S2 Elise - Stripes, Lights and Brakes?
Discussion
Right! It's been an interesting day 
Firstly I managed to test drive another S2 111S and fell in love with it! Unfortunately whilst discussing the finer details of the sale, an old woman turned sharply into a space and managed to make contact with the wheel arch on my front clam 
Lots of witnesses and information exchanged, but it looks as if a trip to Specialised Paintwork is on the horizon ...
Anyway I'm taken by the 111S and if all goes to plan I may just put down a deposit for it on Monday. There are two issues with the car that need addressing before purchase; the hardtop squeeks and clicks like crazy and the brakes are nigh on non-existant with huge amounts of pedal travel! The discs are new groove/drilled and the pads are EBC 'green stuff' ... I test drove a similar 111S with the same brake package and again it felt non-existant in comparison to the Pagid pads I have on the S1.
Do the hard tops usually squeek? Is there a way of sorting this? Also, what brake pads would you go for to improve braking feel and power?
I'm thinking of adding 'Sports Racer' stripes and LED tail light clusters (as per newer S2 Elises) ... Does anyone know general prices for these mods to be done?
Cheers!
Firstly I managed to test drive another S2 111S and fell in love with it! Unfortunately whilst discussing the finer details of the sale, an old woman turned sharply into a space and managed to make contact with the wheel arch on my front clam Lots of witnesses and information exchanged, but it looks as if a trip to Specialised Paintwork is on the horizon ...Anyway I'm taken by the 111S and if all goes to plan I may just put down a deposit for it on Monday. There are two issues with the car that need addressing before purchase; the hardtop squeeks and clicks like crazy and the brakes are nigh on non-existant with huge amounts of pedal travel! The discs are new groove/drilled and the pads are EBC 'green stuff' ... I test drove a similar 111S with the same brake package and again it felt non-existant in comparison to the Pagid pads I have on the S1.
Do the hard tops usually squeek? Is there a way of sorting this? Also, what brake pads would you go for to improve braking feel and power?
I'm thinking of adding 'Sports Racer' stripes and LED tail light clusters (as per newer S2 Elises) ... Does anyone know general prices for these mods to be done?
Cheers!
EBC green pads are rubbish on the Elise. If you want EBC pads then the Yellow is the spec recommended for the Lotuses... I've just had a set fitted to my Exige and they are very good.
If the car you tested doesn't have servo brakes, then Green feel even worse, as they're relatively low friction compared to the usual Lotus pad choices - you'll have to press even harder on the pedal!
Best bet is to fit some decent pads and then get the fluid completely changed and bled. There are loads of threads about who makes the best pad - Pagid are good but expensive (and the 'faster' compounds squeal), the EBC yellow has excellent performance at lower price than the Pagids, and then you've got the 'fast road' pads like Mintex 1144s etc.
Not much point spending a load on RS14 Pagids if you're not going to spend half of your time on track (and unlike many other performance mods, race pads won't make you safer on the road unless you can ensure the pads are up to temperature whenever you may need them...).
If the car you tested doesn't have servo brakes, then Green feel even worse, as they're relatively low friction compared to the usual Lotus pad choices - you'll have to press even harder on the pedal!
Best bet is to fit some decent pads and then get the fluid completely changed and bled. There are loads of threads about who makes the best pad - Pagid are good but expensive (and the 'faster' compounds squeal), the EBC yellow has excellent performance at lower price than the Pagids, and then you've got the 'fast road' pads like Mintex 1144s etc.
Not much point spending a load on RS14 Pagids if you're not going to spend half of your time on track (and unlike many other performance mods, race pads won't make you safer on the road unless you can ensure the pads are up to temperature whenever you may need them...).
I've got an apparently (I bought it second hand) Lotus OEM hardtop for my S2 111S, it does not squeak, rattle or leak at all, it makes the car very civilised and a bit quiter - however one thing that it did do was whistle at high speed (>75mph) which was caused by it slightly sitting proud at the back (2-3mm), which I have sinced solved with a homemade bracket, now it is perfect and makes my car lovely and snug from Nov-April.......
If there is huge amounts of travel on the brake pedal I would suggest that there is something more wrong with the brake system than a simple switch of pads will solve.
The travel of the pedal is down to the hydraulic system not the pad at the end of that system alone.
I have green stuff pads (spec'd by a very well respected Lotus specialist) on the rear of my car and the pedal is very firm.
There should be no issue with green stuff for road use but there is a lot of talk on here on about green stuff being useless (the classic post was one that described them as being low-friction - which would indeed be a big problem!).
Are you really saying that you could put the brake pedal to the floor? If so, I would suggest that you raise the issue with the seller and take another test drive when they have dealt with the problem.
The travel of the pedal is down to the hydraulic system not the pad at the end of that system alone.
I have green stuff pads (spec'd by a very well respected Lotus specialist) on the rear of my car and the pedal is very firm.
There should be no issue with green stuff for road use but there is a lot of talk on here on about green stuff being useless (the classic post was one that described them as being low-friction - which would indeed be a big problem!).
Are you really saying that you could put the brake pedal to the floor? If so, I would suggest that you raise the issue with the seller and take another test drive when they have dealt with the problem.
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