S exhaust for Exige S - Wait for Lotus or go for a 2Bular?
Discussion
I took ownership of my new Exige S 3 weeks ago and have now covered 1800 miles - The problem is that I don't like the sound of the standard (single oval) exhaust, it is far too quiet and boring at low revs and then turns into a harsh mechanical sound at high revs. Basically I am after something with a lot more character as well as volume.
I am torn as to whether to wait for Lotus to bring out a suitable exhaust for the S or having seen several posts on PH regarding 2Bular I contacted Jim who has tempted me with a lovely rear silencer + high flow modular sports cat or de cat system (basically Jamieall's current system - Although I'll probably go for the traditional exit through the diffuser). The advantage of this is that due to it's modular nature you can easily unbolt and swap the centre section for either a sportscat or decat - ie for trackdays, servicing etc... when you need to reduce noise or emissions.
My concerns are:1. I've heard that the Lotus sports exhausts contain very cheap packing and that the reason they say the stage 2 is not suitable of the S is that on the standard Exiges it has be known for the packing to melt creating a big empty chamber and massive resonance which shakes and can break the exhaust from it's fixings. On supercharged cars this problem would be amplified. When Lotus do bring out a approved system for the S I'm concerned that it won't be as good as a 2Bular or other aftermarket system. 2. Warranty issues from fitting a 2Bular system - particularly as fitting a decat section will mean that I also need to fit a MIL eliminator kit to fool the sensors. 3. I want to be able to do the occasional trackday - Having read the other posts it is my hope that by swapping the decat for the sportscat, I will not break trackday noise limits.
Are there any other points to take into consideration?
All views and opinions welcome
Cheers,
Joe
I am torn as to whether to wait for Lotus to bring out a suitable exhaust for the S or having seen several posts on PH regarding 2Bular I contacted Jim who has tempted me with a lovely rear silencer + high flow modular sports cat or de cat system (basically Jamieall's current system - Although I'll probably go for the traditional exit through the diffuser). The advantage of this is that due to it's modular nature you can easily unbolt and swap the centre section for either a sportscat or decat - ie for trackdays, servicing etc... when you need to reduce noise or emissions.
My concerns are:1. I've heard that the Lotus sports exhausts contain very cheap packing and that the reason they say the stage 2 is not suitable of the S is that on the standard Exiges it has be known for the packing to melt creating a big empty chamber and massive resonance which shakes and can break the exhaust from it's fixings. On supercharged cars this problem would be amplified. When Lotus do bring out a approved system for the S I'm concerned that it won't be as good as a 2Bular or other aftermarket system. 2. Warranty issues from fitting a 2Bular system - particularly as fitting a decat section will mean that I also need to fit a MIL eliminator kit to fool the sensors. 3. I want to be able to do the occasional trackday - Having read the other posts it is my hope that by swapping the decat for the sportscat, I will not break trackday noise limits.
Are there any other points to take into consideration?
All views and opinions welcome
Cheers,
Joe
Track days are always a point of contention, I do lots as you know, but choose 105db days so there is never an issue, it does mean you will not go to places like Bedford, but there are lots and lots of other places to have fun without noise issues if you choose carefully, so don't let that be your primary concern.
Warranty would be my biggest concern on a new car with 2 years warranty, every conversation I've had with Lotus about changing ANYTHING on the 240R resulted in loosing the warranty (them seem far more cautious on the supercharged cars, but by the sound of it they aren't keen on intake kits on the 111R's either?), not a problem now as mine runs out in 3 weeks time... but you have two years worth to throw away... is an exhaust really worth that?? I'd talk to Lotus Sport first and see if they will honor the warranty if they directly fit the Lotus Sports cat and a stage 2 (you know what it sounds like...) which is approved for the 240R and Cup 240's???
Warranty would be my biggest concern on a new car with 2 years warranty, every conversation I've had with Lotus about changing ANYTHING on the 240R resulted in loosing the warranty (them seem far more cautious on the supercharged cars, but by the sound of it they aren't keen on intake kits on the 111R's either?), not a problem now as mine runs out in 3 weeks time... but you have two years worth to throw away... is an exhaust really worth that?? I'd talk to Lotus Sport first and see if they will honor the warranty if they directly fit the Lotus Sports cat and a stage 2 (you know what it sounds like...) which is approved for the 240R and Cup 240's???
speedyellow said:
Track days are always a point of contention, I do lots as you know, but choose 105db days so there is never an issue, it does mean you will not go to places like Bedford, but there are lots and lots of other places to have fun without noise issues if you choose carefully, so don't let that be your primary concern.
