2007 Lotus 2-Eleven
Discussion
mattdavies said:
In regards to the helmets issue, It may be worth borrowing a variety of helmets to see what works for you from a viability point of view.
Why do you wear a helmet in the car on the road ?
Also the buffeting is probably more screen related then helmet, hence why in F1 that have some wierd shaped screens
Yes ideally I'd try loads on for extending periods, but not sure that's realistically. I think best I can probably do is wander around a big helmet shop wearing a few examples and try to gauge from that.Why do you wear a helmet in the car on the road ?
Also the buffeting is probably more screen related then helmet, hence why in F1 that have some wierd shaped screens
I rarely wear a helmet on the road, in fact this weekend was the first time and it was purely because I'd be doing ~350 miles in cold, changeable conditions. In the summer I don't think I'll use a helmet too often, but trackdays I still expect will be the majority of my mileage in this car so a good, comfortable helmet will not be wasted.
Good point on the screen, I do have a little clip on that I didn't use this weekend. Should really have used that.
Done a couple of jobs on the 2-Eleven this last week, summarised as follows.
First up, I swapped out the steering quick release hub that the car came with. There was nothing 'wrong' with the old one, until I saw/touched/experienced a different make/model of hub which was just infinitely nicer to use.
The old one wins points for looking very OEM, very discreet and suited the interior of the car nicely.
Problem is, you have to be really, really precise to get it onto the splines straight which is incredibly difficult when stood over the car. Found it was almost impossible to fit/remove unless I was sat in the seat. It also had a tiny bit of play, but in hindsight after taking it apart this may have just been the bolts at the back working loose - as they had galled out the metal of the splined adapter on the car a bit.
The new one from Seriouslylotus is a bit blingier, but allows you to fit the wheel from any orientation and just spin it around unti it lines up and 'clicks home'. It's really nice to use, feels solid and as a passive benefit it spaced the wheel towards me fractionally more.
Nice bit of grot to fix after removing the original.
Also replaced a couple of clips that meant the steering wheel shroud didn't quite fit straight before. Much better now.
Really happy with it, though can't help feeling the car was previously aligned with the hub off by a notch. I've used the "TOP" markings on the splined adapter and it put my steering wheel off by a spline. Something to verify when I get it on an alignment rig.
Next I got the undertray off and fitted some jack/lifter pucks.
These are great for people with 2-post/scissor lifts because they fill the void between the chassis crossmember and the flimsy undertray - allowing you to lift the car directly from the undertray. For doing any corner-work on the car, this cuts down the time taken to get it up in the air 10x fold.
Pretty boring 'upgrade' but a gamechanger in the garage. It still means that I can't remove/refit the undertray with the car up in the air like you could with a 4 poster ramp, but I've yet to find a convenient workaround for that.
With the car in the air testing out my new lift pucks, I took the opportunity to swap out the rear pads.
They're nearing end of life, but also found they're a mismatched compound to the fronts. They appear to be Carbon Lorraine pads (Pagid RS14 in the front, still with loads of life). As luck would half it, I had a part worn set of RS14 in stock from a previous incident in which a front set was prematurely destroyed so they've gone in. This should hopefully mean I finish off this front and rear set at around the same time, at which point discs will also be needed.
Final update, exciting one for me. I bought a trailer!
Obviously when buying the 2-11, the cost of a trailer was factored in. It's something I was dabbling with via rentals for the Exige, but losing the roof/glass made it a no brainer. Getting a bit wet on the way to/from a trackday isn't the biggest concern, it's more a way to leave the car safely overnight in a hotel carpark etc.
Trailer is an eco-shuttle from eco-trailer. Picked it up used after it had been traded in for a bigger model, so got a decent deal as it's fully specced with the key options such as remote winch and tyre rack.
In terms of dimensions, I'd made a string box around the car to make sure it would fit but I was really nervous about ground clearance and ramping it in. For that reason, I've been sat on the trailer for WEEKS putting off the trial fit, but I could delay no longer and this weekend I got to work.
With a helping hand from Jamie (buyer of my Exige, reader of the thread and all round nice guy) we got to work, and it really wasn't difficult at all.
I had some wooden ramps already made up to give a head start, but that still gave splitter clearance issues on the approach.
Fortunately the trailer was also optioned with a tilt-bed, so that was deployed and it awarded bags of clearance.
Car went in snug, but with enough room to get to the four corners for wheel straps, and comfortably clamber in and out.
Driving in and out at no point felt sketchy (something I can't say for the rental open trailers I'd used previously) and was without drama.
Now onto the dilemma of "load forwards or backwards". With the weight distribution of a Lotus being approx 60:40, you can usually get away with whichever orientation is more convenient for loading by shuffling the car forwards or backwards a bit to get the right nose weight. With the tyre rack loaded, and the 2-11 pushed as far forwards as I could, I could only get around 45kg of nose weight. Target is 70, and limit is 100kg for my particular setup. (I later found the tyres were far below spec pressure, so whether that will alter the nose weight or not...I'm unsure).
To load the car on backwards I think would mean sacrificing the tyre rack. Not a huge problem, I can load wheels in the tow car after all - but if I can make this work as-is, I will.
I need to go on a proper test drive to see how comfortable it feels with 45kg, but I should be able to ballast it out a bit more at the front with some strategically stored jerry cans/tools/etc. If I can get it a bit closer to 70kg on the nose, I will... but I may be overthinking it a bit.
If it drives like crap, four bolts and the tyre rack is out - and car can easily go on backwards.
Very chuffed with the trailer though, I think it was a relative bargain and it really opens me up to do whatever I want to do with the 211, at any time of year.
First up, I swapped out the steering quick release hub that the car came with. There was nothing 'wrong' with the old one, until I saw/touched/experienced a different make/model of hub which was just infinitely nicer to use.
The old one wins points for looking very OEM, very discreet and suited the interior of the car nicely.
Problem is, you have to be really, really precise to get it onto the splines straight which is incredibly difficult when stood over the car. Found it was almost impossible to fit/remove unless I was sat in the seat. It also had a tiny bit of play, but in hindsight after taking it apart this may have just been the bolts at the back working loose - as they had galled out the metal of the splined adapter on the car a bit.
The new one from Seriouslylotus is a bit blingier, but allows you to fit the wheel from any orientation and just spin it around unti it lines up and 'clicks home'. It's really nice to use, feels solid and as a passive benefit it spaced the wheel towards me fractionally more.
Nice bit of grot to fix after removing the original.
Also replaced a couple of clips that meant the steering wheel shroud didn't quite fit straight before. Much better now.
Really happy with it, though can't help feeling the car was previously aligned with the hub off by a notch. I've used the "TOP" markings on the splined adapter and it put my steering wheel off by a spline. Something to verify when I get it on an alignment rig.
Next I got the undertray off and fitted some jack/lifter pucks.
These are great for people with 2-post/scissor lifts because they fill the void between the chassis crossmember and the flimsy undertray - allowing you to lift the car directly from the undertray. For doing any corner-work on the car, this cuts down the time taken to get it up in the air 10x fold.
Pretty boring 'upgrade' but a gamechanger in the garage. It still means that I can't remove/refit the undertray with the car up in the air like you could with a 4 poster ramp, but I've yet to find a convenient workaround for that.
With the car in the air testing out my new lift pucks, I took the opportunity to swap out the rear pads.
They're nearing end of life, but also found they're a mismatched compound to the fronts. They appear to be Carbon Lorraine pads (Pagid RS14 in the front, still with loads of life). As luck would half it, I had a part worn set of RS14 in stock from a previous incident in which a front set was prematurely destroyed so they've gone in. This should hopefully mean I finish off this front and rear set at around the same time, at which point discs will also be needed.
Final update, exciting one for me. I bought a trailer!
Obviously when buying the 2-11, the cost of a trailer was factored in. It's something I was dabbling with via rentals for the Exige, but losing the roof/glass made it a no brainer. Getting a bit wet on the way to/from a trackday isn't the biggest concern, it's more a way to leave the car safely overnight in a hotel carpark etc.
Trailer is an eco-shuttle from eco-trailer. Picked it up used after it had been traded in for a bigger model, so got a decent deal as it's fully specced with the key options such as remote winch and tyre rack.
In terms of dimensions, I'd made a string box around the car to make sure it would fit but I was really nervous about ground clearance and ramping it in. For that reason, I've been sat on the trailer for WEEKS putting off the trial fit, but I could delay no longer and this weekend I got to work.
