Europa Milltek
Discussion
No idea on costs and I'm always sceptical of claims for big HP increases on things like exhausts. I'd associate Miltech with the lower end of the market to be honest - sort of thing you might see on a Vectra and where the owner might believe you can get something for nothing. If the upgrade is a Thorney one why not ask them what would be best suited. Alternatively Larini and 2bular are well respected.
Hi there,
The Milltek exhaust makes a big difference in the power and the way it is delivered.
I have driven the car with the factory upgrade only and then with the Milltek fitted as well as the upgrade.
The exhaust allows the engine to breathe more easily and feels more responsive / eager. It also smoothes out the power delivery. The original system, as with the VX220 turbo, is quite poor.
The sound is superb, deep throaty burble but at motorway speeds it is hardly noticeable.
Milltek have recently developed systems for a range of more "upmarket" cars such as the Audi R8.
Not sure what other makes are available at present, when I had mine fitted there were no other makes available. But it certainly does the job!
Lisa
The Milltek exhaust makes a big difference in the power and the way it is delivered.
I have driven the car with the factory upgrade only and then with the Milltek fitted as well as the upgrade.
The exhaust allows the engine to breathe more easily and feels more responsive / eager. It also smoothes out the power delivery. The original system, as with the VX220 turbo, is quite poor.
The sound is superb, deep throaty burble but at motorway speeds it is hardly noticeable.
Milltek have recently developed systems for a range of more "upmarket" cars such as the Audi R8.
Not sure what other makes are available at present, when I had mine fitted there were no other makes available. But it certainly does the job!
Lisa
Edited by loopylea on Saturday 25th October 11:00
TIPPER said:
No idea on costs and I'm always sceptical of claims for big HP increases on things like exhausts. I'd associate Miltech with the lower end of the market to be honest - sort of thing you might see on a Vectra and where the owner might believe you can get something for nothing. If the upgrade is a Thorney one why not ask them what would be best suited. Alternatively Larini and 2bular are well respected.
I'm fairly certain Thorney would recommend the Milltek as he is an authorised supplier and I believe had a hand in developing it for the VX and Europa(could be wrong on that though)As for power increases, c.25 Bhp does sound about right. That's what the VX220 Turbo has seen. The original exhaust system is extremely restrictive with both a pre cat and normal cat. So replacing both these for sports car (100 cell I think) allows the engine to breath far easier.
As for cost, I think it's around £1,161 + VAT. from Balance Motorsport
Or here is the Link to Thorney Motorsport
http://www.thorneymotorsport.co.uk/tuning/Lotus_Eu...
After driving an Europa with a Milltek I would agree with LoopyLou's comments.
I'm having mine fitted next week, so I'll report back.
My car is a 225, a model which is much smoother than the 200hp ones I road tested, but still apparently has an ECU which would relish the additional breathing ability of an exhaust upgrade.
Having read the various tests of the Thorney 'R' model with a Milltek exhaust, I'm looking forward to the results.
My car is a 225, a model which is much smoother than the 200hp ones I road tested, but still apparently has an ECU which would relish the additional breathing ability of an exhaust upgrade.
Having read the various tests of the Thorney 'R' model with a Milltek exhaust, I'm looking forward to the results.
ad220 said:
TIPPER said:
No idea on costs and I'm always sceptical of claims for big HP increases on things like exhausts. I'd associate Miltech with the lower end of the market to be honest - sort of thing you might see on a Vectra and where the owner might believe you can get something for nothing. If the upgrade is a Thorney one why not ask them what would be best suited. Alternatively Larini and 2bular are well respected.
I'm fairly certain Thorney would recommend the Milltek as he is an authorised supplier and I believe had a hand in developing it for the VX and Europa(could be wrong on that though)As for power increases, c.25 Bhp does sound about right. That's what the VX220 Turbo has seen. The original exhaust system is extremely restrictive with both a pre cat and normal cat. So replacing both these for sports car (100 cell I think) allows the engine to breath far easier.
