Elise Sport 190
Discussion
I'm in the process of buying a Sport 190 on an 03 plate with only 9k miles on the clock, and I haven't stopped smiling since and I hope to take delivery in a weeks time. Went out for a test drive in it and I couldn't believe how responsive it was, totally blown over by it. I know theren't many of these about, which makes it even more special. Had a standard S1 for 7 years until recently, but the 190 is in a different league. Just starting to sort out the insurance on it and so far got it as low as £384 for my wife and I to drive. Pretty pleased with that, however we do have age on our side! If any one has got any tips on owning a Sport 190 I would appreciate any feedback.
congrats, im sure you will enjoy it
as for tips...well the main thing is to look after that VHPD engine, particularly if you track it.
Use good oil in it, maybe fit a temp guage too for when you are on track.
A driveability kit is a useful upgrade to get the best out of it - about £1K from www.dvapower.com and is basically verniers to time it properly and an Emerald ECU with better map to make it run smoother - you will see a small power increase too as well as transforming the general running.
Under normal use the rebuild intervals for that engine can be quite good (if youve got a good un) - 40 or 50K miles...but expect half that if you track it regular
other than that, just enjoy driving it...it was one of the first proper quick Elises
as for tips...well the main thing is to look after that VHPD engine, particularly if you track it.
Use good oil in it, maybe fit a temp guage too for when you are on track.
A driveability kit is a useful upgrade to get the best out of it - about £1K from www.dvapower.com and is basically verniers to time it properly and an Emerald ECU with better map to make it run smoother - you will see a small power increase too as well as transforming the general running.
Under normal use the rebuild intervals for that engine can be quite good (if youve got a good un) - 40 or 50K miles...but expect half that if you track it regular
other than that, just enjoy driving it...it was one of the first proper quick Elises
Scuffers said:
your a brave man.....
b
ks, you have a superb car there with all the performance/fun of a 340r or exige, but with a bit more practicality!! Enjoy it, and look after your investment, because it will not depreciate as much as a normal S2 variant. I have been looking for a good one for a few months to keep the 340r company in the Garage, but there ain't many around that havn't been b
dized by someone putting in a cheap Honda conversion, or generally mucking around with an already good formula!
clanger said:
So Scuffers - please tell - are you involved in the Honda conversion market??
and whist we are here, why not tell us where you have gained such experiance of the VHPD in the sport 190's from? you ever run one in a 24 hour race for example?You seem to forget, I ran one for 6 years, in a race car, thus I think I know first hand what they are like.
If they are such a great engine, why is it that even Lotus dumped them as soon as they could?
Going on like they are some kind of automotive ledgend is just sticking your head in the sand.
Scuffers said:
clanger said:
So Scuffers - please tell - are you involved in the Honda conversion market??
and whist we are here, why not tell us where you have gained such experiance of the VHPD in the sport 190's from? you ever run one in a 24 hour race for example?You seem to forget, I ran one for 6 years, in a race car, thus I think I know first hand what they are like.
If they are such a great engine, why is it that even Lotus dumped them as soon as they could?
Going on like they are some kind of automotive ledgend is just sticking your head in the sand.
Sorry Simon you are a legend in your own mind btw do you sell Honder conversions??
I bought my Exige to enjoy it, no more no less - engine is fine for my meagre needs and it has been top dollar for this
btw I've raced in better company than you can imagine
Edited by clanger on Saturday 6th December 23:15
As with most things, time will tell...
It's all well and good having a go at me for this or that reason, the simple fact of the matter is that the VHPD is a bag-o-ste, and without serious work (from the likes of DVA and all), they are nothing but under-perfoming, un-reliable, hand grenade engines waiting to suck your wallet dry. (The only exception to this are the garage Queens that never actually venture out).
Come back in another 5-10 years and tell me you still have the same views on the VHPD.... (and I'll put money on you not still owning one).
It's all well and good having a go at me for this or that reason, the simple fact of the matter is that the VHPD is a bag-o-s
te, and without serious work (from the likes of DVA and all), they are nothing but under-perfoming, un-reliable, hand grenade engines waiting to suck your wallet dry. (The only exception to this are the garage Queens that never actually venture out).Come back in another 5-10 years and tell me you still have the same views on the VHPD.... (and I'll put money on you not still owning one).
Scuffers said:
...whilst we are here, why not tell us where you have gained such experiance of the VHPD in the sport 190's from? you ever run one in a 24 hour race for example?
You seem to forget, I ran one for 6 years, in a race car, thus I think I know first hand what they are like.
Sorry, Scuffers, but you're being disingenuous at best, here...You seem to forget, I ran one for 6 years, in a race car, thus I think I know first hand what they are like.
Very few engines will run with clockwork regularity and total reliability in racing.
