Discussion
After a few happy years with my e46 M3, I decided I wanted something more suited to track days. As I don't have a garage, an Elise was the obvious choice over a Caterham or Westfield.
After a bit of looking around, I purchased a lovely Persian Blue Elise SC.
The car is everything I hoped it would be. It's fun, nimble, quick, and responsive. And on Tuesday I took it to Snetterton for it's first track outing. It performed brilliantly and took everything I could throw at without complaint.
No major mods intended (yet) but I have changed the pads for Pagid RS4-2 and the front discs to AP Racing 295mm versions.
Here are some pictures from Snetterton:
Pulling out of my garage
Tiniest dab of opposite lock
Into the hairpin
Yep, it was quite wet
Hard on the brakes
Track nice and dry now
And I REALLY wish the photographer had not been zoomed in as much and got a better version of this. (I may have been deliberately trying to get a sideways shot in front of him)
After a bit of looking around, I purchased a lovely Persian Blue Elise SC.
The car is everything I hoped it would be. It's fun, nimble, quick, and responsive. And on Tuesday I took it to Snetterton for it's first track outing. It performed brilliantly and took everything I could throw at without complaint.
No major mods intended (yet) but I have changed the pads for Pagid RS4-2 and the front discs to AP Racing 295mm versions.
Here are some pictures from Snetterton:
Pulling out of my garage
Tiniest dab of opposite lock
Into the hairpin
Yep, it was quite wet
Hard on the brakes
Track nice and dry now
And I REALLY wish the photographer had not been zoomed in as much and got a better version of this. (I may have been deliberately trying to get a sideways shot in front of him)
Fantastic car! I had one back in 2008 and really loved it.
A few things that I did that really transformed the car were:
1.) TRD airbox - great for supercharger whine and gave a better throttle response.
2.) 2bulur sports exhaust and cat - gave another 15bhp, sounded better and can be tailored to the sound that you want (I.e. track day friendly).
3.) A decent geo - Steve Guglielmi did mine and the handling afterwards was nothing short of stunning!! Removes the understeer and makes the car very natural balanced.
A few things that I did that really transformed the car were:
1.) TRD airbox - great for supercharger whine and gave a better throttle response.
2.) 2bulur sports exhaust and cat - gave another 15bhp, sounded better and can be tailored to the sound that you want (I.e. track day friendly).
3.) A decent geo - Steve Guglielmi did mine and the handling afterwards was nothing short of stunning!! Removes the understeer and makes the car very natural balanced.
Another little addition to this thread: A video of a few laps from Snetterton, with a data overlay showing speed, rpm etc.
The track was still damp at this point, so the lap times aren't my fastest of the day.
http://youtu.be/Kxn6GtNaCnk?hd=1
The track was still damp at this point, so the lap times aren't my fastest of the day.
http://youtu.be/Kxn6GtNaCnk?hd=1
Mastodon2 said:
I bet with that induction kit mentioned above a decent sports exhaust you could probably get a decent noise from this - a rare thing for an Elise which usually sound pretty naff. I'm not usually a big fan of the Elise but a SC version is one I could get excited about!
Are you totally obsessed with the way cars sound?Ive yet to hear a bad sounding elise, in fact heard some unbelievable sounding ones over the years.
Hello from another supercharged Lotus owner (Exige S)
Great looking Elise. Have you got a link to the discs you have put on the car? Currently I have OEM drilled discs and the same Pagid RS42s pads as you. The standard pads were awful when cold and in the wet.
+1 on the suggestion of a 2bular exhaust. I have the 8x22" catback and it sounds marvellous, also has given me no noise issues on track.
Great looking Elise. Have you got a link to the discs you have put on the car? Currently I have OEM drilled discs and the same Pagid RS42s pads as you. The standard pads were awful when cold and in the wet.
+1 on the suggestion of a 2bular exhaust. I have the 8x22" catback and it sounds marvellous, also has given me no noise issues on track.
Mastodon2 said:
I bet with that induction kit mentioned above a decent sports exhaust you could probably get a decent noise from this - a rare thing for an Elise which usually sound pretty naff. I'm not usually a big fan of the Elise but a SC version is one I could get excited about!
