718 GT4 UK Allocations

[Twinfan]

This is a useful video if you're having rattles near the seat belt exits:

[G40R_JL]

Thanks for this. Always hard to isolate where it’s coming from. Sounds further back than the belts but sounds can be deceptive. Need to get a helper in the car to hold things to help isolate!

[philj]

G40R_JL said:

Thanks for this. Always hard to isolate where it’s coming from. Sounds further back than the belts but sounds can be deceptive. Need to get a helper in the car to hold things to help isolate!

I had a small metallic rattle which sounded like it was coming from the cage/belts. It ended up being the clubsport fire extinguisher rattling against the metal clamp. I rotated the the extinguisher a few degrees and the rattle disappeared. Might be worth checking.

[Twinfan]

Yep, good point if you have the extinguisher fitted. I have a couple of pieces of foam under the clips and a bit of string around the handle on mine!

[northernmedia]

philj said:

G40R_JL said:

Thanks for this. Always hard to isolate where it’s coming from. Sounds further back than the belts but sounds can be deceptive. Need to get a helper in the car to hold things to help isolate!

I had a small metallic rattle which sounded like it was coming from the cage/belts. It ended up being the clubsport fire extinguisher rattling against the metal clamp. I rotated the the extinguisher a few degrees and the rattle disappeared. Might be worth checking.

This drove me insane in my GT3, a small turn of the bottle and the rattle disappeared!

[G40R_JL]

Sadly extinguisher not yet fitted so can’t be that but good to know for the future!

[ntiz]

Hi all

Hoping I can get a little bit of advice.

I have an Emira on order but its a year late now and won't be delivered for another year if it doesn't get delayed again. Add in that im getting hit with the 6k price hike and im pretty much done with it now. Probably going to cancel when I have time to call them.

That has lead me to the classified wondering what I can get for similar money now! Find myself very interested in 718 GT4s with a few in my price range in my kind of spec.

What is in the club sport pack? Just the cage and extinguisher? I'm guessing you can't have them removed very easily? I have never had a car with a cage is it a pain in anyway as this will be my daily, so if it rattles or anything will drive me mad.

Same questions about harnesses really. Can you take them off easily or half remove them for daily use?

How hard is it to get in and out of the carbon buckets? I'm 32 quite short willing to put up with a bit of faff but if I have to crawl out of it won't work.

Other than that anyone dailying one? They seem quite liveable to me.

If you are wondering why I want to daily this kind of car, simply I have a difficult situation at home with a disabled son that means I struggle to have any designated car time. So my wife being awesome suggested I buy something to drive every day so that all my miles are awesome. I travel a lot for work taking in some great roads so makes sense to do it in something I love. I am fully aware the depreciation will be expensive I accept that for what I get out of it.

[BillyB]

ntiz said:

Hi all

Hoping I can get a little bit of advice....

I have a 981 GT4 but I think the 718 is the same in these regards.

Clubsport is just cage, harnesses and extinguisher. Harnesses don't have to be fitted at all or, what I do is poke the crutch strap down the hole in the seat so it is below the seat and out of the way until I need it and simply move the shoulder and waist harnesses to the side out of the way. No hassle with them at all.

The carbon seats are a bit of a pfaff to get in to compared to a "normal" car seat particularly as the doors are long and so you do need a little bit more room around the car to be able to open the door fully when getting in and out. But it has never stopped me being able to get in or out. I also have a leather bolster protector to avoid scuffing the seat trim.

The bigger issue is, I think, the risk of catching the front spoiler lip, or the little aero add-ons under the car, on speed bumps or steep driveways. A normal speed bump is fine but, for example, my local petrol station has a steep exit angle down on to the road and I don't think I could make it, so I have to use a different petrol station.

Of course, really you need to try getting in and out of one to know for yourself.

[Twinfan]

I have a CS 718 GT4 and there is no issue with the cage rattling. It pings occasionally over bumps etc but no rattles.

More of an issue are the squeaking and creaking carbon buckets!

[jackwood]

ntiz said:

Hi all

Hoping I can get a little bit of advice.

I have an Emira on

Hi,

I can completely understand the situation with home life and finding time to get out and drive. Hence myself having had several “excessive” daily drivers. Your wife sounds awesome, and she is spot on.

To answer your questions, you wouldn’t want to remove the cage, but it doesn’t get in the way. It does “bang” if you go over a pot hole, but doesn’t rattle.

The buckets are fine if you are just getting in, driving to the office, getting out. Then spend the reverse on the way home. Absolutely fine. But if you were getting in and out constantly for your job, it may get annoying. Especially if you can’t open the doors all the way. I always find it easier to slide the seat back before getting in and out.

However, if you don’t want or need the cage, then it would make mores sense to get a non-CS car. You’re just paying a premium for something you don’t want. Same with the buckets. The standard seats are really good for road driving and commuting. Again, you’ll be paying a premium for the bucket seats. So maybe just look at non-CS, non-bucket cars and save yourself what could be £10-15k

Jack

[TDT]

jackwood said:

However, if you don’t want or need the cage, then it would make mores sense to get a non-CS car. You’re just paying a premium for something you don’t want. Same with the buckets. The standard seats are really good for road driving and commuting. Again, you’ll be paying a premium for the bucket seats. So maybe just look at non-CS, non-bucket cars and save yourself what could be £10-15k

This.

