Pauls Exige 410 Sport
Discussion
Unfortunately this is just life on track and you have to accept some battle scars. PPF is a godsend though and has saved me on a number of occasions. The mesh is easy to pull the dents out using an allen key or hook, and I use hammerite satin black paint to refresh the finish.
Windscreens are easy targets for chips when you're as low as we are, but we're lucky that outright pace gets us past most stuff quickly
Windscreens are easy targets for chips when you're as low as we are, but we're lucky that outright pace gets us past most stuff quickly
ecain63 said:
Unfortunately this is just life on track and you have to accept some battle scars.
Yeah, exactly. An MSV guy came up and was chatting to me just after it happened. Even though I was gutted I said something along the lines of "Well, if you want them to stay perfect you need to just lock them in a garage and polish them, not bring them here"ecain63 said:
Ref the scratch in the carbon.... speak to Roy Pack on the Facebook group. He fixed his carbon splitter recently and it's nigh on invisible.
Thanks mate, I'll check it out.keo said:
Gutted for you Paul did you have a good day apart from that?
Yeah, other than that it was a great day. Track was wet initially but soon dried out. Nice mixture of cars there. Only a couple of red flags all day. And I did my best time ever around Snetterton, which made me happy. So, just a small post about my track day on Monday which is fun but fairly uneventful other than getting about 300 stones thrown at me. 
The car was loaded up more than normal due to the petrol station issue. Snetterton had e-mailed in advance saying you would be limited to 20 litres per person from the on site pumps and to try and bring your own. I took 45 litres along with all my usual equipment including a trolley jack, and my extra exhaust both of which take up a bit of space. Who says an Exige isn't practical?
1 x 20 litre container
5 x 5 litre containers
1 toolbag
1 trolley jack
1 exhaust silencer
1 impact driver
1 torque wrench
1 rucksack
1 helmet
1 HANS device
With everything unpacked I just needed to fit my 'add-ons'. And the award for most ridiculous looking Exige goes to...
So on the subject of the exhaust, this was the first time I'd been properly static noise tested since I made it. Previously all I'd known is that is was working on the drive by, so I was quite interested in the result.
I manually opened the exhaust valve to ensure it was in loud mode, and told them my red line was 7000rpm.
The result - 99.9dB. Now I don't know what my Exige 410 is as standard with the valve open, but from previous forum info I would say that I've had a fairly decent reduction.
I know that I'm ok with it at Snetterton, Cadwell and Donington Park. And based on that static, I think I'd have a good chance at Brands Hatch, and possibly even Bedford Autodrome. So for now I'll be keeping the standard exhaust and seeing how well the bolt-on works at other tracks.
Ready to play...
The other test of the day was my new rear camera set-up. Overall, I was very pleased with it. Quick and easy to fit, the mounting is solid with no movement, the marshals said nothing about it all day, and the sound on the video was definitely an improvement.
My friend came along in his Audi RS5 which has been remapped. It's a big heavy old thing, but the acceleration and braking (huge ceramics) was pretty impressive.
This video is from a session where we went out together:
https://youtu.be/qEWrzgwOFHs
This one is my fastest lap of the day. It should have been much quicker, but there was traffic it the end so I had to slow down and go off line. I'd have been in the 2:10's otherwise:
https://youtu.be/3pStVe7lTdg
Main lesson from the day...I really need to find a way to get comfortable with heel and toe in this car. Every time I try it seems awkward and difficult compared to previous cars. I definitely need to spend some time addressing that as it will make a big difference.
The car was loaded up more than normal due to the petrol station issue. Snetterton had e-mailed in advance saying you would be limited to 20 litres per person from the on site pumps and to try and bring your own. I took 45 litres along with all my usual equipment including a trolley jack, and my extra exhaust both of which take up a bit of space. Who says an Exige isn't practical?
1 x 20 litre container
5 x 5 litre containers
1 toolbag
1 trolley jack
1 exhaust silencer
1 impact driver
1 torque wrench
1 rucksack
1 helmet
1 HANS device
With everything unpacked I just needed to fit my 'add-ons'. And the award for most ridiculous looking Exige goes to...
So on the subject of the exhaust, this was the first time I'd been properly static noise tested since I made it. Previously all I'd known is that is was working on the drive by, so I was quite interested in the result.
I manually opened the exhaust valve to ensure it was in loud mode, and told them my red line was 7000rpm.
The result - 99.9dB. Now I don't know what my Exige 410 is as standard with the valve open, but from previous forum info I would say that I've had a fairly decent reduction.
I know that I'm ok with it at Snetterton, Cadwell and Donington Park. And based on that static, I think I'd have a good chance at Brands Hatch, and possibly even Bedford Autodrome. So for now I'll be keeping the standard exhaust and seeing how well the bolt-on works at other tracks.
Ready to play...
The other test of the day was my new rear camera set-up. Overall, I was very pleased with it. Quick and easy to fit, the mounting is solid with no movement, the marshals said nothing about it all day, and the sound on the video was definitely an improvement.
