Standard S1 vs Other S1 Variants
Discussion
I own a s1 111s and I drove about 9 cars before I bought it, including a sport 160, standard elises and a couple of 111s's.
There is a noticable difference in the power delivery from the 111s ,once the vvc kicks in at 4000rpm there is a boost of power and it keeps on pulling all the way to the rev limit. As a result of the vvc you still accellerate quite fast even past 80, where the standar elise will start to slow down.
The feeling I got from the sport 160 was that it was very raw. even more raw than my 111s and I don't think driving it on a road would do it justice!!! It is very geared towards a track day car.
Check out www.elises.co.uk/models for more specific differences.
There is a noticable difference in the power delivery from the 111s ,once the vvc kicks in at 4000rpm there is a boost of power and it keeps on pulling all the way to the rev limit. As a result of the vvc you still accellerate quite fast even past 80, where the standar elise will start to slow down.
The feeling I got from the sport 160 was that it was very raw. even more raw than my 111s and I don't think driving it on a road would do it justice!!! It is very geared towards a track day car.
Check out www.elises.co.uk/models for more specific differences.
Loads on this subject in the archives matey, however, in a nutshell....
Very little difference in real world terms between most variants, except maybe the VHPD versions.
Certainly not much between S1 and S1 and 111s.
I tried most before buying and plumped for 111s. CR gearbox is a huge plus and VVC revs higher and seems to pull better. Comfy seats are nice, cosmetic mods make it a little more special.
This translates to very little "actual" dynamic difference. A well driven standard car will keep up with most other varaiants driven badly if you know what I mean.
When you consider the S1 is now quite long in the tooth, there are fewer and fewer untouched examples around. Most have been owned by a number of enthusiasts that mod them.
Suspension, induction, exhaust, brakes, head work etc, etc....
Muddies the water somewhat and blurs the boundrys between the different models.
For my money, a well looked after 111s with some sensible mods to suspension and a few "bolt on" engine mods is hard to beat for road use.
Also, plenty fast enough if it's your first Elise and a great way to learn the car.
The "nutter" versions can follow when you've been totally seduced by this brilliant little car!
Best advice, get out and test as many as you can - you will know when you find the one that suits you.
Most owners are more than happy to take you for a spin.
Dunc
Very little difference in real world terms between most variants, except maybe the VHPD versions.
Certainly not much between S1 and S1 and 111s.
I tried most before buying and plumped for 111s. CR gearbox is a huge plus and VVC revs higher and seems to pull better. Comfy seats are nice, cosmetic mods make it a little more special.
This translates to very little "actual" dynamic difference. A well driven standard car will keep up with most other varaiants driven badly if you know what I mean.
When you consider the S1 is now quite long in the tooth, there are fewer and fewer untouched examples around. Most have been owned by a number of enthusiasts that mod them.
Suspension, induction, exhaust, brakes, head work etc, etc....
Muddies the water somewhat and blurs the boundrys between the different models.
For my money, a well looked after 111s with some sensible mods to suspension and a few "bolt on" engine mods is hard to beat for road use.
Also, plenty fast enough if it's your first Elise and a great way to learn the car.
The "nutter" versions can follow when you've been totally seduced by this brilliant little car!
Best advice, get out and test as many as you can - you will know when you find the one that suits you.
Most owners are more than happy to take you for a spin.
Dunc
ToadHall said:
I was wondering, having never driven an Elise .... how different is the Standard Elise to the 111S? I'm more interested in personal opinions . What i'm trying to say is would the difference in models be very noticable?
Thank you guys!
all the S1's are basically the same car, the differences are down to engine spec and trim (probably the wrong word!)Thank you guys!
Engines are all K serise:
Base Elise is 118Bhp
Sport 135 is ~140Bhp
Sport 160 is ~155Bhp with boot lip spoiler, headlight covers and victory wheels
111S is 145Bhp (with VVC engine), boot lip spolier, headlight covers and 111S wheels
of all of these the 111S is probably the best spec'ed car with the best of the K serise engine.
I'm biased I guess as I bought the 111s, but as the others have said above for road use the 111s offered me the best all round package.
The VVC engine is very tractable in traffic, but comes alive above 4000rpm when the road opens up. That, mated to S2 suspension, a Larini exhaust and Hurricane induction and I think you're pretty close to the perfect S1 for road use.
That said, try a few and see what suits you best.
