S1 Elise 2.0 Duratec Conversion
Discussion
JR Ana said:
Good work - makes me want to buy another lotus... I had an S1 Elise and an S2 Exige, this will be a nice toy to say the least, best keep it on the black top! Maybe I could join you and Nigel for a run out one day? It would be nice to see the car. Well done! Scott D.
S1 Elise Duratec v F430 Scud v 360 CS? Now thats a day out.
JR Ana said:
Good work - makes me want to buy another lotus... I had an S1 Elise and an S2 Exige, this will be a nice toy to say the least, best keep it on the black top! Maybe I could join you and Nigel for a run out one day? It would be nice to see the car. Well done! Scott D.
Hi Scott, Nigel's told me of your Lotus past and your latest toy. I'm sure we can all have a run out.Very small update, probably not a very interesting one to look at, but it’s exciting to me!
More Lotusing last last night and the car is ready to roll. Unfortunately we didn’t finish till late in the evening so the first commissioning run will have to wait till tonight. I’m looking forward to seeing how things go but I’ll be taking it easy at first and will have a fire extinguisher close to hand! The undertrays have been left off as the car is booked in for a session on the rolling road on the 14th and I want as much cooling as possible.
More updates to come.....
More Lotusing last last night and the car is ready to roll. Unfortunately we didn’t finish till late in the evening so the first commissioning run will have to wait till tonight. I’m looking forward to seeing how things go but I’ll be taking it easy at first and will have a fire extinguisher close to hand! The undertrays have been left off as the car is booked in for a session on the rolling road on the 14th and I want as much cooling as possible.
More updates to come.....
Just making room for the next project Nigel. Next time it's your turn to pick up the tab 
So, the first running report.
So last night was D-Day for the Lotus. It had already been dropped of the stands and was ready to roll. It was a bit of a thought to actually get in the thing and take it for a drive; I was almost scared to do it.
Impressions..........
The car was instantly drivable, no kangarooing or spluttering. If someone got in the car and took it for a drive you’d never know it had undergone a heart transplant. The engine is tractable and pulls cleanly with no funny noises, rattles or bangs. From the driver’s seat the only indication that something has changed is a slightly firmer throttle peddle.
The car is significantly quicker. The in-gear torque is much much stronger and the car has gone from feeling slightly asthmatic to proper pushed into your seat fast. The engine pulls strongly from all the way through the rev range with an extra kick around 5.5K. Overall it feels like it now has the power it should have had in the beginning. So far I am very happy.
Things still to do.
The engine is running noticeably rich at the top end. It puffs out black smoke if you give it a boot full of throttle, a sure indication of overfueling. I have a rolling road session booked on the 14th which should take care of this. Until then I’ll give it limited light running just to shake things down and identify any issues.
Engine cover. I need a cover to fit over the rocker cover to stop rain water filling up my spark plug holes. I did get an engine cover with the kit but it looks like it’s been designed to fit a different rocker cover, Ford have obviously changed the design. I can either modify the one I have or find a suitable alternative. I’m open to suggestions in this one.
Once the car has been rolling roaded I’ll post up some videos etc. Stay tuned.
So, the first running report.
So last night was D-Day for the Lotus. It had already been dropped of the stands and was ready to roll. It was a bit of a thought to actually get in the thing and take it for a drive; I was almost scared to do it.
Impressions..........
The car was instantly drivable, no kangarooing or spluttering. If someone got in the car and took it for a drive you’d never know it had undergone a heart transplant. The engine is tractable and pulls cleanly with no funny noises, rattles or bangs. From the driver’s seat the only indication that something has changed is a slightly firmer throttle peddle.
The car is significantly quicker. The in-gear torque is much much stronger and the car has gone from feeling slightly asthmatic to proper pushed into your seat fast. The engine pulls strongly from all the way through the rev range with an extra kick around 5.5K. Overall it feels like it now has the power it should have had in the beginning. So far I am very happy.
Things still to do.
The engine is running noticeably rich at the top end. It puffs out black smoke if you give it a boot full of throttle, a sure indication of overfueling. I have a rolling road session booked on the 14th which should take care of this. Until then I’ll give it limited light running just to shake things down and identify any issues.
Engine cover. I need a cover to fit over the rocker cover to stop rain water filling up my spark plug holes. I did get an engine cover with the kit but it looks like it’s been designed to fit a different rocker cover, Ford have obviously changed the design. I can either modify the one I have or find a suitable alternative. I’m open to suggestions in this one.
