Supercharged Honda Elise 135R
Discussion
The harness manufacturers specifically say they're unsafe if fitted that way, and they seem like the ones to believe over the handful of people online who heard it was fine from a mate 
I've also done some research and decided on getting Schroth ASM harnesses if I go down that route. They're the only 4-point ones that I've seen quality crash test video footage of being tested.
I found Elise Spares do Kevlar composite replicas of the Cup 260 seats. The come untrimmed so are a very good price, but I've not found any reviews or feedback on them so am a bit wary.
As for the LED lights, I much prefer the look of them, but ~£400 is a bit steep, compared to £4 for a replacement, unmelted reflector
I've also done some research and decided on getting Schroth ASM harnesses if I go down that route. They're the only 4-point ones that I've seen quality crash test video footage of being tested.I found Elise Spares do Kevlar composite replicas of the Cup 260 seats. The come untrimmed so are a very good price, but I've not found any reviews or feedback on them so am a bit wary.
As for the LED lights, I much prefer the look of them, but ~£400 is a bit steep, compared to £4 for a replacement, unmelted reflector
Edited by jaik on Tuesday 9th August 14:03
Someones mate always knows better than the manufacture Its like the arguments over the weight of a K20A2 engine. I measured both the Rover K and Honda K on the engine crane with accurate digital inline scales and yet disbelief still reigns.
Schroth ASM harnesses are good, doesnt matter that theyre 4 point because of the ASM and besides, you can upgrade to 6 point by buying the extra strap on its own. BTW: when fitting them note that the belt that un-stitches in an accident needs to on a certain side, its in the instructions but yet again people on the internet say it doesn't matter. I confirmed with Schroth directly; it does matter.
Its like the arguments over the weight of a K20A2 engine. I measured both the Rover K and Honda K on the engine crane with accurate digital inline scales and yet disbelief still reigns. Schroth ASM harnesses are good, doesnt matter that theyre 4 point because of the ASM and besides, you can upgrade to 6 point by buying the extra strap on its own. BTW: when fitting them note that the belt that un-stitches in an accident needs to on a certain side, its in the instructions but yet again people on the internet say it doesn't matter. I confirmed with Schroth directly; it does matter.
Edited by economicpygmy on Sunday 31st July 12:42
economicpygmy said:
Someones mate always knows better than the manufacture Its like the arguments over the weight of a K20A2 engine. I measured both the Rover K and Honda K on the engine crane with accurate digital inline scales and yet disbelief still reigns.
Interesting. What were the results? Its like the arguments over the weight of a K20A2 engine. I measured both the Rover K and Honda K on the engine crane with accurate digital inline scales and yet disbelief still reigns. Edited by economicpygmy on Sunday 31st July 12:42
Lefty said:
economicpygmy said:
Someones mate always knows better than the manufacture Its like the arguments over the weight of a K20A2 engine. I measured both the Rover K and Honda K on the engine crane with accurate digital inline scales and yet disbelief still reigns.
Interesting. What were the results? Its like the arguments over the weight of a K20A2 engine. I measured both the Rover K and Honda K on the engine crane with accurate digital inline scales and yet disbelief still reigns. Edited by economicpygmy on Sunday 31st July 12:42
BTW: Nice P1.
jaik said:
I found Elise Spares do Kevlar composite replicas of the Cup 260 seats. The come us trimmed so are a very good price, but I've not found any reviews or feedback on them so am a bit wary.
ES look after my car and I've heard decent things about the seats. I've yet to see some though. Keep meaning to ask Dave at ES to see a set as my car has harnesses but standard seats and they have to go at some point.Nice car Jaik, I bought my S1 SC Honda Elise back in November and now it's properly sorted and I am loving it. My car went to TDI south last week and now showing a healthy 325hp at the hubs ( built k20 with magnum powers SC and Chargecooler) Personally I am not convinced tdi over read by 20 pct I had a previous rolling road print out for my car and it was a lot higher though never felt it. TDI mapped my car really well and now it drives so much better and definitely doesn't need more power.
DavidTillyer said:
ES look after my car and I've heard decent things about the seats. I've yet to see some though. Keep meaning to ask Dave at ES to see a set as my car has harnesses but standard seats and they have to go at some point.
I'd appreciate any feedback if you do, the only bits I've managed to find have been very anecdotal.TheRocket said:
Nice car Jaik, I bought my S1 SC Honda Elise back in November and now it's properly sorted and I am loving it. My car went to TDI south last week and now showing a healthy 325hp at the hubs ( built k20 with magnum powers SC and Chargecooler) Personally I am not convinced tdi over read by 20 pct I had a previous rolling road print out for my car and it was a lot higher though never felt it. TDI mapped my car really well and now it drives so much better and definitely doesn't need more power.
Sounds like a mega car TDI did an excellent job mapping mine too, it's as smooth and drivable as my standard Elise SC was. If I ever get the chance to put it on the rollers somewhere else for cheap as part of a club day or something it will be interesting to compare, but whatever the numbers, they seem like enough.I was at Demon Tweeks today buying some gloves for my first sprint event in a few weeks (different car which I should probably create a thread about) and tried out a few potential seats for the Lotus while I was there. This turned out to be something of a mistake, as I now have to fiddle the maths so a pair of Tillett B5s appears like the only possible option. They're small, which means they're comfortable for skinny old me, and since they were designed specifically to fit the Elise/Exige are an easy bolt-in solution. I've also not heard a bad word said about Tillett, so many boxes are being ticked. Tillett even tweaked the design recently, meaning there would now be a small weight loss by swapping to the B5s from the stock seats.
