Lotus Elan Central

by **F1 LOTUS** » Mon 10.10.2005, 18:23

Dave M wrote:
TheBard wrote:Hmmm, lights like this?

You've got it, Ian! A carbon hood with the tinted lens cover would look trick. The lights would blend right in. Don't know about visibility at night with the tint, but it would look nice as I ran into the tree.

...OR PERHAPS...

by **Doug** » Mon 10.10.2005, 18:35

Brian_MDB wrote:...OR PERHAPS...

where's the barf smilie when I need it!

by **F1 LOTUS** » Mon 10.10.2005, 19:56

Undecided then Doug? :lol:

by **Dave M** » Mon 10.10.2005, 20:58

Brian_MDB wrote:Undecided then Doug?

He may want to try it out on his car first to make sure if he really likes it or not. :wink:

by **F1 LOTUS** » Mon 10.10.2005, 21:22

Er...cough...well...you see...I tried it quickly in Photoshop and I think it would look great...on something other than an Elan :lol:

Personally I could just about bring myself to add some exit louvres but for an intake I'd develop the side light / turn signal area as you're doing for the brake cooling

by **Doug** » Mon 10.10.2005, 21:35

I'm a bit partial to a large hole in the center of the hood for heat extraction a la Evo . . . .

by **F1 LOTUS** » Mon 10.10.2005, 22:15

Exactly Doug!
Now there's a car you don't have to worry about spoiling its looks

by **Doug** » Tue 11.10.2005, 00:25

yeah, the back end is pretty dull; which is about all you see on the track :twisted:

by **F1 LOTUS** » Tue 11.10.2005, 18:58

by **Philbo** » Wed 12.10.2005, 11:30

Doug wrote:yeah, the back end is pretty dull; which is about all you see on the track

I tend to only see the front of EVO's...in my mirrors, and then not for long

Not really a fair comparison though, a featherweight racing car vs rally special.

by **Sy V** » Wed 12.10.2005, 12:50

"Not really a fair comparison..."

Good enough to get my support Phil. :lol:

by **Matt RI** » Wed 12.10.2005, 22:46

Bingo. I should check with the Isuzu guys to see if someone has an extra set lying around to use as a guide to have some made. I've got a client with a Mini Mill in his garage...

Are you talking about the Unorthodox Racing variety? I checked with Robbie, posted something on the Isuzu boards a little while ago on that, been checking ebay as well with no success so far... Will let you know if I come up with something, but then again- you know that crew better than I do so perhaps you will be able to come up with something first.

by **Dave M** » Thu 13.10.2005, 13:52

Actually, I was referring to having custom ones made. UR does not make any, nor in all the time I spent on the Isuzu board have I come across any. The only set I ever heard of was used by Steve Lockett (I think). He cut the center out of a set of stock ones, added some attachment points, and bolted them to the rest of the pulley. This was for adjustability, not weight. But nothing saying the same couldn't be done in aluminum.

We'll keep trolling the Isuzu board, though. Someone over there is nuts enough about this engine to have some made eventually. :wink:

Unless we do it first... :roll:

by **F1 LOTUS** » Thu 13.10.2005, 16:50

An interesting article on some of the potential hazards of saving weight in the 'wrong' areas...
http://www.spdusa.com/pulley_kit.htm

by **Philbo** » Thu 13.10.2005, 19:46

Brian_MDB wrote:An interesting article on some of the potential hazards of saving weight in the 'wrong' areas...
http://www.spdusa.com/pulley_kit.htm

Interesting piece and the views concur with mine. I could never really get excited about undersized pulleys, the gains just didn't seem to make it worthwhile. Now the flywheel...yup, go lighter, just not too light.

My bike-engined racer has no flywheel and though it revs like crazy it feels more than a little unnatural to pull away at 5000rpm!

by **Dave M** » Thu 13.10.2005, 19:55

Interesting reading - thanks, Brian. I think if I went to the length of having some made, it would be more for the adjustability feature than lighter weight. I don't know how much there is to be gained by slightly adjusting the cam timing, but might be something to look at *way* down the road.

by **Doug** » Fri 14.10.2005, 04:37

Dave M wrote:I don't know how much there is to be gained by slightly adjusting the cam timing, but might be something to look at *way* down the road.

I don't know the science either, but i can tell you that cams and adjustable cam gears can be big power rewards for the Evo -- yes a brain reflash with them is the key, but it seems that longer duration cams with a few degrees adjustment make a big difference. This may be due to idiosynchrasies with the 4G63 engine but still I would think the same principles would benefit a force fed 4XE1T to some extent . . .

by **F1 LOTUS** » Fri 14.10.2005, 07:49

I've seen some figures somewhere stating that a degree difference in timing can shift the torque curve about 200 RPM, and that adjustable cam sprockets can bag up to 15 BHP for typical 'Import' type engines? Also a found a weight saving list for a ZX2 (Focus

) that quite easily netted 200 lbs

I'll see if I can find this again for reference as it was all simple stuff to remove / replace?

by **F1 LOTUS** » Fri 14.10.2005, 08:55

Here's the list from the ZX2 project: -

Free horsepower through weight reduction

100lbs of removal (not including wheels/tires) transfers to about 1/10s on the 1/4.

A/C removal = 40lbs
Spare tire, jack, false trunk floor = 32lbs
Lightweight rims (ALT 210) = 12lbs
Passenger side airbag = 9lbs
Replace stock battery with a Genesis = 20lbs
Remove those heavy floor mats = 6lbs
Esslinger UDP = 4lbs
Carbon Fiber hood = 23lbs
Remove cat & manifold and replace with 4-2-1 header = 10lbs
Remove windshield washer = 4lbs
Remove rear seat, replace front seats with lightweight racing seats = 30lbs
Aluminum flywheel = 11lbs
There's about 200lbs of weight reduction so far. If your not concerned with the interior appearance, rip out the driver and passenger side door panels for another 15lbs.

by **Dave M** » Fri 14.10.2005, 13:30

A/C removal = 40lbs - CHECK
Spare tire, jack, false trunk floor = 32lbs - CHECK (though not for everyday driving)
Lightweight rims (ALT 210) = 12lbs - TO DO
Passenger side airbag = 9lbs - CHECK (drviers side)
Replace stock battery with a Genesis = 20lbs - CHECK (some savings with the Ultima)
Remove those heavy floor mats = 6lbs - Ah, good one for the track (though mine are *maybe* 2 lbs)
Esslinger UDP = 4lbs - CHECK
Carbon Fiber hood = 23lbs - To our previous posts, I lifted the hood again down in my basement and I'll be surprised if it is 10 pounds.
Remove cat & manifold and replace with 4-2-1 header = 10lbs - Think I netted 0 by replacing the O2 housing/precat with stainless pipe and the external wastegate
Remove windshield washer = 4lbs - CHECK
Remove rear seat, replace front seats with lightweight racing seats = 30lbs - CHECK
Aluminum flywheel = 11lbs - CHECK
There's about 200lbs of weight reduction so far. If your not concerned with the interior appearance, rip out the driver and passenger side door panels for another 15lbs. - I still want it to look nice, so I'll go easy on the interior. :wink:

Great list. That reminds me to pull out the article SCC did on weight savings where they took a car apart in stages down the the engine/chassis and measured 1/4 mi time differences. The first few "reasonable" removals may also be some good ideas.

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