[Firebanshee]

Norwood offers a service to modify your existing intake manifold for electronic injectors, which includes the injectors and custom fuel rails. They offer this service for 308's, 328's, and TR's.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of this modification? I have not been able to get in touch with Norwood and would like some outside, objective opinions before I get their sales pitch.

I'm not really interested in non-Ferrari major engine components, but looking for performance upgrades for my 512TR has lead me down a lonely path. The TR was one of Ferrari's best selling models of all time, yet the aftermarket is so small for this model. 308's, and most of the newer models have lots of aftermarket support. Why is this?

Thanks.

 

[carguy]

You may be able to gain a few horsepower with a revised electronic fuel management system, but really the Ferrari factory system on the 512TR is very good and will support more horsepower than the car delivers in stock form. Norwood has a very good reputation for getting more from these cars, but unless your willing to invest in more aggresive camshafts, turbos, and major exhaust modifications then you will be hard-pressed to get significant gains by just fuel management changes. Remember the 512TR only has 4.9 liters and is getting way over 400 horsepower.....that's pretty good I'd say. To put it in domestic terms, based on hp per displacement, if the 512TR had the same size engine as the new vettes do at 6.0 liters, you'd have about 516 horsepower - that is more than the current top-of-the-line Z-06 with a whopping 7 liters displacement! I make this point just to keep things in perspective. Norwood does offer packages that will get you anywhere from maybe 500hp to upwards of 750hp on the Testarossa line of Ferraris, by adding twin turbos. They also modify the drivetrain to cope with the increased stresses. If I may ask...what is your goal in modifying your already great 512TR?

 

[Firebanshee]

Thanks for the info! At this point, to me, it's a valuable commodity.

My goal is more top end wich will unforunately take away some low end. I just want a little more exitement in the powerband. Although the car is beastly, and accelerates with authority, the power curve is very spread, and almost too good and tractable. My goal is deffinately not to make the car faster or even accellerate quicker, I just want a livlier powerband ,and make it even harder to hit that perfect uphill shift :drive: hehehe

Opening up the intake ports, adding slightly larger valves, and a Serti valve job should do the trick, along with stiffer valve springs. I have access to a smaller sized Serti machine and a Pro-Mag valve cutter, so larger valves won't be a problem. The intake plenums are cast, which means there is a lot of area for improvment there too. The more I can do to the heads and intake the better, the goal is to use the stock camshaft. I want the driveability and reliability of the stock cams. I'm positive this engine can handle much more rpm, the vibrations at redline are very buttery.



This modification relies on more fuel to make it happen, and with more fuel and the relatively low compression ratio, a hotter, more accurate spark is mandatory. That's why I was looking into the electronic injectors, and aftermarket ignition components. I have no experience, and little knowledge of mechanical injection. I know the system is adjustable, I just assumed the parameters were very small, and more for tuning the mixture. How wide are the parameters? If the stock system can pump the amount of fuel I need, that would be excellent.

 

[Ferrari328GT]

Injector Flow

Here's a good statistic for you. The flow out of an injector varies with the square root of the pressure differential. In other words, if you were to double the pressure, the flow would increase by the square root of 2, or 1.414, for a 41.4% increase. Not that you'd make that big of a change. More realistically, if you increase the pressure by 25%, the flow will increase about 12% (square root of 1.25). A 10% increase in fuel pressure gives you about 5% more fuel. This works until the injector nozzle goes sonic, then it can't flow any more, but you are not likely to see this. So, an easy way to get more flow is simply to increase fuel pressure.

Steve Julius
GM Fuel Systems Engineer (retired)

 

[Firebanshee]

Yes, I am aware of basic fluid dynamics, and thanks for the input.

What you are suggesting is to tune the volume of fuel with velocity, where as I want to tune the volume of fuel with timing and duration. I don't want to stress the many seals and fittings involved with this system. It is pretty complex and do not want to ever have to mess with leaks.

This is something that can really only be worked out on the dyno and EGA, by adding more fuel in small increments and repetitive testing.

I don't really need that much more fuel, I was just unaware that the OEM system was capable of longer duration for each injection cycle. I've located a tuning guide for this type of mechanical injection system on a airplane website, so as far as I'm concerned this thread is done.

I've also came to a conclusion for ignition components.

Thanks guys.

 

[Firebanshee]

By the way Ferrari328GT, I love your lisence plate. Mine says "REDHEAD".