I've seen countless Ford Crossflows and Lotus Twincams blow up under race conditions; it doesn't mean they are inherently bad or unreliable engines.
The whole point of racing is to push man and machinery to it's limit, so if nothing ever breaks then either:
a) It's over engineered and you need to use lighter components that will offer higher performance, or;
b) You're not trying hard enough.
Sure, there are more reliable engines out there than the K-series VHPD, but don't try to pretend that it's some sort of hand-grenade just because you get occasional failures in race conditions.
There's a big difference between the reliability of an engine in race use and that of the same engine used for fast road or the occasional track day.
Edited by Sam_68 on Sunday 7th December 09:49
lets not turn it into another VHPD vs Honda war - that was won years ago
just face it that the VHPD needs a bit of work to be optimal
and isnt as reliable as other factory K series engines, for road or light trackday use
requires rebuilds quite often if you use it hard
dosent last long racing
those are the facts, thousands of customers and engines would back them up
SEOT
ps - although Simon developed and still works on Honda engined Elise/Exiges for racing he dosent have a shop or actually sell them himself - the rights to the kit he developed went to Geary at Eliseparts years ago - see www.hondaelise.com so theres no need for all the "oh you only say that because you sell them crap" - Simon dosent work in the motor industry ...well as far as I know anyway, unless hes organised a whip around to buy that other Honda outfit thats up for sale now LOL
just face it that the VHPD needs a bit of work to be optimal
and isnt as reliable as other factory K series engines, for road or light trackday use
requires rebuilds quite often if you use it hard
dosent last long racing
those are the facts, thousands of customers and engines would back them up
SEOT
ps - although Simon developed and still works on Honda engined Elise/Exiges for racing he dosent have a shop or actually sell them himself - the rights to the kit he developed went to Geary at Eliseparts years ago - see www.hondaelise.com so theres no need for all the "oh you only say that because you sell them crap" - Simon dosent work in the motor industry ...well as far as I know anyway, unless hes organised a whip around to buy that other Honda outfit thats up for sale now LOL
From what I have read / learned from friends and their experiences / experienced first hand, VHPD engines were hit and miss. Some would end up so badly balanced that they would lunch themselves inside of 6K miles. Others would happily go on to 40K+ without major issue.
If you look into how they were made and some of the treatments meted out to the crankshaft in particular, it isn't hard to see why they were inconsistent. Taking a VHPD and balancing it properly does add considerably to the reliability. See what George "esprit" is doing to his and you will get the idea.
For those jumping down Simon's throat, he has gone through more k series engine failures than just about anyone else I can think of. He does actually know what he is talking about.
As to the usual honda vs k series, comments like this didn't exactly help the tone of this thread.
If you look into how they were made and some of the treatments meted out to the crankshaft in particular, it isn't hard to see why they were inconsistent. Taking a VHPD and balancing it properly does add considerably to the reliability. See what George "esprit" is doing to his and you will get the idea.
For those jumping down Simon's throat, he has gone through more k series engine failures than just about anyone else I can think of. He does actually know what he is talking about.
As to the usual honda vs k series, comments like this didn't exactly help the tone of this thread.
Ruadh08 said:
bks, you have a superb car there with all the performance/fun of a 340r or exige, but with a bit more practicality!! Enjoy it, and look after your investment, because it will not depreciate as much as a normal S2 variant.
I have been looking for a good one for a few months to keep the 340r company in the Garage, but there ain't many around that havn't been bdized by someone putting in a cheap Honda conversion, or generally mucking around with an already good formula!
The reality is that while the sport 190 was a great car, I would constantly be worrying about the inherent reliability of the engine. Is it any surprise that so many exige S1's have honda and audi engines in them? Say what you like, but they are far better engines than the VHPD. ks, you have a superb car there with all the performance/fun of a 340r or exige, but with a bit more practicality!! Enjoy it, and look after your investment, because it will not depreciate as much as a normal S2 variant. I have been looking for a good one for a few months to keep the 340r company in the Garage, but there ain't many around that havn't been b
dized by someone putting in a cheap Honda conversion, or generally mucking around with an already good formula!were'nt the S2 VHPD's built inhouse at lotus rather than by a contracted company? i'm sure a lot of the problems with the S1 cars were the fact the compnay doing the engines did not do a great job of it
I think one of the S2 owners posted a while ago if i recall that the S2 cars had there engines built at the factory and as a result they were more powerful, 190+ and properly mapped and balanced, not sure if this is correct but i'm sure i recall this being posted by more than 1 S2 owner and they would likely be the ones more in the know
I think one of the S2 owners posted a while ago if i recall that the S2 cars had there engines built at the factory and as a result they were more powerful, 190+ and properly mapped and balanced, not sure if this is correct but i'm sure i recall this being posted by more than 1 S2 owner and they would likely be the ones more in the know
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