RE: PH Fleet: Lotus Elise Sport 135

RE: PH Fleet: Lotus Elise Sport 135

Wednesday 4th April 2012

PH Fleet: Lotus Elise Sport 135

Shiny new dampers and suspension for Danny's Lotus, followed by a shakedown at Abbeville



I read something recently that sent a shiver down my spine. Strangely it wasn't anything to do with Lotus's latest celebrity tie-in, nor its decision to unleash the German equivalent of West Coast Customs on the Hethel styling studio - "would you like Greek or Roman columns supporting your marble spoiler, Sir?"

Back on Track suspension expertise welcomed
Back on Track suspension expertise welcomed
No, my source of panic stemmed from a forum thread on SELOC highlighting a worrying case of chassis corrosion. In the case of the car in the thread, it was a torn wishbone mount and the strong possibility of a chassis write-off. A chat to the guys at Back On Track helped alleviate some of my fears. Very few cars they've seen has had more than minor chassis corrosion, and certainly not anywhere near as severe as the car in the thread. All the same, knowing that my car had spent some of its life near the coast was enough to fast-track the suspension refresh.

Stop, spanner time
The whole process is not too far removed from grown-up Meccano, and many Elise owners have undertaken the work themselves. But without access to a garage, or even a drive, this wasn't really an option. At least I could keep the skin on my knuckles and everything could be done in a day - drive in, drive out.

Removing old components required powertools!
Removing old components required powertools!
All of the freshly powder-coated wishbones had been pre-prepped with their bushings and balljoints before I arrived but the job still took all day. Removing all the seized old parts is a long-winded process and, as you'd expect from a 14-year-old car, both the grinder and the persuader were called into action.

While I kept the boys fuelled with tea, and scrubbed away at the undertray, gradually the crusty, the rusty, the split and the perished made way for the fresh, clean, bright and shiny. And a few pockmarks around the upper front wishbone mounts aside the chassis was given a clean bill of health. A prescription of regular check-ups, and lashings of ACF50 anti-corrosion spray, should see my Elise through another decade at least.

Corroded old wishbones came off...
Corroded old wishbones came off...
Finally the car was off the lift, the geometry and ride height were set, and only a box of rusty wishbones reminded me of what once was. And despite their dishevelled condition, they will live to fight another day; once they've been stripped and powder-coated, they'll be ready to form the basis of the next customer's suspension refresh. It's recycling at its best.

Damper expectation
In Elise land, Bilstein, Nitron, Gaz and Quantum seem to be the most popular upgrade options. I read all the forum threads, digested the marketing spiel and picked the brains of the guys that fit these things day in, day out. In the end Back on Track's Stef recommended the Nitron NTR Fast Road set-up as a good mid-priced option. Individually dyno-tested and fully rebuildable, rebound and, more importantly, compression are adjustable in ratio via a single dial at the end of the piston, meaning that you can play with the settings without getting lost in a world of clicks.

...pre-prepped and refreshed ones went on
...pre-prepped and refreshed ones went on
The first thing that struck me as I pulled away was just how compliant the new dampers were. Although the springs and dampers are stiffer than my old Bilsteins, small bump sensitivity had improved considerably. It was not a result I'd been expecting, but the Nitron's spherical eyelet bearings may have reduced stiction enough to improve the primary ride.

My route home also included a short but tasty bit of B-road. Its fast, sweeping corners feature sharp compressions that really unsettle the chassis, and even in a straight line there are enough bumps to feel like you're about to be ejected from the Tarmac. At 60mph with the worn out Bilsteins it was a wild ride.

With the Nitrons fitted, the drive home was like night and day. Immediately noticeable was the improvement in stability. A single movement of the steering wheel was all that was needed for turn-in, and that initial input could be held throughout the turn, even over the most prominent of mid-corner bumps. And where a series of undulations would once totally overcome the dampers, the car now feels completely secure and planted.

'Pure suspension porn' says our man
'Pure suspension porn' says our man
I shot the video below as a bit of an experiment, to see whether the camera could detect any of the things I was feeling through the chassis. On the right is my little suspension test road driven at a constant 60mph with the old Bilsteins. The left shot is the same road, same speed, but with Nitrons. The difference in the footage is subtle, but look hard enough and you can see the greater confidence and stability in the steering and the general improvement in damping control on the bigger bumps.

