488 La PISTA è arrivata

That's an interesting possibility! I'm assuming that if they used the fuse tap on the fuse that was recommended, it ties into the cigarette lighter, which is an accessory. Maybe the car detects that and stays alive?

It's odd that the Forza system wouldn't be working then.

 

Was it on a Pista too?

Dealer sounds like they think they know what it is. But it doesn't sound like a quick fix. Car is going there tomorrow AM and is going to be there for the weekend [at least].

 

Alright guys, hope everyone had a good week.

Lots to update as the car's been away for about a week. Dealer has been really good to work with on this one, and Steve from Forza has been highly responsive. You all know how distressing it can be when your car isn't working right. Doesn't feel good.

"Incomplete Vehicle Information -- Contact Dealer" -- RESOLVED

Easy fix for the dealer. Just some PDI information not loaded properly in the computer. No more warnings!
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Forza Exhaust Controller Issue -- Likely Resolved

I put "likely resolved" as we spent a considerable amount of time troubleshooting the issue, and we're not 100% sure it is fixed.

The initial failure was a blown fuse at the fuse tap, shutting down the whole controller system. The Forza design defaults to allow the OEM system to bypass it lose power, which is great. Car as at least drivable. I took it back into the dealership when I posted (about a week and half ago) to have a look as they were the ones who helped install it during PDI. Earlier this week, they thought they had it fixed with the fuse being changed out for a 15A (originally a 10A) as well as moving the ground point. It was working great when I left the dealership. You can immediately tell the difference when it's working!

About 30 mins of driving after leaving the dealer, the system stopped working again. Back to the service dept. it went!

The Ferrari technician was very patient and spent a considerable amount of time on the car. We went over a list of suggestions from Steve of things to check. Ultimately, we decided to move the ground point again, and also heat wrap the controller as the placement of it close enough to the turbo that it might be a heat related issue.

I had the service team keep the car for a few hours to see if they could get it to fail again either by test drive, letting it run for a while, etc. Ultimately, they concluded at that point, all they could do was either put a lot of hard miles on it (which they really wanted to avoid) or hand it back over to me to run the car and see if it was steady. I elected to take the car back since the new fixes seemed to help stabilize the issue. I got home after taking a slightly longer route to heat up the turbos, and everything seemed to working well. It's been 24 hours since then, and we're still good as I write this.

Steve also presented me with a couple other options should the issue not be resolved as well [he's been very supportive and understanding of my situation/frustration].

I will continue to report if any issue arise, but I'm hoping those two fixes resolved the issues!
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Audio Controls On after Car Locked -- NOT RESOLVED

There's good and bad news here. Bad news first: the issue is still there. Good news is it appears to time out within 10-30m. Not ideal, but hopefully a massive battery drain.

Coincidentally, while waiting at the dealership to get my car back and hanging out in the showroom, I noticed something interesting on a Pista Spider that was sitting on a tender. Every 10-15 minutes, it's hazard/blinkers would blink about 7 times. No sound, no beeps. Italian software/electronics for ya.​

BONUS: I decided to get the car lowered and modify the alignment to as close to Robert Mitchell's APEX TAXI Pista as possible.

· I was able to get the OEM Pista Alignment spec in the process. I will share that a bit later when I have a moment to transcribe it.

· I lowered the car about 20-25mm. We were able to compensate for me sitting in the car so it's level when I am in it (driving it).

· I matched the camber specs on Robert's car

· I did not match the toe specs on his car... yet. I elected to keep it OEM for now due to the lack of clarity of the spec in his video. On his video the toe specs are a little unclear as:

1. They are reported in millimeters, which requires you to verify his rolling diameters, rather than degrees
2. He flips back and forth a little on whether the values are toe in or toe out for F/R. Factory specs have the tow out on the front and toe in on the rear.

· As a side note, my SAI or Steering Axis Inclination values looked really uneven for the Front Left [9.6º] v. Front Right [13.7º].

· Service manager was saying that that's likely a result of Ferrari compensating for driving on the right side in the US and crowning of the road. Couldn't find much online about that other than some websites saying a big difference could mean damaged or bent suspension components. Unfortunately there's no OEM Alignment spec on this as there's no adjustment for this.

· Anyone have alignment sheets on a Pista with their SAI values that I can compare against?

· Despite the funky SAI values, I think the car drives pretty straight. My brain may be playing tricks on me though as something I feel like it pulls a little right.
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Overall, I'm very happy with the slightly lowered stance. It looks much better and hopefully can still get around without much trouble. Pics to come later.

