increasing performance questions from a boy racer...

[lotusflasherman]

remember Costas saying that whilst he had 400bhp.......it didn't work like a Lotus anymore.....

Needs 4 wheel drive!

Just after Arteoli bought Lotus he had an 'Open Day' (19/9/93) for Lotus and Bugatti owners and all departments were open to visit. In the vehicle display they had 'SID' - a 4 wheel drive, paddle shifting V6 turbocharged Esprit used as a research testbed for "Structure, Isolation, Dynamics". A guy who worked on it was there to answer any questions (and make sure nobody stole any bits) and I had a very interesting chat about vehicle dynamics - I mentioned that LJK Setright hated the fwd on the M100, which put me off it (Eclat driver at the time), and he said they'd got a 4 wheel drive M100 design too. There was a 2 litre Isuzu engine that would fit but significantly over 200bhp seriously compromised the dynamics for everyday use.

In the afternoon Arteoli announced they were going to design and build a new cheap lightweight sportscar to the ethos of the '7' (the Elise) and would re-employ the laid off production workers to immediately start building the Elan (S2), mainly to clear the factory and stores of all the parts they already had.

So no 4 wheel drive M100 ever came out of Hethel - now there's a challenging project for somebody

[HJ2]

I am thinking 4 E-motors, one for each wheel...

[Saltire]

I am thinking 4 E-motors, one for each wheel...

Kidnap the engineering team from the BMW i8?

[Scott J]

0-60 is totally irrelevant, its about cornering, world has been conned into huge torque figures by the 3 main German brands flogging turbo diesels that have enough torque to pull a small star out of its planetary system. Lotus is all about sublime handling and cornering. race tracks aren't straight neither are British roads. If your into 0-60 buy a Subaru Evo Mitsui Toshi mark 10,059.5689 and drag strip it. Alternatively buy a panzer torque wagon TDIdiot with a zillion torques and drive like a retard on the Queens highway.

rgds.
Jeremy.

[lotusflasherman]

0-60 is totally irrelevant, its about cornering, world has been conned into huge torque figures by the 3 main German brands flogging turbo diesels that have enough torque to pull a small star out of its planetary system. Lotus is all about sublime handling and cornering. race tracks aren't straight neither are British roads. If your into 0-60 buy a Subaru Evo Mitsui Toshi mark 10,059.5689 and drag strip it. Alternatively buy a panzer torque wagon TDIdiot with a zillion torques and drive like a retard on the Queens highway.

rgds.
Jeremy.

Thought the Youtube link GeoffSmith posted showed some rather 'unnecessary driving' too... may be a fast car but doing that to the Focus at 1:13 is driving like a retard.

[Tuga2112]

0-60 is totally irrelevant, its about cornering, world has been conned into huge torque figures by the 3 main German brands flogging turbo diesels that have enough torque to pull a small star out of its planetary system. Lotus is all about sublime handling and cornering. race tracks aren't straight neither are British roads.

I think your getting me in the wrong side of the fence here. (think thats the right expression)
If i was into 0-60 times, 1 year ago, I would have bought the GT4 i dreamed of when i was 10, same price as my elan cost back then. (and would have saved a fortune in paint and painting tools) But i know how much a country road is enjoyable in comparison to a motorway.
so the elan was the choise.

Asking, as a gathering information excercise, including opinions of what is too much power and what is not financially "sane", I knew a bit of the topic and was hoping to expand on that knowledge.

I Admit i am jealows of a newer car being able to produce such stats. but im not ready to ditch the elan just yet (if ever). so getting more out of the elan is worth considering. (although i barely ever see that needle turn to the 0.5 marker)

[HJ2]

Then start with one of Alan's fabulous mountain chip (link to shop is on top of this page) and see if you're satisfied with that.
It certaintly is a cheap way of increasing boost in a reliable and safe fashion, presuming you have a heathy engine without known problems.

If you still want more after that, see the tips as per above. All in all not very expensive stuff, but lots and lots of hours involved.
Again: start with the chip and you'll end up with 190 ... 200 HP and a very drivable agile sports car that can keep up with a whole lot of the modern stuff.

Off course you only see the needle moving if you use the loud pedal!
Take a drivers training, seriously, you'll be amazed and perhaps a litle scared what your car can do more. It's one of the best investments you can make and you will be able to pass your friend without any extra HP at all

[Tuga2112]

Take a drivers training, seriously, you'll be amazed and perhaps a litle scared what your car can do more. It's one of the best investments you can make and you will be able to pass your friend without any extra HP at all

Ill look into that, if will probably allow a lot more enjoyment of the elan, not to mention safer driving.

[lotusflasherman]

Take a drivers training, seriously, you'll be amazed and perhaps a litle scared what your car can do more. It's one of the best investments you can make and you will be able to pass your friend without any extra HP at all

Ill look into that, if will probably allow a lot more enjoyment of the elan, not to mention safer driving.

Well worth doing but it's a good idea to know the theory before a 1:1 training session, then you'll understand what the guy is saying and he can help you put the theory into practice - compulsory reading for everybody after they've passed their test should be "Roadcraft - The Police Driver's Manual" - that's all about safe high speed driving on public roads with other traffic.

Next should be "Sports Car and Competition Driving by Paul Frere" - that's all about vehicle dynamics; tyre slip angles; approach to, braking for, and lines to take through a corner- whether to go slow in fast out, fast in slow out, or drift it through the corner... essential reading for anybody contemplating a trackday. Couple of other useful books are by the Institute of Advanced Motourists - "Pass Your Advanced Driving Test" & "How to be a better driver". The IAM course will teach how to put the principles of 'Roadcraft' into practice.

I did a British School of Motoring 'Improver Course' in the mid 90's because Privilege Insurance were offering to pay half and give me an ongoing 10% (if i remember correctly) premium reduction so it paid for itself after a year or two. I was a bit sceptical about BSM doing it but the instructor who turned up was an Essex Police HQ Driving Instructor that I'd met before when I had the Eclat on their skidpan at Chelmsford so it turned out to be a really good reality check. 3 hrs of driving from Ipswich to Cromer to Kings Lynn and back to Ipswich on a sunny afternoon. Just what the Elan was built for.

Unfortunately Privilege now only offer the installation of a DrivExpert 'black box' that monitors if you are a 'safe driver' from GPS info - probably have a fit about corner speeds of an Elan on the open road and can't see somebody tailgating the car in front so of dubious worth but it can see where your car is so might be the cheapest way to install a tracker.