Looking for Lotus advice
11-13-2016, 09:40 PM
#831
Member
Nice one, Steve. Knew you would like it. Have to admit I've never liked / seen the point of aftermarket exhausts on exige / Elise as the little 1.8 isn't the best sounding engine and any aftermarket exhaust makes them loud and pretty much unbearable. I'd go back to standard and cash in! The SC makes a nice noise and although I still had to wear earplugs with oem exhaust to Spa, it was bearable.
Watch the doors at some of those toll booths, the kerbs are massive and I bashed a door when I couldn't reach my ticket
Watch the doors at some of those toll booths, the kerbs are massive and I bashed a door when I couldn't reach my ticket
11-14-2016, 12:43 AM
#832
Thanks all.
Its about as impractical as I want to get. I just offloaded a mint Boxster 3.4S. Nice touring wagon, but too boring if I'm honest.
Maybe the TIP was a crap choice, but they are heavy buses to move along even with 300bhp. At Coombe it was 'OK' no more.
I totally get the commitment required to run an older Lotus. After a few weeks there are some testing moments for sure.
But the sensations, feedback, acceleration and sound trump all of the impracticalities. Cliché, but nevertheless true for me.
What I was unprepared for was the attention this thing gets.
I mean everywhere.
People stop at the side of the road when they hear/see it to watch it go by. There are very few around here, but that's not why. Its the same up north too.
The kids are all over it. Strangers pass favourable comment in Tesco and filling stations.
I get let out of junctions almost immediately, people pull over on the motorway or alongside so the wife or kids can take a look.
It's the only car I ever owned with universal appeal. And that in itself is strangely attractive.
MB was quite right - attitude? "You don't get that driving a Lotus".
I won't ever own some of the exotica that Mikey, Gad, MB and Co. drive, and so this whole 'attention' thing is very odd to me but I'm getting used to it
It's bloody noisy.
I cant see myself running this to Spa for example... not without a box of An-A-din.
And it rattles a bit. But I'm working out the kinks one by one. Like I did on the S2000.
Its good on fuel, surprisingly. I reckon about 45mpg on a motorway and I'm not hanging about.
Porker did 30mpg or less.
The cornering prowess has me baffled.
I found the S2k limit in month one and backed it through a fence. So I'm somewhat more cautious these days, especially in November.
The braking, ditto. Diddy little discs, slim rubber. Just....how? Not found ABS / Threshold braking yet on the road, and I have tried.
Lack of mass I guess. Never had a lightweight before.
So although it rattles a bit, is noisy, a little smelly, tricky to take to the shops or grab a parking barrier ticket (I learned the hard way lol), I 'm smitten.
Steve
Its about as impractical as I want to get. I just offloaded a mint Boxster 3.4S. Nice touring wagon, but too boring if I'm honest.
Maybe the TIP was a crap choice, but they are heavy buses to move along even with 300bhp. At Coombe it was 'OK' no more.
I totally get the commitment required to run an older Lotus. After a few weeks there are some testing moments for sure.
But the sensations, feedback, acceleration and sound trump all of the impracticalities. Cliché, but nevertheless true for me.
What I was unprepared for was the attention this thing gets.
I mean everywhere.
People stop at the side of the road when they hear/see it to watch it go by. There are very few around here, but that's not why. Its the same up north too.
The kids are all over it. Strangers pass favourable comment in Tesco and filling stations.
I get let out of junctions almost immediately, people pull over on the motorway or alongside so the wife or kids can take a look.
It's the only car I ever owned with universal appeal. And that in itself is strangely attractive.
MB was quite right - attitude? "You don't get that driving a Lotus".
I won't ever own some of the exotica that Mikey, Gad, MB and Co. drive, and so this whole 'attention' thing is very odd to me but I'm getting used to it
It's bloody noisy.
I cant see myself running this to Spa for example... not without a box of An-A-din.
And it rattles a bit. But I'm working out the kinks one by one. Like I did on the S2000.
