[FormulaDynamics]

Here are a few new products from Formula Dynamics.

They've actually been available and shipping for a while however, we've just updated our website with the new products and it's certainly time we officially announce them.

We've got a new website, although it really displays and works best in Internet Explorer, soon we'll have it fixed for FireFox and Safari. http://www.formuladynamics.com

Formula Dynamics releases a Drive By Wire Enhancement Module Performance Chip (ECU) for the Maserati Quattroporte - http://www.formuladynamics.com/products/qp_dbwem/qp_dbwem.php

Formula Dynamics releases High Power ECM Performance Chip for the Maserati Quattroporte - http://www.formuladynamics.com/products/qp_ecm/qp_ecm.php

Formula Dynamics releases Skyhook Sport Spring Package for the Maserati Quattroporte - http://www.formuladynamics.com/products/qp_sportsprings/qp_sportsprings.php

Formula Dynamics releases Stainless Steel Braided Brake Line Kit for the Maserati Quattroporte - http://www.formuladynamics.com/products/qp_brakelines/qp_brakelines.php

As always feel free to contact me with any questions!

Best Regards,
-- Jeff

 

[sjn2004]

Hi, whats the difference between the plug in box and the ECU chip? Does the plug in box give more HP/torque like the chip? Are they mutually exclusive or is there a cross over of their effects?

thanks

 

[CZman]

That's great stuff. You guys planning on doing anything with wheels? The selection of aftermarket wheels for the QP sucks unless you want something with BLING!!!! The car is too classy for that.... IMHO of course.

 

[FormulaDynamics]

Hi, whats the difference between the plug in box and the ECU chip? Does the plug in box give more HP/torque like the chip? Are they mutually exclusive or is there a cross over of their effects?

thanks

The primary difference between the DBWEM ( Plug-in Box ) and the ECM (which wires in the same way) is that the Drive By Wire Enhancement Module has an effect on throttle response, clutch engagement and shifting. This mod helps you achieve much better 0-60 times as a result of allowing the car to put down the power sooner and gives you access to low end torque that you will not see with the factory programming. It gives you an immediate pickup at all RPM's, in contrast to the factory program which has you waiting while it decides if you're really ready to put down all the power.

The ECM retunes the air / fuel ratio and ignition timing to make more power, but has no direct effect on the clutch engagement or shifting.

They both work together to really round out the performance of the car.

We recently dyno'd a QP with the Larini Exhaust, DBW and ECM and saw over 40HP and 45 ft/lb of torque gain. More than that was the tremendous difference in attitude and throttle response. The car just wanted to go... right now!

Be sure to check out our Testimonials page on the website: There are many links to reviews of the DBWEM and ECM from a customer perspective.

Best Regards,
-- Jeff

 

[FormulaDynamics]

That's great stuff. You guys planning on doing anything with wheels? The selection of aftermarket wheels for the QP sucks unless you want something with BLING!!!! The car is too classy for that.... IMHO of course.

We are working on wheel packages for the Maserati. One problem is that everyone has very different opinions of what looks good!

Best Regards,
-- Jeff

 

[CZman]

We are working on wheel packages for the Maserati. One problem is that everyone has very different opinions of what looks good!

Best Regards,
-- Jeff

You're right about that...... Wheels have to be the toughest to gauge taste/trends. Me, I want a forged or cast one piece BBS style wheel like on F-cars.

 

[BigFoot]

Have you tried I-Forged Chuck?

 

[CZman]

Have you tried I-Forged Chuck?

Yes, actually I bought a set for one of the 928 GTS's I've had. Decent wheel but I'm growing tired of the 3 pc. look. A nice classy one peice with Zero-Lip would look great. The HRE P40 would look great if the offset/bolt pattern would work.....

 

[sjn2004]

The primary difference between the DBWEM ( Plug-in Box ) and the ECM (which wires in the same way) is that the Drive By Wire Enhancement Module has an effect on throttle response, clutch engagement and shifting. This mod helps you achieve much better 0-60 times as a result of allowing the car to put down the power sooner and gives you access to low end torque that you will not see with the factory programming. It gives you an immediate pickup at all RPM's, in contrast to the factory program which has you waiting while it decides if you're really ready to put down all the power.

The ECM retunes the air / fuel ratio and ignition timing to make more power, but has no direct effect on the clutch engagement or shifting.

They both work together to really round out the performance of the car.

We recently dyno'd a QP with the Larini Exhaust, DBW and ECM and saw over 40HP and 45 ft/lb of torque gain. More than that was the tremendous difference in attitude and throttle response. The car just wanted to go... right now!

Be sure to check out our Testimonials page on the website: There are many links to reviews of the DBWEM and ECM from a customer perspective.

