Exige 240 Cup delivery
Discussion
I was worried to hear that a Forum participant was told his car would be delayed so I stopped in at the dealer today and he assures me that my car is in a boat that docked this weekend in Tokyo. He told me that the car woul;d take one month to clear customs/Japan compliance and I should take deliver in late February early March. Has anybody taken delivery of theirs yet?
Hi,
Just took delivery of my Cup 240 yesterday afternoon. Black with black wheels and black side windows, looks quite "meaningful". Unfortunately I can only comment on the significant improvement in pull up to 4,000 rpm at this point. Also handling has not really been evaluated as it rained on my way back from the dealer, turning to snow for half the journey, then this morning was pretty frosty. Will let you know my thought when she gets driven in anger.
Stuart
Just took delivery of my Cup 240 yesterday afternoon. Black with black wheels and black side windows, looks quite "meaningful". Unfortunately I can only comment on the significant improvement in pull up to 4,000 rpm at this point. Also handling has not really been evaluated as it rained on my way back from the dealer, turning to snow for half the journey, then this morning was pretty frosty. Will let you know my thought when she gets driven in anger.
Stuart
latest update on the running in process. Having carried out two laps of the "Argyllring" short circuit which those of you with a knowledge of the west of Scotland will understand the situation so far.
Handling:- The handling delicacy and subtlety with the Ohlins set up is absolutely devine, it has a whole new level of delicacy and finess coupled with even higher resolution feedback than my S2 111S with Nitrons, OZ's & A048's. The ride is actually much more comfortable and crash free even on poor surfaces. Actual improvements in grip have yet to be explored due to the ambient temp being around zero yesterday evening.
Engine:- Initially running below 4,000 for 300 miles I was pleasantly surprised by the genuine low end push that the car has. I mean you can trundle along in 6th at 30mph, leave the 30 zone and just push the pedal and let the car just build speed slowly at first and getting reasonably urgent towards 4K. Equally progress can be reasonably brisk if you short shift up the box at 4K. Now that 5,500 RMP is available you can really feel the torque starting to work for you, this coupled with a lovely crackle and bang on the overrun with the Stage 2 exhaust. Also the gear shift is a revalation compared to the K series, much more "rifle bolt accurate"
Pedal Box:- Any negatives I had about the pedal box on the new cars are now gone due to the 2006 revisions, the brake pedal is at the right height and there is now ZERO freeplay in the pedal. I am not sure specifically what they have fitted by way of pads but certainly the new pedal box, uprated pads, fluids and braided lines make for some very reassuring brakes.
General build quality is also very good and has moved on from my previous car, the only query I will have is that the embroidered floor mats do not seem to have appeared so i hope i do not get fed the "late specification change" line at its first service. As for photos i will wait untill i wash it as it is covered in salt and dust at the moment and looking better used than its 300 miles would suggest.
For all of you out there ( GTRene ) hoping that "house purchase will force sale" this just is not happening, there is NO WAY this thing is going on the market while i still have a spare kidney for a rainy day!!!!
To summarise I would just say that the Cup 240 has all the subtelty and delicacy we have come to expect but this is coupled with the sheer sence of occasion I used to feel when I took my Tuscan for a thrash. Now if anyone out there has recently moved house and would like to sell some space on their driving licence I can feel the need at some point in the future to "re-home" some points WHEN the need arrises.
Stuart
Handling:- The handling delicacy and subtlety with the Ohlins set up is absolutely devine, it has a whole new level of delicacy and finess coupled with even higher resolution feedback than my S2 111S with Nitrons, OZ's & A048's. The ride is actually much more comfortable and crash free even on poor surfaces. Actual improvements in grip have yet to be explored due to the ambient temp being around zero yesterday evening.
Engine:- Initially running below 4,000 for 300 miles I was pleasantly surprised by the genuine low end push that the car has. I mean you can trundle along in 6th at 30mph, leave the 30 zone and just push the pedal and let the car just build speed slowly at first and getting reasonably urgent towards 4K. Equally progress can be reasonably brisk if you short shift up the box at 4K. Now that 5,500 RMP is available you can really feel the torque starting to work for you, this coupled with a lovely crackle and bang on the overrun with the Stage 2 exhaust. Also the gear shift is a revalation compared to the K series, much more "rifle bolt accurate"
Pedal Box:- Any negatives I had about the pedal box on the new cars are now gone due to the 2006 revisions, the brake pedal is at the right height and there is now ZERO freeplay in the pedal. I am not sure specifically what they have fitted by way of pads but certainly the new pedal box, uprated pads, fluids and braided lines make for some very reassuring brakes.