Once the car has been rolling roaded I’ll post up some videos etc. Stay tuned.
scz4 said:
Nice one, can't wait for the demo run and some blasts of the Lecht this summer 
Out of interest, what's the rev limiter set to? I believe the later Duratec's in say the MK3.5 MX5 got stronger internals and thus 500rpm more to play with, but not sure what age yor engine is.
Rev limit is 7000 rpm. Not heard of Duratecs with stronger internals, possible I suppose. Out of interest, what's the rev limiter set to? I believe the later Duratec's in say the MK3.5 MX5 got stronger internals and thus 500rpm more to play with, but not sure what age yor engine is.
GregorFuk said:
Rev limit is 7000 rpm. Not heard of Duratecs with stronger internals, possible I suppose.
When they launched the MK3 MX5 the Duratecs fitted were using a con rod which when some people supercharged them couldn't take it. When Mazda released the facelift the conrods were updated and were then stronger (forged?), items. (and other tweaks probably)Now I don't know if Mazda originally downgraded the "default ford option", and returned to normal as part of the facelift when they wanted a few more ponies themselves. Or if they started normal and upgraded. I'm simply not that technical.
But suffice to say. All Duratechs are not born equal, and if you ever think of going forced induction it's worth knowing the spec of yours first (e.g. avoid early MK3 MX5 engines if you want power hikes).
Munter said:
When they launched the MK3 MX5 the Duratecs fitted were using a con rod which when some people supercharged them couldn't take it. When Mazda released the facelift the conrods were updated and were then stronger (forged?), items. (and other tweaks probably)
Now I don't know if Mazda originally downgraded the "default ford option", and returned to normal as part of the facelift when they wanted a few more ponies themselves. Or if they started normal and upgraded. I'm simply not that technical.
But suffice to say. All Duratechs are not born equal, and if you ever think of going forced induction it's worth knowing the spec of yours first (e.g. avoid early MK3 MX5 engines if you want power hikes).
Yeah not sure, all I know is the newer (2009 onwards) internals were forged and the rev limiter was raised from 6500rpm to 7000rpm. From what I've read the newer engine will easily take 240bhp with the Cosworth supercharger kit, but the earlier engine needed uprated Cosworth interals. Now I don't know if Mazda originally downgraded the "default ford option", and returned to normal as part of the facelift when they wanted a few more ponies themselves. Or if they started normal and upgraded. I'm simply not that technical.
But suffice to say. All Duratechs are not born equal, and if you ever think of going forced induction it's worth knowing the spec of yours first (e.g. avoid early MK3 MX5 engines if you want power hikes).
Talking of which, Cosworth supercharger next winter?
Greg_D said:
You'd struggle to fit the cissy sc in there, a rotrex would be a pig as well (doesn't look much room at the crank end)
I'd say nothing is impossible, it just depends on how much you want to spend and how much you want to hack away at the original car. My plan has always been not to overwhelm the car with power. I know you can get 350bhp and over into an S1 by going the SC Honda route but I have a feeling that this would destroy the delicacy of the original car. The car has yet to be mapped but on the short drive I have had it does not feel short of puff.
GregorFuk said:
Rev limit is 7000 rpm. Not heard of Duratecs with stronger internals, possible I suppose.
Just how empty would Sir like his wallet?http://www.sbdev.co.uk/Duratec/Duratec%20Parts%20C...
So it's been a long time since my last update but that doesn't mean nothing has been happening with the Duratec conversion.
After getting the car back on four wheels and drivable it was taken for a few shake down runs. As said at the start of this thread the kit comes with a pre-mapped ECU for the Duratec with the AT-Power throttle boddies so the car was instantly drivable.
Driving the car it felt significantly faster than with the original K with real pull in each gear. It was however clear that the engine was running rich as night driving showed puffs of black smoke on heavy throttle openings and the back of the car was slowly gathering a fine layer of soot.
The shake down running was worth the effort though as it exposed a weakness in the cooling system....The original Lotus radiator. The original item has plastic end caps that are known to fail and sure enough the extra load from the Duratec finished mine off nicely. I opened the garage one day to find the car sitting in a pool off coolant. I now feel confident enough to tackle any job on the Lotus but with Rolling Road sessions looming I just wanted the car back running ASAP. To get the job done I took the car to my regular garage JD Motor Engineers John and Dave really know there stuff and managed to turn the car round in a day. Of course I didn't stick a standard radiator back in, instead I went for an uprated Elise Parts all alloy item.