So a big job ticked off - one that hopefully won't have to be repeated for another decade at least - and a fantastic improvement to the one thing that really matters with an Elise - the handling.

Time for a shakedown
A couple of weeks later, I got the chance to enjoy the upgrades properly at one of Lotus on Track's regular days at Abbeville. I'd been meaning to make the short hop across the Channel for some time, lured by the promise of a tight, twisty track with lots of run-off. Less than an hour from Calais, it's actually 80 miles closer to home than Oulton Park and, with day returns on Eurotunnel available for as little as £40, the costs pretty much even out as well.

Good for another 10 years, he hopes
Good for another 10 years, he hopes
Lotus on Track runs a relaxed, friendly event. Most drivers are current or past Lotus owners, and a variety of soft-top sports cars are also welcome meaning almost as many Caterhams had made the journey over as Elises and Exiges. I had to doff my hat to one particular chap who'd managed to shoehorn a full set of track wheels, along with an aero screen, tools, a jack and a passenger into his Caterham.

Abbeville is not unlike a pocket-sized version of Bedford Autodrome. Overall speeds are low but it's easy to get a good flow going and the many hairpins are great for exploring power and lift-off oversteer. I certainly did a lot of exploring, but as I soon found out on the first of half a dozen pirouettes, mastering the Elise's mid-engined layout is a delicate balancing act. Suffice to say I'm still a long way from sliding it around with complete confidence, but I'm nothing if not stubborn, so I'm determined to make this a 'when' not an 'if'.


Fact sheet
Car:
1998 Lotus Elise Sport 135
Run by: Danny Milner
Bought: October 2010
Purchase price: £9,500
This month at a glance: Once in a lifetime suspension refurb brings new lease of life to tired limbs and joints.

Previous reports
A Lotus joins the PH Fleet - but will it prove lots of trouble?

Geek Sheet
Ride Height:
110mm front/120mm rear
Camber: -1 front/-2.5 rear
Toe: 0 front/2mm in rear
Dampers: 10 clicks from full stiff front/12 clicks from full stiff rear
Springs: 400lb F/475lb R








Suspension refresh timelapse

 

A day out with the Aventador

 

Author
Discussion

Captain Muppet

Original Poster:

8,540 posts

264 months

Wednesday 4th April 2012
quotequote all
My Elise is a similar age - how much was the suspension refresh?

CocoUK

951 posts

181 months

Wednesday 4th April 2012
quotequote all
Interesting report, good timelapse video & a lovely onboard jobby with the Aventador - excellent work Danny, very enjoyable & it only took me about half-a-cup of tea!

suffolk009

5,344 posts

164 months

Wednesday 4th April 2012
quotequote all
Goodness that's nice to read. Lotus, Elise S1, gentle fettling, bit of an upgrade, trackdays, handling, ahhh.

Think I'll read it again now. Thank you.

nick_j007

1,598 posts

201 months

Wednesday 4th April 2012
quotequote all
Very good write up and a great time lapse and sound rack to boot. Thanks.

Dave Hedgehog

14,541 posts

203 months

Wednesday 4th April 2012
quotequote all
waits for the PC wkers to start whining about the aventador shots ...

wevster

763 posts

156 months

Wednesday 4th April 2012
quotequote all
Are the suspension setting the wrong way round? Shouldn't the rear have harder settings?

fiveoclockhero1

672 posts

183 months

Wednesday 4th April 2012
quotequote all
wevster said:
Are the suspension setting the wrong way round? Shouldn't the rear have harder settings?
No

kambites

67,461 posts

220 months

Wednesday 4th April 2012
quotequote all
Did you consider NSS dampers? If so, what tipped you towards getting NTR instead?

I need to replace my dampers and having read everything I can find on the subject, am torn between the two.

Danny Milner

128 posts

202 months

Wednesday 4th April 2012
quotequote all
@captain muppet: it depends on how easy all your old stuff is to remove. But between £1100 and £1500 should do it. That's not including the dampers though.

@wevster: that's what I have written down, but I'll have to check now!

@kambites: I did consider NSS but a) they weren't available, and b) The ntr was recommended as a more high performance damper with better control and more consistent performance under hard use. I'm fairly sure this is mainly down to a larger shock body and greater oil volume. I can find out exactly why they are a step up in performance from the NSS and report back.


