Are Elises too slow?
Discussion
I have a 111R which is the fastest standard model and apart from its theoretically ballistic 0-60 time I can't help but notice the sheer number of new 'bread and butter' cars which have massive performance, and not just the newest diesels. I know Elises/Exiges are not just about straight line performance but surely they need to be quicker than modern 'b and b' cars? Caterhams and Atoms etc are also all about handling but they are also extremely fast. I think mine needs about 250bhp but a £10K supercharge (with all the necessary bits) is more than slightly stretching my budget!
So, what do you think?
So, what do you think?
It's about the overall package. Some of the faster track cars are more compromised, some of them are more expensive to own or run, some don't handle etc.
It also depends where you are coming from. If you have approached from M3s, £30K barges etc then yes, it probably does feel slow. But come from a FWD, hot hatch background and they provide enough power.
It also depends where you are coming from. If you have approached from M3s, £30K barges etc then yes, it probably does feel slow. But come from a FWD, hot hatch background and they provide enough power.
I kind of agree with Pasthim ... on the odd times I've hit the throttle against another supposedly b 'n b car, the margin has been quite small even in my 160.
Isn't Elise more about finesse, feel and sheer enjoyment ... BMW xxx might be quicker off the mark but I know which one I'd rather be driving.
That said, there's always room for a little more BPM ... I had 325bhp in a RS200 kit car once but it wasn't anywhere near as fun to drive as the elise.
Isn't Elise more about finesse, feel and sheer enjoyment ... BMW xxx might be quicker off the mark but I know which one I'd rather be driving.
That said, there's always room for a little more BPM ... I had 325bhp in a RS200 kit car once but it wasn't anywhere near as fun to drive as the elise.
The Elise has never been about max performance though. It's a sportscar not a supercar. Anyway, my S2 111S is supposed to get to 60 in 5.1 seconds according to Evo magazine. Which is pretty quick in any terms! But for me that is totally irrelevant (and probably incorrect!). It just has to be quick enough to excite and the Elise is all about back to basic driving fun. the more power you put in a car, the less the driver has to do to extract that speed. And that bores me! My previous car was a Boxster S with 260 BHP. It was dull by comparison.
Give me a lower powered light car and the skills to extract every one of those horses and I'll be happier than if I were sat in any Porsche or Ferrari.
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Give me a lower powered light car and the skills to extract every one of those horses and I'll be happier than if I were sat in any Porsche or Ferrari.
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jtbush said:
Yep, there isnt much quicker in a dash to 100, and in all honesty, who races to 100. In fairness though, the VXT does feel remarkably quicker, stupidly quicker in fact, so I agree, the elise could be a bit quicker.
Despite the VXT being a very quick car, it being a turbo IMO has more to do with how quick it feels. In all honesty, a Europa-S feels just as quick (possibly even quicker) as my supercharged Exige - yet side by side, it doesn't stand a chance.
I think its more that the modern day hot hatches/top end diesels etc have all come on leaps and bounds in recent years to be chumping at the feet of sports and supercars. In the real world even with a genuine monster of a car hitting 60 in 4 seconds, a VXR Astra/Corsa or whatever hitting 60 in 6 seconds or thereabouts won't be far behind, particularly if aided by electronics/traction control etc (and assuming the driver is more interested in the race 
)
Not a lot is significantly quicker than the hot hatches et al these days. Not quite the same but at the weekend Mel lent me his Audi S4 for a play. Ok, so its chipped and tweaked and closer to the 400bhp RS4 but its pretty damn astonishing, particularly as you have no idea you are hitting the speeds that you are. A gallardo spyder was playing and I couldn't believe how close it was in a straight line (neither could he given the S is debadged and there was a fecking great flymo going from one side to another in the boot). But with paddle shifters or usual auto box, traction control and a whole host of other electronic gismos (including enders on the TV) its childs play.
) Not a lot is significantly quicker than the hot hatches et al these days. Not quite the same but at the weekend Mel lent me his Audi S4 for a play. Ok, so its chipped and tweaked and closer to the 400bhp RS4 but its pretty damn astonishing, particularly as you have no idea you are hitting the speeds that you are. A gallardo spyder was playing and I couldn't believe how close it was in a straight line (neither could he given the S is debadged and there was a fecking great flymo going from one side to another in the boot). But with paddle shifters or usual auto box, traction control and a whole host of other electronic gismos (including enders on the TV
) its childs play. shnozz said:
"...particularly as you have no idea you are hitting the speeds that you are" "its childs play."
I agree, Modern performance cars are a doddle to drive fast. thats why I think the Elise is so special. A drive down a nice country lane at 60 odd feels like you're hitting 200 down the Mulsanne in an Elise. For me thats much better than getting nicked for doing 100 when it feels like you're tootling along at 40!
kevin ritson said:
S Works said:
I think you should sell your R, buy an S1 Elise/Exige and then put an Audi turbo, or SC Honda aftermarket engine in. Ballistic doesn't even come close.
Stuck record
I need a tongue-in-cheek smilie mate. Seriously, those are the only Elise variants where I've really gone "whooooaaaoh" (actually other than as a passenger with speedyellow in his 240R, but that's more down to the driver).
ALL Elises (even the boggo 118bhp S1's) are plenty quick enough in the right hands, and on the right roads. I'd be the first to admit that it's not all about straight line speed... although the extra grunt for overtaking does have it's benefits at times.
