I have just got back from having a new Elise SC for a day whilst my Exige NA was in for service (no I am not considering changing).
But I have to admit to feeling more confident in the Elise in corners.
The only thing I can put this down to is the Elise having a narrower section front wheel and tyre, giving it a more ‘pointy’ feel.
Perhaps the Exige would be better on track at higher speeds, but on an every day blast round the Yorkshire Dales, I did seem to throw it into corners harder than mine.
Lotus fit the narrower 175s to give understeer - remember Clarkson being shown how to drive an Elise by Gav Kershaw a few years ago?
Steve, your Exige geo must be up the creek - but then again, the tyres you’ve fitted aren’t going to improve matters either (although I do understand your logic for fitting them over the winter months).
I am still confused.
Is it that I prefer understeer, or is the geo out, or am I just a cr@p driver ?
If the geo does need looking at, then do I simply say ‘sort it’ or do I need to specify camber caster etc
the tyres you’ve fitted aren’t going to improve matters
To me, the tyres haven�t changed my confidence levels at the front
Which dealer you go to just out of interest?
I had the car in at JCT in Leeds who have come in for a lot of stick over the years, but I found them very helpful, (they are likely to be replacing both front shocks soon under warranty). It was the cars first proper service, it was reasonably priced (but not cheap), and they lent me the SC.
They usually give you a BM as a courtesy car, so I don�t think they will give one to every Tom, Dick or Jonny
I reckon that the geo needs setting up properly - ie more track, rather than road biased. Also, perhaps the ride height needs looking at too? If JCT can’t do it, then try Phoenix Motorsport (Accrington area, so it can be made into a nice run out, if you avoid the m/ways).
Have you let Rasputin have a thrash in it - he’ll sort the bugger out for you!
I suspect that your car’s geo is not as it should be, or if it in fact does have the “standard” road settings, your driving style is better suited to having a track setting. A track setting will make it a little suscepible to tramlining in a straightline on the road, but will dial out understeer in the corners. The latter will give you the confidence to chuck it into the bends.
At the start of the thread, you appeared to be saying that you preferred the handling of the Elise (which I in turn was presuming would be set up the same as other Elises - but that may not be the case for the SC?). An Exige with wider profile tyres, & a different standard geo setting to the Elise, should feel more planted through a corner, than an Elise with standard geo settings.
I think a trip over to Phoenix would really serve you well - even just for a chat, in the first instance, with Ollie about how your car feels, & how you would like it to feel on the road (particularly around corners). Seeing as you have a couple of days each week to indulge yourself, get your passport out & head over them there hills
It could be that the Elise tyres work better at lower temps - I have found that on our Elise S I feel much happier throwing the car around at lower speeds (i.e.“road”)- they really have got it spot on with the tyre and geo set up on that car and I suspect your loan Elise is similarly nice to drive. Anyone who has not driven a late Elise should try and do so - they are a joy on a quiet, safe open road. Or my local motorway roundabout
Edit: Just to add - the Elise would of course lose out on track against the Exige for the same reasons stated above, the 48’s when warm give more outright grip, although a racing god could probably still make the Elise go pretty fast.
Couple of weeks ago at Snetterton, Strattons had brought along an Elise SC as a demo car. At the start of the day I didn’t realise what the car was, but I was struggling to pull away in the Exige. I assumed it had been Honda’d. Was a bit happier when I realised it was the SC and Simon Harrison was doing the driving.
As above if its never had a geo it will need doing, everyday driving and pot holes will knock the geo out. On my last S2 111s I had it geo’d after two years without and I could not believe how much better it was.
I have the 111R with Ohlins & standard wheels/tyres for 7 or 8 months of the years & exige wheels/A048’s during summer.
Either way the car is sublime, with the 48’s getting the nod for track use (in summer). The standard wheels allow alot more confidence in the usual mixed bag of weather we get. I’d definitely go down this route again if I had to, just enjoyin this too much to bother for a long time yet
I see that you are in Yorkshire, I would try TrackTorque, who are just off the A1M near Tockwith (Between York and Harrogate). They have a well expensive geo setup machine which they predominantly use for track cars but they also do good deals on Lotus cars, which they also service. Their web site is www.tracktorque.co.uk, just speak to Clive 07971 978775 and say Dave B reccomended that you go there. They are a great bunch of people there.
Thanks for the suggestions guys; I suppose I had assumed that it would have been right when new from the factory a year ago. But living in West Yorkshire, where the road surfaces are largely tantamount to a set of cart tracks, I suppose it wouldn�t take much to put the geo out.
I haven�t taken up any of the ideas yet, as I have high hopes of JCT replacing both front shocks under warranty, assuming rightly or wrongly, that would that affect the geo as well.
I am interpreting the above as that I prefer understeer, and that when chucking the Elise into normal road corners on cold (ish) tyres, that was what I was experiencing.
There is also the possibility that if I gave it a good thrash around a track, I would think differently again about the feel of the steering.