Aldous Voice

The Challenge Stradale has one of the best sounding exhaust notes of all the V8 cars.  The bad news is that to buy a CS exhaust it’ll cost a lot of money and, due to the limited number of cars made, second hand items are few and far between.  However, the F430 has a similarly designed system and can be modified to fit a 360.  This post will guide you through what needs to be done to make the conversion happen but to start with we’ll examine the three different type of exhausts.

First of all I should state that even if you fit a full Stradale exhaust to your 360 it will not sound exactly like a CS.  This is because the engine mapping is different and intake system is larger (the intake does make a real difference to how a car sounds).  Furthermore, the F430 exhaust silencer, although similar, is not the same as the Stradale item.  However, it is close enough and if you’ve got the wherewithal do the conversion it will make your car sound awesome.

First of all lets look at a stock 360 exhaust – you will see that the gases pass from the catalytic converter into the silencer and out through two pipes per side.  One pipe each side has a valve on it (circled).  This valve is closed at low engine speeds and reduces the noise.

Next lets look at a Stradale Exhaust.  You will see that the gases pass from the catalytic converter and into the tail pipe.  There is a valve (circled) on one of the tail pipes.  When this valve is closed (low engine speeds) the design of the tail pipe means that the gas is diverted up into the silencer and then out of the other tail pipe.  When the valve opens, the gas is allowed to bypass the silencer and vents directly out – this gives the trademark Stradale “bark”.

Finally, lets look at a standard F430 exhaust.  You will see that the tailpipes have a similar design to the CS.

Right, onto the conversion.  I would like to thank my good friend Sheldon for allowing me to use these photos to show the process.  Here is a second hand F430 exhaust that is going to be modified:

First of all, the tips are wrong.  The welds can be ground off and the tips removed:

You will need to source some new tips that are the same style to the Stradale (test fit them to ensure they slide over properly):

You will need your old 360 exhaust system off the car.  Here are the two systems side by side – you will see that the F430 system is much wider but usefully the inlet pipes that attach to the catalytic converters are in the same position and are the same size.

You will need to create a jig using some wood and your old 360 system as shown:

Now comes the brave part!  You will need to cut the pipes on the F430 tips and insert them into new sleeves.  The jig is used to get the positioning correct:

Tack weld the sleeves and the new chrome tips on.  This will allow you to test fit the exhaust to the car to ensure all is well:

You will need to buy three new brackets to fit the exhaust – part numbers 195803, 201155 & 201156 (these are specific to the CS):

Once you’re happy everything is in the correct place, seam weld the sleeves and make sure the chrome tips are secure.  Easy!

You will need longer rubber tubes to fit onto the valves but the control system for the standard 360 will operate the F430 valves.  Also, I recommend using new exhaust gaskets and all metal self locking nuts.  A kit can be bought from eBay:  Ferrari Resources

 

Related posts:

• Ferrari 360 Phase Variator (aka Variable Valve Timing)
• Ferrari 360 Exhaust Silencer
• Ferrari 360 & F430 Remote Control Exhaust Valve
• Ferrari F430 Exhaust Manifold Change

Other posts in this category: Engine & Drivetrain

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