With the radiator fixed the car was back up and running however a technical fault with the rolling road meant that my mapping session was cancelled. This was a real let down as I was champing at the bit to get the car setup and running correctly! Luckily I managed to get booked into a different rolling road for a mapping session by local legend Ricky Gauld. I explained that the car was running rich and on his advice I leaned the entire map out by 10% in preparation for the 40 mile drive to his premises. The car instantly felt better.
Dropping the car off meant a 40 mile cross country drive on a clear dry Aberdeen night. I was followed out by my friend in his E46 CSL and even though it should have waited till after the mapping session we could not resist seeing how the Duratec Elise faired against the CSL. So, how quick is a S1 Duratec Elise? Well from a rolling 2nd gear start, up through the gears, there was nothing between the two cars. So pretty quick is the answer. And that was before mapping.
Last night I got the car back and drove it home. I'd not say it felt hugely faster but it did feel noticeably smoother throughout the rev range. Dyno plots for 3rd and 4th gear pulls are shown below. The 4th gear pull shows 153bhp at the wheels and a lovely flat torque curve, this in line with the quoted Essex Autosport figures and show my engine is nice and healthy. The 3rd gear pull peaked at 164bhp. Overall I am very happy!
4th gear dyno pull
3rd gear dyno pull
So, what's next? Well I still have to sort out some sort of engine cover, I'm thinking about making my own. Oh and I need to look at brakes because I'm finding I get to the corners much quicker than before. I'm thinking about going for a set of slightly larger AP belled disks any thought comments let me know.
More to come.....
After getting the car back on four wheels and drivable it was taken for a few shake down runs. As said at the start of this thread the kit comes with a pre-mapped ECU for the Duratec with the AT-Power throttle boddies so the car was instantly drivable.
Driving the car it felt significantly faster than with the original K with real pull in each gear. It was however clear that the engine was running rich as night driving showed puffs of black smoke on heavy throttle openings and the back of the car was slowly gathering a fine layer of soot.
The shake down running was worth the effort though as it exposed a weakness in the cooling system....The original Lotus radiator. The original item has plastic end caps that are known to fail and sure enough the extra load from the Duratec finished mine off nicely. I opened the garage one day to find the car sitting in a pool off coolant. I now feel confident enough to tackle any job on the Lotus but with Rolling Road sessions looming I just wanted the car back running ASAP. To get the job done I took the car to my regular garage JD Motor Engineers John and Dave really know there stuff and managed to turn the car round in a day. Of course I didn't stick a standard radiator back in, instead I went for an uprated Elise Parts all alloy item.
With the radiator fixed the car was back up and running however a technical fault with the rolling road meant that my mapping session was cancelled. This was a real let down as I was champing at the bit to get the car setup and running correctly! Luckily I managed to get booked into a different rolling road for a mapping session by local legend Ricky Gauld. I explained that the car was running rich and on his advice I leaned the entire map out by 10% in preparation for the 40 mile drive to his premises. The car instantly felt better.
Dropping the car off meant a 40 mile cross country drive on a clear dry Aberdeen night. I was followed out by my friend in his E46 CSL and even though it should have waited till after the mapping session we could not resist seeing how the Duratec Elise faired against the CSL. So, how quick is a S1 Duratec Elise? Well from a rolling 2nd gear start, up through the gears, there was nothing between the two cars. So pretty quick is the answer. And that was before mapping.
Last night I got the car back and drove it home. I'd not say it felt hugely faster but it did feel noticeably smoother throughout the rev range. Dyno plots for 3rd and 4th gear pulls are shown below. The 4th gear pull shows 153bhp at the wheels and a lovely flat torque curve, this in line with the quoted Essex Autosport figures and show my engine is nice and healthy. The 3rd gear pull peaked at 164bhp. Overall I am very happy!
4th gear dyno pull
3rd gear dyno pull
So, what's next? Well I still have to sort out some sort of engine cover, I'm thinking about making my own. Oh and I need to look at brakes because I'm finding I get to the corners much quicker than before. I'm thinking about going for a set of slightly larger AP belled disks any thought comments let me know.
More to come.....
Re the brakes. Are you actually getting fade or is it a precaution? If a precaution the standard brakes are pretty good on an Elise and fitting uprated pads and race fluid (Castrol SRF or similar) will give you much better performance. You could also opt for braided lines too as they don't cost much from HEL. Much much cheaper than ~ 1k for uprated stuff and unless you are tracking it a lot, they're really not needed.
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