Best Regards,
-- Jeff

So what that car actually dyno at? Around 440bhp as the fly wheel? Why is the new 4.7 V8 only rated at 434bhp then? Do you think it is either detuned or underquoted so that it doesn't encroach on Ferrari territory? The was a independent in the UK that reckoned all the 3200's he saw had the timing ratio's messed up from the factory to make sure the car was slower in a straight line than a 360, is that true or just an urban myth?

 

[FormulaDynamics]

So what that car actually dyno at? Around 440bhp as the fly wheel? Why is the new 4.7 V8 only rated at 434bhp then? Do you think it is either detuned or underquoted so that it doesn't encroach on Ferrari territory? The was a independent in the UK that reckoned all the 3200's he saw had the timing ratio's messed up from the factory to make sure the car was slower in a straight line than a 360, is that true or just an urban myth?

I actually need to reprint the dyno sheet for that QP and post it on our site. We performed that work months ago and I don't have it handy. I'll get it scanned in shortly, people should see the difference.

The 4.7 is 0.5 liter more displacement, not huge. I'm sure it's capable of more as well. Honestly, I haven't had a chance to see one yet. I would honestly bet that with this model they will not want it to be too competitive to the California.

Certainly the Maserati's have been tuned by the factory to be less than a Ferrari would be. There are many ideas as to why. One is to not give people Ferrari performance for less money, another is that the cars are detuned to fit the Luxury market better, etc.

The truth is I can't say for sure but what I do know is that there is certainly room for us to improve things.

Best Regards,
-- Jeff

 

[KandyRedCoi]

edit: noticed that you have a NON sky hook lowering spring...quite interested...how much?

also looking forward to the DBW...and maybe adding the ECM to it as well...

thanx!

 

[FormulaDynamics]

There are actually (2) different spring sets for the Maserati Non-Skyhook Cars. I need to get your model from the tags attached to the springs to be sure about the fitment. We have one set completed and the other is finishing development. It's strange that they made a change, mid run... but they did! Here's a link to the page: http://www.formuladynamics.com/products/4200_sportsprings/4200_sportsprings.php

Best Regards,
-- Jeff

 

[trygve11]

Does the ECM present any risks to the engine, etc, on the QP? Definitely don't want to killing durability or throwing fault codes on lean mixtures, etc.

Can you give more detail here on what your products are doing, under what conditions, what loads, what RPMs, etc? Would be helpful for both the ECM and DBW.

For example, on the DBW, what's it doing, under what circumstances, etc.? How does the car then perform in auto vs. manual modes? Can my wife still drive the thing in auto? How will it perform differently.

Would love to know more exhaustively on the details of these enhancements.

Thanks, Jeff.

 

[QP Sport]

Skyhook but non adjustable perch

There are actually (2) different spring sets for the Maserati Non-Skyhook Cars. ...Here's a link to the page: http://www.formuladynamics.com/products/4200_sportsprings/4200_sportsprings.php

Best Regards,
-- Jeff

Hi Jeff,

Any progress or update on springs for skyhook with nonadjustable perch, e.g. 07 Sport GT QP?

 

[KandyRedCoi]

There are actually (2) different spring sets for the Maserati Non-Skyhook Cars. I need to get your model from the tags attached to the springs to be sure about the fitment. We have one set completed and the other is finishing development. It's strange that they made a change, mid run... but they did! Here's a link to the page: http://www.formuladynamics.com/products/4200_sportsprings/4200_sportsprings.php

Best Regards,
-- Jeff

i have a 2006 QP with no sky hook...which model spring would i need?

 

[FormulaDynamics]

Does the ECM present any risks to the engine, etc, on the QP? Definitely don't want to killing durability or throwing fault codes on lean mixtures, etc.

Can you give more detail here on what your products are doing, under what conditions, what loads, what RPMs, etc? Would be helpful for both the ECM and DBW.

For example, on the DBW, what's it doing, under what circumstances, etc.? How does the car then perform in auto vs. manual modes? Can my wife still drive the thing in auto? How will it perform differently.

Would love to know more exhaustively on the details of these enhancements.

Thanks, Jeff.

The products are not dangerous to the engine. For the ECM, the work we perform in simple terms is that we use tables of information including: rpm, throttle position, air temp, engine temp, etc to determine how much fuel to add or remove and how much to advance or retard the ignition timing. The goal is that we are wanting to produce power. The stock ECU is not programmed to make top power, it has other considerations such as fuel consumption, emissions, etc. We simply retune the car to make more power and torque. We do not make a lot of changes in the cruising ranges of the car. i.e. light throttle and low rpm. This is because we do not want to negatively affect your fuel economy in this range. However anytime you're near wide open throttle, we'll make the changes to get the most power. The bulk of the changes will also be after 3500 RPM. After all that's what you want if your foots buried to the floor.