Tonyringtone

42 posts

156 months

Wednesday 4th April 2012
quotequote all
Great write up and how good are s1 Elises !!
I dropped my s1 Elise 111s into Essex autosport for a complete suspension and geo refresh 3 years ago, prior to a 2000 mile round trip to Italy across the alps. All I can say is the combination of the Gaz spring/dampers, Toyo 888s, and larger s1exige rims transformed the cars handling and ride to a level, where I traded in my S2 exige soon after. An s1 exile is now very desirable, it's really worth investing in these increasingly rare classics to keep them tip top!


JADCampbell

129 posts

212 months

Wednesday 4th April 2012
quotequote all
wevster said:
Are the suspension setting the wrong way round? Shouldn't the rear have harder settings?
As said above, no. Some people do suggest that but I prefer the front stiffer (snigger). I had the same work done elsewhere but they messed up the geo. Back on Track set it up the same as this one and it's phenomenal now. More responsive, corners harder and is more friendly on the limit.

Edited by JADCampbell on Wednesday 4th April 22:54

AndyS13

12 posts

145 months

Thursday 5th April 2012
quotequote all
I always thought it was a general rule on rwd cars to have the rear softer so that it allows the tyres to bite under acceleration?

Captain Muppet

Original Poster:

8,540 posts

264 months

Thursday 5th April 2012
quotequote all
Danny Milner said:
@captain muppet: it depends on how easy all your old stuff is to remove. But between £1100 and £1500 should do it. That's not including the dampers though.
Ok, DIY it is then.

kambites

67,461 posts

220 months

Thursday 5th April 2012
quotequote all
AndyS13 said:
I always thought it was a general rule on rwd cars to have the rear softer so that it allows the tyres to bite under acceleration?
Don't forget the Elise as a LOT more weight on the rear suspension than the front. If you compare the spring stiffness to the amount of force being put into the springs (which, under steady state cornering, is directly proportional to the weight), you get:

Spring rates F/R: 400/475
Static weight F/R: 40/60
Adjusted spring rates F/R: 10/7.92

I might be talking complete rubbish though. smile

Edited by kambites on Thursday 5th April 09:17

Hatchoo

211 posts

202 months

Thursday 5th April 2012
quotequote all
A very good article and I enjoyed the films too. A cut above the average PHer effort.

Ex Boy Racer

1,151 posts

191 months

Thursday 5th April 2012
quotequote all
How did you manage to go down the same road at exactly the same speed for the side by side shots? I'd have thought you would have gone quicker with the new suspension...

Donkey62

227 posts

164 months

Thursday 5th April 2012
quotequote all
comparing new suspension against tired old stuff sort of made the whole article null and void imho, would have rather read more about the track day or from the shops perspective.

Is the front end still squishy under turn-in, braking a quick changes of direction?

Captain Muppet

Original Poster:

8,540 posts

264 months

Thursday 5th April 2012
quotequote all
kambites said:
Don't forget the Elise as a LOT more weight on the rear suspension than the front. If you compare the spring stiffness to the amount of force being put into the springs (which, under steady state cornering, is directly proportional to the weight), you get:

Spring rates F/R: 400/475
Static weight F/R: 40/60
Adjusted spring rates F/R: 10/7.92

I might be talking complete rubbish though. smile

Edited by kambites on Thursday 5th April 09:17
This only works if the suspension geometry has the same spring leverage ratio front and back.

kambites

67,461 posts

220 months

Thursday 5th April 2012
quotequote all
Captain Muppet said:
This only works if the suspension geometry has the same spring leverage ratio front and back.
True. I haven't measured the wishbone lengths and damper mounting points.

Danny Milner

128 posts

202 months

Thursday 5th April 2012
quotequote all
Donkey62 said:
comparing new suspension against tired old stuff sort of made the whole article null and void imho, would have rather read more about the track day or from the shops perspective.

Is the front end still squishy under turn-in, braking a quick changes of direction?
You're right. I did say as much in my original copy, but i had to cut it out as it was over written. I wasn't setting out to be scientific, just trying to get a feeling for the differences.

The front end feels much more stable and predictable on turn-in now.