Pauls Exige 410 Sport
Discussion
It's suddenly dawned on me that although I'd posted on Instagram, I hadn't been keeping this thread updated. There have been a few more changes since my last post. Some minor and cosmetic, some a bit more practical.
Starting with a couple of the cosmetic mods:
Decided that I preferred the look of a black outer ring on the fuel filler:
Next was something that really bugged me:
This massive 'AIRBAG' sticker looks rubbish and is quite distracting.
Unfortunately it's attached in such a way that you can't simply remove it.
I had a few thought of simply covering it with some black vinyl or something, but then I reached out to Dan at Divine Handcrafts and we came up with a solution which I was really pleased with.
Custom sized plaque:
The 'installed' photo is blurry, but it looks so much better in real life. People wouldn't know it isn't a factory item I reckon.
The final cosmetic mod was a quick paint of the towing eye ready to get on track:
Next up was the 'big' job - Harness bar and harnesses.
Roof off, seats out and trim removed:
Rear speakers fitted which made sense to do whilst I had the seats out:
Harnesses pre-fitted to the bar in the comfort of my lounge and then installed:
And all back together:
And finally a little test to see how the HANS felt. (Whilst desperately praying my neighbours didn't walk outside...)
Next up was to fit something that I wanted before I even had the car, the AIM dash.
Installation went smoothly, and no issues so far:
The only other thing I've done is swap out the brake fluid for Castrol SRF. I've had it on good authority that the standard fluid copes fine, but I already had some and I know it's bulletproof on track.
That's pretty much all of the planned jobs complete now. I was supposed to be at Snetterton for a track day weeks ago, but very annoyingly got food poisoning and couldn't attend. Even worse was the current backlog to be able to book a trackday.
I am now finally due to be at Snetterton this Wednesday. I can't wait to finally drive the car properly!
Starting with a couple of the cosmetic mods:
Decided that I preferred the look of a black outer ring on the fuel filler:
Next was something that really bugged me:
This massive 'AIRBAG' sticker looks rubbish and is quite distracting.
Unfortunately it's attached in such a way that you can't simply remove it.
I had a few thought of simply covering it with some black vinyl or something, but then I reached out to Dan at Divine Handcrafts and we came up with a solution which I was really pleased with.
Custom sized plaque:
The 'installed' photo is blurry, but it looks so much better in real life. People wouldn't know it isn't a factory item I reckon.
The final cosmetic mod was a quick paint of the towing eye ready to get on track:
Next up was the 'big' job - Harness bar and harnesses.
Roof off, seats out and trim removed:
Rear speakers fitted which made sense to do whilst I had the seats out:
Harnesses pre-fitted to the bar in the comfort of my lounge and then installed:
And all back together:
And finally a little test to see how the HANS felt. (Whilst desperately praying my neighbours didn't walk outside...)
Next up was to fit something that I wanted before I even had the car, the AIM dash.
Installation went smoothly, and no issues so far:
The only other thing I've done is swap out the brake fluid for Castrol SRF. I've had it on good authority that the standard fluid copes fine, but I already had some and I know it's bulletproof on track.
That's pretty much all of the planned jobs complete now. I was supposed to be at Snetterton for a track day weeks ago, but very annoyingly got food poisoning and couldn't attend. Even worse was the current backlog to be able to book a trackday.
I am now finally due to be at Snetterton this Wednesday. I can't wait to finally drive the car properly!
ecain63 said:
Looking good mate. Hopefully you'll get out on the black stuff soon 
Thanks mate. I was so annoyed to miss my first track day after getting the car fully ready. Any other year you'd be able to book another day with a fortnight or so. Having to wait another 8 weeks was frustrating to say the least.Hopefully I'll make it to Snetterton with no issues on Wednesday, although the weather is looking potentially rainy. Would have preferred a dry day for my first time in a new car!
DamnKraut said:
Utterly 
Not sure this has already been asked: How do you get the fuel filler ring off?
Unscrewed the bolts but the ring didn't want to move an inch. Given my car has a pricey pearlescent paint job, that's where I chickened out. I know there is a cork ring underneath the fuel filler ring - does that need to cone off with the filler ring? Are the parts glued and will need some heat?