With a helping hand from Jamie (buyer of my Exige, reader of the thread and all round nice guy) we got to work, and it really wasn't difficult at all.
I had some wooden ramps already made up to give a head start, but that still gave splitter clearance issues on the approach.
Fortunately the trailer was also optioned with a tilt-bed, so that was deployed and it awarded bags of clearance.
Car went in snug, but with enough room to get to the four corners for wheel straps, and comfortably clamber in and out.
Driving in and out at no point felt sketchy (something I can't say for the rental open trailers I'd used previously) and was without drama.
Now onto the dilemma of "load forwards or backwards". With the weight distribution of a Lotus being approx 60:40, you can usually get away with whichever orientation is more convenient for loading by shuffling the car forwards or backwards a bit to get the right nose weight. With the tyre rack loaded, and the 2-11 pushed as far forwards as I could, I could only get around 45kg of nose weight. Target is 70, and limit is 100kg for my particular setup. (I later found the tyres were far below spec pressure, so whether that will alter the nose weight or not...I'm unsure).
To load the car on backwards I think would mean sacrificing the tyre rack. Not a huge problem, I can load wheels in the tow car after all - but if I can make this work as-is, I will.
I need to go on a proper test drive to see how comfortable it feels with 45kg, but I should be able to ballast it out a bit more at the front with some strategically stored jerry cans/tools/etc. If I can get it a bit closer to 70kg on the nose, I will... but I may be overthinking it a bit.
If it drives like crap, four bolts and the tyre rack is out - and car can easily go on backwards.
Very chuffed with the trailer though, I think it was a relative bargain and it really opens me up to do whatever I want to do with the 211, at any time of year.
Jobbo said:
That strap over your tyre rack tyres doesn't look very secure - if it moves at all it will be able to slip off entirely. Any way you can put it through the centres of the spare wheels?
Yep that's been addressed already. The tyres were only lobbed up there for checking the nose weight - didn't tow them anywhere.I've now got the two larger rear wheels in the centre, sandwiched by the smaller ones so the strap "touches" all four. I then have a second strap through the spokes.
I am still wanting to find something a bit more robust for the trailer spare though, I think that will end up on the a-frame bit outside of the trailer.
Looking for some other ways to utilise the tyre rack too. Maybe some sort of tray bolted/welded on to allow me to strap some jerry cans to it. Open to suggestions/inspiration.
TheJimi said:
Is that a hatch in the floor for inspection / work access?
No, but that would be useful for trackday oil changes!It has a galvanised storage tray under there - can get a fair bit of stuff in it so that's handy. If I end up backing the car onto the trailer, I may end up with a situation where the nose weight is too heavy in which case I can lob a load of sandbags in there to balance it out
minimalist said:
It might sound silly but would you consider a mirror below the tyre rack to aid visibility when loading/unloading? It wouldn't have to be real glass, but something suitably reflective.
I think that's a pretty cool idea, and something I considered for the garage too after I first had my ramp installed.Due to the inboard mirrors on the 2-11 and a few other factors, I think I may prefer reversing the car into the trailer because you can see your bodywork much better looking back. Looking forward, visibility in the 2-11 is pretty bad despite the total lack of A/B pillars. The bodywork comes up higher than it would in an Elise/Exige and you have quite large blindspots up front.
Steve H said:
Great thread Fonzey, I’m loving the level of effort/obsession that you are putting into the car!
Hope you don’t mind a few questions because I just acquired this………!
It’s my first Lotus so I’m starting from scratch here. Looks like it’s pretty good mechanically (although I still need to get it in the air and check it over properly) but there’s definitely some cosmetic work to be done, cage needs re-coating, there’s a sizeable crack on the front arch that needs sorting and I think it will end up with a full wrap to tidy it up.
So, questions?
Where did you get those jacking pucks? I gather that getting it up on a lift normally involves getting the rear undertrays off first?
Does your front clam/body section visibly move when you are driving? This one has more movement than I expected. It’s coming off as an early job anyway to do the arch repair but I’m suspecting a broken mount somewhere.
If you hadn’t sourced the improved shifter, what aftermarket one would you have gone for? I’m expecting I’ll need to upgrade one way or another and I’m not worried about keeping oe.
Glad to see you’re enjoying it so much on track, I’ve instructed in a couple and was always impressed with exactly the same stuff with braking and handling etc. If you ever get to a Circuit Days event please come and find me as I work on most of them
.
Hi Steve, congrats on the purchase- great intro to Lotus!Hope you don’t mind a few questions because I just acquired this………!
It’s my first Lotus so I’m starting from scratch here. Looks like it’s pretty good mechanically (although I still need to get it in the air and check it over properly) but there’s definitely some cosmetic work to be done, cage needs re-coating, there’s a sizeable crack on the front arch that needs sorting and I think it will end up with a full wrap to tidy it up.
So, questions?
Where did you get those jacking pucks? I gather that getting it up on a lift normally involves getting the rear undertrays off first?
Does your front clam/body section visibly move when you are driving? This one has more movement than I expected. It’s coming off as an early job anyway to do the arch repair but I’m suspecting a broken mount somewhere.
If you hadn’t sourced the improved shifter, what aftermarket one would you have gone for? I’m expecting I’ll need to upgrade one way or another and I’m not worried about keeping oe.
Glad to see you’re enjoying it so much on track, I’ve instructed in a couple and was always impressed with exactly the same stuff with braking and handling etc. If you ever get to a Circuit Days event please come and find me as I work on most of them
.1. Chap called Thor on SELOC makes them. Drop him a PM on there and he can turn them around quickly.
2. I can't say I've noticed too much movement. There's definitely some flapping of the engine cover based on witness marks to the paintwork underneath, but nothing side from that. A Clam off job will be therapeutic and a lot of fun -so proceed as planned and I'm sure you'll just find a couple of missing fixings somewhere.
3. Options that I researched are:
- Lotus OE one from a later car. Probably best fit and finish, but most expensive and hardest to source.
- Dolomite Shifter from Italy. Advertised on SELOC, priced well, a bit blingy
- Dan @ HPE has just made some, Originally intended for Honda converted cars but he thinks it will adapt easily to a Toyota car. Main downside is availability, they're literally just now coming out of production
I'd probably go for the HPE one if I feel I want further improvement.
I've ventured onto one or two Circuit Days events before, but will make a note of getting onto at least one next year.
I had a few weeks before the next scheduled outing in the 2-Eleven (Anglesey trackday) so I spent a bit of time enjoying the dry roads and just making sure nothing was niggling on the car.
I developed a pretty nasty rattle at low speeds, it ended up being a novelty multi tool (size and shape of a credit card) that had slipped under the passenger seat. Easily sorted.
When hunting for this rattle I put the car up on the ramp and gave everything a good wobble. Unfortunately the OSR wheel reciprocated the wobble, quite badly too. I did all the basic checks, toe links and balljoints checked out but the wheel would move either from 9-3 or 12-6 enough to make the disc clack around between the pads. Hmmm, must be wheel bearing :frowning:
With the wheel and brake off there was no detectable play, but I trusted in my troubleshooting instincts and pushed forward finding that the wheel bearing was not an original SKF part and was some sort of knock off pattern part. I've grown to be extremely weary of non OE bearings over the years, after them costing me time and effort with clutches and this would be more conviction.
I've removed, replaced and handled more of these Lotus bearings than I care to count now - but it does mean I could spot this as a knock off from a mile away.
I initially planned to replace just this one, but I put 2 and 2 together to get 5 and assumed that all four would be knock off parts. That combined with a pretty impressive deal from the SKF UK ebay shop for a multibuy discount meant that I got all four bearings for a little over half the usual price.
As I later found, the other three corners were all legit SKF and showed no signs of wear... so probably money wasted there. Oh well.
It did mean I got four shiny new bearings to rust proof.
This did give me an opportunity to really inspect the state of my suspension. Any readers of my previous threads will know the Lotus bolt-on bits do suffer a bit from normal use, and don't weather well at all. This usually leads to me doing a rather enjoyable refurb project but no urgent need for that on the 2-11 as it's pretty tidy as is.
I can only assume that it has been done recently. It looks like the rear wishbones have been replaced with new ones quite recently as they have a very convincing factory finish. The front stuff which is bespoke to the 2-11 and hence rarer, seems to have been painted instead.
I'd mentioned on a previous post that my rear discs are close to end of life, well they're more close than I previously realised so I stuck some new ones in whilst I was at it. The good discs that were on the fronts were also fitted the wrong way around, minor thing but I now have them venting properly.
