I’ve got ap295 discs, but they are not worth the extra over std discs. Decent fluid, pads, braided hoses and some fresh discs are all that’s needed.
[quote=pete757]Standard calipers are more than enough IMHO Boothy!
Perhaps get some larger diameter disks and ‘better’ pads. I use Pagid RS42’s and have never had an issue with them… they really stop the car very well! (as those who I took at 120mph into ‘Rocket’ will confirm!!!) but don’t seem to have the RS14 pad transfer problems. Not too much dust and this easily washes off with soap and water.
Puts some good fluid in the system (R600+ is excellent) and off you go mate! 
[/quote]
Yeah, Pete was trying to make me into a Garfield on his windscreen at the end of the straight, no problem with brake fade there!
I’d agree with the general theme here, keep the two pots but go for good pads, discs and hoses. I bought some Tarox 290mm grooved and drilled discs along with PF pads and have no issues with fade. However I don’t think I’ll go back to the PF pads because they are trashing my wheels with contamination.
I spoke to Russel Gibbons about brakes at the Autosport show as the 211 GT4 show car had two pots not four pots. He said that the factory drivers all preffered the progression and feel of the two pots.
I can potentially see benefits of four pots if running super soft slicks that will not break traction as easily under hard braking. However with track tyres they lock up easily enough with two pots so I think I’ll stick with them for now.
The interesting thing for me is how much rear brake wear I get. I’m used to competiting in front wheel drive cars that barely use the rears. I imagine that unless you move the two pots to the back then the car will be quite unbalanced with four pots up front? Is this the case or do the original rear single pots work ok?
I believe that even if you go 4 pots up front, the standard Brembo set-up at the rear still stays balanced. Some I believe have used the 2 pots off the front and put them on the rear… but then you lose the handbrake so they then add another caliper for that!
Performance through light weight eh! 
[quote=pete757]
Performance through light weight eh! [/quote]
Have you kept the wireless/loudspeakers in yours?
[quote=Mr Pesky][quote=pete757]
Performance through light weight eh! [/quote]
Have you kept the wireless/loudspeakers in yours? [/quote]
Rear speakers to come out soon! Ipod stays.
BTW… what’s a ‘wireless’???
When you talk about valves Pesky thinks of radios not engines 
Very true, but I prefer driving the bloody thing, & trying to learn to use the car’s capabilities, rather than endlessly waffling on about pulleys, injectors etc etc
Only joshing, mate
[quote=pete757]I believe that even if you go 4 pots up front, the standard Brembo set-up at the rear still stays balanced. Some I believe have used the 2 pots off the front and put them on the rear… but then you lose the handbrake so they then add another caliper for that!
Performance through light weight eh! [/quote]
Im interested in people views on this, as my experience is the std 2 pots are slightly over braked at the front and the 4 pots just add to the problem (Although I think I read CL adressed this with their pad compounds?). I’ve also found the the 4 pots to have a slightly ‘squishy’ feel due to the extra fluid required for to them to work, although its alway hard comparing setups with the various different combos people run - disc / pad / fluid condition etc.
I’ve got a friend whos got 4 pots on the front with the std front 2 pots on the rear, and his brake pedal is extremely soft without upgrading the master cylinder!
[quote=Boothy]
Looking at pricing I know I can buy the Lotus PP big brake kit from Chris Neils for a couple of quid under a grand including the dreaded. This is giving me the braded hoses, four pots, 308mm solid disks and ferodo (was he a hobbit?) pads…
If I go the AP route, the grand buys me 290mm belled front disks and a full set of CL/pagid/PF pads.
Boothy [/quote]
I thought the PP Big brake kit was the AP Big Brake kit?(ducks from the board duster that Pesky’s about to throw )
Swap the ferodos for the Pagids?
It is Tal… 5 “House Points” awarded!
Pagids - RS 14s should be avoided on S2s, but I understand that RS42s are fine. The former suffer from “pad transfer” to the discs, making it most unpleasant - as proven in practice by TarmacTerrorist (who truly is a driving god!)