[Twinfan]

IMHO if you don't at least want buckets you should buy a GTS 4.0......

[ntiz]

For me there is only 3 things I must have.

Bucket seats
Alcantara wheel and gear knob
Interesting colour

I only ask about the cage as many of the cars with the buckets seem to have it. Trying to work out if buying one with it is a problem.

Same with harnesses. I would like to start doing track days as I do have a long term ambition to race one day. But if they are complete pain I will avoid them.

I know there are 100s of reviews. Do they live up to the hype? I drove GTS 4.0 really liked it but it did a feel a little like it was to smart for its own good very polished.

[Twinfan]

ntiz said:

I drove GTS 4.0 really liked it but it did a feel a little like it was to smart for its own good very polished.

Folk say the same about the 718 GT4. I really appreciate that, others find it a negative.

[DC-1]

ntiz said:

For me there is only 3 things I must have.

Bucket seats
Alcantara wheel and gear knob
Interesting colour

I only ask about the cage as many of the cars with the buckets seem to have it. Trying to work out if buying one with it is a problem.

Same with harnesses. I would like to start doing track days as I do have a long term ambition to race one day. But if they are complete pain I will avoid them.

I know there are 100s of reviews. Do they live up to the hype? I drove GTS 4.0 really liked it but it did a feel a little like it was to smart for its own good very polished.

As others have said, respect to you and your wife for the situation and understanding.

Further respect if you want to daily drive a GT4 with buckets and the like. I'm sure it will be enjoyable but also frustrating at times.

The buckets are a pain to get in and out of. I daily drove an i8 for 18.months and the GT4 is a bit more of a pain to access and egress. You do develop a technique to it. I'd strongly recommend bolster protectors if your in and out of them daily to reduce wear.

If you want to track your car, Clubsport is nice to have. Here is a picture of my interior. I just sit on top of the harnesses and the extinguisher is only really impacting a passenger. The cage has the odd bang and ding when driving but that adds to the experience.

Please note, this is a noisy car inside. That could become tiresome over time. I personally find the car an event to drive and everyone I've taken a blast said it feels very raw and unhinged. I love mine.

Try and get a test drive if you can.

[bigmowley]

DC-1 said:

As others have said, respect to you and your wife for the situation and understanding.

Further respect if you want to daily drive a GT4 with buckets and the like. I'm sure it will be enjoyable but also frustrating at times.

The buckets are a pain to get in and out of. I daily drove an i8 for 18.months and the GT4 is a bit more of a pain to access and egress. You do develop a technique to it. I'd strongly recommend bolster protectors if your in and out of them daily to reduce wear.

If you want to track your car, Clubsport is nice to have. Here is a picture of my interior. I just sit on top of the harnesses and the extinguisher is only really impacting a passenger. The cage has the odd bang and ding when driving but that adds to the experience.

Please note, this is a noisy car inside. That could become tiresome over time. I personally find the car an event to drive and everyone I've taken a blast said it feels very raw and unhinged. I love mine.

Try and get a test drive if you can.

This is all good advice. They are great cars but quite tiring as a daily especially if you rack up the miles regularly. Anything over a regular two hour drive and I would recommend ear plugs or noise canceling headphones. It’s the low frequency noise that is tiresome, some of it is exhaust related and some of it is tyre and general road noise. Mine has racked up 3000miles since Christmas so I do have some experience
The other thing to consider is tyres. The standard Cup2’s demand a higher level of concentration when the weather is cold and or very wet. They also wear out more quickly and become steadily worse in the wet as the tread wears down. Mine is on winter tyres at the moment, which are fine, but it will go back to the Cup2’s in a month or so. If you are not going to track it straight away then change the tyres to a more road based one, Pilot sports are the optional standard fit and they are great on my Spyder.
You soon develop the technique of hopping out of the buckets, it’s easy. The cage you just won’t notice after a while. Harnesses are just for the track so tuck them out of the way and forget about them too.

[av185]

Interesting how the new Lotus Emira Seneca Blue looks similar to Porsche Miami blue in certain lights. Sorry for the slight thread drift.....

[gashead1105]

I've just put a deposit on a comfort spec car. I've wanted one since the 981 was announced so I'm thrilled to finally be getting my hands on one in a matter of weeks!

I wanted to get on with the buckets, I really did. But I just couldn't get comfortable easily in them and, when I did my back then complained when I got out of the car. So it had to be the 18 ways for me.

I tested a GTS with pdk also, and it just didn't excite me the way the gt4 did on the same test drive. I didn't like the steering feel for what that's worth.

The good thing about going comfort spec is that they are generally cheaper and are less likely to have been tracked heavily. I've got an S2 exige for trackdays and I'm going to keep that, though I'll have to take the GT4 on at least 1!

[elisered]

SuperCharged V6 said:

Major want for this colour Spyder, Orange with silver wheels, my perfect spec if I could and never seen this pic before

NATO green gt4 still in the showroom advertised as new car yesterday, Orange Spyder on site with a January plate not sure if this is still for sale. Neither on the AUC site.

[GT4RS]

elisered said:

SuperCharged V6 said:

Major want for this colour Spyder, Orange with silver wheels, my perfect spec if I could and never seen this pic before

NATO green gt4 still in the showroom advertised as new car yesterday, Orange Spyder on site with a January plate not sure if this is still for sale. Neither on the AUC site.

Is the nato car now advertised for sale?