As usual, everything went well till the final corner. The front calipers had been painted quite recently... a finish that has not stood up well to track use at all, and worse than that it had been blobbed over some of the bolt heads a bit. This lead to a stuck bolt, and the eventual pain to drill it out.
After a few visits with a drill and a fresh dose of patience, I eventually got the caliper off. Not without a bit of collateral damage to the caliper but hopefully just aesthetic.
Luckily the stub of the bolt came out by hand after all of the abuse it took from the drilling and several attempts with left handed drill bits etc.
With all four bearings finally replaced, it was one last inspection under which I found a couple more issues...
1. Handbrake cable fouling on the OSR wheel. Had this before with my Elise, just one of those things I think. They're inexpensive to replace but for now it's just lubed and taped up to stop it rusting.
2. The OSF track rod end nut wasn't holding any torque, it was just spinning on the shaft (the shaft was stationary). Luckily it whizzed off, and I found that a nut with the wrong thread had been forced on and subsequently stripped.
I can sort of see how it could have happened. The thread is M10, which can come in a pitch of 1.5, 1.25 or 1.0. I talked to two people and got two answers about what pitch it should be, and I had two old track rod ends in "stock" (I'm a hoarder) and both had different pitches, so it's clear that the supply chain to the Lotus community has been varied over the years. Still, annoying - and left me scratching around trying to find a high tensile M10x1.0 nyloc nut in the days before the trackday.
I did think about just swapping the TRE's for the ones I had, but they're different lengths too which make the whole "count the turns" thing fraught with danger and I really don't have time for an emergency geo before the trackday now!
Still, it's Anglesey in October... so I'll get plenty of garage time at the circuit I'm sure.
Steve H said:
Thanks for those replies , sure enough a whole row of fixings were missing on the underside which I imagine caused the flex and a lot of the damage to the front arch. Just got to work out the best way of repairing the fibreglass now.
I’ll have a look at the other stuff, it’s all winter project work for me so plenty of time to sort it.
Great stuff, sounds like progress already., sure enough a whole row of fixings were missing on the underside which I imagine caused the flex and a lot of the damage to the front arch. Just got to work out the best way of repairing the fibreglass now. I’ll have a look at the other stuff, it’s all winter project work for me so plenty of time to sort it.
If your body panels are original, some of it may not be "fibreglass" as such. Lotus used some new way of making composite panels for the 2-11 called CoreMat or something like that. I don't know if that influences the best way to make repairs, but worth knowing if you didn't already.
I'm finding bodywork damage on these is just inevitable. The panels are so thin and flimsy, I think just regular use eventually leads to damage. If you haven't got it already, or haven't planned for it - figure out something for your inner front arches in lieu of arch liners otherwise your front wings will just get battered from the inside.
You may be starting your Winter work ahead of me, so keep me posted. Something you mentioned about your cage is something I'd like to address. It has a couple of stonechips that are showing specs of orange.. so I'd like to get it out and repowdercoated with perhaps some tactical PPF. I've done some initial homework on how to remove it, I think the only complication is the interior "doorcards" which I believe are bonded in. I reckon you'll need to remove at least one...
Anglesey Update.
Another jewel in the crown of my trackday calendar is the annual trip with Lotus on Track to Anglesey. I absolutely love this part of the World, views in all directions and a cracking circuit to boot. I've had quite bad rain each time I've been and a break down with 14 hour recovery... so it hasn't been the kindest circuit to me... but that has got to change eventually.
The main excitement was that this would be my first proper long distance trackday with a trailer, so it would be a good towing adventure and I was looking forward to making the trip in relative comfort. Sorry if this is a bit boring, but I was giddy to play truckers.
On the day before, I set to getting the car loaded up. It took ages, constantly faffing with the straps, alignment of the car and luggage loads. A bit stressful tbh, but finally she was ready to go.
I've had lots of good feedback and advice on trailer loading/towing and the car facing forwards vs backwards continues to be a regular feature... but I just found that with the tyre rack loaded up and some spare fuel in the nose of the trailer that my nose weights were right on target with the car in forwards and pushed as far forwards as it would go. With the car on backwards I'd need to park it right at the very back, and not be able to use the tyre rack as the spoiler won't go under it. It towed an absolute treat though, so I'm happy with my setup.
Had to drop our daughter off at the in-laws en route which meant a meeting in an out of town garden centre to avoid any risk of 3-point turns down a cul-de-sac, but with our precious cargo dropped off it was time to hit the road properly.
Trip went without any drama, stopped off at Chester for a brew and a photograph.
Volvo was managing a respectable 27mpg once onto the motorways. The D5 engine handed it fine, I needed to step in with manual downshifts occasionally when pulling away up hills but no stinking of clutch and the brakes held up fine to the stopping I had to do.
We arrived in Holyhead to our planned out trailer-friendly parking feeling rather chuffed. The 2-11 was even still where I left it, result.
Onto the morning of the trackday, it had heaved it down over night and so the track was very wet. We had the threat of late morning heavy showers, then the hope of bright sun and a drying track in the afternoon.
I got the car unloaded after the sighting laps to keep it dry and comfortable for as long as possible. John and Dave from SeriouslyLotus were attending as support, and they could smell the vulnerability of a first time trailer owner a mile off so were great help in getting me safely unloaded. Cheers Gents.
I had the AD08RS road tyres fitted because I was expecting a wet start. I could always swap to AR1 later.
Though the circuit was very wet, it wasn't actually raining so I got out for a gentle session. Early impression was lots of front end grip but a rear not willing to turn in at anything more than a snails pace. Persisting I eventually got a bit of heat into the rear tyres and got brave enough to carry a bit more throttle in to settle the rear... then I started having fun.
I had regular snatchy lockups of the rear brakes, but I could see from the wear pattern on the discs that I was still bedding in the pads to the shape of the new discs. This improved throughout the day and was a non-issue later on.
By late morning the heavier rain came, so I hid in the garage and let the roofies have the place to themselves for a bit. I had my waterproof onesie but I wanted to try and keep the passenger seat dry for the comfort of my passengers later in the day.
Towards the end of lunch, the sun came out and it was a steadily drying track for the rest of the day. It never got completely dry, and particularly Church corner remained a bit scary for the remainder.
I decided to keep on the AD08 tyres and try to push the car on a bit in the lower speed corners. Get a feel for the balance of the 2-11 and the effect of twiddling with the adjustable traction control.
With the TC fully 'on', I found it very capable in a straight line but any stab of throttle in turns would still flick you sideways. The intervention would then kick in and prevent you from holding a slide and get you on your way.
With a steadily rising level of confidence I was picking up my entry speeds enough to force the car into an armful of understeer. This is my happy place in a 111 based car, it's something you can modulate quite easily and increase or decrease your turn radius with gentle tweaks to the throttle. Once you're really happy, you can have a quick lift-off followed by a sharp stab of throttle to really bring the back around.
I tweaked the TC down to about 75% of its intervention. The advertised slip range of the TC system is 0-12%, not sure if it's linear or not as you turn the dial but I guess we can assume around 3% slip.
This allowed me to turn in aggressively, lift off, stab the throttle and then hold a bit of a slide through the tight hairpins. It was incredible fun. You could punch the throttle and just pin it and the car would gather itself back up and have you on your way. I over cooked it just once and ended up in an angle that I couldn't catch, I think if I had the knob set to allow more slip I could probably have caught it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98mIl4Vh08I&ab...
I had a torsen LSD in my Exige and really enjoyed exploring that at an icy Bedford almost a year ago. I was expecting the 211 on the open differential to be a bit harder to control... but I was wrong I think. I'm still convinced the LSD was an upgrade on the Exige, and would have been on my NA Elise before it. Both of those cars would readily spin up their inside wheel but I've never had that on the 211 suggesting that either the suspension geometry is just better at keeping that inside rear in play.... or it has a diff in it already. They were available as options from Lotus so I can't rule it out.
I spent the rest of the afternoon just pushing my luck and attempting to show off to a couple of passengers. Everyone seemed to love it, except my missus - who gave me the signal (punch to the thigh) and wanted to go back into the pits pretty sharpish.
For the first time ever, I was rushing to get back out BEFORE the tarmac dried anymore. I wanted to make the most of the conditions and had no desire to stick the AR1's on at all. Fantastic fun.