I often feel that I would like a little more straight line speed but then think well It may make 1/2 second diff to 60 or a couple of secs to 100. On the road yuo wont really notice the difference. I know I will get shot down in flames re mid range acceleration etc but to worry about getting to 60 or so quicker than it takes to read this isnt justifyable.
On a track different kettle of fish !
unfortunately in a traffic light drag v a juiced up boy racer who will thrash his car to death 2 secs to 60 wont mean a lot. Put it on a twisty B road then the Elise comes into its own.
All in my opinion of course
On a track different kettle of fish !
unfortunately in a traffic light drag v a juiced up boy racer who will thrash his car to death 2 secs to 60 wont mean a lot. Put it on a twisty B road then the Elise comes into its own.
All in my opinion of course
There are just too many variables on road that makes a comparison between cars almost pointless - even lap times can be misleading as the length of straits vs v-max of the car will come into play on some tracks more than others.
As long as you are having as much fun as possible, WGAF if someone else burnt you off at the lights or smoked you down a dual carriageway - at the end of the day someone will always have a quicker car than you...
As was alluded to above, the Elise is a lot more fun to drive at legal speeds, which in this day and age is quite a key factor!!
though it didn't stop me getting 6 points in my first month of ownership!
As long as you are having as much fun as possible, WGAF if someone else burnt you off at the lights or smoked you down a dual carriageway - at the end of the day someone will always have a quicker car than you...
As was alluded to above, the Elise is a lot more fun to drive at legal speeds, which in this day and age is quite a key factor!!
though it didn't stop me getting 6 points in my first month of ownership!
It can be disconcerting what can stay with you in a straight line but i think the point is that it feels quick! Oh, and they won't keep up with you on the roundabouts. Someone made a good point on hear about you being able to have alot of fun at legal speeds. In many modern performance cars you will be well on the wrong side of the law to really enjoy yourself.
Phil-Ch said:
jtbush said:
Yep, there isnt much quicker in a dash to 100, and in all honesty, who races to 100. In fairness though, the VXT does feel remarkably quicker, stupidly quicker in fact, so I agree, the elise could be a bit quicker.
Despite the VXT being a very quick car, it being a turbo IMO has more to do with how quick it feels. In all honesty, a Europa-S feels just as quick (possibly even quicker) as my supercharged Exige - yet side by side, it doesn't stand a chance.
It goes from 0 - 100 in 12 seconds compared to nearly 18 for the elise. That is a sh*t load quicker! I agree, the feel is mostly down to the turbo woosh, as my old A3 Turbo feels quicker than my Elise in a straight line, but as said already, the elise is more about chuckability and finesse on twisty stuff.
My near-standard Elise runs the quarter mile in 13.6 seconds.... At the last drag day I was at, I was about 50/50 for the day with a brace of TVR Griffith 500s there which were running 13.0-13.8s quarter miles..... given that I doubt anyone would accuse a Griff 500 of being slow in a straight line, I don't see where you're coming from.
In REAL terms, the Elise is BALLISTIC on the road. Off the mark, from 0-30, there's little on earth to keep up with it as its low weight makes the biggest difference here.
Stop worrying about on-paper figures and enjoy the thing. On the road a 111R is one of THE fastest point-to-point dry-weather cars on the road.... period.
In REAL terms, the Elise is BALLISTIC on the road. Off the mark, from 0-30, there's little on earth to keep up with it as its low weight makes the biggest difference here.
Stop worrying about on-paper figures and enjoy the thing. On the road a 111R is one of THE fastest point-to-point dry-weather cars on the road.... period.
jtbush said:
Phil-Ch said:
jtbush said:
Yep, there isnt much quicker in a dash to 100, and in all honesty, who races to 100. In fairness though, the VXT does feel remarkably quicker, stupidly quicker in fact, so I agree, the elise could be a bit quicker.
Despite the VXT being a very quick car, it being a turbo IMO has more to do with how quick it feels. In all honesty, a Europa-S feels just as quick (possibly even quicker) as my supercharged Exige - yet side by side, it doesn't stand a chance.
It goes from 0 - 100 in 12 seconds compared to nearly 18 for the elise. That is a sh*t load quicker! I agree, the feel is mostly down to the turbo woosh, as my old A3 Turbo feels quicker than my Elise in a straight line, but as said already, the elise is more about chuckability and finesse on twisty stuff.
But hes talking about a 111R which should do it in 13.2 secs so not much in it .
What regular euro barges can beat this figure along with 4.9 to 60 ? Ive never met one , but then i ease off when i get to 80 and let them come by .
jtbush said:
It goes from 0 - 100 in 12 seconds compared to nearly 18 for the elise. That is a sh*t load quicker! I agree, the feel is mostly down to the turbo woosh, as my old A3 Turbo feels quicker than my Elise in a straight line, but as said already, the elise is more about chuckability and finesse on twisty stuff.
That wasn't quite the point I was trying to make though. To word it a little bit different - my point was, that cars with turbos tend to feel a lot quicker, at times, even more so than cars that ARE quicker. I.e. A Europe-S that does 0-100 in 14 seconds feels quicker than my Exige that does the same in a bit more than 9 seconds. It's all about the power delivery.
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