Discussion
Maybe this should be posted in the Engine Forum but thought there may be enough 4-cylinder engine owners who could answer this question. Has anyone ever converted there single turbo 4-cyl Lotus to a BiTurbo? I wonder if one smaller turbo could feed inline to a larger turbo; hence having great low speed and high speed power. Jim '87TE
Hi,
Swapping intake cams would be much easier. Adding a 2nd turbo could have all sorts of pitfalls to it, from increasing backpressure to high temps. I'm not sure the lubrication system would accomodate a second turbo either.
Plus, it sounds a little 'Boy Racer' to me. The Esprit is not a stoplight dragster, wasn't meant to be. It's a road car with superior handling and top end power. There are lots of cars designed to own the stoplight, if that's what you're after, consider switching to one of these. You can make a quarter miler out of anything, a Camry, an Esprit or even a Yugo if you wanted. The question is why would you want to..??
Appreciate the Esprit for what it is. It's not the Big Dog anymore with it's design roots planted in the 60's, but it's still a better machine than clearly 90% of the others out there. That doesn't mean it's destined for the wastebin or deserves being chopped up to try and make it something it isn't and will never be. Any such attempt is bound to result in even more compromises than a car better suited for this purpose. Happy Motoring!...Jim'85TE
Swapping intake cams would be much easier. Adding a 2nd turbo could have all sorts of pitfalls to it, from increasing backpressure to high temps. I'm not sure the lubrication system would accomodate a second turbo either.
Plus, it sounds a little 'Boy Racer' to me. The Esprit is not a stoplight dragster, wasn't meant to be. It's a road car with superior handling and top end power. There are lots of cars designed to own the stoplight, if that's what you're after, consider switching to one of these. You can make a quarter miler out of anything, a Camry, an Esprit or even a Yugo if you wanted. The question is why would you want to..??
Appreciate the Esprit for what it is. It's not the Big Dog anymore with it's design roots planted in the 60's, but it's still a better machine than clearly 90% of the others out there. That doesn't mean it's destined for the wastebin or deserves being chopped up to try and make it something it isn't and will never be. Any such attempt is bound to result in even more compromises than a car better suited for this purpose. Happy Motoring!...Jim'85TE
Maggio said:
Ouch!
Hi,
Didn't mean to offend, it's just that I fail to appreciate those who fail to appreciate the Esprit for what it is.
I concede that legally, one may do with their personal property as they wish. But, there are so few of these cars on the road, I think someone who's fortunate enough to own one of these cars also inherits, in some respects, a sort of moral responsibility to maintain the cars close to what the designer intended so thay can be passed on later to other appreciative owners. I mean what if all the Ferrari GTO's had their engines scrapped in favor of a 440 Magnum V8? Or all the great Jaguar XK's were retrofitted w/ smallblocks and turbo-hydromatics?
The Lotus Esprit is certainly the most affordable of the exotics. In one way, that's good because, guys of limited means, like me, can afford them. The downside is that they also are in reach of certain Trailer Park mentalities as well as disgruntled Camaro owners.
I am coming to believe that increasingly few new owners purchase the car for what it is. That many buy the car more for the status of it rather than the car's emminent capabilities, as evidenced by the number of posts beginning with "I just bought my 1st Esprit, how can I add this Go Fast part, or make this mod?. It's the only explanation I have for all the ridiculous modding of late. Just my take on it. Happy Motoring! Jim'85TE
>> Edited by lotusguy on Saturday 16th August 23:20
Maggio said:
I am an engineer by trade. I was taught to never settle, but to always attempt to make improvements. I suppose some people do not understand that.
Jim,
I fully understand the urge. But, while you could paint a different dress on the Mona Lisa, would you really be making it better..?? Happy Motoring! Jim'85TE
Anything is possible.
A single turbo setup can make big power, but it has the inherent "twack" on the back stye powerband. Twin turbo setups lesson this and make the transition to on-off boost situations much easier, and come in handy on the track.