Custom trimming of the pads is also an option, which is mighty tempting at this point, before I've found out the price. An example from their site:
Custom trimming of the pads is also an option, which is mighty tempting at this point, before I've found out the price. An example from their site:
While I umm and ahh about new seats and harnesses, I've spent £3.66 on a new reflector to replace the one my exhaust melted. I've also ordered a pair of centre caps to replace my missing ones.
I also gave the garage a clear out, so there's now bags of room to get out of the car, take wheels off etc. The tip run saw a Ford Focus absolutely brimmed to the headlining with lawnmowers (I've not had a lawn for 2 years), cheap Mini wheels (I've not had a Mini for 5 years) and mystery fluids in glass jars (they belonged to the deceased previous owner of my house). Must have vacuumed up about a kilo of spiders along the way.
I also gave the garage a clear out, so there's now bags of room to get out of the car, take wheels off etc. The tip run saw a Ford Focus absolutely brimmed to the headlining with lawnmowers (I've not had a lawn for 2 years), cheap Mini wheels (I've not had a Mini for 5 years) and mystery fluids in glass jars (they belonged to the deceased previous owner of my house). Must have vacuumed up about a kilo of spiders along the way.
Edited by jaik on Tuesday 9th August 14:02
I've only done one minor job on the car in the past few weeks, which was to spray PTFE onto various bits of the gearstick mechanism/linkage as it was a bit creaky, squeaky and stiff in places. They're known for being a weak part of the package in terms of precision and feel, but just getting things sliding better has made a big improvement to cross-gate shifts. Getting between 2nd and 3rd when driving with gusto was a bit of a sketchy manoeuvre before, needing three very distinct moves to not get jammed up, to the point where I just didn't bother with 2nd on my Blyton trackday. It's now considerably better and can be done subconsciously like in a "normal" car.
Otherwise, I've just been driving and enjoying it. The sky looked nice early this evening, so I went for a run up the Cat and Fiddle to catch the sunset, then had a fantastic clear blat down the A54 back to Macclesfield.
Otherwise, I've just been driving and enjoying it. The sky looked nice early this evening, so I went for a run up the Cat and Fiddle to catch the sunset, then had a fantastic clear blat down the A54 back to Macclesfield.
It's interesting how similar the engine dyno is to the engine in m3 e36 M3 Evo. peak power ~320 and peak torque around 200, redline ~7500rpm.
The M3 feels prety nippy with 1.5 tons to haul around, your Elise must feel like someone pressed the fast forward button!
EDIT: nice pics too!
The M3 feels prety nippy with 1.5 tons to haul around, your Elise must feel like someone pressed the fast forward button!
EDIT: nice pics too!
Edited by shalmaneser on Thursday 15th September 23:18
I took the car for a week in the Alps and the Dolomites with a few friends (I'll post more about that soon) and had a couple of minor bits to fix when I got home.
I gained a few minor rattles which I'm looked to solve, and one big one. Toward the end of the trip the driver's door started rattling, not that uncommon with these cars, so I borrowed some tools to set about adjusting the window as the most likely culprit. As I opened the door I noticed a screw missing at the back which seemed to be something of a smoking gun. Having decided to leave it until I got home, it obviously got worse throughout the day and the second screw in the same place disappeared too. I suspect I only ever had one of the two, and that had just come loose. I replaced both the missing screws and washers today with parts from Lotus; the big rattle is gone and the door feels more solid than it ever has. Success!
I also replaced a broken rain shroud panel that goes behind the radiator as I thought that could be the cause of another rattle. Nigh on £40 for a piece of plastic and it made no difference, but at least it's not snapped anymore
And a bonus shot of the car in an Italian hotel carpark after a week of exuberant motoring…
Abused Lotus Elise by Jaik Dean, on Flickr
I gained a few minor rattles which I'm looked to solve, and one big one. Toward the end of the trip the driver's door started rattling, not that uncommon with these cars, so I borrowed some tools to set about adjusting the window as the most likely culprit. As I opened the door I noticed a screw missing at the back which seemed to be something of a smoking gun. Having decided to leave it until I got home, it obviously got worse throughout the day and the second screw in the same place disappeared too. I suspect I only ever had one of the two, and that had just come loose. I replaced both the missing screws and washers today with parts from Lotus; the big rattle is gone and the door feels more solid than it ever has. Success!
I also replaced a broken rain shroud panel that goes behind the radiator as I thought that could be the cause of another rattle. Nigh on £40 for a piece of plastic and it made no difference, but at least it's not snapped anymore
And a bonus shot of the car in an Italian hotel carpark after a week of exuberant motoring…
Abused Lotus Elise by Jaik Dean, on Flickr
Some assorted thoughts on my car vs the 4C:
- They're both too fast to compare performance-wise on the road, it would come down to what risks you were willing to take with your license and people's lives. The 4C owner was also taking it easy most of the time, by his own admission.
- The Elise feels raw, simple and focussed, the 4C feels more exotic, jewel-like and special, there are more nice little touches inside. Which is better is down to personal preference.
- My car generally gets a fair bit of attention on the road, but becomes invisible when the 4C is around. The Alfa just has bags of road presence.
- The Alfa is quieter than mine, but makes more interesting and exciting exhaust noises. That said, I adore the supercharger whine of my car.
- The boot on the Lotus is small, on the 4C it's offensively tiny. Easily half the size.
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