Many thanks
I had similar issues / concerns. In reality it’s just a bit ‘naturally’ stuck in place over time, rather than being glued in place. So you need to find a way to apply a bit of force, but without damaging the paintwork. Not sure this has already been asked: How do you get the fuel filler ring off?
Unscrewed the bolts but the ring didn't want to move an inch. Given my car has a pricey pearlescent paint job, that's where I chickened out. I know there is a cork ring underneath the fuel filler ring - does that need to cone off with the filler ring? Are the parts glued and will need some heat?
Many thanks
I think I used a plastic trim removal tool, with a micro fibre cloth to protect the paintwork as I levered it off.
There was obviously one other thing to address before my first trackday...noise.
It was quite obvious from reading the forums that a standard 410 is unlikely to pass the noise tests. The problem is that I really like the standard switchable exhaust, and didn't want a quieter one fitted all the time. I also didn't want the hassle of swapping a quiet exhaust onto the car for each track day.
That only really left me the option of some sort of temporary 'bolt-on' type device such as this: https://www.komo-tec.com/en/lotus-exige/mk3-toyota-v6350380/exhaust/144/db-eater-kt-track-v6 , although that seemed like a lot of money for what it is, and I couldn't find any reviews of its effectiveness.
With that in mind, it was time to see if I could cobble something together myself.
What we need is: A universal silencer, a 90° bend, and a reducer.
I painstakingly ground down the narrow part of the reducer until it slid perfectly inside the existing tailpipe. Then all the parts were joined together. I fabricated and attached a bracket to the underneath of the silencer, and the whole lot ended up looking like this:
To attach it to the car, you simply slide it inside the existing tailpipe, and the secure it in place using two springs in holes on the flat metal bracket.
It ends up like this:
So, now that we've established that it looks rubbish, how does it perform?
I was at Snetterton on Wednesday, but unfortunately they were not doing static testing in the morning. I would have liked to have got a reading with and without the silencer fitted.
Initially I went out on track without it fitted. Predictably I was black flagged as soon as I started getting up to speed. The drive-by limit was 92dB, and I was apparently hitting 95dB.
I fitted the silencer, and was made to do a static test before I was allowed out. This test was conducted in the pit lane while the circuit was live, so that may or may not have influenced the readings. He did two tests with the engine at 5000rpm. The readings were 104dB and 101db.
I then went out on track and had no more problems for the rest of the day. So all I can say for definite is that it reduced the drive-by value by at least 3dB.
So in summary:
Pros: (1) Cheap - Total cost around £100 (2) Very quick and easy to fit - Literally 30 seconds. (3) Straight through silencer - No restriction
Cons: (1) Looks sh*t. (But you can't see it when you're driving, can you) (2) Total effectiveness / actual noise reduction still unknown.
I'm at Donington Park in three weeks time, so we'll see what happens there.
It was quite obvious from reading the forums that a standard 410 is unlikely to pass the noise tests. The problem is that I really like the standard switchable exhaust, and didn't want a quieter one fitted all the time. I also didn't want the hassle of swapping a quiet exhaust onto the car for each track day.
That only really left me the option of some sort of temporary 'bolt-on' type device such as this: https://www.komo-tec.com/en/lotus-exige/mk3-toyota-v6350380/exhaust/144/db-eater-kt-track-v6 , although that seemed like a lot of money for what it is, and I couldn't find any reviews of its effectiveness.
With that in mind, it was time to see if I could cobble something together myself.
What we need is: A universal silencer, a 90° bend, and a reducer.
I painstakingly ground down the narrow part of the reducer until it slid perfectly inside the existing tailpipe. Then all the parts were joined together. I fabricated and attached a bracket to the underneath of the silencer, and the whole lot ended up looking like this:
To attach it to the car, you simply slide it inside the existing tailpipe, and the secure it in place using two springs in holes on the flat metal bracket.
It ends up like this:
So, now that we've established that it looks rubbish, how does it perform?