Nah - thats a neat Lotus trick
The AP big brake kit which costs circa 2K includes the 2 piece ‘proper’ AP discs.
The PP brake kit has some one piece discs from god know where !!!
That’s how they can be sold for a grand - the solid discs are less than half the price of the AP’s
Chris - yep you’re right - I was only thinking about the calipers/hoses, & not the discs too - apologies 
Never need to apologise to me Rob - You’ve forgotten more about cars than I could hope to remember !!!
I don’t believe that for a second - they can’t have been bled correctly. (Sorry don’t want to upset anyone!)
I don’t believe that for a second - they can’t have been bled correctly. (Sorry don’t want to upset anyone!)[/quote]
Umm, that’s not my/Martin Edwards/Benja’s experience, John, with S1s. Brake pedal had “too much” movement (even squishy feel), after 10 or so laps on track (they were always perfect on the road). Our brakes were bled several times in an attempt to eliminate this. Fitting the Lotus Motorsport brake master cylinder has considerably improved the situation, but without fitting the oem front 2 pots on the rear, the brake pedal will not remain rock hard on track.
As said elsewhere, if oem fronts are fitted on the rear, you need to change quite a few things too eg uprights/bearings/flanges, as well as fitting a small handbrake caliper. I would love to do that, but as I now need new discs & pads (or will after Donny), I just can’t afford it! But, hey ho, will just have to drive/brake accordingly, as I’ve done over the past couple of years.
I don’t believe that for a second - they can’t have been bled correctly. (Sorry don’t want to upset anyone!)[/quote]
Umm, that’s not my/Martin Edwards/Benja’s experience, John, with S1s. Brake pedal had “too much” movement (even squishy feel), after 10 or so laps on track (they were always perfect on the road). Our brakes were bled several times in an attempt to eliminate this. Fitting the Lotus Motorsport brake master cylinder has considerably improved the situation, but without fitting the oem front 2 pots on the rear, the brake pedal will not remain rock hard on track.
As said elsewhere, if oem fronts are fitted on the rear, you need to change quite a few things too eg uprights/bearings/flanges, as well as fitting a small handbrake caliper. I would love to do that, but as I now need new discs & pads (or will after Donny), I just can’t afford it! But, hey ho, will just have to drive/brake accordingly, as I’ve done over the past couple of years.[/quote]
If anyone does go down the route of fitting the 2 pots to the rear, Ollie at Phoenix knocked up some brackets pretty cheaply for a friend so the calipers on his car can be fitted to the standard uprights - This does ofcourse mean the standard brembo caliper need to be left in situ just for the handbrake.
[quote=N17VES]
If anyone does go down the route of fitting the 2 pots to the rear, Ollie at Phoenix knocked up some brackets pretty cheaply for a friend so the calipers on his car can be fitted to the standard uprights - This does ofcourse mean the standard brembo caliper need to be left in situ just for the handbrake. [/quote]
I was going to try this over the winter, how much are the brackets I am really interested in try this out, mostly because the handbrake calipers flex like they are made of chocolate and you get very weird disc and pads wear 
[quote=N17VES]
If anyone does go down the route of fitting the 2 pots to the rear, Ollie at Phoenix knocked up some brackets pretty cheaply for a friend so the calipers on his car can be fitted to the standard uprights - This does of course mean the standard brembo caliper need to be left in situ just for the handbrake.[/quote]
Seen that on Steve Newton’s Audi Elise - imho it’s hardly “an elegant” solution! Also don’t think S2 Elise uprights are the same as the Exige S1
No idea if would be possible for the alloys uprights on the S1 tbh.
Just asked my friend, and he thinks it was �150 for the brackets including fitting the calipers (this figure may include the braided hoses too). You will also need the upgraded master cylinder.
Is there an upgraded master cylinder the S2? Can you get me an email address? I will talk to him directly, I had found someone else who does similar but were too expensive