I picked up a black flag late afternoon, figuring I'd pushed my luck a bit with tyre squeeling I sheepishly limped back into the pits to find my rear plate was hanging off... Doh! Whipped it off completely and was back out sharpish.
On the final session I attempted to put together some reasonable laps, pretty ingrained with bad habits at this point they weren't particularly tidy - and my day came to an early end (7mins before chequered flag) because my brake pedal was going straight to the floor. Hoping I just boiled the fluid, but investigation to follow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m43P918_GOA&ab...
From coming into the pits, to being loaded and ready to go I took about 25mins. Pretty happy with that, I had visions of being at the circuit till 8pm cocking about in the dark.
The tow home would be broken in two, stopping with a friend in Cheshire to break it up a bit. I had my only real bit of towing drama about 5mins from his house. A minibus was parked up in the slow lane of a dual carraigeway... once we got within a 100 feet or so of it, it literally exploded. Full on Hollywood fireball. Guy in front of me anchored on, I had to swerve into the fast lane to avoid rear ending him and I ended up the 'lead car' in what was to become a huge queue on the A54.
We later learned nobody was hurt, so don't feel too bad for taking photographs now... Looks like the driver had bailed out sometime earlier when smelling/seeing smoke and was well clear when it eventually went pop just in time for my arrival.
As the fire got worse, the trees at the side of the road all went up and it started coming towards us a bit. With help from my fellow traffic-jammers I reversed the trailer back into the slow lane and got a bit more distance between us.
For around 20mins it continued to explode, fuel tanks going, tyres popping, glass smashing. It was mental.
Got to see these efficient b
ds with front row seats though, no messing about. Well played.
All in all, a bloody good weekend. Trailer was ace, Volvo was ace, Anglesey was ace and the 2-Eleven was just next level. It's going to be a long winter I fear.
Another jewel in the crown of my trackday calendar is the annual trip with Lotus on Track to Anglesey. I absolutely love this part of the World, views in all directions and a cracking circuit to boot. I've had quite bad rain each time I've been and a break down with 14 hour recovery... so it hasn't been the kindest circuit to me... but that has got to change eventually.
The main excitement was that this would be my first proper long distance trackday with a trailer, so it would be a good towing adventure and I was looking forward to making the trip in relative comfort. Sorry if this is a bit boring, but I was giddy to play truckers.
On the day before, I set to getting the car loaded up. It took ages, constantly faffing with the straps, alignment of the car and luggage loads. A bit stressful tbh, but finally she was ready to go.
I've had lots of good feedback and advice on trailer loading/towing and the car facing forwards vs backwards continues to be a regular feature... but I just found that with the tyre rack loaded up and some spare fuel in the nose of the trailer that my nose weights were right on target with the car in forwards and pushed as far forwards as it would go. With the car on backwards I'd need to park it right at the very back, and not be able to use the tyre rack as the spoiler won't go under it. It towed an absolute treat though, so I'm happy with my setup.
Had to drop our daughter off at the in-laws en route which meant a meeting in an out of town garden centre to avoid any risk of 3-point turns down a cul-de-sac, but with our precious cargo dropped off it was time to hit the road properly.
Trip went without any drama, stopped off at Chester for a brew and a photograph.
Volvo was managing a respectable 27mpg once onto the motorways. The D5 engine handed it fine, I needed to step in with manual downshifts occasionally when pulling away up hills but no stinking of clutch and the brakes held up fine to the stopping I had to do.
We arrived in Holyhead to our planned out trailer-friendly parking feeling rather chuffed. The 2-11 was even still where I left it, result.
Onto the morning of the trackday, it had heaved it down over night and so the track was very wet. We had the threat of late morning heavy showers, then the hope of bright sun and a drying track in the afternoon.
I got the car unloaded after the sighting laps to keep it dry and comfortable for as long as possible. John and Dave from SeriouslyLotus were attending as support, and they could smell the vulnerability of a first time trailer owner a mile off so were great help in getting me safely unloaded. Cheers Gents.
I had the AD08RS road tyres fitted because I was expecting a wet start. I could always swap to AR1 later.
Though the circuit was very wet, it wasn't actually raining so I got out for a gentle session. Early impression was lots of front end grip but a rear not willing to turn in at anything more than a snails pace. Persisting I eventually got a bit of heat into the rear tyres and got brave enough to carry a bit more throttle in to settle the rear... then I started having fun.
I had regular snatchy lockups of the rear brakes, but I could see from the wear pattern on the discs that I was still bedding in the pads to the shape of the new discs. This improved throughout the day and was a non-issue later on.
By late morning the heavier rain came, so I hid in the garage and let the roofies have the place to themselves for a bit. I had my waterproof onesie but I wanted to try and keep the passenger seat dry for the comfort of my passengers later in the day.
Towards the end of lunch, the sun came out and it was a steadily drying track for the rest of the day. It never got completely dry, and particularly Church corner remained a bit scary for the remainder.
I decided to keep on the AD08 tyres and try to push the car on a bit in the lower speed corners. Get a feel for the balance of the 2-11 and the effect of twiddling with the adjustable traction control.
With the TC fully 'on', I found it very capable in a straight line but any stab of throttle in turns would still flick you sideways. The intervention would then kick in and prevent you from holding a slide and get you on your way.
With a steadily rising level of confidence I was picking up my entry speeds enough to force the car into an armful of understeer. This is my happy place in a 111 based car, it's something you can modulate quite easily and increase or decrease your turn radius with gentle tweaks to the throttle. Once you're really happy, you can have a quick lift-off followed by a sharp stab of throttle to really bring the back around.
I tweaked the TC down to about 75% of its intervention. The advertised slip range of the TC system is 0-12%, not sure if it's linear or not as you turn the dial but I guess we can assume around 3% slip.
This allowed me to turn in aggressively, lift off, stab the throttle and then hold a bit of a slide through the tight hairpins. It was incredible fun. You could punch the throttle and just pin it and the car would gather itself back up and have you on your way. I over cooked it just once and ended up in an angle that I couldn't catch, I think if I had the knob set to allow more slip I could probably have caught it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98mIl4Vh08I&ab...
I had a torsen LSD in my Exige and really enjoyed exploring that at an icy Bedford almost a year ago. I was expecting the 211 on the open differential to be a bit harder to control... but I was wrong I think. I'm still convinced the LSD was an upgrade on the Exige, and would have been on my NA Elise before it. Both of those cars would readily spin up their inside wheel but I've never had that on the 211 suggesting that either the suspension geometry is just better at keeping that inside rear in play.... or it has a diff in it already. They were available as options from Lotus so I can't rule it out.
I spent the rest of the afternoon just pushing my luck and attempting to show off to a couple of passengers. Everyone seemed to love it, except my missus - who gave me the signal (punch to the thigh) and wanted to go back into the pits pretty sharpish.
For the first time ever, I was rushing to get back out BEFORE the tarmac dried anymore. I wanted to make the most of the conditions and had no desire to stick the AR1's on at all. Fantastic fun.
I picked up a black flag late afternoon, figuring I'd pushed my luck a bit with tyre squeeling I sheepishly limped back into the pits to find my rear plate was hanging off... Doh! Whipped it off completely and was back out sharpish.
On the final session I attempted to put together some reasonable laps, pretty ingrained with bad habits at this point they weren't particularly tidy - and my day came to an early end (7mins before chequered flag) because my brake pedal was going straight to the floor. Hoping I just boiled the fluid, but investigation to follow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m43P918_GOA&ab...
From coming into the pits, to being loaded and ready to go I took about 25mins. Pretty happy with that, I had visions of being at the circuit till 8pm cocking about in the dark.
The tow home would be broken in two, stopping with a friend in Cheshire to break it up a bit. I had my only real bit of towing drama about 5mins from his house. A minibus was parked up in the slow lane of a dual carraigeway... once we got within a 100 feet or so of it, it literally exploded. Full on Hollywood fireball. Guy in front of me anchored on, I had to swerve into the fast lane to avoid rear ending him and I ended up the 'lead car' in what was to become a huge queue on the A54.
We later learned nobody was hurt, so don't feel too bad for taking photographs now... Looks like the driver had bailed out sometime earlier when smelling/seeing smoke and was well clear when it eventually went pop just in time for my arrival.
As the fire got worse, the trees at the side of the road all went up and it started coming towards us a bit. With help from my fellow traffic-jammers I reversed the trailer back into the slow lane and got a bit more distance between us.
For around 20mins it continued to explode, fuel tanks going, tyres popping, glass smashing. It was mental.