I was at Snetterton on Wednesday, but unfortunately they were not doing static testing in the morning. I would have liked to have got a reading with and without the silencer fitted.
Initially I went out on track without it fitted. Predictably I was black flagged as soon as I started getting up to speed. The drive-by limit was 92dB, and I was apparently hitting 95dB.
I fitted the silencer, and was made to do a static test before I was allowed out. This test was conducted in the pit lane while the circuit was live, so that may or may not have influenced the readings. He did two tests with the engine at 5000rpm. The readings were 104dB and 101db.
I then went out on track and had no more problems for the rest of the day. So all I can say for definite is that it reduced the drive-by value by at least 3dB.
So in summary:
Pros: (1) Cheap - Total cost around £100 (2) Very quick and easy to fit - Literally 30 seconds. (3) Straight through silencer - No restriction
Cons: (1) Looks sh*t. (But you can't see it when you're driving, can you) (2) Total effectiveness / actual noise reduction still unknown.
I'm at Donington Park in three weeks time, so we'll see what happens there.
On Wednesday I finally made it on track, after missing out a few weeks ago due to food poisoning. It was then nearly 8 weeks for the next available date!
The weather forecast kept changing daily, but luckily when I arrived I was greeted with this weather:
I just love how purposeful the Exige looks, especially at certain angles.
The drivers briefing is still being done online before the event, and with no static noise testing either I probably could have had another 30 minutes in bed.
I got the car in the garage, unloaded all the tools, and fitted the towing hook ready for action.
After letting the initial flurry of cars die down when the track first opened, I headed out. Wow. This car really feels good round the bends and on the brakes. I was grinning from ear to ear inside my helmet....well, for a little while anyway.
Coming up to the second hairpin I saw a load of smoke in the air. My initial thought was that somebody had massively locked up or something and it was tyre smoke. As I slowed for the hairpin the car suddenly felt very strange. I was steering left to go in a straight line. I was convinced something had broken or was loose. I pulled straight off and checked the car over. Everything seemed fine. I then found out that the smoke was from a Megane blowing it's engine, and the contents of it's sump were on the circuit just before the hairpin. I felt a bit stupid when I realised I'd just been sliding on the oil, but I was only braking very gently in a straight line and it didn't feel like sliding.
I then went out to have another try and that's when I got black flagged for noise. The add-on exhaust sorted it, and thankfully that was almost the last of the drama for the day.
First impressions of the car are that a) It's brilliant, and b) it's going to take me quite a while to master it.
It became very clear I'd been spoiled by using 'flappy-paddle' cars on track, and driving a manual on track again felt surprisingly difficult. I immediately decided that I wasn't even going to attempt to heel and toe today, and that I'd just start learning the car itself.
Over the course of the day I felt more and more comfortable and the car impressed further. I definitely don't regret my decision to get it.
The official photos from the day have not been published yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing those. Hopefully there are some nice shots.
The AIM dash was brilliant, and it's nice have the data logged so that you can make fancy videos afterwards.
This one is my second fastest session, with the best lap starting at 9m30s into the video:
https://youtu.be/wRV3hE93h58?t=570
And this video was mainly because I wanted to play around with the RaceRender software and add a rear view:
https://youtu.be/o3NxqsDi5Ng?t=41
I went through two tanks of fuel, and the car was quite low as I pulled off after the final session.
I had a couple of full petrol cans with me, so I put 5 litres in which I thought would be enough in total to get me home. I was wrong. I embarrassingly spluttered to a halt just 1 mile from home, after a 45 mile journey. Thankfully I had the second can in the boot, so it wasn't a major issue. Amazingly, not one person beeped or gave the 'w**ker' sign to the idiot with the sportscar stood at the side of the road who'd ran out of petrol.
I called Hangar 111 during the week for a quick chat. The car is now booked in to have the alignment checked and tweaked next month when I can make it over to them. Will be doing the usual of trying to get some more camber on the front.
In conclusion - I love this silly car.
The weather forecast kept changing daily, but luckily when I arrived I was greeted with this weather:
I just love how purposeful the Exige looks, especially at certain angles.
