade for the too-soft suspension of the regular 4200. I would personally avoid them unless I'm building a race car.

- FD Sway Bars - 2013

Great stuff for the track, highly recommended, but be warned that sway bars add extra tension to the chassis and can warp it and make the whole car bent. The kind of forces that should be mitigated by the independent suspension are now passed on to the chassis. I would personally avoid them unless I'm building a race car.

- FD Chip?

Nice stuff, it gives you some extra punch at high speeds and high rpm.

- Exhaust systems?

You'll get some nice sound with Larini, which enhances the original sound of the car and makes it louder. Larini has the best quality that I've ever seen up close. But don't expect a power increase, these engines are already running at their max.


Your comments and experience with the above items is welcome


PS:
I'm not affiliated with FD, but these guys are amazing! The 4200 and GranSports get a huge boost with their upgrades. Our cars become keepers for life!

PS2:
Be warned, the GranSport's end-of-life is coming in a few years (2015?) which is when Maserati will stop producing spare parts. Even now, spare parts for these cars can take up to 6 months to arrive at dealers.

 

Looks awesome with the new wheels! Did you do the sticky parts yourself or send it out?

 

Let's see some pics!!

You should consider a secondary cat delete. Eliminating the back pressure will give you a bit more power and low end torque, which is nice off the line. FD has some numbers on that, for their Larini products. The sound gets much more interesting too - good tone and volume with lots of nice burbles and pops. It's hard to sneak up on people.....

 

+1 2nd cat delete for reasons stated by TB & does deliver performance. Using Larini sports decat

(Primary aftermarket Larini manifold now available but $$$$. There is a neat solution on one of the US dedicated forums to eliminate the ceramic filters in the primary cat and retaining the original look)

IMO std GS suspension is too floaty/wanders at speeds > 120kph with factory geo.suspension settings.

 

I have not noticed any floatiness at 140-150 mph....seemed rock solid, very confident.

 

Hmm...

Maybe LHD cars are set up different.

I have driven mine and its identical twin (both RHD MCVs which are meant to have better front end handling) and charactericts the same. Both set to factory geo spec.

Have the FD springs but not yet fitted, hopefully that will result in some improvement

 

Yep, same thing at FoCF. They quoted me $2k for the entire interior.

 

Maybe our base line for comparison is different. Although I've driven many better cars, this is the best car I've owned, so...... I also tend to be focused on other things at that speed. Next time I'll pay special attention to this point.