Vauxhall 2.2NA into an S1 elise

[jollygreen]

Anyone considered it? Thorney motorsports are claiming 275bhp-ish from a normally-aspirated 2.2 motor. Would be an interesting alternative to the usual honda conversions...

[Gooby]

Bleugh - why on earth would you want to?

[jollygreen]

What, put a high-revving, high-power motor into an Elise? Ask all the honda-elise drivers!

[jamiebae]

jollygreen said:

Anyone considered it? Thorney motorsports are claiming 275bhp-ish from a normally-aspirated 2.2 motor. Would be an interesting alternative to the usual honda conversions...

Are you sure it's not supercharged. That's a phenomenal specific output for a relatively unsophisticated engine.

[jollygreen]

http://www.thorneymotorsport.co.uk/tuning/VX220_NA_Power.shtml 

[jamiebae]

The most powerful conversion with a strengthened bottom end, headwork etc etc is not going to leave much change from £10k at a guess, it's a very serious amount of work.

Then you've got the fact that it's an untested conversion and you need to buy an engine to do the work on too I bet it won't work out any cheaper than a supercharged Honda conversion.

Isn't the 2.2 a big heavy block of iron too?

[jollygreen]

Can't be that much heavier than a k-series? VXna is, what, 850kg dry compared to s2 k-series lizzie at 800kg (ish)?

[Scuffers]

jollygreen said:

Anyone considered it? Thorney motorsports are claiming 275bhp-ish from a normally-aspirated 2.2 motor. Would be an interesting alternative to the usual honda conversions...

that's questionable, if they could make 275 Bhp why was it none of the cars they preped for last years Elise Trophy could make the other side of ~200Bhp

jollygreen said:

Can't be that much heavier than a k-series? VXna is, what, 850kg dry compared to s2 k-series lizzie at 800kg (ish)?

err- NO!

S2 K's are about 740-760Kg's (depending on trim etc).

[Winstar]

Scuffers said:

jollygreen said:

Anyone considered it? Thorney motorsports are claiming 275bhp-ish from a normally-aspirated 2.2 motor. Would be an interesting alternative to the usual honda conversions...

that's questionable, if they could make 275 Bhp why was it none of the cars they preped for last years Elise Trophy could make the other side of ~200Bhp

jollygreen said:

Can't be that much heavier than a k-series? VXna is, what, 850kg dry compared to s2 k-series lizzie at 800kg (ish)?

err- NO!

S2 K's are about 740-760Kg's (depending on trim etc).

I wouldn't believe that, the most powerful NA 2.2 is an italian guy running 240bhp, as it is the rods are only safe to 250bhp and as it's got a long throw crank it's not really good to go much above 7000rpm.

The VX does have an all alloy engine but is heavier than the K series s2 elises as it uses the same heavier subframe as the toyota engined elises and thing like the GM parts bin hubs, discs, etc are heavier than those on the elise.

[Gooby]

jollygreen said:

What, put a high-revving, high-power motor into an Elise? Ask all the honda-elise drivers!

Because with respect to all the comments above, it isnt a nicer / better engine than a Honda, it isnt a nicer than a K. Why bother?

[RobM77]

Lotus spend months honing the handling of the Elise, so I'm not sure putting a much heavier VX engine in is going to help things! Why did it work so well in the Vx220? Well, Lotus spend months honing the handling!!

You'd achieve a much better package just by trading in your Elise for a VX220, then you get the engine, plus the car plus suspension that is specifically tuned to work with that weight distribution and mass etc. If you really wanted an Elise you could always swap the clams for elise ones Probably easier than changing the engine!

[jollygreen]

Gooby said:

jollygreen said:

What, put a high-revving, high-power motor into an Elise? Ask all the honda-elise drivers!

Because with respect to all the comments above, it isnt a nicer / better engine than a Honda, it isnt a nicer than a K. Why bother?

Have you driven one of thorney's stage 6 motors then?

[Gooby]

jollygreen said:

Gooby said:

jollygreen said:

What, put a high-revving, high-power motor into an Elise? Ask all the honda-elise drivers!

Because with respect to all the comments above, it isnt a nicer / better engine than a Honda, it isnt a nicer than a K. Why bother?

Have you driven one of thorney's stage 6 motors then?

Nope but I have driven a hoooonda'd car and a VX.

There is a lot you can say about the vauxhall engine but in the end, whatever you do to it you are gift wrapping a turd.

[RobM77]

Gooby said:

jollygreen said:

Gooby said:

jollygreen said:

What, put a high-revving, high-power motor into an Elise? Ask all the honda-elise drivers!

Because with respect to all the comments above, it isnt a nicer / better engine than a Honda, it isnt a nicer than a K. Why bother?

Have you driven one of thorney's stage 6 motors then?

Nope but I have driven a hoooonda'd car and a VX.

There is a lot you can say about the vauxhall engine but in the end, whatever you do to it you are gift wrapping a turd.

That's a bit harsh, it's not like the engine's made by Vau.. oh, hang on!

[Winstar]

jollygreen said:

Gooby said:

jollygreen said:

What, put a high-revving, high-power motor into an Elise? Ask all the honda-elise drivers!

Because with respect to all the comments above, it isnt a nicer / better engine than a Honda, it isnt a nicer than a K. Why bother?

Have you driven one of thorney's stage 6 motors then?

LOL nobody has it doesn't exist.

[Trixster]

JollyGreen, aren't you the guy who bought a lovely black S2 and within the space of about a month had two prangs and wrote it off despite multiple warnings to 'go easy' and sort out more than just TP insurance?

[jazzyjeff]

Remember that engine was designed by Lotus for GM. So you are all effectively sgging off a Lotus engine

JJ

[cej]

I just finished tuning this little 2L Honda powerplant

http://picasaweb.google.com/christian.ejstrup/Dyno...

Bought it from DMF performance UK, slapped on a set of Jenvey ITBs and went to the dyno.

I'd like to have this in the back of my Elise

The plan is to put on a dry sump and make some changes to the exhaust and try to high 300+ .Should be possible.

Nothing beats naturally aspirated Honda power if you ask me

[jollygreen]

Trixster said:

JollyGreen, aren't you the guy who bought a lovely black S2 and within the space of about a month had two prangs and wrote it off despite multiple warnings to 'go easy' and sort out more than just TP insurance?

Nope, not me.

I've had a VXT and I also had a share in an elsie s1 track car a few years ago but I've never had an s2, never written one off and never insured a car TP only!

[Gooby]

jazzyjeff said:

Remember that engine was designed by Lotus for GM. So you are all effectively sgging off a Lotus engine

JJ

Whoa there - lotus consult on nearly every car on the road.
The engine could be 100% lotus design for all I care but a design consultancy will design to the brief laid out by the client. The client want a reliable load lugger that is cheap to produce and easy to repair then that is what they get. Great for an arsetra, pretty sh!t in a sports car.

And hold on the biggest problem with old lotus cars, are the engines that Lotus designed. They brought in Toyota in '82 to help them with quality in the engines then decided it was too expensive to design your own engine.