The drivers briefing is still being done online before the event, and with no static noise testing either I probably could have had another 30 minutes in bed.
I got the car in the garage, unloaded all the tools, and fitted the towing hook ready for action.
After letting the initial flurry of cars die down when the track first opened, I headed out. Wow. This car really feels good round the bends and on the brakes. I was grinning from ear to ear inside my helmet....well, for a little while anyway.
Coming up to the second hairpin I saw a load of smoke in the air. My initial thought was that somebody had massively locked up or something and it was tyre smoke. As I slowed for the hairpin the car suddenly felt very strange. I was steering left to go in a straight line. I was convinced something had broken or was loose. I pulled straight off and checked the car over. Everything seemed fine. I then found out that the smoke was from a Megane blowing it's engine, and the contents of it's sump were on the circuit just before the hairpin. I felt a bit stupid when I realised I'd just been sliding on the oil, but I was only braking very gently in a straight line and it didn't feel like sliding.
I then went out to have another try and that's when I got black flagged for noise. The add-on exhaust sorted it, and thankfully that was almost the last of the drama for the day.
First impressions of the car are that a) It's brilliant, and b) it's going to take me quite a while to master it.
It became very clear I'd been spoiled by using 'flappy-paddle' cars on track, and driving a manual on track again felt surprisingly difficult. I immediately decided that I wasn't even going to attempt to heel and toe today, and that I'd just start learning the car itself.
Over the course of the day I felt more and more comfortable and the car impressed further. I definitely don't regret my decision to get it.
The official photos from the day have not been published yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing those. Hopefully there are some nice shots.
The AIM dash was brilliant, and it's nice have the data logged so that you can make fancy videos afterwards.
This one is my second fastest session, with the best lap starting at 9m30s into the video:
https://youtu.be/wRV3hE93h58?t=570
And this video was mainly because I wanted to play around with the RaceRender software and add a rear view:
https://youtu.be/o3NxqsDi5Ng?t=41
I went through two tanks of fuel, and the car was quite low as I pulled off after the final session.
I had a couple of full petrol cans with me, so I put 5 litres in which I thought would be enough in total to get me home. I was wrong. I embarrassingly spluttered to a halt just 1 mile from home, after a 45 mile journey. Thankfully I had the second can in the boot, so it wasn't a major issue. Amazingly, not one person beeped or gave the 'w**ker' sign to the idiot with the sportscar stood at the side of the road who'd ran out of petrol.
I called Hangar 111 during the week for a quick chat. The car is now booked in to have the alignment checked and tweaked next month when I can make it over to them. Will be doing the usual of trying to get some more camber on the front.
In conclusion - I love this silly car.
ecain63 said:
Bit moreish on track eh! You'll be hooked on it now.
Yep. I’ve done a lot a laps of Snetterton over the years in a few different cars. The Exige definitely felt special. Oh, and I completely agree with you about the standard pads. It was a warm day and I was giving them a reasonable amount of abuse - no fade at all.
Another little cosmetic mod carried out this weekend, and one which some will like and some won't.
I've always felt that the end plates on the rear wing let it down slightly. I wish they were made out of carbon fibre like the rest of it. They just seem a bit of a cheap after-thought in a way.
I kept looking at photographs of the cars with the union jack decals on the end plates, and although I generally liked them on other peoples cars I wasn't sure if they would suit mine.
I definitely didn't think the full colour version would work, and even the greyscale version seemed like it might stand out and be too obvious.
Then I saw a instagram post (by jcxmig) who had a monochromatic version, and I got me thinking about different options. I had a chat with Dan at Divinehandcrafts, and he said could do a 'blackout' version which has a black background and then the flag in a single colour. To make the design as subtle as possible, I asked for the flag to be in the darkest metallic grey that he offered. The decals are now applied, and I'm very happy with the result. The effect varies depending on the ambient light, and it's definitely quite subtle in darker conditions.
I've always felt that the end plates on the rear wing let it down slightly. I wish they were made out of carbon fibre like the rest of it. They just seem a bit of a cheap after-thought in a way.