Its good on fuel, surprisingly. I reckon about 45mpg on a motorway and I'm not hanging about.
Porker did 30mpg or less.
The cornering prowess has me baffled.
I found the S2k limit in month one and backed it through a fence. So I'm somewhat more cautious these days, especially in November.
The braking, ditto. Diddy little discs, slim rubber. Just....how? Not found ABS / Threshold braking yet on the road, and I have tried.
Lack of mass I guess. Never had a lightweight before.
So although it rattles a bit, is noisy, a little smelly, tricky to take to the shops or grab a parking barrier ticket (I learned the hard way lol), I 'm smitten.
Steve
11-14-2016, 01:25 AM
#833
Thread Starter
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Cool write up. Agree with it all. Only thing I don't entirely agree with is MB's comment on exhausts.
I fitted a larini to my K series and that was a 4 banger - it transformed the car for me. I also had a 2bular on my old 2zz and 4 banger again - it popped and cracked like a good un.
My 350, whilst having a more mature note, i.e. v6, the stock exhaust is nice but even that, I've located an aftermarket pipe for it and in the process of getting that bought so will slap that on.
Fab cars though. You'll either have one or long for one when you don't - there's no middle ground with them. They handle like no other.
I fitted a larini to my K series and that was a 4 banger - it transformed the car for me. I also had a 2bular on my old 2zz and 4 banger again - it popped and cracked like a good un.
My 350, whilst having a more mature note, i.e. v6, the stock exhaust is nice but even that, I've located an aftermarket pipe for it and in the process of getting that bought so will slap that on.
Fab cars though. You'll either have one or long for one when you don't - there's no middle ground with them. They handle like no other.
11-14-2016, 01:44 AM
#834
Great write up, Steve. Largely because I can concur with all of it!
Really cracking little car, too.
The Elise's cartoon-like cornering prowess is due to a number of factors: - it has sufficiently huge rubber for its mass (any more might be hard to load and thus actually reduce grip) and above all, its lowness; the lack of roll resulting from such lowth keeps the contact angles correct. The NSX does this as well (to a degree) which is how it manages to out-corner an S2000 on similarly-sized rubber, despite weighing slightly more. Speaking of rubber, an almost lack of any in steering and suspension bushing also helps that precision of control. And the rattles...
Actually, I've suddenly realised that's why I detest the 981 Boxster compared to the 986, which I still admire. It's all high & up in the air on silly tractor-wheels and that's just not how you build a sports car. I objected to Ferraris when the same happened.
If a piano falls on my S2000, I think I know what my next car will be...
Really cracking little car, too.
The Elise's cartoon-like cornering prowess is due to a number of factors: - it has sufficiently huge rubber for its mass (any more might be hard to load and thus actually reduce grip) and above all, its lowness; the lack of roll resulting from such lowth keeps the contact angles correct. The NSX does this as well (to a degree) which is how it manages to out-corner an S2000 on similarly-sized rubber, despite weighing slightly more. Speaking of rubber, an almost lack of any in steering and suspension bushing also helps that precision of control. And the rattles...
Actually, I've suddenly realised that's why I detest the 981 Boxster compared to the 986, which I still admire. It's all high & up in the air on silly tractor-wheels and that's just not how you build a sports car. I objected to Ferraris when the same happened.
If a piano falls on my S2000, I think I know what my next car will be...
Last edited by Nick Graves; 11-14-2016 at 01:47 AM.
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m1bjr (12-11-2016)
01-20-2017, 12:16 PM
#835
Registered User
Mmmmm, so the Honda Elise S1 has gone....
I got to the stage where I wasn't doing track days, the rattles were getting to me more and more and the car only really cam alive at 8 tenths driving. It was fantastic, but I must be getting old, so it was time for something new.
So with quite a great deal of man maths, Bell and Colvill got me into this
Jamie down there organised a few mods for me which really finish it off I think:
colour coded mirrors
colour coded rear wing supports
harness holes painted orange
side exige sill graphic (silverstone lotus sorted these out)
rear exige chrome badge and 350 badge taken off and just a black exige vinyl badge fitted
black fuel filler surround
I'm only 100 miles in yet, so 900 to go before I can open it up! But so far I think its fantastic. A massive step up in build quality, and fun to just drive even below 4k and gentle throttle.