As for cost, I think it's around £1,161 + VAT. from Balance Motorsport
Or here is the Link to Thorney Motorsport
http://www.thorneymotorsport.co.uk/tuning/Lotus_Eu...
After driving an Europa with a Milltek I would agree with LoopyLou's comments.
TIPPER said:
ad220 said:
TIPPER said:
No idea on costs and I'm always sceptical of claims for big HP increases on things like exhausts. I'd associate Miltech with the lower end of the market to be honest - sort of thing you might see on a Vectra and where the owner might believe you can get something for nothing. If the upgrade is a Thorney one why not ask them what would be best suited. Alternatively Larini and 2bular are well respected.
I'm fairly certain Thorney would recommend the Milltek as he is an authorised supplier and I believe had a hand in developing it for the VX and Europa(could be wrong on that though)As for power increases, c.25 Bhp does sound about right. That's what the VX220 Turbo has seen. The original exhaust system is extremely restrictive with both a pre cat and normal cat. So replacing both these for sports car (100 cell I think) allows the engine to breath far easier.
As for cost, I think it's around £1,161 + VAT. from Balance Motorsport
Or here is the Link to Thorney Motorsport
http://www.thorneymotorsport.co.uk/tuning/Lotus_Eu...
After driving an Europa with a Milltek I would agree with LoopyLou's comments.
Redlake27 said:
I'm having mine fitted next week, so I'll report back.
My car is a 225, a model which is much smoother than the 200hp ones I road tested, but still apparently has an ECU which would relish the additional breathing ability of an exhaust upgrade.
Having read the various tests of the Thorney 'R' model with a Milltek exhaust, I'm looking forward to the results.
Hi - I'm thinking of having mine done too - are you getting Thorney to fit it? If so, can you get them to do a pre and post dyno run??My car is a 225, a model which is much smoother than the 200hp ones I road tested, but still apparently has an ECU which would relish the additional breathing ability of an exhaust upgrade.
Having read the various tests of the Thorney 'R' model with a Milltek exhaust, I'm looking forward to the results.
Cheers
Jerry
TIPPER said:
Thing is Mark I couldn't see an Eliseparts 4-2-1, sports cat and say a Larini giving 25bhp on a K series and the cost wouldn't be that far different.
The difference is.... the turbo. Up the boost = more power, whereas on the K-series you are hoping the engine will pump a lot more air just due to the different exhaust which is only going to be true if the exhaust is the limiting factor - usually it isn't (the head is usually the limiting factor).So - back to the Europa - why not just turn up the boost with the stock exhaust, and save the best part of 1.5K?? Answer - heat. Gets too hot - with aftermarket exhaust such as Milltek the exhaust gases can escape more easily so heat build up is reduced and you can get away with running higher boost...
(for more info, read Thorney's site :-) )
Cheers,
Jerry
Thanks Gerry, the penny dropped just as I logged off. I forget the Europa has a turbo lump - dunno why as in many ways its a better road car than the Elise. I suppose it doesn't appear on my radar as I prefer to have a rawer car for fun and a 'sensible' one for the more mundane things.
loopylea said:
Hi there,
The Milltek exhaust makes a big difference in the power and the way it is delivered.
I have driven the car with the factory upgrade only and then with the Milltek fitted as well as the upgrade.
The exhaust allows the engine to breathe more easily and feels more responsive / eager. It also smoothes out the power delivery. The original system, as with the VX220 turbo, is quite poor.
The sound is superb, deep throaty burble but at motorway speeds it is hardly noticeable.
Milltek have recently developed systems for a range of more "upmarket" cars such as the Audi R8.
Not sure what other makes are available at present, when I had mine fitted there were no other makes available. But it certainly does the job!
Lisa
I've had mine on the car for two weeks...... I agree with Lisa's testimonial. It really does make the car feel complete. The rough edges in the power delivery have gone. I haven't had a chance to go on a rolling road, but The Milltek exhaust makes a big difference in the power and the way it is delivered.