Warranty would be my biggest concern on a new car with 2 years warranty, every conversation I've had with Lotus about changing ANYTHING on the 240R resulted in loosing the warranty (them seem far more cautious on the supercharged cars, but by the sound of it they aren't keen on intake kits on the 111R's either?), not a problem now as mine runs out in 3 weeks time... but you have two years worth to throw away... is an exhaust really worth that?? I'd talk to Lotus Sport first and see if they will honor the warranty if they directly fit the Lotus Sports cat and a stage 2 (you know what it sounds like...) which is approved for the 240R and Cup 240's???
Thanks for the advice - What is the part number for the Lotus Sports cat?
Lotus Sport Supercharged CAT 240R - ALS3S0001F
Hope this helps!
Oh and just a thought, if you do want to keep the noise level to Bedford acceptable... I have the Stage 1 that came with my 240R laying about... a nice noise, just not too loud...
>> Edited by speedyellow on Thursday 4th May 11:50
Hope this helps!
Oh and just a thought, if you do want to keep the noise level to Bedford acceptable... I have the Stage 1 that came with my 240R laying about... a nice noise, just not too loud...
>> Edited by speedyellow on Thursday 4th May 11:50
Hi there Joe,
I've had my S for a couple of weeks now. I put a 7" 2bular box on last weekend.(The one with the single tip exiting on the right hand side) I also fitted the panel eliminator kit. This took about 3 hours to do and wasn't that difficult.
I am also just about to pick my car up from Maidstone Sports Cars as they have fitted an ITG induction kit.
I specially rang Lotus last week to cheque what would happen to the warranty with these being fitted. They said it was no problem but that if anything was broken as a result of fixing these items then the warranty would not cover those particular parts.
Hope that helps.(Exhaust sounds quality by the way. Not too loud but plenty loud once the pedal hits the floor. A friend told me it bangs a couple of times between gear shifts which is nice)
I've had my S for a couple of weeks now. I put a 7" 2bular box on last weekend.(The one with the single tip exiting on the right hand side) I also fitted the panel eliminator kit. This took about 3 hours to do and wasn't that difficult.
I am also just about to pick my car up from Maidstone Sports Cars as they have fitted an ITG induction kit.
I specially rang Lotus last week to cheque what would happen to the warranty with these being fitted. They said it was no problem but that if anything was broken as a result of fixing these items then the warranty would not cover those particular parts.
Hope that helps.(Exhaust sounds quality by the way. Not too loud but plenty loud once the pedal hits the floor. A friend told me it bangs a couple of times between gear shifts which is nice)
jamwill79 said:
Hi there Joe,
I've had my S for a couple of weeks now. I put a 7" 2bular box on last weekend.(The one with the single tip exiting on the right hand side) I also fitted the panel eliminator kit. This took about 3 hours to do and wasn't that difficult.
I am also just about to pick my car up from Maidstone Sports Cars as they have fitted an ITG induction kit.
I specially rang Lotus last week to cheque what would happen to the warranty with these being fitted. They said it was no problem but that if anything was broken as a result of fixing these items then the warranty would not cover those particular parts.
Hope that helps.(Exhaust sounds quality by the way. Not too loud but plenty loud once the pedal hits the floor. A friend told me it bangs a couple of times between gear shifts which is nice)
Thanks - That's very interesting!
So Lotus will honour your warranty unless the fault can directly be traced to the exhaust, decat or ITG. - That's good
Have you fitted the 2Bular modular high flow sports cat and then replaced the centre section with a decat?
Where did you get your eliminator kit from? elise-shop.com?
I assumed you wouldn't be able to fit an ITG on a supercharged car - Is the one you have fitted the Elise 111r kit - Part no: RAB65TES2
Much appreciated,
Joe
Joe - Exige S said:
Hi there Joe,
I've had my S for a couple of weeks now. I put a 7" 2bular box on last weekend.(The one with the single tip exiting on the right hand side) I also fitted the panel eliminator kit. This took about 3 hours to do and wasn't that difficult.
I am also just about to pick my car up from Maidstone Sports Cars as they have fitted an ITG induction kit.
I specially rang Lotus last week to cheque what would happen to the warranty with these being fitted. They said it was no problem but that if anything was broken as a result of fixing these items then the warranty would not cover those particular parts.
Hope that helps.(Exhaust sounds quality by the way. Not too loud but plenty loud once the pedal hits the floor. A friend told me it bangs a couple of times between gear shifts which is nice)
Thanks - That's very interesting!
So Lotus will honour your warranty unless the fault can directly be traced to the exhaust, decat or ITG. - That's good
Have you fitted the 2Bular modular high flow sports cat and then replaced the centre section with a decat?
Where did you get your eliminator kit from? elise-shop.com?