I kept looking at photographs of the cars with the union jack decals on the end plates, and although I generally liked them on other peoples cars I wasn't sure if they would suit mine.
I definitely didn't think the full colour version would work, and even the greyscale version seemed like it might stand out and be too obvious.
Then I saw a instagram post (by jcxmig) who had a monochromatic version, and I got me thinking about different options. I had a chat with Dan at Divinehandcrafts, and he said could do a 'blackout' version which has a black background and then the flag in a single colour. To make the design as subtle as possible, I asked for the flag to be in the darkest metallic grey that he offered. The decals are now applied, and I'm very happy with the result. The effect varies depending on the ambient light, and it's definitely quite subtle in darker conditions.
CTE said:
Hi Paul,
Regarding your exhaust extension, why did you fit the bend...to reduce the noise blast presumably?
I live very near to Snetterton and have a 430 Cup...guessing you're not too far away if you fancy a meet up and chat etc?
Yeah, I’ve seen the downturn bend on other exhausts used to reduce noise. I have absolutely no idea of the effectiveness, but logically you’d think that directing the sound down towards the ground would help reduce the noise seen on the meters. Regarding your exhaust extension, why did you fit the bend...to reduce the noise blast presumably?
I live very near to Snetterton and have a 430 Cup...guessing you're not too far away if you fancy a meet up and chat etc?
I live in Lowestoft, so about an hour from Snetterton. Would be good to meet up sometime when we’re both free.
Had some bits turn up today, so got another little modification done. This one was back to the practical rather than cosmetic side.
Now I've got a few track days booked, the wheels will be coming off quite regularly for tyre and brake inspections. Based on that, a stud conversion seemed like a good idea. I've looked at some stud conversion kits previously, but a lot of them seemed to be quite long and didn't look particularly nice. I ordered a couple of individual studs in different sizes first to have a play and see how they would look. After the test I decided to go for it, and ordered slightly different sizes front and rear. Overall I'm quite pleased with the look, but obviously the main thing is how much easier it is removing and refitting the wheels now.
Studs fitted:
Front wheel:
Rear wheel:
Now I've got a few track days booked, the wheels will be coming off quite regularly for tyre and brake inspections. Based on that, a stud conversion seemed like a good idea. I've looked at some stud conversion kits previously, but a lot of them seemed to be quite long and didn't look particularly nice. I ordered a couple of individual studs in different sizes first to have a play and see how they would look. After the test I decided to go for it, and ordered slightly different sizes front and rear. Overall I'm quite pleased with the look, but obviously the main thing is how much easier it is removing and refitting the wheels now.
Studs fitted:
Front wheel:
Rear wheel:
CTE said:
Think the downward bend could cause the shock waves to bounce back up and be worse when static, but guess when moving not so...and it clearly works!
There's a lovely bit of road between Halesworth and Harleston, plus some other good bits around there...pm me when you're free.
It's just the drive-by that I'm concerned about really. I know I'll always be able to pass the static if necessary by forcing the exhaust valve closed. There's no harm in doing that for a few seconds for the static test, but I wouldn't do it for the actual driving.There's a lovely bit of road between Halesworth and Harleston, plus some other good bits around there...pm me when you're free.
Will definitely PM you about a meet up when I'm a bit less busy.
Wednesday was another track day, this time at Donington Park on the National circuit. I'd only been here once before, and it was about 6 years ago so I was basically starting from scratch again.
The day was really (too) busy, with lots of very fast cars there including a couple of full on touring cars. Paul O'Neill of BTCC was in the garage providing coaching for one of the guys. Had a brief chat with him as I was packing up at the end of the day. Really friendly nice guy.
Because of the amount of traffic it was really hard to get a few clear laps and find the flow of the circuit again. I definitely need to start experimenting with damper settings, as the car felt like it was rolling around a bit too much through Craners and some others.
Made friends with a very nice chap called Viren, who had a black 350 which was fitted with an Alias23 induction kit. To be honest, there wasn't much difference in pace in a straight line.
Overall it was a fun day but I know I can be a lot smoother and faster there, so I'll definitely be going back.
Oh, and the bolt on (ugly) exhaust did it's job again as I didn't have a single warning all day.