 

I just lowered on the OEM coilovers. I took the car out for spirited mountain drive this morning and didn't have any issues. Only thing I would say is the mental fear when you run into a very low speed 180º hairpin on a high grade decline is a little scary. I didn't scrape anywhere but I definitely felt like I was damn close with the diffuser or the front bumper. Both components overhang the wheelbase by quite a bit so you gotta be careful on those roads.

That said, the new suspension settings feel really good. Lots of traction and near impossible feeling lateral grip. Love it.

UPDATE: Forza Exhaust Controller Issue -- NOT Resolved

Thanks man. Yeah, so halfway on my fun mountain drive this morning, somewhere along the way before I ran into some traffic (lots of bicyclists), the system stopped working again. You can really tell when you slow down.

Back to the shop to figure out what's wrong :/​

 

A couple new updates on the Pista.

Dashcam Install -- Successful!

• I took some time today to get a dashcam installed on the Pista at a renown audio shop in our area.
• We installed:
  • Thinkware U1000 4K dashcam with 2K rear dashcam
  • Blackvue B-124X Ultra Battery Backup -- This ensures no drain on the system when the car is off. It also carries a 16h runtime after you shut off the car and recharges itself in 40m from 0%.
• Battery Install Location: Under the dash near the passenger knee pad region. There is a clean metal bracket on NON-JBL optioned cars that typically houses the JBL amp. We installed it onto that bracket as it appears to be meant to handle the weight and heat of an amp.
  • The battery is connected via cigarette plug to female cigarette socket that's fuse taped to an accessory fuse under the dash
• Front Camera Location: Installed just right of the rear view mirror's base and all the way up against headliner. Since the wires come out the left side the system, you can jam it all the way up there
• Rear Camera Location: Installed at the center of the rear window at the top.
  • This gives the best camera view of the road and looks the cleanest from outside of the car
  • While driving, it does present a minor obstruction, but the system is so small that you can see around it easily
  • The alternate position was at the bottom center of the window to aid in driver visibility of the rear view. The slight advantage in visibility here comes with some tradeoffs that I decided weren't for me:
    1. Because the Pista is a low car, when standing outside the car, the bottom location is easily visible and looks like of cheap
    2. Defeats the purpose of having the rear camera as all it does is either look at the sky or the engine bay
• Impressions: I have both the Blackvue DR900S-2Ch 4K system in our family car, and I have to say that the Thinkware system is MUCH smaller than it looks in photos. The system worked like a charm right away, and the app is very easy to use and set up. Video quality is great from my drive back from the shop. I'll share more here as I get back on the road.
• Bad news: While on my drive back, the nearly 4 additional hours spent trying to troubleshoot and re-check the Forza exhaust controller install ended up still resulting in another blown fuse. The system started up well (worked) as it always does when I leave a shop, then failed again on the road. Details below.

Forza Controller Update -- Not Resolved

1. Despite Forza's valiant efforts to try to help me resolve this issue, the problem still exists.
   • I decided to take the car to another shop to double check the dealership's work. As mentioned above, I took it to a renown audio shop in my area that I've used for decades. They've been around longer than that and have done countless exotics over the years. Recently did some custom work on two Speciale Apertas.
   • Together we inspected everything we could without getting the car on a lift to look at the valves. We looked for any nicks or damage along the wire and found none. Also confirmed that the Ferrari tech did in fact pull the power cables through an appropriate grommet just over the drivers side (US) left shoulder properly, despite my concerns.
   • We swapped out the power connector at the controller unit from the spades to the high power rated molex connector to ensure good contact.
   • We also replaced the logic board with a new one from Steve (thank you so much for sending this).
   • The system worked wonderfully when I started it up (as it always does). After a 30 min drive back to my home, it failed after exiting the freeway.
2. At this point, I'm assuming there may be something wrong with the valves causing a higher load or something when they're trying to open.
3. As much as I hate writing something like this up, I want to make sure people know what they're getting into and that they have the bandwidth to monitor the install if needed. I don't think this is as easy a system to install in comparison to Steve's other systems (like the one I had on the 458 Speciale). While there may be something wrong with the install, there are improvements that can be made to the design of it to help prevent concerns with the things I was asked to troubleshoot.
4. I think for me, this process has honestly burned too much money to do the work and even more countless hours/days away from family, work, and other important things. It sucks, and I don't feel really great about how much it's occupied my time.
5. I plan to order a different system and swap the systems out in one go at the dealer. Wish it worked out.

