Additional Powertrain Modifications
The additional power of the engine required improved cooling. To increase the cooling capacity, an aluminum radiator was installed. The thermal conductivity of aluminum is almost double that of brass, greatly increasing the ability of the radiator to reject heat. This is a direct replacement aluminum radiator, 100% TIG welded with multi-louvered fins and billet machined fittings. The aluminum radiator also saves 35 pounds due to the lightweight aluminum construction. To improve the responsiveness, the engine was also fitted with a custom lightweight aluminum flywheel mated to a modified Kevlar-lined clutch to take the extra power.
Suspension and Brake Modifications
The guiding design principle at CAROBU Engineering is to make modifications that keep the original character and intent of the Ferrari automobile intact, and to make a “balanced” car. In keeping with this principle, CAROBU chooses to use high performance parts from Ferrari O.E. suppliers such as Koni, Brembo or from specialty suppliers such as Tubi-Style that build high-performance exhausts for the Ferrari Racing department. To design a “balanced” car, CAROBU prefers to make improvements in the three aspects of performance - engine, handling and braking.
The engine modifications have been discussed above. In order to address the handling of the C/4, CAROBU upgraded the shocks and wheel/tire combination. CAROBU Engineering in consultation with the owner chose to convert the OEM Koni shocks to height-adjustable shocks. This conversion allowed us to lower the ride height of the car and adjust the spring rates. The stock Konis have adjustable rebound settings allowing for suspension tuning. The conversion utilizes 2.5” diameter racing springs that are available in a variety of spring rates. By choosing the proper spring rate and shock-valving combination for the desired ride-height, the handling of the car could be optimized. Since this car was to be used primarily as a street car, moderate spring rates of 300 lb/in front and 200 lb/in rear rates were used. The car was lowered approximately 1” from stock. The stock shock-valving was retained. Additionally, the stock leveling shocks were cleaned, tested and re-used.
The Razzo Rosso 17” racing wheels were used to provide a good selection of modern high-performance tires and clearance for the Brembo GT brakes. Due to body clearance issues, the wheel sizes were restricted to 7.5” on the front and 8” on the rear. The owner wanted larger wheels sizes, so after driving the modified C/4 for over a year, decided to change the body work to accommodate larger wheel sizes. In the new wide-body version, the wheels sizes are 8” front and 10” rear using 235/50-17 and 285/40-17 Pirelli P-Zero tires respectively. The rear spring rates were also increased to 225 lbs/in to re-balance the handling.
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