Considering an Exige Sport 350, looking for advice
Discussion
As the title says, I'm considering an Exige Sport 350, and I'm looking for advice / opinions on the car.
I'm mostly concerned about its usability on track. My common sence says a lightweight sports car such as this should be ideal, but the reality isn't always the case. I don't want to get into Lotus reliability tropes, but I've seen a few Elise going awry, spilling fluids that they shouldn't. At least once I've had to put on my wipers while following one that was doing a great impression of a kettle. Maybe they were modified, (badly) who knows.
Currently I've a BMW M135i which is fairly extensively modified to suit my taste and for use on track. It's now very well behaved on track days, although fundamentally it's a heavy passenger car so it's obviously never going to be a sports car.
I don't really want to go down the route of modifying an Exige, replacing suspension parts, brakes etc to make the car a viable trackday proposition. I'm really looking for it to be usable out of the box.
Any advice or opinions are gretly apprecaited. Thanks.
I'm mostly concerned about its usability on track. My common sence says a lightweight sports car such as this should be ideal, but the reality isn't always the case. I don't want to get into Lotus reliability tropes, but I've seen a few Elise going awry, spilling fluids that they shouldn't. At least once I've had to put on my wipers while following one that was doing a great impression of a kettle. Maybe they were modified, (badly) who knows.
Currently I've a BMW M135i which is fairly extensively modified to suit my taste and for use on track. It's now very well behaved on track days, although fundamentally it's a heavy passenger car so it's obviously never going to be a sports car.
I don't really want to go down the route of modifying an Exige, replacing suspension parts, brakes etc to make the car a viable trackday proposition. I'm really looking for it to be usable out of the box.
Any advice or opinions are gretly apprecaited. Thanks.
Are you looking to do a lot of track time? Or just the occasional day here and there?
If it's occasional track work then a 350 will be absolutely fine. However, they suffer from heat soak so if you want to get more serious you'll either have to upgrade to a charge cooler or buy a 410/430. The 410/430 also have a gearbox cooler as standard.
Other than that you don't hear of many issues with them. I've done 11 track days since May in my 410 and not only has it given me no problems at all, it's still on the same tyres and brakes that it came out the factory with. I don't expect to need to change the tyres until next year.
If it's occasional track work then a 350 will be absolutely fine. However, they suffer from heat soak so if you want to get more serious you'll either have to upgrade to a charge cooler or buy a 410/430. The 410/430 also have a gearbox cooler as standard.
Other than that you don't hear of many issues with them. I've done 11 track days since May in my 410 and not only has it given me no problems at all, it's still on the same tyres and brakes that it came out the factory with. I don't expect to need to change the tyres until next year.
I have an Exige V6 Cup, similar weight to a 350. Have owned it for 4 1/2 years. I drive it hard on track, both track days and sprints. I put a new set of Toyo R888 on every year and it’s serviced each year at a Lotus dealer. Additionally I have them change the brake fluid and gearbox oil every 2 years. I put a new set of front pads in it every couple of years and rear pads every 3 years. It’s been extremely reliable, cheap to run and very fast, you won’t be disappointed. Not my best lap by some margin but should give you an idea of performance from the telemetry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lqmjzBicRE
Positives on track are turn in is very good and you can get on the power early, it has great traction. Brakes are best I’ve used on a road car, great feel, very powerful and no fade.
Negatives are it will sometimes baulk a gear change, particularly while cornering, think it may be the engine moving on it’s rubber mounts and misaligning the gearshift mechanism. It can also pitch into roll oversteer mid corner, there’s a lot of weight over the rear axle, but Race mode makes it easy to catch, although it can still spin..
. Hope that helps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lqmjzBicRE
Positives on track are turn in is very good and you can get on the power early, it has great traction. Brakes are best I’ve used on a road car, great feel, very powerful and no fade.
Negatives are it will sometimes baulk a gear change, particularly while cornering, think it may be the engine moving on it’s rubber mounts and misaligning the gearshift mechanism. It can also pitch into roll oversteer mid corner, there’s a lot of weight over the rear axle, but Race mode makes it easy to catch, although it can still spin..
. Hope that helps. Depends how hard you're going to go at it on track.
Off the production line a 350 Exige is ok for steady away track work. Plenty in NYLOC (North Yorks Lotus Club) run standard 350s and V6s.
A few of us, and to be fair, we're the ones that race other stuff and hold MSA licenses, go at it more. As a consequence my 350 now has much bigger aero, the 460 komotec kit with mods, a baffled sump, komotec gearbox cooler, long range tank, pop off wheel, harnesses and an AIM2 dash.
My point being, any Lotus, indeed any car, is ok for track depending on how hard you're capable of going at it and intend to go at it.
Off the production line a 350 Exige is ok for steady away track work. Plenty in NYLOC (North Yorks Lotus Club) run standard 350s and V6s.