Got to see these efficient b
ds with front row seats though, no messing about. Well played.All in all, a bloody good weekend. Trailer was ace, Volvo was ace, Anglesey was ace and the 2-Eleven was just next level. It's going to be a long winter I fear.
Had a bit of time to play with the brakes, this is a cheap fluid tester I bought.
I tested the fluid from each caliper and from the reservoir and all came in at the <2% or <3% range.
No idea how accurate this is, but fresh fluid measured 0% so let's assume it's worthy of something!
Got my pressure bleeder setup, these are worth their weight in gold. Make solo bleeds a doddle, no leaks in several years and probably over a dozen bleeds and it just keeps working. Go Sealey.
The little access pod is irritatingly tight for the cap, makes it a bit awkward but not quite awkward enough to take the clam off...
When the clam is off, I'll see if I can manipulate the reservoir position a bit - if it was angled a bit more towards the centre of the car this would have been much easier.
I had half a litre of fresh, but opened brake fluid so I started with that just to get the worst of the old stuff run through, starting with the clutch.
The fluid was pretty clean coming out which makes the invoice I have from April believable in which it had a fluid change. One of the caliper nipples was a mess though, it had already been rounded off a bit and it was rusted in pretty good.
A few hours soaking in plusgas and a bolt extractor soon whipped it out without further damage.
(fresh nipples went in, obvs)
There were no huge gobs of air at this point which was a little underwhelming. Up next was a fresh 1litre of ATE200 fluid.
With this, I removed my pads and clamped the pistons back into the calipers and bled in turn. This yielded a few blobs of air.
I went round the four corners (and clutch) a couple of times until the full litre of ATE had been used up. Pedal felt decent, so called it a day but I wanted at least one road drive before SORN on the 31st October.
The NYLOC monthly meet made for the perfect opportunity, wet roads but no rain meant I could whizz out, make sure all was well and then get it fuelled up and parked ready for SORN. It's next outing would be straight into the trailer for Silverstone.
As a bonus, the NYLOC meet carpark had lots of colour coded leaves on the floor.
Brakes felt fine, definitely feeling a light reduction of bite on the colder roads but I'm sure they'll come to life on track. Still enough to get your eyes bulging mind...
Car is also feeling seriously rapid in the colder air. Night and day difference to the summer.
So hopefully that's that, Silverstone next.
I tested the fluid from each caliper and from the reservoir and all came in at the <2% or <3% range.
No idea how accurate this is, but fresh fluid measured 0% so let's assume it's worthy of something!
Got my pressure bleeder setup, these are worth their weight in gold. Make solo bleeds a doddle, no leaks in several years and probably over a dozen bleeds and it just keeps working. Go Sealey.
The little access pod is irritatingly tight for the cap, makes it a bit awkward but not quite awkward enough to take the clam off...
When the clam is off, I'll see if I can manipulate the reservoir position a bit - if it was angled a bit more towards the centre of the car this would have been much easier.
I had half a litre of fresh, but opened brake fluid so I started with that just to get the worst of the old stuff run through, starting with the clutch.
The fluid was pretty clean coming out which makes the invoice I have from April believable in which it had a fluid change. One of the caliper nipples was a mess though, it had already been rounded off a bit and it was rusted in pretty good.
A few hours soaking in plusgas and a bolt extractor soon whipped it out without further damage.
(fresh nipples went in, obvs)
There were no huge gobs of air at this point which was a little underwhelming. Up next was a fresh 1litre of ATE200 fluid.
With this, I removed my pads and clamped the pistons back into the calipers and bled in turn. This yielded a few blobs of air.
I went round the four corners (and clutch) a couple of times until the full litre of ATE had been used up. Pedal felt decent, so called it a day but I wanted at least one road drive before SORN on the 31st October.
The NYLOC monthly meet made for the perfect opportunity, wet roads but no rain meant I could whizz out, make sure all was well and then get it fuelled up and parked ready for SORN. It's next outing would be straight into the trailer for Silverstone.
As a bonus, the NYLOC meet carpark had lots of colour coded leaves on the floor.
Brakes felt fine, definitely feeling a light reduction of bite on the colder roads but I'm sure they'll come to life on track. Still enough to get your eyes bulging mind...
Car is also feeling seriously rapid in the colder air. Night and day difference to the summer.
So hopefully that's that, Silverstone next.
Onto Silverstone and the finale in my 2022 trackday calendar.
I've done a 20min session on the small National loop before at a car show, but never a trackday here and certainly not on the GP circuit, so I was pretty excited.
Car had been loaded on the trailer since the weekend and I felt weirdly under-prepared as a result. I think the mad rush of cramming stuff into the boot and passenger footwell on the night before normally settles my nerves!
I stayed the night local to the circuit, no towing dramas or exploding minibuses to report. On the morning of the trackday though I did feel pretty ill, banging headache and made myself feel rather car sick on the sighting laps... but I'd try not to let it bother me too much.
Thanks to Mark Holmes and James Roberts for the excellent photography as always, didn't feel the need to take any of my own as there always seemed to be a massive lens pointing vaguely in my direction!
Sighting laps done on the AD08RS tyres that the car was on since Anglesey, but it was promised to be bone dry all day, so after the sighting laps I tried to settle my stomach by lobbing the AR1's on. Been a while since I've seen the car on these wheels, I do like the colour still.
I've been an F1 nut for years, watched countless F1 laps and YT videos of Silverstone GP but it still felt like a very difficult place to learn. The sheer width of the track in places meant that you could take any number of lines into a corner, most of them are very fast and you can quickly run into trouble when you find the exit suddenly sneaking up on you.
Stowe nearly caught me out a couple of times in the early sessions, it sort of kinks back on itself just after you've settled in and committed your exit speed, a sharp lift here to avoid running out of exit can quickly lead into a tank slapper. Other corners that don't even feature as "things" to an F1 car for obvious reasons are suddenly quite scary in a road car.
My sessions were kept quite short in the morning due to regular red flags, but my stomach and head thanked me for it. I was still feeling a bit car sick, but only on the cool down laps.. I guess adrenaline kept me distracted when trying to do a hot lap. The buffeting on my helmet at 125+ mph was.... severe, and not helping the headaches. I later improved on this by really tucking my head into my chest as much as I could.
The car was going great, right up until it wasn't. I'd just passed the pit entry and I felt/heard a bit of a pop... and the car suddenly had no power. Then it had power, then it didn't... and I kangeroo'd all the way round a lap which really did my head and stomach no favours.
Into the pits and quickly found the intercooler hose that had popped off. No harm done, just a fidgety job to do. The intercooler and plumbing don't really line up very well on the 2-Eleven, so the silicone joiners take too much of a structural role. Something I intend to address.
I had a lambda related fault code on the following session, probably just hangover from the IC hose. I cleared it and had no reoccurrences for the rest of the day.
Despite feeling a bit "off it", I was really appreciating the occasion at Silverstone. The circuit is an absolute monster, the almost creepy deserted grandstands towering above the track, the shear number of people entering the circuit premises in commuter traffic and the scale of the operation, quality of the facilities etc - all just made me feel really lucky to be there. A bit corny, but so glad I've experienced it.
As for the circuit itself, it definitely exposed some weaknesses of the 2-Eleven. My VMAX on the straights really struggled compared to the bigger machinery there, and the mind bending advantage the 2-Eleven has on the brakes and in traction zones was pretty lost at Silverstone. This didn't really bother me, I'm not the type who likes to "win at trackdays" but I felt like I could have probably gone a bit quicker in my Exige here... which is the first time I've felt that. The V6 cars, even at the modest end of the range were just walking away from me.
Obviously the lack of power (40bhp down on my Exige) is part of it, but I can't help thinking the 2-Eleven is massively penalised by drag too. The Exige is not a slippery car by any stretch, but I felt like it could happily pile on speed over 110mph or so where the 2-Eleven really struggled.
Where I could stomp on the brakes though, the car was as impressive as ever. Braking for Stowe from the thick end of 130mph was complete in a heartbeat, and even right at the end of the day I was over-slowing for it. I'd be screaming along, head rattling all over the shop, vision blurring trying to spot the braking points... I'd leave it as late as I dare, tap the brake and suddenly 60-70mph would just vanish from the speedometer, and I'd be left turning into Stowe feeling like I was far too slow. It's incredible, and I'm taking my time to get used to it!