My friend came along in his Audi RS5 which has been remapped. It's a big heavy old thing, but the acceleration and braking (huge ceramics) was pretty impressive.
This video is from a session where we went out together:
https://youtu.be/qEWrzgwOFHs
This one is my fastest lap of the day. It should have been much quicker, but there was traffic it the end so I had to slow down and go off line. I'd have been in the 2:10's otherwise:
https://youtu.be/3pStVe7lTdg
Main lesson from the day...I really need to find a way to get comfortable with heel and toe in this car. Every time I try it seems awkward and difficult compared to previous cars. I definitely need to spend some time addressing that as it will make a big difference.
Not a mod this time, just a bit of fun. Decided that instead of my track day helmet being boring black it might be nice to have it done in a colour scheme which matches the car. I know it's a bit sad, but it'll only ever be seen on track days.
Edited by Paul_M3 on Sunday 31st October 15:56
Back to the functional modifications todays.
One of the things I have found difficult in this car is heel and toeing on track. I have just found it quite awkward compared to some other cars I've owned. I've been having a look trying to determine the issue. Firstly, I think the car itself doesn't help. I find it needs quite a decent 'stab' of the accelerator to blip the engine. Secondly, because I'm 6ft it's harder to manoeuvre and twist my foot without hitting the steering wheel. Finally I don't think the pedal layout is quite as optimum as it could be for me. I can't do anything about the first two, but I can address the third one.
Looking at the pedals, even with the brake pedal pushed down it's still a bit higher than the accelerator. This is quite hard to show in photographs, but...
There is also a reasonable gap between the brake and accelerator pedal, so there is the potential to close that up a bit.
I wanted to have a pedal that would close the gap slightly, but far more importantly give me the option to adjust the height. I ordered these just for the accelerator pedal.
The original pedal cover is rivetted and glued on, so relatively easy to remove without damaging it.
The new accelerator pedal would be bolted in place, so I had to drill some new holes in the pedal mounting.
The new pedal ends up about 7 or 8mm closer to the brake pedal. As it is in the photo above, it would be the same as the standard pedal. The advantage I have now is that I can fit spacers between the mounting plate and the new pedal. For now I've fitted about a 12mm spacer and it seems pretty good based on a few practice goes. The accelerator is level with the brake when I push down on it really hard. From here I can practice with it and then tweak the height as required.
Compared to some of the aftermarket pedals I've seen fitted, it doesn't look too bad. I don't think somebody looking in the car would immediately know that it's an aftermarket add on, and I can refit the original pedal back whenever I want.
Hopefully now I'll be able to master heel and toe in this car and make my braking on track a lot smoother.
One of the things I have found difficult in this car is heel and toeing on track. I have just found it quite awkward compared to some other cars I've owned. I've been having a look trying to determine the issue. Firstly, I think the car itself doesn't help. I find it needs quite a decent 'stab' of the accelerator to blip the engine. Secondly, because I'm 6ft it's harder to manoeuvre and twist my foot without hitting the steering wheel. Finally I don't think the pedal layout is quite as optimum as it could be for me. I can't do anything about the first two, but I can address the third one.
Looking at the pedals, even with the brake pedal pushed down it's still a bit higher than the accelerator. This is quite hard to show in photographs, but...
There is also a reasonable gap between the brake and accelerator pedal, so there is the potential to close that up a bit.
I wanted to have a pedal that would close the gap slightly, but far more importantly give me the option to adjust the height. I ordered these just for the accelerator pedal.
The original pedal cover is rivetted and glued on, so relatively easy to remove without damaging it.
The new accelerator pedal would be bolted in place, so I had to drill some new holes in the pedal mounting.
The new pedal ends up about 7 or 8mm closer to the brake pedal. As it is in the photo above, it would be the same as the standard pedal. The advantage I have now is that I can fit spacers between the mounting plate and the new pedal. For now I've fitted about a 12mm spacer and it seems pretty good based on a few practice goes. The accelerator is level with the brake when I push down on it really hard. From here I can practice with it and then tweak the height as required.
Compared to some of the aftermarket pedals I've seen fitted, it doesn't look too bad. I don't think somebody looking in the car would immediately know that it's an aftermarket add on, and I can refit the original pedal back whenever I want.
Hopefully now I'll be able to master heel and toe in this car and make my braking on track a lot smoother.
Looking good.
Personally I have never found the pedal positioning or shape to be a problem and H+T relatively easy in the recent S3 exiges.
However I was disappointed to see the original extruded pedal design which was a rather beautiful if often missed design feature of previous generations dropped in favour of this current basic design.
Personally I have never found the pedal positioning or shape to be a problem and H+T relatively easy in the recent S3 exiges.
However I was disappointed to see the original extruded pedal design which was a rather beautiful if often missed design feature of previous generations dropped in favour of this current basic design.
Gibbo205 said:
Car looks superb mate!
Can I ask where you purchased the silencer from please? Any reduction in power noticed though car seems to go very well!