I assumed you wouldn't be able to fit an ITG on a supercharged car - Is the one you have fitted the Elise 111r kit - Part no: RAB65TES2
Much appreciated,
Joe
Hiya Joe
I'd leave the Induction side well alone, they've done a fair bit of work getting that air flow to work correctly, I'm sure the Stage 1 (Lotus) will be fine as they fit it to the 240 Cup etc. It's a Lotus product and doesn't invalidate the warranty providing you get it fitted by a Lotus approved dealer
Boggy
Stage 2 or Tubular. Not sure what I would do. The stage 2 has been known to cause a few problems on a track (as with Tubular, apparently.). The tubular and stage 2 are both really well made, the lotus exhausts are heavy - surprisingly heavy! I find them a bit loud and the stage 1 a bit quiet. Have you contacted Larini. Light, well made and really tuneful under load. I am not sure if they have been used on a SC but I know someone who is selling one second hand! Perhaps the cost saving would entice you to take a risk.
Hi again Joe,
I have only fitted the box. I may well add the sports cat at a later date once the whole lot has been tested thoroughly.
The eliminator kit is also made by Jim Valentine at 2bular. (2 adjustable struts and a number plate bracket)
The induction kit is from ITG. Its the same carbon fibre kit as for the normal s2 item. I rang ITG and spoke to the man who has fitted and tested it on an exige s already and said its addition was very noticable to the driver. They will be making a kit especially for the s as mine had to have the ducting tube cut down and made shorter. ITG said that it was fine to do this and that this is the only change beeing made to the kit.
I have only fitted the box. I may well add the sports cat at a later date once the whole lot has been tested thoroughly.
The eliminator kit is also made by Jim Valentine at 2bular. (2 adjustable struts and a number plate bracket)
The induction kit is from ITG. Its the same carbon fibre kit as for the normal s2 item. I rang ITG and spoke to the man who has fitted and tested it on an exige s already and said its addition was very noticable to the driver. They will be making a kit especially for the s as mine had to have the ducting tube cut down and made shorter. ITG said that it was fine to do this and that this is the only change beeing made to the kit.
Gooby, the only prob a 2bular zaust had on track was a S1 Exige which was a prototype straight through design which will be used for race cars.
I have had no probs with my 2bular zaust.
Joe, 2bulars Modular cat system has an option of a decat pipe made by Jim for this application believe he has allso made a silenced de-cat pipe for those that want a noisy zaust for the road but need to make the zaust quieter for TDs
I have had no probs with my 2bular zaust.
Joe, 2bulars Modular cat system has an option of a decat pipe made by Jim for this application believe he has allso made a silenced de-cat pipe for those that want a noisy zaust for the road but need to make the zaust quieter for TDs
jamwill79 said:
The induction kit is from ITG. Its the same carbon fibre kit as for the normal s2 item. I rang ITG and spoke to the man who has fitted and tested it on an exige s already and said its addition was very noticable to the driver.
That's Craig G - he's running the 2bular exhaust as well
321freeflow said:
The induction kit is from ITG. Its the same carbon fibre kit as for the normal s2 item. I rang ITG and spoke to the man who has fitted and tested it on an exige s already and said its addition was very noticable to the driver.
That's Craig G - he's running the 2bular exhaust as well
Hi there
Do your Exhaust's affect the Lotus Warranty ? or have you got an agreement with them ?
Boggy
This is a real tricky one!
I know it makes sense to wait for a Lotus one and leave the cat alone*
However, Just spoken to Lotus - No ETA as yet
PS - Lotus sport told me that if the non Lotus exhaust + sport/decat causes the sensors to trip the MIL the ECU will drop the rev limit to 5000rpm to protect the engine. - Is it a trip to the dealer to re-set? - One of those sensor trick kits sounds essential - How reliable are they? - I've seen one on elise-shop.com
* + I mentioned about the 240R Cat - They said it offers no performance, sound or flow gain over the one fitted to the S - It was just a part that Lotus sport needed at the time because the cat on non-supercharged cars wasn't quite right for the job. ie now supercharged cars are in production the cat the S's use is very similar to the 240R one. This is what they told me...
I know it makes sense to wait for a Lotus one and leave the cat alone*
However, Just spoken to Lotus - No ETA as yet
PS - Lotus sport told me that if the non Lotus exhaust + sport/decat causes the sensors to trip the MIL the ECU will drop the rev limit to 5000rpm to protect the engine. - Is it a trip to the dealer to re-set? - One of those sensor trick kits sounds essential - How reliable are they? - I've seen one on elise-shop.com
* + I mentioned about the 240R Cat - They said it offers no performance, sound or flow gain over the one fitted to the S - It was just a part that Lotus sport needed at the time because the cat on non-supercharged cars wasn't quite right for the job. ie now supercharged cars are in production the cat the S's use is very similar to the 240R one. This is what they told me...
Joe - Exige S said:
This is a real tricky one!