I did my best to learn the circuit, but with no hope of tuition in the 2-Eleven (yet, intercomm is planned!) I had to just do what I could from memory, and hope I was getting things vaguely right. I improved in a few bits, got a few bits wrong - but left bags of time on the table. It sounds daft, but two iconic corners of Abbey and Copse feel nigh on identical when you're sat down bobbing along the road and even in late afternoon I was getting disorientated by which one was which. Is this the one with loads of tarmac run-off, or the one with gravel? Maybe that says more about the way I was feeling...
The Maggots and Beckets complex was a lot of fun, I tried a couple of lines here throughout the day but no matter what I did, I'd come out of the final bit onto Chapel curve feeling far too slow and not having to use anywhere near the full width of the track. More commitment needed into Becketts and somewhere that I expect I'll find heaps of time next time I visit.
The Caterhams were another good example of how punishing straight line speed is at Silverstone. There were a couple absolutely crawling all over me through the majority of the circuit, but my advantage on the straights was enough to keep plenty of daylight between us.
The V6 Exiges were shadowed only by the Porsche metal in attendance. There was some pretty serious kit gracing us with their presence.
I finished the afternoon a little bit early, I needed some fuel to squeeze a final session in and my stomach couldn't take the smell of pumping in a few litres of v-power so called it a day and got the trailer loaded.
I took a fair bit of video, but I've only really reviewed one session so far. The others were fragmented a bit by red flags, forgetting to turn the camera off between sessions... you know, usual gopro drama.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukL08mX22L8&ab...
I want to go back, soon. Normally when I finish a trackday my laps have really stabilised and I hit a bit of an internal ceiling and can't go any quicker. Reviewing my laps on video, I can see that pretty much every lap around I was taking chunks of time out of previous attempts - so I'm right at the foot of the learning curve for this one.
Eh well, that's a wrap for 2022.... time to start taking it apart I guess
I've done a 20min session on the small National loop before at a car show, but never a trackday here and certainly not on the GP circuit, so I was pretty excited.
Car had been loaded on the trailer since the weekend and I felt weirdly under-prepared as a result. I think the mad rush of cramming stuff into the boot and passenger footwell on the night before normally settles my nerves!
I stayed the night local to the circuit, no towing dramas or exploding minibuses to report. On the morning of the trackday though I did feel pretty ill, banging headache and made myself feel rather car sick on the sighting laps... but I'd try not to let it bother me too much.
Thanks to Mark Holmes and James Roberts for the excellent photography as always, didn't feel the need to take any of my own as there always seemed to be a massive lens pointing vaguely in my direction!
Sighting laps done on the AD08RS tyres that the car was on since Anglesey, but it was promised to be bone dry all day, so after the sighting laps I tried to settle my stomach by lobbing the AR1's on. Been a while since I've seen the car on these wheels, I do like the colour still.
I've been an F1 nut for years, watched countless F1 laps and YT videos of Silverstone GP but it still felt like a very difficult place to learn. The sheer width of the track in places meant that you could take any number of lines into a corner, most of them are very fast and you can quickly run into trouble when you find the exit suddenly sneaking up on you.
Stowe nearly caught me out a couple of times in the early sessions, it sort of kinks back on itself just after you've settled in and committed your exit speed, a sharp lift here to avoid running out of exit can quickly lead into a tank slapper. Other corners that don't even feature as "things" to an F1 car for obvious reasons are suddenly quite scary in a road car.
My sessions were kept quite short in the morning due to regular red flags, but my stomach and head thanked me for it. I was still feeling a bit car sick, but only on the cool down laps.. I guess adrenaline kept me distracted when trying to do a hot lap. The buffeting on my helmet at 125+ mph was.... severe, and not helping the headaches. I later improved on this by really tucking my head into my chest as much as I could.
The car was going great, right up until it wasn't. I'd just passed the pit entry and I felt/heard a bit of a pop... and the car suddenly had no power. Then it had power, then it didn't... and I kangeroo'd all the way round a lap which really did my head and stomach no favours.
Into the pits and quickly found the intercooler hose that had popped off. No harm done, just a fidgety job to do. The intercooler and plumbing don't really line up very well on the 2-Eleven, so the silicone joiners take too much of a structural role. Something I intend to address.
I had a lambda related fault code on the following session, probably just hangover from the IC hose. I cleared it and had no reoccurrences for the rest of the day.
Despite feeling a bit "off it", I was really appreciating the occasion at Silverstone. The circuit is an absolute monster, the almost creepy deserted grandstands towering above the track, the shear number of people entering the circuit premises in commuter traffic and the scale of the operation, quality of the facilities etc - all just made me feel really lucky to be there. A bit corny, but so glad I've experienced it.
As for the circuit itself, it definitely exposed some weaknesses of the 2-Eleven. My VMAX on the straights really struggled compared to the bigger machinery there, and the mind bending advantage the 2-Eleven has on the brakes and in traction zones was pretty lost at Silverstone. This didn't really bother me, I'm not the type who likes to "win at trackdays" but I felt like I could have probably gone a bit quicker in my Exige here... which is the first time I've felt that. The V6 cars, even at the modest end of the range were just walking away from me.
Obviously the lack of power (40bhp down on my Exige) is part of it, but I can't help thinking the 2-Eleven is massively penalised by drag too. The Exige is not a slippery car by any stretch, but I felt like it could happily pile on speed over 110mph or so where the 2-Eleven really struggled.
Where I could stomp on the brakes though, the car was as impressive as ever. Braking for Stowe from the thick end of 130mph was complete in a heartbeat, and even right at the end of the day I was over-slowing for it. I'd be screaming along, head rattling all over the shop, vision blurring trying to spot the braking points... I'd leave it as late as I dare, tap the brake and suddenly 60-70mph would just vanish from the speedometer, and I'd be left turning into Stowe feeling like I was far too slow. It's incredible, and I'm taking my time to get used to it!
I did my best to learn the circuit, but with no hope of tuition in the 2-Eleven (yet, intercomm is planned!) I had to just do what I could from memory, and hope I was getting things vaguely right. I improved in a few bits, got a few bits wrong - but left bags of time on the table. It sounds daft, but two iconic corners of Abbey and Copse feel nigh on identical when you're sat down bobbing along the road and even in late afternoon I was getting disorientated by which one was which. Is this the one with loads of tarmac run-off, or the one with gravel? Maybe that says more about the way I was feeling...
The Maggots and Beckets complex was a lot of fun, I tried a couple of lines here throughout the day but no matter what I did, I'd come out of the final bit onto Chapel curve feeling far too slow and not having to use anywhere near the full width of the track. More commitment needed into Becketts and somewhere that I expect I'll find heaps of time next time I visit.
The Caterhams were another good example of how punishing straight line speed is at Silverstone. There were a couple absolutely crawling all over me through the majority of the circuit, but my advantage on the straights was enough to keep plenty of daylight between us.
The V6 Exiges were shadowed only by the Porsche metal in attendance. There was some pretty serious kit gracing us with their presence.
I finished the afternoon a little bit early, I needed some fuel to squeeze a final session in and my stomach couldn't take the smell of pumping in a few litres of v-power so called it a day and got the trailer loaded.
I took a fair bit of video, but I've only really reviewed one session so far. The others were fragmented a bit by red flags, forgetting to turn the camera off between sessions... you know, usual gopro drama.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukL08mX22L8&ab...
I want to go back, soon. Normally when I finish a trackday my laps have really stabilised and I hit a bit of an internal ceiling and can't go any quicker. Reviewing my laps on video, I can see that pretty much every lap around I was taking chunks of time out of previous attempts - so I'm right at the foot of the learning curve for this one.
Eh well, that's a wrap for 2022.... time to start taking it apart I guess
Paul_M3 said:
Nice write up as always mate.
I think the drag / speed issue wasn’t helped by how windy it was. I think we had a head wind down hangar straight.
Other videos show Exige 410’s hitting mid 140’s before braking, but my best was 139mph.
Cheers Paul, yeah good point on the wind. As soon as I came out of the shelter of the pitlane I felt it battering on my helmet!I think the drag / speed issue wasn’t helped by how windy it was. I think we had a head wind down hangar straight.
Other videos show Exige 410’s hitting mid 140’s before braking, but my best was 139mph.
Feirny said:
Need to get yourself a sim rig set up for winter Kyle. Properly learn some tracks!
Yeah, I really do. It's weird because the thing I spent all of my time and money on before cars... was computer gaming. I've always kept a reasonably up to date gaming capable PC too.. downloaded all of the Assetto Corsa stuff a couple of Winters ago and just never took it any further. It's odd how the two hobbies have yet to converge. Maybe this winter...