Some photos from the day:
A short video showing a couple of clear(ish) laps.
https://youtu.be/3e1HMShwuH8
And one with traffic following a friend in his Exige 350.
https://youtu.be/l39OAB5dBDQ
The day was really (too) busy, with lots of very fast cars there including a couple of full on touring cars. Paul O'Neill of BTCC was in the garage providing coaching for one of the guys. Had a brief chat with him as I was packing up at the end of the day. Really friendly nice guy.
Because of the amount of traffic it was really hard to get a few clear laps and find the flow of the circuit again. I definitely need to start experimenting with damper settings, as the car felt like it was rolling around a bit too much through Craners and some others.
Made friends with a very nice chap called Viren, who had a black 350 which was fitted with an Alias23 induction kit. To be honest, there wasn't much difference in pace in a straight line.
Overall it was a fun day but I know I can be a lot smoother and faster there, so I'll definitely be going back.
Oh, and the bolt on (ugly) exhaust did it's job again as I didn't have a single warning all day.
Some photos from the day:
A short video showing a couple of clear(ish) laps.
https://youtu.be/3e1HMShwuH8
And one with traffic following a friend in his Exige 350.
https://youtu.be/l39OAB5dBDQ
Edited by Paul_M3 on Friday 27th August 19:54
Akajak said:
Thanks for the updates, do you feel the car would benefit from a ltd. slip disc ?
To be honest, I don’t think I’ve got grips with the car well enough to answer that yet. Once I’ve got the geo sorted and found some track day damper settings then maybe I’ll start to get a fee for whether an LSD would help.
Arun_D said:
My take on the topic, if you're regularly tracking the car with the DPM system off, a spinning inside wheel coming out of slow corners is a frustration, thanks to the open diff. It was for me, anyway.
I've had a Quaife fitted in mine for about 4 years now and found it beneficial. At the time it was a no-brainer as I had the rear clam off to have the CupR aerokit fitted, but I'm very glad I did. Corner exit traction is even better (the standard car already has excellent mechanical grip), and is very predictable at the limit.
I think I'd probably be glad to have one once I get more confident with the car. The LSD itself isn't that expensive is it. It's just the fitting cost that bumps it right up. .I've had a Quaife fitted in mine for about 4 years now and found it beneficial. At the time it was a no-brainer as I had the rear clam off to have the CupR aerokit fitted, but I'm very glad I did. Corner exit traction is even better (the standard car already has excellent mechanical grip), and is very predictable at the limit.
Redline88 said:
Looks great mate! From your track video, what are you using for the data overlay?
The AIM MX2E dash records all the parameters, and the AIM software (RaceStudio) can then export that as a CSV file. I then use RaceRender3 to create the overlays on top of the videos. Once you've got your head around it it's quite simple, and you can make custom dials, displays etc.Yesterday I had a go at addressing one of the few things about the Exige with is sub standard - the headlights. After looking at some threads on a few forums, I decided that I wanted to give LED bulbs a try. I know there are cheaper options available from a few places, but I wanted to play it safe with something from a known manufacturer. After a bit of research I purchased a set of these:
My thinking is that they should have hopefully developed them to have an OEM type beam pattern, and the 5 year warranty gives some peace of mind.
These newer versions do not have a separate ballast box to worry about.
Fitting was fairly straight forward with two points of note. If installed straight out of the box, the bulb will be in the wrong orientation. The light should be shining left / right and not up / down. As you may be able to tell from the photo above, the bulb have a little allen bolt which you screw in, and can then rotate the holder until the bulb is aligned as required. The second issue once fitted is that the dust cap no longer fits. A larger one from ebay has been ordered to try and resolve that.
So how does it perform? I took some photos of the car parked in front of my garage with the OEM bulbs. This was mainly to get a record of the original beam pattern as much as to try and record the brightness. The bulbs were then fitted and I took a second set of photos. The car had not been moved, and I used an app to lock the exposure and shutter speed of my iphone camera to try and get as fair a comparison as possible. Here are the results.