I have driven the car with the factory upgrade only and then with the Milltek fitted as well as the upgrade.
The exhaust allows the engine to breathe more easily and feels more responsive / eager. It also smoothes out the power delivery. The original system, as with the VX220 turbo, is quite poor.
The sound is superb, deep throaty burble but at motorway speeds it is hardly noticeable.
Milltek have recently developed systems for a range of more "upmarket" cars such as the Audi R8.
Not sure what other makes are available at present, when I had mine fitted there were no other makes available. But it certainly does the job!
Lisa
Edited by loopylea on Saturday 25th October 11:00
Thorney claim this should turn a 225 into a 240hp car.
I'm impressed. Yes, it pops and bangs when I'm pressing on, but it's not an intrusive noise when cruising.
After a couple of months of driving with my Milltek, I really rate this as an investment for Europa (and VXT) drivers.
The power delivery is just so much more linear and predictable. I had always thought an exhaust could just give more power, but never really appreciated how much difference it could make to power delivery.
Apparently, according to people brighter than myself, the ECU responds well to the improved flow, so it is almost like the ECU has been able to do a 'self-remap'.
My car has the 225bhp upgrade, and it is claimed that the exhaust can take this to 240bhp. It certainly feels it, although it actually feels less dramatic as the spikes in the power delivery have disappeared.
Is it noisy? Not really. At cruising speeds it is barely different to the standard exhaust. When accelerating hard it is throaty, but that has the bonus of drowning out the turbo noises, which in standard form is acoustically more Moulinex than Murceliago.
Yes, there are pops and bangs if you back off the throttle sharply, but you can drive around these. I think they add character when you are really trying hard though.
Overall, I think that this system really makes the car feel complete. Whilst I'm not sure if a new Europa SE is great value at £33K, I'd recommend to any Lotus fan a low-mileage 225hp upgraded S with this exhaust and a tyre upgrade (I use F1s like the SE). All in, with a quick search of the classifieds, you could have a 2007 upgraded car with better performance than a new SE (and most other Lotus models) for under £22K.
The power delivery is just so much more linear and predictable. I had always thought an exhaust could just give more power, but never really appreciated how much difference it could make to power delivery.
Apparently, according to people brighter than myself, the ECU responds well to the improved flow, so it is almost like the ECU has been able to do a 'self-remap'.
My car has the 225bhp upgrade, and it is claimed that the exhaust can take this to 240bhp. It certainly feels it, although it actually feels less dramatic as the spikes in the power delivery have disappeared.
Is it noisy? Not really. At cruising speeds it is barely different to the standard exhaust. When accelerating hard it is throaty, but that has the bonus of drowning out the turbo noises, which in standard form is acoustically more Moulinex than Murceliago.
Yes, there are pops and bangs if you back off the throttle sharply, but you can drive around these. I think they add character when you are really trying hard though.
Overall, I think that this system really makes the car feel complete. Whilst I'm not sure if a new Europa SE is great value at £33K, I'd recommend to any Lotus fan a low-mileage 225hp upgraded S with this exhaust and a tyre upgrade (I use F1s like the SE). All in, with a quick search of the classifieds, you could have a 2007 upgraded car with better performance than a new SE (and most other Lotus models) for under £22K.
I've just done what you suggested, bought a used car with 6k miles, and having Milltek fitted next week.
One question, I bought car privately, and had Bell & Coville do pre-inspection. As they cleared it on all counts, they can sell me an extended warranty, which comes in at about £550 for 1 year, £750 for 2, or £875 for 3 (if I remember correctly). Is this worth it? It is official Lotus warranty with roadside assistance. Very Happy with car, btw.
Thanks
One question, I bought car privately, and had Bell & Coville do pre-inspection. As they cleared it on all counts, they can sell me an extended warranty, which comes in at about £550 for 1 year, £750 for 2, or £875 for 3 (if I remember correctly). Is this worth it? It is official Lotus warranty with roadside assistance. Very Happy with car, btw.
Thanks
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