Time for my annual 'summarise my plans for Winter' post.
Since buying the car I've been battling with indecision, as it drives great and has no real need for improvement with the exception of the (very) hot day we had at Donington where it lost a load of performance due to high IATs.
I have a small pile of parts that were removed from my Exige, they're probably worth more to me in fun/enjoyment than they are to sell on the used parts market, so this ultimately pushed my decision. So with that in mind, my plan to improve on a car that doesn't need improving is:
1. Fit ECUMaster Black ECU
2. Fit 2bular exhaust manifold and sports cat, retain OE backbox though because it sounds ace.
3. Fit ProAlloy chargecooler to fix the IAT issues on hot days
4. Fit gearbox cooler
5. Tidy up whatever I can find that is dirty, rusty or broken. General refurb
Bodywork will remain off the agenda for this Winter. As amazing as the car looks from 5 feet away, the gelcoat has cracked in a few places. The general consensus is that "it's a 2-Eleven thing" and it's only really aesthetic with no risk to the underlying coremat... so I'll get another year out of it, then decide whether I want to invest in it further.
In terms of how that work will be ordered, it will likely be a bit mishmashed. Not sure whether to keep the thread updated chronologically or break each mini project down into its own timeline. We'll find out soon I suppose.
For the chargecooler install, most of the bodywork will need to come off - so that's a logical starting point, and removing the front clam will also give me some space to store ECU/Dash related gubbins.
I've removed Elise/Exige clams a few times now, these are totally different - but not difficult to figure out from just looking at the car, and reading the incomplete instructions from the service manual.
The 'front quarter' and 'a pillar ducts' as they're called in the SM are easy enough to get off:
It's then just a case of unbolting the oil coolers from the clam, and removing a couple dozen fixings from both within the cockpit and under the splitter, etc. Every single fitting (so far) has been a dome headed M6x16 so it makes keeping track of fixings for the rebuild really quite pleasant.
Oil coolers have DIY stone chip protection fitted, but the sikaflex stuff used also stuck them to the bodywork which was a bit annoying but nothing a few mins with a blade couldn't fix.
A fixing inside the cabin had been inexplicably bonded in too. It may be a stripped rivnut on the clam which I can sort easily enough, but this needed a bolt extractor to get out.
...and finally the aero screen was removed. Big pain, it has some weather stripping sandwiched between it and the clam so after the (many) bolts were removed, it remained 'glued' in place presumably from where the weather strip had heated up and melted a bit. Tedious 20mins with fishing line to saw that off.
Two big electrical connectors in each wheel arch to disconnect the lights, and we were ready to lift.
It's light, and very flimsy. Easily a one-man lift if you had arms long enough.
The car looks like a dream to work on, space and access everywhere.
No nasty surprises, everything looks straight and neat.
Pretty shocking contrast with the packaging of the Exige.... you can see where 200kg goes with comparisons like this.
That concludes progress for now. Next steps are just to get organised, find somewhere longer term to store the clam and start planning out my ECU wiring. I'm still keen to stick to my original brief of not making any changes to the car that are not fully reversible, so no cutting/drilling/etc. This will require careful planning and maybe a few bespoke brackets to help me piggyback existing mounting holes/rivnuts etc.
Since buying the car I've been battling with indecision, as it drives great and has no real need for improvement with the exception of the (very) hot day we had at Donington where it lost a load of performance due to high IATs.
I have a small pile of parts that were removed from my Exige, they're probably worth more to me in fun/enjoyment than they are to sell on the used parts market, so this ultimately pushed my decision. So with that in mind, my plan to improve on a car that doesn't need improving is:
1. Fit ECUMaster Black ECU
2. Fit 2bular exhaust manifold and sports cat, retain OE backbox though because it sounds ace.
3. Fit ProAlloy chargecooler to fix the IAT issues on hot days
4. Fit gearbox cooler
5. Tidy up whatever I can find that is dirty, rusty or broken. General refurb
Bodywork will remain off the agenda for this Winter. As amazing as the car looks from 5 feet away, the gelcoat has cracked in a few places. The general consensus is that "it's a 2-Eleven thing" and it's only really aesthetic with no risk to the underlying coremat... so I'll get another year out of it, then decide whether I want to invest in it further.
In terms of how that work will be ordered, it will likely be a bit mishmashed. Not sure whether to keep the thread updated chronologically or break each mini project down into its own timeline. We'll find out soon I suppose.
For the chargecooler install, most of the bodywork will need to come off - so that's a logical starting point, and removing the front clam will also give me some space to store ECU/Dash related gubbins.
I've removed Elise/Exige clams a few times now, these are totally different - but not difficult to figure out from just looking at the car, and reading the incomplete instructions from the service manual.
The 'front quarter' and 'a pillar ducts' as they're called in the SM are easy enough to get off:
It's then just a case of unbolting the oil coolers from the clam, and removing a couple dozen fixings from both within the cockpit and under the splitter, etc. Every single fitting (so far) has been a dome headed M6x16 so it makes keeping track of fixings for the rebuild really quite pleasant.
Oil coolers have DIY stone chip protection fitted, but the sikaflex stuff used also stuck them to the bodywork which was a bit annoying but nothing a few mins with a blade couldn't fix.
A fixing inside the cabin had been inexplicably bonded in too. It may be a stripped rivnut on the clam which I can sort easily enough, but this needed a bolt extractor to get out.
...and finally the aero screen was removed. Big pain, it has some weather stripping sandwiched between it and the clam so after the (many) bolts were removed, it remained 'glued' in place presumably from where the weather strip had heated up and melted a bit. Tedious 20mins with fishing line to saw that off.
Two big electrical connectors in each wheel arch to disconnect the lights, and we were ready to lift.
It's light, and very flimsy. Easily a one-man lift if you had arms long enough.
The car looks like a dream to work on, space and access everywhere.
No nasty surprises, everything looks straight and neat.
Pretty shocking contrast with the packaging of the Exige.... you can see where 200kg goes with comparisons like this.
That concludes progress for now. Next steps are just to get organised, find somewhere longer term to store the clam and start planning out my ECU wiring. I'm still keen to stick to my original brief of not making any changes to the car that are not fully reversible, so no cutting/drilling/etc. This will require careful planning and maybe a few bespoke brackets to help me piggyback existing mounting holes/rivnuts etc.
Steve H said:
What’s the plan for the oil coolers? Mine is chargecooled and has an oil-coolant cooler in the engine bay which I assume was a conversion done to fit the CCs in.
Worth noting that the front scuttle shake on mine (and resulting cracked arch) was largely caused by missing fixings but I suspect the weight and mounting of the coolers was also a factor.
Hi Steve, the chargecooler setup from ProAlloy doesn't interfere with the chargecoolers - the pre-rad for it sits horizontally in a stack with the main coolant radiator.Worth noting that the front scuttle shake on mine (and resulting cracked arch) was largely caused by missing fixings but I suspect the weight and mounting of the coolers was also a factor.
I have seen setups done before where people have repurposed the front mount oil coolers for chargecooling, it's a pretty slick solution... but I don't think it's an off the shelf one. Is this how yours is setup?
The 2ZZ in a Lotus with twin oil coolers does have an over cooling problem on the road, I explored it at length on my Exige using different sandwich plates/thermostats/etc but the 'best' fix would be to remove the front coolers, save a bunch of weight and have one rear mounted cooler somewhere perhaps supported by laminova.
I'm not sure if I'm too bothered about the overcooling on the 2-Eleven yet. It's very rarely going to be used on a cold Winter motorway (where Exige temps would dip into the 40s!!) it's pretty much going to be used on track,or for very pleasant summer blasts out. Saving the weight it tempting, but then I'd need to fab something up in the rear. Not a job for this Winter I don't think.
A bit more bodywork has come off this weekend, and really given me a good view at the car to get things planned in my head.
With the front clam off, the side panel was the work of a moment - half a dozen fixings and it popped off as an easy one-man lift.
This is a view that most Lotus owners will never see, because the sills are bonded on to the Elise/Exige models. For a chargecooler install, it's simply dreamy - no blind bungling of some rubber hoses down the sill hoping for the best.
Up till' now working on the car had been a treat, but up next was going to be the first real awkward bit. The interior 'doorcard' skin was bonded to the chassis, all the way along the bottom, leading and trailing edges was stuck down with Betaseal - the sort of stuff that windscreens are glued in with and the same stuff that Lotus used on the front crash structure. Really tough stuff to deal with.
