2007 Lotus 2-Eleven
Discussion
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.
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.
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.
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.
Fonzey said:
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.
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?
Yep, pretty much, two chargecooler rads where I assume the original oil coolers were in the front corners. The bracket mountings aren’t great so I’ll see what I can do to improve that when it goes back together. 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?
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.
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
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
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.
Fonzey said:
Cheers, glad you're enjoying.
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.
My fingers have been hovering over the 'buy' button for an Arai GP-7 for at least 2 months - It's the 'car' equivalent of my bike helmet and I'm well-overdue a new one. It's also got open-car vents etc so should work well in the wind. It's a lot of money to keep flies off my teeth though 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.
Fonzey said:
Understood, it's a pretty slick setup to be fair. Got any photos?
My oil coolers are bolts to the front clam, but their weight is mainly taken by just sitting on the splitter.
My clam is away being repaired at the moment so the CC rads are just hanging there, I’ll take some pics when I get to putting it back together, hopefully over Christmas. My oil coolers are bolts to the front clam, but their weight is mainly taken by just sitting on the splitter.
You will need to take the other side section off and loosen the inner panel at the rear to get the cage out,I found it was just too tight a fit to manoeuvre out without being able to lift directly upwards.
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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