Alignment Issue -- Resolved!

• Ok, let's end on a high note: the alignment issue with the wacky SAI looked like a measurement error by the tech or the dealership alignment rack is out of calibration
• I took the car last week to a reputable BMW/Porsche shop that I used to use when I was tracking M3s and GT3s. The owner is a long time and trusted friend
• We threw the car on the rack and got some measurements. Details below of the dealer measured values v. shop. SAI looks normal. Rear toe isn't quite right, but at least even, and the front caster looks a little off.

Image Unavailable, Please Login ​

 

Agreed regarding heat. I'm not sure that's the only root cause though as the location is well away from any heat at this point with the new board. Short of installing it in the passenger compartment, I think the issues maybe at the additional set of provided valves.

Anyway, I respect what Forza is trying to accomplish for its customers, providing a more affordable system with accessible support/customer care. In this case though, I've lost nearly half the cost of a Klein muffler trying to troubleshoot this [not including time lost as well as the unhappy 250 of my first 350 miles being spent troubleshooting this issue]. The installer/tech did follow the exact instructions provided including the original recommended installation location for the module after close personal inspection. Like I said before, I'm sure it works as evidenced by your experience, but, in my opinion, a good experience doesn't outweigh the fact that it simply does not work in my car, which is brand spanking new.

I've suggested small improvements to Forza to avoid asking future customers to troubleshoot things like nicks in wires etc. They are easy and cheap changes to make. I'm hoping they will also figure out what happened and ultimately improve the installation instructions provided to help future customers avoid the issues I've faced. I'm sure it could very well be an installation issue, but I've put way more than my fair share of time and money into trying to make this work. If a Ferrari tech has trouble figuring out the install, something isn't right.

 

Wish I could agree that I was chasing my tail, but, like I said, I've spent too much time/money/miles on this. It's not a simple install, but if people have the technical capability and/or time, then the value is definitely there. As I said, I've used the Forza system on my Speciale for nearly 5 years without issue, so I completely respect what Forza is trying to accomplish for owners out there. This system is just not for me.

The Capristo system has no extra valves, no vacuum lines, no fuse taps, etc. It is just a piggy back off the OEM harness connections for the valves; 4 connectors, 2 per valve. One goes to the valve's connector and the other goes to the car's harness. It draws power from there. It looks pretty straight forward, but who know's may be there will be other unknown issues.

I have no doubts that the system works. It just hasn't worked for me.

Thanks and definitely had your words in mind as we were looking through the system for the fault. The fuse blew again while the system was connected. I would be very worried if I blew an OEM fuse w/o it connected. The failure is on the fuse that's connected to a closed system (the valve controller). The fuse tap carrying the original fuse is not blown. I will leave the valve controller fuse blown and therefore OFF until the system is removed.

 

I believe I am being fair to Forza in my review. Again, I have shared my thoughts that there are improvements to the instructions, the kit, and the design that could help avoid errors/issues in the installation. The design and/or installation appears too sensitive to minor variance. Or, this is a new issue that Forza has never seen before. Since Forza does not have a Pista, they cannot replicate the issue other than to use my car as an analysis tool to help solve it. I prefer not to use my car for engineering development any further.

Anyway, it might be good for me to clarify a couple points so those reading along can understand what's fact vs. opinion.

1. The Ferrari tech installed the system exactly where Forza's installation manual recommended [Page 7 of 11 in case anyone is curious]. They went by the manufacturers instructions, not by their own assumptions. While you may be right regarding installation location, Forza did not correct that in their instructions. This is not a "FU in the initial install" when it comes to the location.
2. While it is easy to make assumptions that all technicians behave the same when making mistakes, this specific Ferrari technician would easily throw my car back on the rack to help me resolve it if they knew where to look next. As I said, both them and the audio shop spent a considerable amount of time on the car based on feedback from Forza. Each time, the system functioned again with a fresh fuse but failed on the road. It's ME that is tired of going back and forth and using my car as test bed for this issue. Is it crazy to think that, for some people, this isn't what to expect from an aftermarket component for a high end supercar?

I've kept most of my opinions to myself as they are irrelevant to other people interested in an exhaust controller. I think it's best for Forza that we move on, as most of the statements you've made in the post above are speculative.

I am of the belief that both Forza and the original installer had my best interests in mind, but things just aren't working out.

Let's leave it at that.