Elise Upgrade

General General Lotus Talk
1

I have owned my mk1 elise for 3 months now and already feel that i could do with some more torque/acceleration.The lotus upgrades seem so expensive ( �2500 for 135 upgrade )Can someone please advise me on the best way to get to the 135 mark without spending a fortune ??? ( I already have a lotus sports exhuast ).Cheers.

2

Hi Matt,Part of the 135 (or 140 upgrade depending upon who you speak to) is the sports exhaust so if you already have it, you have already saved �450 + VAT + fitting. The rest of the ‘standard’ upgrade is an ECU interceptor and a better panel filter in the airbox. Neither of these are going to cost you �1750 + vat so you could do it yourself for a lot less! [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif[/image] BTW - �2500 seems like a lot of money for this sort of power figure, who quoted this to you & what did they want to do for the money?Steve

3

Right… where to start.Ignore the lotus kits.If you want a LOT of torque, go for the TT upgrage (�7K !)Otherwise, look at getting a big valve head, throttle bodies, slightly hotter cams, new manifold, mappable ECU etc. You should be looking at �3K all in for 200bhp and 160lb.ftSome links: AOL.co.uk | Breaking News, Sport, Features and Video - AOL.com http://www.l.mason.dial.pipex.com/index.shtml Hope that helps, Bri

4

The Lotus Sport 135 kit (or the exact same PTP140, for much less dosh), consists of a lightly ported cylinder head, VVC type plenum, new cams and followers (whch are the same as standard) and an assortment of other odds and sods - I don’t think the exhaust is included.It works suprisingly well (I know - I have one!), but for that sort of money you can achieve a lot more.I reckon the current best (if you aren’t into DIY) is the PTP 165 kit. Its about �2400 (try www.race-speed.com) and is a VHPD head which cams, ECU, VVC plenum etc. Its a genuine 165bhp with decent torque across the board. Its also an excellent basis should you wish to go further later on.CheersChris

5

Chris / Matt,Sorry - didn’t really think about the other ways of getting to 140! I have a B&C 140 upgrade on my Elise S1 which primarily consists of Exhaust, interceptor and filter. It recently produced about 138bhp corrected. I realise that there are other ways of doing it - I got a bit distracted!Cheers,Steve

6

You can get the 135 upgrade for less than that, specially since you already have the sports exhaust. Anyway it’s worth every penny.Best upgrade would be to sell it and buy an Exige. I’m converted.

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You heard the lady !

8

Thanks all, got some ideas on what i’m gonna do, exige sounds like the best idea !Lotus quoted the figure of �2500 in my opinion and many others a rip off !!Matt

9

Go for the Lotus 135 kit (PTP 140) It’s a great all round kit which maintains an excellent torque curve. I’ve spoken to Kelvedon who had the engine out on a dyno and they tried everything they could think of and they couldn’t improve on it without murdering the mid-range.I’ve driven the 135 back to back with various others including the VVC and I much preferred it. Try a few and see for yourself though.Don’t try to get a programable ECU and map it on a rolling road though. You need the engine on a dyno to do it propery.I suggest you speak to Pat at Kelvedon. He will put you straight about a lot of the c**p you read about other tuning companies claims (including Lotus themselves in fact).Very nice guy who has managed to sqeeze 220bhp (dyno) out of his Exige.

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quote:Lotus quoted the figure of �2500 in my opinion and many others a rip off !!Matt[/B]You get what you pay for.Sure, go for a B&C 160 or whatever, but you’ll regret it later.Phone Pat at Kelvedon, he might be able to do the 135 for a bit less. When combined with a Janspeed competition exhaust (different to the usual sports exhaust) it makes a lovely noise as well, much nicer than an Exige.

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Exige - thats all that matters…

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RoadKarter,which RR did you use? My B&C Super “160” only gota corrected 153bhp at SAS in AldershotPs how the nitrous upgrade going?