I know it makes sense to wait for a Lotus one and leave the cat alone*
However, Just spoken to Lotus - No ETA as yet
PS - Lotus sport told me that if the non Lotus exhaust + sport/decat causes the sensors to trip the MIL the ECU will drop the rev limit to 5000rpm to protect the engine. - Is it a trip to the dealer to re-set? - One of those sensor trick kits sounds essential - How reliable are they? - I've seen one on elise-shop.com
* + I mentioned about the 240R Cat - They said it offers no performance, sound or flow gain over the one fitted to the S - It was just a part that Lotus sport needed at the time because the cat on non-supercharged cars wasn't quite right for the job. ie now supercharged cars are in production the cat the S's use is very similar to the 240R one. This is what they told me...
Hi Joe
I'd go for a Lotus stage 1 or 2 depending on what they make, I'm not going through all that nonsense again with the EML, I've still not got to the bottom of that little escapade
Boggy
boggy said:
The induction kit is from ITG. Its the same carbon fibre kit as for the normal s2 item. I rang ITG and spoke to the man who has fitted and tested it on an exige s already and said its addition was very noticable to the driver.
That's Craig G - he's running the 2bular exhaust as well
Hi there
Do your Exhaust's affect the Lotus Warranty ? or have you got an agreement with them ?
Boggy
Hi Stewart, no I have no agreement with Lotus. My understanding on warranty issues is as above, if the fault can be traced back to aftermarket part, then the warranty could be voided.
Perhaps the Stg2 will be a better design than the last effort - then again......................
I have looked at the Arqray systems and they are a work of art although people do bitch about resonance at certain revs. The bigger problem is the cost, and the fact that from my experiences Sector 111 are difficult to deal with and the Japanese manufacturers are not so good with English!
uldis, The cat is working just fine
>> Edited by jamieall on Saturday 6th May 08:13
uldis, The cat is working just fine
>> Edited by jamieall on Saturday 6th May 08:13
The story so far:
When I ordered my car I negotiated a free sports exhaust into the bargain however as you all know Lotus have said you shouldn't fit a standard stage 2 to the S. (I think Lotus have had several problems with the stage 2 - Rumour has it that it is a cheap exhaust with very cheap packing which disintegrates causing a void and massive resonance - This would be exaggerated with the extra flow of an S)
I have therefore been waiting for them to produce one suitable - The line from Lotus over the past few months has been "It's under development and will be along shortly"
Latest update:
My dealer spoke to Lotus yesterday who have gone back to the drawing board on it and it is now only under investigation as a possibility. The bottom line is that the dealer doesn't think we will see it this year.
As a result I am being offered a sports exhaust of my choice (I'll pay the difference if it's more expensive) fitted and with any warranty issues "Taken care of"
My short list so far is:
A 2Bular - Jim Valantine system ie the same as jamwill79's and jamieall's
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?p=2&f=15&t=268794&h=0
http://tsuphoto.com/motorsport2006/pu
www.2bular.com/products.htm
The Titanium Quicksilver - Anyone got one of these?
www.racecar.co.uk/quicksilverlotus/elise_111r_titanium_techsheet.pdf
A Janspeed
https://www.janspeed.com/comersus/store/co
or
A Larini
www.larinisystems.com/catalogue.php
I'm heading towards the 2Bular or Quicksilver as these are lovely systems and by design look to be the most free-flowing and thus suited to the S
All opinions and experiences welcome - I need help making my mind up.
Much appreciated!
Joe
When I ordered my car I negotiated a free sports exhaust into the bargain however as you all know Lotus have said you shouldn't fit a standard stage 2 to the S. (I think Lotus have had several problems with the stage 2 - Rumour has it that it is a cheap exhaust with very cheap packing which disintegrates causing a void and massive resonance - This would be exaggerated with the extra flow of an S)
I have therefore been waiting for them to produce one suitable - The line from Lotus over the past few months has been "It's under development and will be along shortly"
Latest update:
My dealer spoke to Lotus yesterday who have gone back to the drawing board on it and it is now only under investigation as a possibility. The bottom line is that the dealer doesn't think we will see it this year.
As a result I am being offered a sports exhaust of my choice (I'll pay the difference if it's more expensive) fitted and with any warranty issues "Taken care of"
My short list so far is:
A 2Bular - Jim Valantine system ie the same as jamwill79's and jamieall's
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?p=2&f=15&t=268794&h=0
http://tsuphoto.com/motorsport2006/pu
www.2bular.com/products.htm
The Titanium Quicksilver - Anyone got one of these?
www.racecar.co.uk/quicksilverlotus/elise_111r_titanium_techsheet.pdf
A Janspeed
https://www.janspeed.com/comersus/store/co
or
A Larini
www.larinisystems.com/catalogue.php
I'm heading towards the 2Bular or Quicksilver as these are lovely systems and by design look to be the most free-flowing and thus suited to the S
All opinions and experiences welcome - I need help making my mind up.
Much appreciated!
Joe
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