How important is aircon?

[The Pits]

Your views on aircon fitted elises much appreciated.

I'm looking for a mint sportracer. Trouble is, the best I've found don't have the aircon fitted. Does having a hard top make aircon more important? Has anyone retrofitted aircon. If so is it expensive to do, and effective?

cheers

[R.P.M]

With the a hard top on an elise I couldnt imagine anything worse than being stuck in a red hot traffic jam not only knowing that you wish you had a/c but ruing the mistake of leaving the hard top on!


RPM
(who's done 60k miles in a non a/c liz!)

[Road Pest]

Depends what you bought the car for, track days, everyday, weekend car. Had an elise without aircon and it was unbearable travelling from Leicester to London to the excel motorshow 2 and a half years ago in the summer. I have been told the K series does get hotter in the cab though, not sure whether that was just a sales line to get me in 111r without aircon.

Personally I wouldn't buy one without as I would be using it as an every day car if I had one. If it was more or less for track days only then I don't think it would be as big a consideration.

Edited to add - The fans only blow hot air once you've been driving for a while in hot weather!

Edited by Road Pest on Wednesday 5th March 22:15

[Ultrasound]

It's not. Tighten up.

[TIPPER]

As far as I'm aware its not retrofitable although you can get a plug in arrangement from the states.
I don't regard it as an essential in a car like the Elise although I wouldn't have a eurobox without it. That said, I'd imagine with the hard top on or in an Exige it would be essential.

[crackthatoff]

are you going to be driving it in the heat with the roof on? keep the soft top in the boot for parking, less than a minute to fit if you've got the knack.
I could imagine it a problem in an exige !
my first year in one last year was amasing, save the money for sunscreen and a pair of oakleys !
(assuming we get any sort of summer)

[zasker]

Have had 4 Elise's and not one of them had A/C. One of them I owned in Cyprus for 12 months and had no problem with it being to hot. Remember being stuck on the M25 once in my 111R and it was a bit hot but not really a problem.

[kambites]

I use any Elise without air-con as a daily driver - I don't see the point in it really. If it's hot, just take the roof off and wear a hat.

[andy_s]

A/c? It's a bit of a luxury really isn't it? What did our brave hardy forefathers do before there was a/c? Window down/roof off/strip to under-crackers....

[macca77]

And doesn't the AC unit weight 15KG?

[Ikemi]

I drive my S1 Elise everyday and have never felt the need for aircon, even on the hottest days when stuck in traffic. Once the roof is off and you're moving, the cool breeze is better than any artificial cold air!

However I would suggest getting an Exige with aircon! Second hand prices suffer without, and so will you in that closed cabin!

The Elise is a convertible afterall - Enjoy it the way it was meant to be

[S9AJE]

would you use the a/c with the roof off???????
i'd get a/c in an exige but otherwise IMO its not needed.

coming from a 111R driver without a/c

[lincoln lad]

I have an Exige S (and have owned an S2 135r, S1 and Elan M100). None have had A/c which is not a problem for me. It would be nice if we got decent weather, then it's a different story.

My car is used for Track days in the main, for with A/c makes the car much heavier..

I have driven it in the summer on relatively long journeys (3-4 hrs) and the cabin is not oppresive..(IMHO)
Just out of interest, if your buying an Exige, what are you buying the car for ?

Edited by lincoln lad on Thursday 6th March 13:58

[The Pits]

I'm after an Elise as it happens, but one with a hard roof (sportracer). The dealer said I'd use the canvas roof in hot weather and the hard top in autumn/winter, which is a reasonable way to look at it I suppose.

I have a TVR tuscan at the moment and to be fair I don't use the aircon that much and take the roof off at every opportunity. I also had a Sagaris before the Tuscan and that was ridiculously hot on a trip to the Monza GP a few years ago and that was with the aircon on (it wasn't very good aircon to be fair). So I guess I'm worried about a repeat of that. If someone could tell me that Lotus source their aircon from the same people TVR did, it would put me out of my misery!

[LivinLaVidaLotus]

You don't buy an Elise to keep the hard top on all year, lol. If it's warm, take the top off and drive faster.

[david@mediacopy]

I had aircon on my last Elise, but to be fair it was always broke so was not worth the extra £150 (discounted) I paid for it from new.

[peter450]

Lotus cars can get quite hot in the cabin in the summer, this is not just an issue with the elise, however in the elise you have the advantage of being able to take the roof off when it's hot

Any fixed roof lotus i'd say aircon is essential

In the elise it's desirable but not essential, however if you live in a big city like london where there's lot of traffic an frequent jams then i would say get it, sitting in a jam were nothings moving on a hot day is not nice, even in a convertable taking the roof off will do little to help if your not actually moving much

[Road Pest]

Taking the roof off is great but unless you are moving then you may as well be sat in a sun trap if it's out, with no way out. And the Lotus is not exactly practical so where do your overnight bags go if you are off on a jolly when the roof's in the boot? Air con's necesity depends on what the car is being used for.....

The OP is about a Sport Racer which is the one with the blue and white or red and white stripes so mainly roof on stuff? So roof on or off may be irrelevant, correct me if I'm wrong please.

Edited by Road Pest on Thursday 6th March 22:26

[kambites]

what do stripes have to do with whether the roof is on or off?

[The Pits]

I guess that it looks better with the roof on because the stripes go down the roof, which does look cool I have to admit.

So no one coming forward from the pro aircon camp?