A few of us, and to be fair, we're the ones that race other stuff and hold MSA licenses, go at it more. As a consequence my 350 now has much bigger aero, the 460 komotec kit with mods, a baffled sump, komotec gearbox cooler, long range tank, pop off wheel, harnesses and an AIM2 dash.
My point being, any Lotus, indeed any car, is ok for track depending on how hard you're capable of going at it and intend to go at it.
Edited by _Leg_ on Saturday 17th October 00:23
I Like Tea said:
I have an Exige V6 Cup, similar weight to a 350. Have owned it for 4 1/2 years. I drive it hard on track, both track days and sprints. I put a new set of Toyo R888 on every year and it’s serviced each year at a Lotus dealer. Additionally I have them change the brake fluid and gearbox oil every 2 years. I put a new set of front pads in it every couple of years and rear pads every 3 years. It’s been extremely reliable, cheap to run and very fast, you won’t be disappointed. Not my best lap by some margin but should give you an idea of performance from the telemetry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lqmjzBicRE
Positives on track are turn in is very good and you can get on the power early, it has great traction. Brakes are best I’ve used on a road car, great feel, very powerful and no fade.
Negatives are it will sometimes baulk a gear change, particularly while cornering, think it may be the engine moving on it’s rubber mounts and misaligning the gearshift mechanism. It can also pitch into roll oversteer mid corner, there’s a lot of weight over the rear axle, but Race mode makes it easy to catch, although it can still spin... Hope that helps.
Would the stiffer Roadster rear anti roll bar help with the roll oversteer?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lqmjzBicRE
Positives on track are turn in is very good and you can get on the power early, it has great traction. Brakes are best I’ve used on a road car, great feel, very powerful and no fade.
Negatives are it will sometimes baulk a gear change, particularly while cornering, think it may be the engine moving on it’s rubber mounts and misaligning the gearshift mechanism. It can also pitch into roll oversteer mid corner, there’s a lot of weight over the rear axle, but Race mode makes it easy to catch, although it can still spin..
. Hope that helps. 
MarkM3Evoplus said:
Would the stiffer Roadster rear anti roll bar help with the roll oversteer?
Good thought, since that video I made a couple of changes, first I went from an Avon ZZR (never got on with them) to a slightly wider Toyo R888R and I changed my cornering approach to a slower entry and earlier and harder throttle application to get better weight transfer and traction. No issues with roll oversteer since then and I didn't do any more development as it was regularly the fastest road going car and was comfortably winning the class it was in. If there had been closer competition I would probably have trimmed some of the rake out of it and gone for a slightly harder rear spring although a stiffer roll bar like you suggest might be a better solution for the rear. It's chasing 1/10s of a second at this point though.My 350 Sport will be up for sale later this week on the PH classifieds it’s currently at silverstone having a full service, new pads and tyres ready for sale!
Gorgeous metallic black example 2017 19k full harness, uprated clutch and flywheel, AP racing brakes, cold air intake, full 2bular exhaust and sports cat (only the rear box fitted currently) uprated pioneer stereo pioneer compact sub & speaker
Will be the cheapest 350 on the market with loads of extras and will need for nothing!
PM if interested.
Regards
Elliott
Gorgeous metallic black example 2017 19k full harness, uprated clutch and flywheel, AP racing brakes, cold air intake, full 2bular exhaust and sports cat (only the rear box fitted currently) uprated pioneer stereo pioneer compact sub & speaker
Will be the cheapest 350 on the market with loads of extras and will need for nothing!
PM if interested.
Regards
Elliott
Much like the other chap with a V6 Cup further up, I've had my Cup for almost 5 years and track it regularly and hard. It only asks for brake renewables and usual regular fluid changes, other than that it's the perfect machine for this kind of usage. I've been lucky in that my gearshift has given me zero issues in this time.
Mine has the CupR race car aero and Ohlins TTX dampers, LSD, 60litre tank, Tillett seat, AiM dash, which I added along the way to make the car the Exige of my dreams, and they've only added to the experience.
I tracked a normal V6S before buying my Cup and had no issues. In short...most drivers won't complain. The standard brakes for instance are up to the job out the box (pad upgrade maybe something you want to consider with more track use). I'm sure the same couldn't have been said for your standard M135i brakes (knowing these cars from past M140i ownership!).
Mine has the CupR race car aero and Ohlins TTX dampers, LSD, 60litre tank, Tillett seat, AiM dash, which I added along the way to make the car the Exige of my dreams, and they've only added to the experience.
I tracked a normal V6S before buying my Cup and had no issues. In short...most drivers won't complain. The standard brakes for instance are up to the job out the box (pad upgrade maybe something you want to consider with more track use). I'm sure the same couldn't have been said for your standard M135i brakes (knowing these cars from past M140i ownership!).
Edited by Arun_D on Wednesday 28th October 11:19
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