first post - just had a test drive in an elise
Discussion
and it was BRILLIANT!
but the brakes are cr*p
it was a wet day with standing water on teh road but even so the brakes needed a fair old bit of pressure to get any stopping from them
is this normal?
is there an upgrade or would new pads/braided hoses etc be enough to solve the problem.
it's too fast a car to have rubbish brakes as standard surely?
ninja
but the brakes are cr*p
it was a wet day with standing water on teh road but even so the brakes needed a fair old bit of pressure to get any stopping from them
is this normal?
is there an upgrade or would new pads/braided hoses etc be enough to solve the problem.
it's too fast a car to have rubbish brakes as standard surely?
ninja
Did you have a look at the state of the pads and disks?
If they're worn or crap quality then that might explain it. Also braided hoses will improve performance too.
Don't forget the feel will be different to a normally servo assisted car, with the Elise you're relying more on your skills than driver aids!
If they're worn or crap quality then that might explain it. Also braided hoses will improve performance too.
Don't forget the feel will be different to a normally servo assisted car, with the Elise you're relying more on your skills than driver aids!
What car do you drive at the moment?
I thought my old Elise had cr@p brakes when I first got it after having come from a BMW Sport with servo assisted brakes.
You just need to get used to them and then they are great, much better that servo'd brakes with so much more feel.
After driving the Elise for a few days then getting into a BMW Z3 I almost smacked my head on the windscreen when I just went to slow down!
I thought my old Elise had cr@p brakes when I first got it after having come from a BMW Sport with servo assisted brakes.
You just need to get used to them and then they are great, much better that servo'd brakes with so much more feel.
After driving the Elise for a few days then getting into a BMW Z3 I almost smacked my head on the windscreen when I just went to slow down!
at the moment i have a mazda MX-5 which also has cr*p unservo'd brakes and a new audi A3 which has superb braking power. just thought hte lotus would have better brakes than the mazda.
didn't look at the pads etc but it was a demonstrator so i'd ahve thought they'd want it to be in perfect condition.
ninja
didn't look at the pads etc but it was a demonstrator so i'd ahve thought they'd want it to be in perfect condition.
ninja
They take some getting used to, but are excellent. I found myself locking wheels initially, happened all the time, not anymore.
Surely the Mux5 has Servo brakes, maybe not power brakes which I would expect the Audi to have.
They do take some pressing, but are quite excellent, although you can improve them for track and high application use.
Surely the Mux5 has Servo brakes, maybe not power brakes which I would expect the Audi to have.
They do take some pressing, but are quite excellent, although you can improve them for track and high application use.
I test drove 3 mark 1 elise
. All had “crap brakes” 
. I bought one 2 months ago regardless
.
I came to the conclusion if you want to stop quicker you have to push the pedal harder. I now wouldn’t say they are crap but they are different and are rewarding when you get use to them. Don’t let the hard pedal put you off and if you can try a test drive on a dry day.
. All had “crap brakes” . I bought one 2 months ago regardless. I came to the conclusion if you want to stop quicker you have to push the pedal harder. I now wouldn’t say they are crap but they are different and are rewarding when you get use to them. Don’t let the hard pedal put you off and if you can try a test drive on a dry day.
It does take some mental adjustment if you are not used to unservo'd brakes.
Just like power assisted steering, very light, servo assisted brakes are now so commonplace that many people have not encountered the alternative, or at least not for so long that they have forgotten what they are like.
There's nothing wrong with the Elise's brake; you just need higher pedal pressure to compensate for the lack of servo.
If you are learning to heel-and-toe (or just plain clumsy, like me) then they are much better - you can blip the throttle without the slight, unintentional changes in brak pedal pressure making the car lurch!
Just like power assisted steering, very light, servo assisted brakes are now so commonplace that many people have not encountered the alternative, or at least not for so long that they have forgotten what they are like.
There's nothing wrong with the Elise's brake; you just need higher pedal pressure to compensate for the lack of servo.
If you are learning to heel-and-toe (or just plain clumsy, like me) then they are much better - you can blip the throttle without the slight, unintentional changes in brak pedal pressure making the car lurch!
theweeninjaguy said:
guess it'll jsut take a bit of getting used too!
ninja
About half an hour after buying it
One other consideration is that as it's a light car and firmly sprung, you won't notice the front of the car dive under weight transfer as much as a conventional car, which adds to the illusion. Test drive it again and look at the speedo when braking - you'll soon notice the brakes work!
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