Conclusion: I'm very happy with them. Hopefully you can tell from the photographs that the brightness is much increased, but the beam patterns has remained identical to the OEM bulbs.
The only downside is the cost. They were £137 which quite frankly is a ridiculous amount of money to pay for the some headlight bulbs. Can you put a price on being able to see where you're going though?
My thinking is that they should have hopefully developed them to have an OEM type beam pattern, and the 5 year warranty gives some peace of mind.
These newer versions do not have a separate ballast box to worry about.
Fitting was fairly straight forward with two points of note. If installed straight out of the box, the bulb will be in the wrong orientation. The light should be shining left / right and not up / down. As you may be able to tell from the photo above, the bulb have a little allen bolt which you screw in, and can then rotate the holder until the bulb is aligned as required. The second issue once fitted is that the dust cap no longer fits. A larger one from ebay has been ordered to try and resolve that.
So how does it perform? I took some photos of the car parked in front of my garage with the OEM bulbs. This was mainly to get a record of the original beam pattern as much as to try and record the brightness. The bulbs were then fitted and I took a second set of photos. The car had not been moved, and I used an app to lock the exposure and shutter speed of my iphone camera to try and get as fair a comparison as possible. Here are the results.
Conclusion: I'm very happy with them. Hopefully you can tell from the photographs that the brightness is much increased, but the beam patterns has remained identical to the OEM bulbs.
The only downside is the cost. They were £137 which quite frankly is a ridiculous amount of money to pay for the some headlight bulbs. Can you put a price on being able to see where you're going though?
Rocket. said:
+1 on the above, enjoying your updates.
I am hoping to be in a position to buy 410 in a few months, it sounds like you are very happy with your purchase, curious to know if there were any other manufacturers you were looking at when you decided on the Exige?
No, I don’t think there were once I’d narrowed down my requirements. It needed to be fast and fun on track, but also not heavy on tyres and brakes. But it also needed to be able to do the 3+ hour journeys to track days in relative comfort, and be parked up safely at hotels overnight. It also needed to live outside. So that ruled out Caterham type cars for me. I am hoping to be in a position to buy 410 in a few months, it sounds like you are very happy with your purchase, curious to know if there were any other manufacturers you were looking at when you decided on the Exige?
With all that in mind, I couldn’t really see past an Exige or an Elise.
Had a trip over to Hangar 111 for an alignment check and adjustment today.
The main purpose was to get a bit more camber put on the front for less understeer on track, but it's always good to have the settings checked on a car you've bought.
Arrived first thing and they got the car on the machine.
Despite only being a couple of years old, the rear toe links were seized and were therefore a bit of a pain.
As for the settings, well the initial settings were pretty much as you'd expect apart from one thing...my front toe was quite a way out. The car had way more toe out than you would expect. Here are the initial and final results:
On the drive home the car felt completely different. I had assumed the amount of 'wandering' and steering wheel tugging around over poor surfaces was just how this car was. Obviously that wasn't true, because on my 40 mile journey home I didn't feel it do that at all. The car just felt planted and stable, and I didn't need both hands on the wheel to keep the thing from darting around all over the place.
In conclusion, I highly recommend getting your alignment checked out, even if you want standing settings. You never know had bad it is, and how much it's affecting the drivability of the car.
The main purpose was to get a bit more camber put on the front for less understeer on track, but it's always good to have the settings checked on a car you've bought.
Arrived first thing and they got the car on the machine.
Despite only being a couple of years old, the rear toe links were seized and were therefore a bit of a pain.
As for the settings, well the initial settings were pretty much as you'd expect apart from one thing...my front toe was quite a way out. The car had way more toe out than you would expect. Here are the initial and final results:
On the drive home the car felt completely different. I had assumed the amount of 'wandering' and steering wheel tugging around over poor surfaces was just how this car was. Obviously that wasn't true, because on my 40 mile journey home I didn't feel it do that at all. The car just felt planted and stable, and I didn't need both hands on the wheel to keep the thing from darting around all over the place.
In conclusion, I highly recommend getting your alignment checked out, even if you want standing settings. You never know had bad it is, and how much it's affecting the drivability of the car.
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