Ok, so nearly bought an S1 exige a few years ago but went for the practical option of an BMW z3M coupe. That has now gone and Im again looking to buy an S1 exige.
I have a few questions which I need positive answers to satisfy the wife…
Air-Con - does it every work? How often does it need to be re-gassed. IS there anything else you can do to prevent/reduce heat soak into the cabin? Ive taken one out for about 20mins and it was fine, but does it get hot in there after an hour or so and can the AC cool it down? …or is it only windows down and melted make-up and wind blow hair?
Also, how comfy are the S1 seats, the racing ones with the harness’s. I found them great for the test drive, but can you last a couple of hours in them without a numb bum?
Cheers
Answer for the wife:
The car stays cool in hot weather and warm in cold.
The aircon works perfectly.
Seats are really comfy.
Real answer:
I’ve not noticed any difference in cabin heat compared to an S2 Elise with the roof up, but my car has had a few modifications. You can make a big difference to heat soak if you tape up the holes in the tub that go through to the front compartment and the engine bay. A motorsport engine cover will also take heat away from the engine bay much better than the greenhouse of the original cover.
Aircon does have some affect, but it won’t be as good as the aircon you get in other cars. If you want good aircon then go for an S2 Exige.
Motorsport seats are fine. You can get them retrimmed with thicker seat squabs if required.
You’ll have to accept some compromise on comfort if you’re going for an S1 Exige, but it pays you back in bucket loads.
I never found the air-con to be any use and I’m (hopefully) having mine removed right now.
The seats have been fine, even for long journeys, but ear-plugs are a necessity (IMHO) for anything more than an hour!
My 2p…
Even the very best S1 air con has a marginal effect on cabin temp. Its hot in summer & cool in winter as standard. Mods to footwell duct in winter to stop cold air getting in & m/s engine cover to get hot air away before getting to the cabin in summer can be effective. If you’ve had BMW or Ford air con, there’s no comparison. The S2 system is fab OTOH.
I found the S1 sports seats & harness very comfy. SHMBO did not find the lower back support to be much good & used an extra cushion (& still does with a 111R touring )
HTH.
Tim.
My car is equppied with air-con or con-air as some people like to call it !
In my experience the aircon will not cool the cabin temp down much so don’t expect the normal, set it to low to get the cab temp down that happens in a normal car - but the exige is no normal car !!!
What it does do in my car is stop the cabin getting any warmer. So if you park in the shade it will stay cool when your driving, but if you park in bright sunlight then it will not bring the temp down. I think you have 2 extra vents in the dash with the aircon car. As Steve says blocking the air getting into the cab is well worth the effort and when I did this the effect of the air-con was better - but stil nowhere near the company hack.
Regardless buy the best car you find - if it has air-con great, if it doesn’t still buy it. You will not be dissapointed - just dont make the mistake I did and not track it for a couple of years. It is good on the road but it completely blows your mind on track.
Apparently it was only ever designed to kick out air 2oC lower. Extra vents are useful though.
Another useful way to keep heat down is to let it out the engine bay better in the first place. Making holes behind the number plate is very effective, especially on track. Although obviously it can effect the boot during jet washing!
Ian
re seats and numb bum, i’ve several times taken it to Le Mans or up North (carlisle) and never suffered.
Even passegers have commented that once the limbo entry trick is mastered they have found it very comfortable…
M
PS though got to confess I have my greedy eyes on a seat re trim with probax inserts. Counts pennies… mmmm
I concur. Once did 4 hours straight (a whole tank on cruise) with no complaints. Makes you think how they manage to make some of those so called comfy seats so uncomfortable!
Ian
Thanks for all the comments. I know that the AC would not be as good as a BMW or Ford etc, just wanted to make sure that it does not kick out hot air! Sounds like it should be ok, I did have a TVR and its AC was similar to what you have all said, so Im sure it will probably be ok.
I was thinking about some long drives in it, possibly to France, so also good to hear that the seats are good. The test drive i had in one a few years ago was great and the seats did feels good, but since that was so short its always good to get some feedback from people who have been in them for a few hours!