You could make the 4cyl lotus engine more efficient using current EFI/turbo technology, in either single or twin form. Fabrication for the twin setup manifold would be time consuming, but do-able. You would need a very small turbo, as a 1.1L (for the most part) 2cylinder isn't pushing the velocity of gas needed for a large turbo. Perhaps a small mitsubishi turbo (9b perhaps) would have a low amount of lag. Would need to see the current spec on the OEM turbo for the esprit motor though before jumping into anything.
You will also need a better control on the turbos, timing and fuel. An aftermarket EFI would be the only way to fly really, with the rest of the system brought up to spec as well. You would want a large intercooling setup, and heat shielding would become a larger concern.
I would build the 4cyl lotus motor around a well-flowing single turbo honestly. There room for improvement over any OEM system. I can't make specific claims, my esprit will not be here for another 2 weeks
James
A single turbo setup can make big power, but it has the inherent "twack" on the back stye powerband. Twin turbo setups lesson this and make the transition to on-off boost situations much easier, and come in handy on the track.
You could make the 4cyl lotus engine more efficient using current EFI/turbo technology, in either single or twin form. Fabrication for the twin setup manifold would be time consuming, but do-able. You would need a very small turbo, as a 1.1L (for the most part) 2cylinder isn't pushing the velocity of gas needed for a large turbo. Perhaps a small mitsubishi turbo (9b perhaps) would have a low amount of lag. Would need to see the current spec on the OEM turbo for the esprit motor though before jumping into anything.
You will also need a better control on the turbos, timing and fuel. An aftermarket EFI would be the only way to fly really, with the rest of the system brought up to spec as well. You would want a large intercooling setup, and heat shielding would become a larger concern.
I would build the 4cyl lotus motor around a well-flowing single turbo honestly. There room for improvement over any OEM system. I can't make specific claims, my esprit will not be here for another 2 weeks
James
I don't think sequential turbos work well with 4 bangers. As it is, the turbo on the Esprit is pretty small. If getting more power is what you want, I think you should look to upgrade the turbo to a more efficient ball bearing turbo with quicker spool and more power, However, you will never get the low end grunt you are looking for as it is, afterall, a 4 cylinder. If you wnt more performance, perhaps you should get an upgraded ECU chip, free up the exhaust or change the cam gear.
As far as modding cars, to each there own. One may think it needs more power, one may think it is fine. Because you mod the car, doesn't mean you don't always appreciate it for what it was built for.
As far as modding cars, to each there own. One may think it needs more power, one may think it is fine. Because you mod the car, doesn't mean you don't always appreciate it for what it was built for.
lotusguy said:
.
Because you mod the car, doesn't mean you don't always appreciate it for what it was built for.
That part...Happy Motoring! Jim'85TE
Gotcha. Let me try to explain. Like you said, the Esprit was built as a supercar with amazing handling and good top end power. It brings with it prestige and pride of ownership as well. That is what I love it for, as well as it being a childhood dream to own one as it is THE car to me. I love owning her, maintaining her, looking at her, sitting in her, throwing her into a turn, taking the long way to work or driving the twisties. I appreciate it for what it was built for. However, putting the S4s chip in her (I have an S4) or even the HT chip (which I did do), doesn't mean I love her less or think she is not a worthy machine without it. You are simply building on the wonderful car she is and giving her another dimension to show. Do I want to drag race her? Stoplight race her? Hell no. The mods aren't for that and they shouldn't ever be for the Lotus. I have a car for that already that does the stoplight/drag race better than the Lotus ever could. But if I can add a little umph and smoothness to go with the amazing handling and top end, why not? It is a personal touch you can add, while in the meantime making an incredible car that much more.
While it all makes sense to me and probably Maggio, putting myself in your shoes and seeing things from your point of view, I guess can see how what I said can be contradicting.
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