For the DBWEM we do several things. One is we remap the Drive By Wire system. The Maserati has a lot of software that is working between when you push on the acclerator and when the car actually opens the throttle. You'll notice that the car may take several seconds to respond and "wake up" when you floor the car after you've been cruising a bit. You may also notice that if you start driving the car really fast for several minutes that the car feels very alive and responsive compared to normal. This is adaptive programming. Maserati has restricted what the car will do under certain circumstances even beyond whats been described here. Our product remamps this so that when you press the accelerator, the car wants to go... now. No delay and we give you everything it's got as opposed to the detuned abilities of the stock programming. There is additional low end torque that the motor can produce that you will never see without our DBWEM.

Another feature is that we actually advance the signals sent to the TCU which control when the clutch is released. You'll notice that the car slips the clutch quite a bit when taking off and it takes a moment before you can even put the power down because you're waiting for the clutch engagement. With our product the clutch releases the way it should, this should actually save clutch life by reducing the wear time and pay for itself over time.

The result of these products is a much faster 0-60 time and significantly more throttle response, low end torque delivery under all conditions. Shifting is also sped up a bit and you'll notice a firmer shift between gears.

Keep in mind that Maserati designed your car to be a luxury car and not a true sports car. However they also put in a Ferrari V8 and an amazing Paddle Shift Transmission. So we just make use of what's already there and tune it in a way that it was originally meant for.

You wife can still drive the car in auto mode and in fact, it should save clutch wear when she does. Also there are 2 programable modes. One mode is how we believe the car should have been delivered to you, no comprimise. The other mode is more aggressive and fun but maybe too aggressive for driving in traffic or congestion, etc. We also have valet or wife modes which will restrict the car down to around 4K RPM and limit the acceleration so that the car is still very drivable, the clutch engagements are improved over stock but there can be no joy riding.

Both the ECM and DBWEM have a plug which can be inserted in place of the chip which will allow you to also completely bypass the products.

Let me know if you have more questions. I'm happy to help.

Best Regards,
-- Jeff

 

[FormulaDynamics]

Hi Jeff,

Any progress or update on springs for skyhook with nonadjustable perch, e.g. 07 Sport GT QP?

Hi Craig,

I sent you a data sheet for the springs, but I didn't hear back. I'm happy to start that project at any time, but I don't have the information to begin. I'll resend it to you.

Best Regards,
-- Jeff

 

[FormulaDynamics]

i have a 2006 QP with no sky hook...which model spring would i need?

Are your spring perches adjustable? That is do they have a spinning collar at the bottom? You should be able to see this through your wheel, just look at the perch that's underneath the springs to see if it's on a threaded collar.

Best Regards,
-- Jeff

 

[KandyRedCoi]

Are your spring perches adjustable? That is do they have a spinning collar at the bottom? You should be able to see this through your wheel, just look at the perch that's underneath the springs to see if it's on a threaded collar.

Best Regards,
-- Jeff

ok cool ill check as soon as i get a chance and get back to you asap

thank you

 

[geshaghi]

Review of Performance Enhancements for my QP

Jeff installed the full complement of enhancements (ECU, DBW, Larini including center pipe, springs and new front pads and stainless brake lines) on my 2005 QP over the summer. I drove the car to Vegas and left it with him for about 10 days for the installation. I've meant to post a review earlier, but here are my thoughts after about 3000 miles and three months.
- The ECU and DBW enhancements are performing very well. I haven't disabled the DBW to see how much it adds separate from the ECU, but as it is working now, I'm very pleased with the performance. The car has noticeably more torque from about 3000rpm, and at around 4200-4300rpm it feels like a turbo kicks in. Initially the car was a bit "clunky" when shifting, but either I or the system is learning and shifts have smoothed out considerably. There is an occasional jerkiness at lower rpm, and I assume this is the DBW, but not problematic for me.
- The Larini and center pipe sound fantastic. Car screams when I want it to, and can still be driven calm enough not to draw too much attention. There is a bit of popping coming off the gas, and Jeff has indicated that he can tune this out if I would like to eliminate it.
- We installed springs and lowered the car slightly. This has eliminated the "floaty" feeling of the rear end, and is an improvement, but there is still a fair amount of body roll. I believe my car was the first QP that Jeff installed springs on, and we concluded that the productions versions should be a bit stiffer. Jeff has offered to replace the springs with a production version the next time I have the car in Vegas, and I will likely do so. Before the spring installation, I kept the car in sport mode always. Now when I'm on the freeway, the car seems a little stiff in sport mode, so I'll put it back in normal for any freeway cruising.
- My brakes still need some adjusting. Feel is still spongy as I haven't been able to get them bled again here and I needed the car back before Jeff had a chance to finish this. The pads are a bit squeakier than I am comfortable with, and Jeff thinks this is due to the more aggressive compound.
Overall, I am very happy and would recommend the setup to anyone else considering it. Jeff and the FD team have been great. Thanks