General build quality is also very good and has moved on from my previous car, the only query I will have is that the embroidered floor mats do not seem to have appeared so i hope i do not get fed the "late specification change" line at its first service. As for photos i will wait untill i wash it as it is covered in salt and dust at the moment and looking better used than its 300 miles would suggest.
For all of you out there ( GTRene ) hoping that "house purchase will force sale" this just is not happening, there is NO WAY this thing is going on the market while i still have a spare kidney for a rainy day!!!!
To summarise I would just say that the Cup 240 has all the subtelty and delicacy we have come to expect but this is coupled with the sheer sence of occasion I used to feel when I took my Tuscan for a thrash. Now if anyone out there has recently moved house and would like to sell some space on their driving licence I can feel the need at some point in the future to "re-home" some points WHEN the need arrises.
Stuart
Good update Stuart, I guess its very hard for you, not to over rev the thing...its just asking for it does'nt it 
Also glad to hear from a "normal" guy how the car is in the real world, and I guess its good so to hear
Is the stage 2 exhaust not to loud? for tracks or neighbours? and is a stage 1 a bit quiter but also a less better look and hp?
Also when I read your first experience I want the car even more, do you have the road version or the track version(with the batt and fire stuf) and do you have the rollbar?(I forgot)
Love to see the picture's when you have them of that clean black beauty...(man in (the) black (car))
Sadly taxes on cars are to high for me here....its 47,5% above your new prices overthere! so to much for me on the moment, have to wait for a second hand, but they are not many around in NL in Germany and Belgium there are some, but then I have to pay that damn tax(bpm) again...aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrhhhhh
but sadly thats the way it is and I have to wait.
Hope you can make some good picture's from around the car and under the hood(engine) and interior and a nice one from the top(out of a high building or so)
Also do you know now what kind of airbox is standard on that car??? that was your quistion a while ago, and I like to know too
cheers mate and enjoy(you lucky bastard)
GTRene
>> Edited by GTRene on Wednesday 1st March 11:39
Also glad to hear from a "normal" guy how the car is in the real world, and I guess its good so to hear
Is the stage 2 exhaust not to loud? for tracks or neighbours? and is a stage 1 a bit quiter but also a less better look and hp?
Also when I read your first experience I want the car even more, do you have the road version or the track version(with the batt and fire stuf) and do you have the rollbar?(I forgot)
Love to see the picture's when you have them of that clean black beauty...(man in (the) black (car))
Sadly taxes on cars are to high for me here....its 47,5% above your new prices overthere! so to much for me on the moment, have to wait for a second hand, but they are not many around in NL in Germany and Belgium there are some, but then I have to pay that damn tax(bpm) again...aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrhhhhh
but sadly thats the way it is and I have to wait. Hope you can make some good picture's from around the car and under the hood(engine) and interior and a nice one from the top(out of a high building or so)
Also do you know now what kind of airbox is standard on that car??? that was your quistion a while ago, and I like to know too
cheers mate and enjoy(you lucky bastard
) GTRene
>> Edited by GTRene on Wednesday 1st March 11:39
Wait till you get them fully run in and setup right for specific track (I'm assuming you get the same book that came with the 240R as a setup guide?). I proved at Silverstone a couple of weeks ago that a commited 240R was faster than both the 360CS and GT3RS that were there that day... You can just about hold them on the straights, maybe loosing one or two car lengths but then you can destroy them in the braking areas and corner speeds....
Just waiting to sort out the LSD on mine (you need it on any second gear corner with 240 odd HP, the one advantage of the Cup) and then the pully and roof change to get 260-265hp... mine runs out of warranty in June(ues you only get one year on a Lotus Sport car!) so will keep you all posted about the results as the months go by.