Just to enquire, have you ever driven an Elise? I only ask as I went from an EP3 CTR to an Elise and you can't even begin to compare the two - an Elise is exponentially better to drive in every measurable way. You would be a big fan if you tried one. Arun_D said:
Hello from another supercharged Lotus owner (Exige S)
Great looking Elise. Have you got a link to the discs you have put on the car? Currently I have OEM drilled discs and the same Pagid RS42s pads as you. The standard pads were awful when cold and in the wet.
+1 on the suggestion of a 2bular exhaust. I have the 8x22" catback and it sounds marvellous, also has given me no noise issues on track.
Hello. Great looking Elise. Have you got a link to the discs you have put on the car? Currently I have OEM drilled discs and the same Pagid RS42s pads as you. The standard pads were awful when cold and in the wet.
+1 on the suggestion of a 2bular exhaust. I have the 8x22" catback and it sounds marvellous, also has given me no noise issues on track.
Here you go mate, these are the ones I got: http://www.seriouslylotus.com/index.php/braking/29...
Not cheap, but I expect them to last very well.
I am intending to change the exhaust when funds allow, and the 2bular 8x22" will be the exact one I'm going for.
(It's nice to know you've had no noise issues on track with it)
Thanks Paul. I remember looking at these discs a while back. If I do decide to ramp up the track/sprint usage of my Exige these may be a wise option.
The 8x22" catback adds some much needed character and volume to the exhaust note. I always describe it by saying the car now sounds like it looks. The volume is increased but never boomy or offensive to people on the outside, and the pops and bangs on up-changes are very entertaining. Enough videos on Youtube to give you an idea, you may indeed come across some of my own.
The 8x22" catback adds some much needed character and volume to the exhaust note. I always describe it by saying the car now sounds like it looks. The volume is increased but never boomy or offensive to people on the outside, and the pops and bangs on up-changes are very entertaining. Enough videos on Youtube to give you an idea, you may indeed come across some of my own.
Well I took the car to a very sunny Brands Hatch for another track day yesterday.
Was a different experience driving around a track for the first time ever with no roof. (Certainly didn't feel as protected as I did in my old M3!)
Again, the car performed faultlessly.
No photo's yet, but I have made a short video showing 4 laps.
Traffic in the first and second laps in the video, but the third lap was a reasonable one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h04bPGd1eno&hd=...
Was a different experience driving around a track for the first time ever with no roof. (Certainly didn't feel as protected as I did in my old M3!)
Again, the car performed faultlessly.
No photo's yet, but I have made a short video showing 4 laps.
Traffic in the first and second laps in the video, but the third lap was a reasonable one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h04bPGd1eno&hd=...
A couple of weeks ago I spent some time sorting out the paintwork on the car. It was covered in scratches and swirl marks, and looked pretty sad when the sun was out.
A few hours with my Dual Action polisher and the paintwork was 90% corrected for swirls and scratches. A couple of coats of autoglym super resin polish gave it a nice shine.
Here a just a few pictures from Brands Hatch last Thursday showing off the paintwork. (You can see how clear some of the reflections are)
A few hours with my Dual Action polisher and the paintwork was 90% corrected for swirls and scratches. A couple of coats of autoglym super resin polish gave it a nice shine.
Here a just a few pictures from Brands Hatch last Thursday showing off the paintwork. (You can see how clear some of the reflections are)
Just a little addition to the car before the Spring gets here and the fun and trackdays start again.
A set of Team Dynamics 1.2 wheels. I went for the Anthracite colour to give the car a bit more of a 'mean' look.
The main benefit is the fact that the fronts are wider, and are now fitted with 205 wide Yokohama AD08's, rather than the 175 wide AD07's on the standard wheels.
A set of Team Dynamics 1.2 wheels. I went for the Anthracite colour to give the car a bit more of a 'mean' look.
The main benefit is the fact that the fronts are wider, and are now fitted with 205 wide Yokohama AD08's, rather than the 175 wide AD07's on the standard wheels.
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