I wanted this doorcard off to give me access to take the cage out, so that can be spruced up. I really, really didn't want to risk breaking the doorcard so it was a few bravepills popped before I got started.
I eventually found success with some locking wire fished through, with handles fashioned on each end and then sawed away at it. Supported by assistance from a palette knife and eventually I had two of the sides completely freed off.
The trailing end was to be the most difficult, because it tucked under the painted scuttle panel with the fuel filler cap - which was also bonded on. Grrrr.
Eventually though, over a couple of days I got it off - no damage, but some very cut up hands and a sense of dread about how I'm going to get all the remaining betaseal off the chassis...
As you can see from the picture above, the rear clam came next and this was again the work of a couple of minutes and a one-man lift to get it gently down from the car.
This now gives me access to everything I need to complete my winter work. The Cage should come out in an "up and sideways" direction towards the driver side... but for the effort it'll take I'll likely take off the passenger side panel anyway just to avoid risk of it taking a knock. I'd really, really like to avoid 'unbonding' the doorcard on that side, but I should get away with it.
For the Lotus geeks, the 2-Eleven was known internally and to the press as just "Circuit Car" before it had a proper name. I guess this is how Lotus MS dept' dealt with asset transfers from the production line.
With the front clam off, the side panel was the work of a moment - half a dozen fixings and it popped off as an easy one-man lift.
This is a view that most Lotus owners will never see, because the sills are bonded on to the Elise/Exige models. For a chargecooler install, it's simply dreamy - no blind bungling of some rubber hoses down the sill hoping for the best.
Up till' now working on the car had been a treat, but up next was going to be the first real awkward bit. The interior 'doorcard' skin was bonded to the chassis, all the way along the bottom, leading and trailing edges was stuck down with Betaseal - the sort of stuff that windscreens are glued in with and the same stuff that Lotus used on the front crash structure. Really tough stuff to deal with.
I wanted this doorcard off to give me access to take the cage out, so that can be spruced up. I really, really didn't want to risk breaking the doorcard so it was a few bravepills popped before I got started.
I eventually found success with some locking wire fished through, with handles fashioned on each end and then sawed away at it. Supported by assistance from a palette knife and eventually I had two of the sides completely freed off.
The trailing end was to be the most difficult, because it tucked under the painted scuttle panel with the fuel filler cap - which was also bonded on. Grrrr.
Eventually though, over a couple of days I got it off - no damage, but some very cut up hands and a sense of dread about how I'm going to get all the remaining betaseal off the chassis...
As you can see from the picture above, the rear clam came next and this was again the work of a couple of minutes and a one-man lift to get it gently down from the car.
This now gives me access to everything I need to complete my winter work. The Cage should come out in an "up and sideways" direction towards the driver side... but for the effort it'll take I'll likely take off the passenger side panel anyway just to avoid risk of it taking a knock. I'd really, really like to avoid 'unbonding' the doorcard on that side, but I should get away with it.
For the Lotus geeks, the 2-Eleven was known internally and to the press as just "Circuit Car" before it had a proper name. I guess this is how Lotus MS dept' dealt with asset transfers from the production line.
MDifficult said:
Really enjoying this thread (I enjoyed your Exige one too) and admire your spannering skills (and bravery)!
As a new owner of an Ariel Atom 3, it's interesting to compare and contrast your experiences as they were 'contemporaries' at the time and there's a number of twin-tests out there - with the 211 more of a Surgeon's scalpel and the Atom more of a game of Operation
One thing that surprised me though were your comments about your head being blown all over the place at speed - that not something I've experienced in the Atom despite that having an even-smaller fly screen than the 211. I wondered if it's because I currently use an Arai motorbike helmet rather than a car one? Or perhaps it's just the very different aero philosophies between the two cars (211 lots, Atom... none!).
Anyway, loving the car - can't wait to see what happens next
Cheers, glad you're enjoying.As a new owner of an Ariel Atom 3, it's interesting to compare and contrast your experiences as they were 'contemporaries' at the time and there's a number of twin-tests out there - with the 211 more of a Surgeon's scalpel and the Atom more of a game of Operation
One thing that surprised me though were your comments about your head being blown all over the place at speed - that not something I've experienced in the Atom despite that having an even-smaller fly screen than the 211. I wondered if it's because I currently use an Arai motorbike helmet rather than a car one? Or perhaps it's just the very different aero philosophies between the two cars (211 lots, Atom... none!).
Anyway, loving the car - can't wait to see what happens next
At Silverstone I only had to tuck my chin into my chest a bit and it did make a drastic difference, so I'm probably right on the edge of 'tallness' that Lotus designed the car for! Perhaps getting a slightly lower seating position would help, but then if I was much shorter I think visibility would start to play in as the front clam and sides come up much higher than a doored and windowed car.
I'm eager to try a new helmet though, at least I can say I've ruled it out.
Steve H said:
I found it was just too tight a fit to manoeuvre out without being able to lift directly upwards.
I fear as much, I keep staring at it hoping that more clearance will just magically appear.Saying that, now that I have the scuttle panel off, I think removing the other side won't be anywhere near as bad.
What are your plans for refitting the doorcards? Bond them in again, or look at adding some mechanical fixings instead? I've spotted a couple of places where bolts/rivnuts can be added - perhaps in partnership with some less permeant sealant like some double sided weather strips could allow it to be put back together with an easier maintenance option in future?
Last of the bodywork updates I think.
I decided to get the passenger side panel off, and attack the interior 'door' panel whilst at it. It would give maximum clearance for the cage, and I'd learned a few tricks for dealing with the betaseal now (warm it up!).
The body panel was off in under five minutes, and the betasealed' interior panel within an hour. Not too bad.
I spent some time masking off the bodywork around the cage legs, just to minimise the chance of any chassis scratching. I freed a few bits of engine bay stuff from the rollbar stays and soon ran out of excused not to attempt a cage removal.
I popped the wheels back on the car, figuring it would give me more room if I did this on the drive... which allowed for some photos of the car, outside, looking pretty damn mean.
The cage was just a few bolts, then off she came.
I rattled the car back into the garage, then got to work inspecting/prepping the cage. The main issues with it are stonechips across the main horizontal bar at the top, and failure of the powdercoat down by the foot plates.
After some advice from a fellow owner, and some googling I learned of an issue with laser cut plates and powdercoating. Combination of some sort of oxide layer left behind by the laser, and the sharp edges left behind mean that the powder struggles to cling on.
I've hopefully addressed this with a light burring from my dremel.
I'll speak to the powdercoaters about it to see if they have any other suggestions, as I'd like to avoid this cage ever coming out again.
Mercifully the aluminium chassis hadn't suffered from the rusting steel bolted to it. I'll give this a good clean, and a layer of duralac will go down before the cage is refitted.
Whilst manoeuvring bodywork around the garage, I have started work on other areas... slowly. So I'll get some new updates coming through over the next few days.
I decided to get the passenger side panel off, and attack the interior 'door' panel whilst at it. It would give maximum clearance for the cage, and I'd learned a few tricks for dealing with the betaseal now (warm it up!).
The body panel was off in under five minutes, and the betasealed' interior panel within an hour. Not too bad.
I spent some time masking off the bodywork around the cage legs, just to minimise the chance of any chassis scratching. I freed a few bits of engine bay stuff from the rollbar stays and soon ran out of excused not to attempt a cage removal.
I popped the wheels back on the car, figuring it would give me more room if I did this on the drive... which allowed for some photos of the car, outside, looking pretty damn mean.
The cage was just a few bolts, then off she came.
I rattled the car back into the garage, then got to work inspecting/prepping the cage. The main issues with it are stonechips across the main horizontal bar at the top, and failure of the powdercoat down by the foot plates.
After some advice from a fellow owner, and some googling I learned of an issue with laser cut plates and powdercoating. Combination of some sort of oxide layer left behind by the laser, and the sharp edges left behind mean that the powder struggles to cling on.
I've hopefully addressed this with a light burring from my dremel.
I'll speak to the powdercoaters about it to see if they have any other suggestions, as I'd like to avoid this cage ever coming out again.
Mercifully the aluminium chassis hadn't suffered from the rusting steel bolted to it. I'll give this a good clean, and a layer of duralac will go down before the cage is refitted.
Whilst manoeuvring bodywork around the garage, I have started work on other areas... slowly. So I'll get some new updates coming through over the next few days.
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