The VVC engine is very tractable in traffic, but comes alive above 4000rpm when the road opens up. That, mated to S2 suspension, a Larini exhaust and Hurricane induction and I think you're pretty close to the perfect S1 for road use.
That said, try a few and see what suits you best.
111S prices seem to have dropped close to standard S1 prices now, so I'd say they represent good value at the moment. Its the S160 that seems overpriced to me, I can't see where the extra money goes over the 111s (seem to be £2-3k more), although I'd admit they do look nice and in years to come may well be considered the one to have and so I doubt they'd lose much cash. The 135 is nice and if one were available for sensible money, I'd say it'd be worth a punt. But the one thing that is certain, is that there is no wrong choice amongst them.
I have also posted on here recently getting help with understanding all the differences. Another question I have that is probably relevent to this thread is S1 Sport 135 vs 111s. Both were launched late 98/early 99, both had the C/R box, and they had similar power hikes (I understand that '135' was a conservative estimate). At the time when both were available, what swayed new car buyers one way or the other ? Was the 135 marketed as more of a track tool, and the 111 a road car ?
Thanks.
Thanks.
GR4 said:
I have also posted on here recently getting help with understanding all the differences. Another question I have that is probably relevent to this thread is S1 Sport 135 vs 111s. Both were launched late 98/early 99, both had the C/R box, and they had similar power hikes (I understand that '135' was a conservative estimate). At the time when both were available, what swayed new car buyers one way or the other ? Was the 135 marketed as more of a track tool, and the 111 a road car ?
Thanks.
Don't take this as gospel, but I beleive the 135 sport was available before the 111s and only for a very limited period. There aren't many about. Proper factory 135 are all painted in a unique silver/blue colour. Lots of other cars have been converted to 135 spec by the factory post-build. These are often advertised as 135 sports and to all intents and purposes are but do not have the 'kudos' of a factory original.Thanks.
The 111s was built in much greater numbers. There isn't that much to choose between the two. The 135 has the sportier seats but then the 111s has good seats as well, both are much better than the standard ones in terms of long term comfort. The 135 also came with Lotus Sport Suspension (LSS) which is just as crap as the standard red konis so not a major selling point. Whatever you look at, S2 (bilsteins), Nitrons, Protech or Ohlins would be a desirable upgrade. i doubt either car would still be wearing the exhaust it left the factory with.
In terms of performance I doubt there'd be a lot in it. Both engines seem to generally produce more power than they're meant to. I've read reports of 140 bhp+ from standard 135's and as much as 160 for standard 111s's. Either way, I doubt the performance difference is noticable on road or track. The engines are quite different in character though, so its well worth trying both if you're given the opportunity.
I'd summarise it by saying that a good 135 would possibly be more desirable for rarity if nothing else, but I wouldn't want to pay much more for than the equivalent 111s.
If you're looking to buy a completely unmolested Elise S1 then the 'best' compromise is probably the 111S although some would argue that the c/r box makes its too noisy on Mways.
As others have said though most Elises have been modded to some extent.
My 'boggo' S1 has a custom 111S interior, Nitron suspension, c/r box, 340R delivery wheels, induction and a sports exhaust. She'll soon be getting some porting done to the cylinder head and a 4-2-1 exhaust manifold. I'm sure there's one or two other bits I've forgotten! Most cars will have some sort of induction kit and 'sports' exhaust. A lot of cars will have had the suspension changed to the S2 type Bilsteins. Anything that's covered much more than 40k on original shocks (red Konis) will be running araound with very tired suspension by now.
As others have said though most Elises have been modded to some extent.
My 'boggo' S1 has a custom 111S interior, Nitron suspension, c/r box, 340R delivery wheels, induction and a sports exhaust. She'll soon be getting some porting done to the cylinder head and a 4-2-1 exhaust manifold. I'm sure there's one or two other bits I've forgotten! Most cars will have some sort of induction kit and 'sports' exhaust. A lot of cars will have had the suspension changed to the S2 type Bilsteins. Anything that's covered much more than 40k on original shocks (red Konis) will be running araound with very tired suspension by now.
I looked long and hard at the different options before I purchased and was quite drawn towards a 111S. In the end I chose a Bell & Colvill Super 140 because it already had a lot of the things that I would have changed as standard. I didn't really want the CR box and, IMO, the 140 mods to the standard engine are very "useable" on road.
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