Just waiting to sort out the LSD on mine (you need it on any second gear corner with 240 odd HP, the one advantage of the Cup) and then the pully and roof change to get 260-265hp... mine runs out of warranty in June(ues you only get one year on a Lotus Sport car!) so will keep you all posted about the results as the months go by.
Hi GT,
Mine is the roadspec version without the roll bar, ignition kill & fire extinguisher. Alothough the manual shows the roll cage as a relatively simple install at a later date.
The airbox looks very "unviper" like if you know what i mean so questions will have to be asked!!!
I dont think the stage 2 sounds too loud at the moment and has a nice crackling and popping on the overrun, however i have only been to 5,500 RPM to this may change when the engine is at full chat.
One thing i will have done at the first service is re-installation of the inertia reel seatbelts WITH the harnesses. I had both in my last car & as a daily driver it makes life around town easier. You can drive with the harnesses a little loos but that is asking for trouble to my mind.
Will get the pics when it is clean.
Stuart
Mine is the roadspec version without the roll bar, ignition kill & fire extinguisher. Alothough the manual shows the roll cage as a relatively simple install at a later date.
The airbox looks very "unviper" like if you know what i mean so questions will have to be asked!!!
I dont think the stage 2 sounds too loud at the moment and has a nice crackling and popping on the overrun, however i have only been to 5,500 RPM to this may change when the engine is at full chat.
One thing i will have done at the first service is re-installation of the inertia reel seatbelts WITH the harnesses. I had both in my last car & as a daily driver it makes life around town easier. You can drive with the harnesses a little loos but that is asking for trouble to my mind.
Will get the pics when it is clean.
Stuart
garyfitz said:
Locked and loaded, I pick mine up this weekend. Plan to take her on a 600 mile loop so that she is run in on the Saturday and then thrashed on Sunday. I will report back.
So your a lucky man too
Forgive me asking this, but you also get a 240 Cup is it the 2005 car? grey? because Lotus sold the car that was on hold for me! to a guy in Asia?!
are you that guy? the car was in the racing season 2005...full Cup 240 track...this car it is! that would become mine...LHD 
thanks
GTRene
>> Edited by GTRene on Wednesday 1st March 12:33
I think it's on another thread on here, but basically the ECU on the 240 cars is very good at learning and has scope to work properly with increased boost and as the car has bigger injectors there is no fueling issues. So all that's needed is to reduce the size of the pully on the supercharger by 8-10% (this is the thing that's taking the time to work out properly) to increase the speed of the supercharger throughout the rev range. The only downside of this is heat, so if you want to increase the boost you normally need a bigger intercooler. Having done some numbers on the current one, it is bar far big enough, what it's lacking is enough airflow. Hence the GT3 type roof panel to get more air forced through, maintaining a cool air charge.
I'll have all this sorted, tested and fitted by June and will let everyone know the outcome. And yes I've got experience doing this with supercharged cars, my everyday motor is a Mini Cooper S currently running a proven 267hp...(and 993 Turbo brakes to stop it!) that did require a little more than pully and intercooler though.... but remember that's an old (crysler) 1600cc engine... So I'll be very comfortable with running about 260/265hp with about 195ish lb/ft torque in the Exige.
I'll have all this sorted, tested and fitted by June and will let everyone know the outcome. And yes I've got experience doing this with supercharged cars, my everyday motor is a Mini Cooper S currently running a proven 267hp...(and 993 Turbo brakes to stop it!) that did require a little more than pully and intercooler though.... but remember that's an old (crysler) 1600cc engine... So I'll be very comfortable with running about 260/265hp with about 195ish lb/ft torque in the Exige.
Very interesting speedyellow, thanks. So basically no messing with the ECU required. I wonder if the same will be true of the map in the Exige S ECU?
Also a dumb question - do supercharger installs not typically have some sort of boost limitation mechanism a la turbo wastegate? I'm guessing maybe it's not necessary as the charger speed is directly linked to engine speed so the potential for boost to spiral out of control until everything self destructs is not there.
If the above it true, what does the supercharger's bypass valve described in the Lotus technical blurb do?
