Discussion
ker!! Worth every penny!! If you dont have one, get one! You will love it! 
As a prospective owner - wassat then? Looks like an Eaton M45 off a BMW Mini bolted to the intake... mmmm... superchargers 
This is a BIG deal for which car I'm going to buy... I'm either going to get a cheaper N/A Exige and supercharge it myself, or get the factory S/C car - it's all a matter of finances and cost-effectiveness.
If it's not too rude, how much (realistically, i.e. total figures inc. labour) would it cost to have one of these bolted to a standard car? I need to make a decision on whether I go with N/A car with aftermarket charger, or get a Lotus factory S/C car.
Looks like a neat installation too. Must be only 5-6 psi with no intercooling, what's the rated power on these things? From experience with a similar install on a 993 porker (M90 with no intercooler) the power drops off *hugely* in the summer when you get the thing really hot (like on trackdays) as the ECU retards ignition and floods the chambers with fuel to prevent det - I never got telemetry sorted out on that car but other people with the same kits were seeing intake temps getting silly, like 90C. I'd want to know that the Toyota / Lotus ECU could deal with this and prevent the lump from grenading under high heat conditions.
You can try it yourself to see how much of an issue it is with the Lotus layout (was bad in the 911 because of where the engine was... probably very similar in the Lotus given the heat problems in the engine bay... I had a VXT which had similar issues, turbos in mid engined tubs get rather toasty). Do a full-bore 3rd gear to redline acceleration run on your favourite bit of clear road, slow down, do it again, repeat 4 times and I bet on the 5th time the car will feel noticeably weaker. If not, then that's really good news (or the ECU isn't adjusting for the increased intake temp and it will blow up). Eaton / Rootes chargers are a bugger for this, they heat the intake charge, which is why I have a big twin-screw Kenne Bell unit sitting in the V of my MG ZT motor
This is a BIG deal for which car I'm going to buy... I'm either going to get a cheaper N/A Exige and supercharge it myself, or get the factory S/C car - it's all a matter of finances and cost-effectiveness.
If it's not too rude, how much (realistically, i.e. total figures inc. labour) would it cost to have one of these bolted to a standard car? I need to make a decision on whether I go with N/A car with aftermarket charger, or get a Lotus factory S/C car.
Looks like a neat installation too. Must be only 5-6 psi with no intercooling, what's the rated power on these things? From experience with a similar install on a 993 porker (M90 with no intercooler) the power drops off *hugely* in the summer when you get the thing really hot (like on trackdays) as the ECU retards ignition and floods the chambers with fuel to prevent det - I never got telemetry sorted out on that car but other people with the same kits were seeing intake temps getting silly, like 90C. I'd want to know that the Toyota / Lotus ECU could deal with this and prevent the lump from grenading under high heat conditions.
You can try it yourself to see how much of an issue it is with the Lotus layout (was bad in the 911 because of where the engine was... probably very similar in the Lotus given the heat problems in the engine bay... I had a VXT which had similar issues, turbos in mid engined tubs get rather toasty). Do a full-bore 3rd gear to redline acceleration run on your favourite bit of clear road, slow down, do it again, repeat 4 times and I bet on the 5th time the car will feel noticeably weaker. If not, then that's really good news (or the ECU isn't adjusting for the increased intake temp and it will blow up). Eaton / Rootes chargers are a bugger for this, they heat the intake charge, which is why I have a big twin-screw Kenne Bell unit sitting in the V of my MG ZT motor
The total cost was £4700 all fitted. I would personally go for the N/A as you can pick them up really cheaply now and just get an after market supercharger fitted.
The power is supposed to be 240bhp but the intake apparently adds an extra 7 onto that. I still need to get it dynod but not really too bothered about the exact figures as it makes it like a totally different car now which keeps me happy! (For now)
The power is supposed to be 240bhp but the intake apparently adds an extra 7 onto that. I still need to get it dynod but not really too bothered about the exact figures as it makes it like a totally different car now which keeps me happy! (For now)
Bob1984 said:
The total cost was £4700 all fitted. I would personally go for the N/A as you can pick them up really cheaply now and just get an after market supercharger fitted.
The power is supposed to be 240bhp but the intake apparently adds an extra 7 onto that. I still need to get it dynod but not really too bothered about the exact figures as it makes it like a totally different car now which keeps me happy! (For now)
That's bloody good value. The Kenne Bell charger on my MG ZT V8 cost over £6k fitted and the Eaton M90 on my old 993 porker cost around £7.5k fitted. I know the M45 off the Bini costs bugger all second hand (£160 was the first one pulled out of ebay) but the M90 was hardly an expensive item either...The power is supposed to be 240bhp but the intake apparently adds an extra 7 onto that. I still need to get it dynod but not really too bothered about the exact figures as it makes it like a totally different car now which keeps me happy! (For now)
Notwithstanding any issues (who makes this kit, and who can install it with a warranty on their conversions?) this looks like the way I'm going to go
Bob1984 said:
The kit is from sector111.com who an American company and Sinclaires in Essex are the only ones authorised to fit the kit, they only need your car overnight and im pretty sure you get a 1 year warrenty with it.
Thanks Bob - will give Sinclaires a call. Sounds like the right way to go.Edited by Bob1984 on Saturday 15th November 17:57
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