Thanks mate.Can I ask where you purchased the silencer from please? Any reduction in power noticed though car seems to go very well!
I did a guide about making the silencer here, with details of all the components: https://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/topic/115347...
There's no reduction in power or increase in backpressure. The silencer assembly is fully straight through with the same bore as the rest of the exhaust.
RevsPerMinute said:
Looking good.
Personally I have never found the pedal positioning or shape to be a problem and H+T relatively easy in the recent S3 exiges.
That's interesting, as quite a few people have said they have issues compared to other cars they've owned. Personally I have never found the pedal positioning or shape to be a problem and H+T relatively easy in the recent S3 exiges.
Obviously it also comes down to individual techniques, foot size and various other factors.
I've finally done a very common and very simple cosmetic mod; the gear knob numbers. I wasn't a huge fan of the bare engraved look, and always liked the photos I'd seen where people had painted the numbers. I wasn't sure what colour to go for, but as I had the blue touch up pen with a fine nib I thought I give it a go...
I knew from my monitoring of the brake and tyre wear that the last track I did would be the final one on the existing set of pads.
Time to get the car up in the air again...
Pins out of the caliper, and out with the pads. Yep, I reckon I got the perfect amount of use out of those.
If anybody regularly does their own brakes, I highly recommend getting one of this piston spreader tools. Makes that part of the job so quick and easy.
Then it was time for the new pads. I spent a lot of time thinking about what to fit. The DS2500 work pretty well, they're quiet, and they're kind to discs. On the downside the don't bite that hard, tail off slightly when they get hot, and only last 4 days.
I didn't want to get anything that would be aggressive to the (very expensive) discs, so I made the decision to give Pagid RSL29's a shot. I've used these before on other cars and can't fault them for performance. The main downsides are price and noise. The price may be justifiable if they last longer than the DS2500's. Time will tell, and I will monitor wear closely.
To make them perform as well as possible, and bed them in nicely I decided to do the job properly and give the discs a bit of a resurfacing using a flex-hone tool I bought a while ago. This should remove the old pad transfer layer, and give a nice honed surface for the new pads.
Before:
After:
I also measured the discs very accurately while they were off so I can monitor how much they wear with the Pagids.
And finally all back together looking as good as new.
Time to get the car up in the air again...
Pins out of the caliper, and out with the pads. Yep, I reckon I got the perfect amount of use out of those.
If anybody regularly does their own brakes, I highly recommend getting one of this piston spreader tools. Makes that part of the job so quick and easy.
Then it was time for the new pads. I spent a lot of time thinking about what to fit. The DS2500 work pretty well, they're quiet, and they're kind to discs. On the downside the don't bite that hard, tail off slightly when they get hot, and only last 4 days.
I didn't want to get anything that would be aggressive to the (very expensive) discs, so I made the decision to give Pagid RSL29's a shot. I've used these before on other cars and can't fault them for performance. The main downsides are price and noise. The price may be justifiable if they last longer than the DS2500's. Time will tell, and I will monitor wear closely.
To make them perform as well as possible, and bed them in nicely I decided to do the job properly and give the discs a bit of a resurfacing using a flex-hone tool I bought a while ago. This should remove the old pad transfer layer, and give a nice honed surface for the new pads.
Before:
After:
I also measured the discs very accurately while they were off so I can monitor how much they wear with the Pagids.
And finally all back together looking as good as new.
Paul_M3 said:
To make them perform as well as possible, and bed them in nicely I decided to do the job properly and give the discs a bit of a resurfacing using a flex-hone tool I bought a while ago. This should remove the old pad transfer layer, and give a nice honed surface for the new pads.
After:
Where did you get that tool from? Wondering whether it'd be good for removing pad deposits...After:
JP__FOX said:
Where did you get that tool from? Wondering whether it'd be good for removing pad deposits...
I've had it a while, and that was the exact reason I bought it in the first place!It's one of these: https://www.mscdirect.co.uk/FXR-60250E/SEARCH:KEYW...
There may be cheaper places to get it these days, there were limited suppliers when I bought mine.
JP__FOX said:
Cheers, will take a look around as they still seem somewhat limited in supply. Do you use honing oil on the discs or go without?
I didn't bother with oil for just doing the discs. Although I think their generic guidance says use oil, I think that's really for their 'proper' honing tools for cylinder bores etc. Saves worrying about needing to get all the oil out the grooves/holes in case it weeps out later. (Which obviously isn't ideal on a brake disc...)
BertBert said:
Those pads are very worn! Perhaps personal choice, but I'd not go quite so low. Good job though!!
Nah, they’d have had another few hundred road miles in them if I wanted. 
Joking aside, it’s not like I suddenly discovered them and was lucky. I do a full wheels off inspection after every track day and record the pad thickness (both inner and outer) each time. I knew how much material was left before the last track day I did, and how much wear would likely occur.
Performance does not noticeably drop off even with so little material left.
Edited to add - That’s not to say I haven’t made mistakes in the past…
Edited by Paul_M3 on Monday 22 November 20:09
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