Cheers,
Chris
Also a dumb question - do supercharger installs not typically have some sort of boost limitation mechanism a la turbo wastegate? I'm guessing maybe it's not necessary as the charger speed is directly linked to engine speed so the potential for boost to spiral out of control until everything self destructs is not there.
If the above it true, what does the supercharger's bypass valve described in the Lotus technical blurb do?
Cheers,
Chris
The dealer I talked to back in 2005 when I wanted to buy that now gone Exige Cup 240, that is was easy to give it some more hp, and I guess he was right.
So basicly best thing is for more cool air is to put the roof from a GT3 Exige on, wich you can order by Lotus Sport?, and a smaller pully(so the SC makes more rpm) do you think you still can use the same belt? see pcture, because it has some spanners and a little more I guess it can handle?? also you see the presure valve? on the far right in the middle of the engine, I have 2 other pics from that engine in other angles...
GTRene
>> Edited by GTRene on Wednesday 1st March 13:18
So basicly best thing is for more cool air is to put the roof from a GT3 Exige on, wich you can order by Lotus Sport?, and a smaller pully(so the SC makes more rpm) do you think you still can use the same belt? see pcture, because it has some spanners and a little more I guess it can handle?? also you see the presure valve? on the far right in the middle of the engine, I have 2 other pics from that engine in other angles...
GTRene
>> Edited by GTRene on Wednesday 1st March 13:18
There is normally an overpressure value somewhere in the system, but we are not talking about more than a few psi more boost so this will not come into play with a mild upgrade. The bypass value opens when the engine is running on idle, overrun and steady throttle at light engine loads. This simply stops the engine having to create 5-10 hp to turn the compressor when boosted air isn't needed. Just for info when the supercharger is on full compression it does take about 30hp... so 260hp out of a supercharged engine is creating the same loads as a 290-300hp turbo car....
that's not a presure relife valve...
it's the by-pass valve so that on light throttle, the charger is not in the cct.
there is no boost limiter/relife valve with these.
also, I very much doubt the ECU is going to cope with higher boost, wist it can fuel trim for changes in air temp etc, that's not going to be up to this.
it's the by-pass valve so that on light throttle, the charger is not in the cct.
there is no boost limiter/relife valve with these.
also, I very much doubt the ECU is going to cope with higher boost, wist it can fuel trim for changes in air temp etc, that's not going to be up to this.
Need to be careful with a smaller SC pulley as it can cause the air/fuel ratio to go lean - PINK, PINK, BANG! Usually OK if only dropping the diameter of the pulley by up to 10% but any more will almost certainly need a re-map. Just my 2 cents from knowledge gained on supercharged MR2's
I agree about the remaps on most cars, Mini especially, but the ECU in the Lotus has a very broad map and learns pressures etc and compensates with more or less fuel and timing changes as necessary. This is one of the big issues people have with using piggy back ecu's on some of the aftermarket kits. It works when first done but after a couple of thousand miles the ECU adapts and causes issues with fueling and timing.
Speedyyellow,
Keep in mind that the SC used on the Exige is an Eaton SC (Rootstype). These are not know for their efficiency and will produce more heat than other types of sc. (Expirience from the having an SC on my MX-5).
You state that the 240R ECU is very smart. How does the mapping/ the way it works differ from the standard ECU? Is the only difference the timing and fuel settings? IIRC the 240R still uses a MAF-sensor and not a MAP sensor, so it can't have a mapping related to boostpressure. Can it be that the learning capabililties are limited to the signal of the knocksensor, hence taking out some degrees when it hears the engine knocking? If so, then using higher grade of octane gas is usefull to get better performance.
Nico
Keep in mind that the SC used on the Exige is an Eaton SC (Rootstype). These are not know for their efficiency and will produce more heat than other types of sc. (Expirience from the having an SC on my MX-5).
You state that the 240R ECU is very smart. How does the mapping/ the way it works differ from the standard ECU? Is the only difference the timing and fuel settings? IIRC the 240R still uses a MAF-sensor and not a MAP sensor, so it can't have a mapping related to boostpressure. Can it be that the learning capabililties are limited to the signal of the knocksensor, hence taking out some degrees when it hears the engine knocking? If so, then using higher grade of octane gas is usefull to get better performance.
Nico
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