ECU Flash? is it worth it?

I wouldn't do it on a 430 because I'd actually lose HP in the rpm ranges I frequent. It made a huge difference in my 360, in conjunction with a full airflow package from boxes to tips, for a 80hp or so increase, dyno verified. Very noticable. But you're asking for CEL's, problems passing emissions, all kinds of headaches. It wouldn't be worth it to me, even for the gains on a complete exhaust upgrade, not for the potential problems. You just don't get the same gains upgrading a 430 that you would a 360. It's already PDG.

 

Agreed. unless you are doing exhaust, intake even engine internals, i have never found "mapping" an ECU on a normally asperated engine to be worth the bang for the buck. Now on forced induction cars there are some real gains that can be made.

 

What products did you use for your airflow to tips package and ECU reflash to get 80 HP? Thank you in advance, Nate

 

I think he is also exaggerating a bit with the 80 hp gain. I have been talking with Fabspeed a lot recently, and you can look at the dyno graphs on their site for the 360, gains are as follows:

Stock 328 whp
Exhaust 10 whp
Hi flow cats 10 whp
Carbon airbox 10 whp

Total 358 whp

This does not include header upgrade, nor ecu tune. Looking at their header dyno it only adds a bit of hp, but only above 7500 rpm.

An F-Chatter recently got the full package, yet they didn't dyno the car before it left their facility? Strange? They estimated 370 whp with the full package, a gain of 42 whp, add 15% and you get around plus 50.

Next you have to ask yourself if 50hp is worth 10k? Still 40 hp shy of a 430, and less torque.

 

Not exaggerating, no reason to, but my memory could be off a little. My dyno sheets came back just under 370 whp, as I recall. So that would be about 60 more hp to the wheels. Since you lose at least 20% in the drive train, that would be in excess of 70hp gained at the crank. My package was boxes, headers, cats, muffler, and ecu upgrade. You didn't list ecu upgrade.

 

I have been at this mod stuff over 35 years, and I can find 40hp on a 360 possible, but that is about it. Maybe if you rebuilt the engine from scratch you could get more, but it would cost more than the car is worth.

 

Also keep in mind hp and torque are very different, most hp gains are usually not felt till the car is close to redline, and I doubt many driver here push their cars that way.

 

So you're saying the before and after dyno sheets were falsified?

 

Stock whp as mentioned above is 328. You gained about 40 whp, far from your claim of 80 net.

My only issue is I have no problem believing the 358 whp with exhaust, air boxes and cats, but the gains above that with headers and ecu tune, where is the info? $5500 for headers and ecu tune estimate is 10-12 hp? Pretty steep for such a small gain.

Can't believe Fabspeed can't get one of their customers in with the full setup and get a dyno? Would sell more full systems with verification, unless they already have and don't want propective customers to see the results?

 

I had my F430 spider retuned by DMS automotive in the UK.
The difference is night from day.
Much more energy low down the rpm.
Now the car pick us cleanly from around 2500rpm and builds up strongly all the way up the top.
Now I get wheel spin in second and third gear when the car reaches 5000rpm.
I recommend it!

 

this is always something I wondered , for $2k-4k and only gain 20hp(questionable if its wheel HP) is the dollar to HP gain worth it ...

 

absolutley NOT with a stock exhaust ... you will notice the car running to rich (too much fuel )

 

Grey hair,

I feel the same way ...

 

???? Whatever, anonymous unsubscribed newbie.

 

So show us a copy of your dyno mr. Expert. Fabspeed has copies of theirs on their website. That's why you moved to a 430 huh, because 480 hp wasn't enough anymore, you needed 490, lol. I have over 20 years tuning RX-7's, I think I know a bit about tuning bro.

 

Calm down, I'm not saying anyone is lying, dynos are not perfect, they react to temp, and other conditions. What I am saying is that I have been doing this stuff a very very very long time, and I have heard lots of claims about what things can do, and most of them have been hype. If you did indeed gain that much HP from a NA engine on pump gas whoever did your tune should be in the tuner hall of fame. There are many posts about this all over this board, and I have never heard of anyone getting more than 40hp and those gains come at near redline. But since we think its faster, it sound faster, then it has to be faster. I think if your happy with what you got for your money that is all that matters.

 

My honest feedback is on the F430 ecu is important with other mods. Biggest gain on the F430 is aftermarket headers (supporting mods of course). On the 360, headers and ecu make the biggest difference.

 

My only frustration is that for a 360, headers show the least power increase on a dynograph. Only 10 hp above 7500 rpm. Exhaust, air box and cats start to help at 5500 rpm.

Maybe with the ecu tune it's like high end audio, the law of diminishing returns, done alone an improvement, but done with a bunch of other mods, only a small increase?

Someone please show us a fully moded 360 dyno.

I would also think that at some point a 360 and Stradale would have equal hp with all mods being equal?

 

I am not doubting his dyno of 370 whp, he is just confused about a 360's base stock whp.

 

Bob,

Out of curiosity how does your stock 430 pull cpmared to the 360 with mods? Given fabspeeds charts I would think they would be very close.

I am wondering because I may just save my money and get a 430 next year vs drop $10k on my 360. Thank you.

 

Ask IngPr his 360 is modded to the max with all the best stuff and he race a 430.

 

Love to know the results. I would love to mod my car and hang onto for more than a year. Right now I am missing the 600lb ft of torque from my old RS6.

 

Ahhhh...torque...the archilles heel of most ferraris, unless you have the 599GTO.