I don't think I'll do any track days for a good while, so maybe a 2tublar exhaust will be on the cards, their anti social screamer one...
I got to the stage where I wasn't doing track days, the rattles were getting to me more and more and the car only really cam alive at 8 tenths driving. It was fantastic, but I must be getting old, so it was time for something new.
So with quite a great deal of man maths, Bell and Colvill got me into this
Jamie down there organised a few mods for me which really finish it off I think:
colour coded mirrors
colour coded rear wing supports
harness holes painted orange
side exige sill graphic (silverstone lotus sorted these out)
rear exige chrome badge and 350 badge taken off and just a black exige vinyl badge fitted
black fuel filler surround
I'm only 100 miles in yet, so 900 to go before I can open it up! But so far I think its fantastic. A massive step up in build quality, and fun to just drive even below 4k and gentle throttle.
I don't think I'll do any track days for a good while, so maybe a 2tublar exhaust will be on the cards, their anti social screamer one...
01-20-2017, 10:55 PM
#836
this mobile site is utter shit now
anyway, that looks great ZZ. Livable as a daily? I was hanging my nose over these at Autosport. Like.
i darent drive one as then i might get hooked haha
anyway, that looks great ZZ. Livable as a daily? I was hanging my nose over these at Autosport. Like.
i darent drive one as then i might get hooked haha
01-20-2017, 11:23 PM
#837
Mmmmm, so the Honda Elise S1 has gone....
I got to the stage where I wasn't doing track days, the rattles were getting to me more and more and the car only really cam alive at 8 tenths driving. It was fantastic, but I must be getting old, so it was time for something new.
So with quite a great deal of man maths, Bell and Colvill got me into this
Jamie down there organised a few mods for me which really finish it off I think:
colour coded mirrors
colour coded rear wing supports
harness holes painted orange
side exige sill graphic (silverstone lotus sorted these out)
rear exige chrome badge and 350 badge taken off and just a black exige vinyl badge fitted
black fuel filler surround
I'm only 100 miles in yet, so 900 to go before I can open it up! But so far I think its fantastic. A massive step up in build quality, and fun to just drive even below 4k and gentle throttle.
I don't think I'll do any track days for a good while, so maybe a 2tublar exhaust will be on the cards, their anti social screamer one...
I got to the stage where I wasn't doing track days, the rattles were getting to me more and more and the car only really cam alive at 8 tenths driving. It was fantastic, but I must be getting old, so it was time for something new.
So with quite a great deal of man maths, Bell and Colvill got me into this
Jamie down there organised a few mods for me which really finish it off I think:
colour coded mirrors
colour coded rear wing supports
harness holes painted orange
side exige sill graphic (silverstone lotus sorted these out)
rear exige chrome badge and 350 badge taken off and just a black exige vinyl badge fitted
black fuel filler surround
I'm only 100 miles in yet, so 900 to go before I can open it up! But so far I think its fantastic. A massive step up in build quality, and fun to just drive even below 4k and gentle throttle.
I don't think I'll do any track days for a good while, so maybe a 2tublar exhaust will be on the cards, their anti social screamer one...
01-21-2017, 02:10 AM
#839
Registered User
I guess it could be a daily, it's a very nice place to sit, comfy seats, no rattles so far. Only draw back would be boot space of course, folding your self in and out and worrying about it depending where you had to leave it parked.
01-21-2017, 02:14 AM
#840
Registered User
Just leave your wallet at home.
They have a pile of 3 Elevens in at the minute as well, great looking things. Jamie said one client is already taking his to 460 as he went for the full race version with the sequential box!
They have a pile of 3 Elevens in at the minute as well, great looking things. Jamie said one client is already taking his to 460 as he went for the full race version with the sequential box!