I like my VHPD.
You can all think it’s shite, but there very few engines that are capable of 190 reliable BHP with 1.8 liters capacity.
AND lightweight!
There you have the toyota: very heavy.
Honda: nice, and reliable, but heavier than the K and about the same power from a bigger engine.
I prefer to start with a lightweight engine and massage it auntil it gives about 220 BHP reliably (that means: don’t rev the bollocks out of it all the time!) and keep my classic car.
I imagine the reason it is in so many cars is down to cost and the abundance of spares as opposed to any performance advantage but that is great. It’s important to have good supplies of cost effective race engines.
I wouldn’t describe the K as reliable… It always makes me grit my teeth when I give it loads of revs for long periods of time because it sounds and feels like it’s about to go pop ! I would much rather have a engine with a nice flat torque curve and a bit more ‘grunt’ that I could thrash all day long without worrying about it going bang.
Might there be something wrong with yur engine?
I kind of drive it fairly quick and (after installing the Emerald and mapping it) feel it completely effortless (it did sound like it was fighting itself with the Lotus ECU though).
Yes, it could use some more power but I’m of the type of working first on suspension and traction and later look for more power.
I may be odd, but that’s something I brought with me from my bike racing days.
The reason it’s in all the caterfields etc is because it’s lightweight and easy to work on.
When the K was first about bike engines weren’t quite up to what they’re like now the new ZX10 engine, 1000cc and 185bhp out the box! Again tho these aren’t designed to last for 200000 miles.
I wouldn’t ever say the VHPD is reliable or durable, it’s expected 60k miles before rebuild is nothing like the old toyota 4A-GE (in a MkI MR2) with 211k miles on the clock!!! And still done loads and loads of trackdays with out a single problem!
the toyota 2ZZ-GE lump isn’t that much bigger and *that much heavier than the K (I have a friend who’s dad works for Lotus), just a lot harder to work with 'cos of the VVTL-i.
Randy, the only reason there’s an abundance of spare is because it’s in so many cars
I have probably just been spoilt having driven lots of race cars with really lovely engines. For most people the K is probably fine but in comparison to so many engines out there it just doesn’t really stand up. I know the Exige is all about going round corners but I honestly believe it would be a far better car if it had a corking engine.
“nothing wrong with the K-engine”
…It’s really really crap. No power, no torque, the VHPD is horribly lumpy, it’s unreliable and it sounds sh*te. The sooner I have the K out of my car the better .
Other than that it’s OK as 4 million owners can’t all be wrong!
I have probably just been spoilt having driven lots of race cars with really lovely engines. For most people the K is probably fine but in comparison to so many engines out there it just doesn’t really stand up. I know the Exige is all about going round corners but I honestly believe it would be a far better car if it had a corking engine.
Ding!
oh dear…here we go again…there is no engine which is 100% reliable…full stop…of course, there are better engines around but for what price??? I don’t think anybody argues with that specially talking about race engines…
I still think that the K-engine was a good choice for the Elise.
Any reliable engine can be tuned to give more power until the point it becomes…
a bag of nails
sad but true…
couldn’t have put it any better
laters,
B
Sorry to spoil your fun guys…
But to get us back on topic hereis this months Evo:
Two years after the original car was discontinued, Lotus has launched the second-generation Exige. Still billed as a racecar for the road, it is now powered by the 189bhp 1.8-litre VVTL-i Toyota engine as used in the Elise 111R.
Hethel has fitted its own engine management system offering bespoke calibrations for the camshaft profile, lift and timing. It’s hooked up to a six-speed gearbox, which has a Lotus-designed linkage.
Top speed is a claimed 147mph while the 0-62mph sprint is said to take 5.2 seconds.
To keep the Exige glued to the Tarmac, Lotus has gone to great lengths with the car’s aerodynamic make-up. According to the company’s own figures, at 100mph the Exige creates 41.2kg of down-force, split 47 per cent (19.3kg) front and 53 per cent (21.9kg) rear. These figures are achieved with a completely flat underside, a rear diffuser, a deep front splitter (mounted just 108mm from the ground) and a fixed rear wing at an 11.5 degree angle. Extra cooling ducts for the brakes and (optional) oil coolers have been designed in. Lotus engineers worked with Yokohama to develop a custom tyre with a soft compound for the Exige. It also rides on stiffer springs and dampers, while the wheel design (16in front, 17in rear) is unique to the car.
Although this new model has servo-assist and ABS fitted to the braking system, Lotus is at pains to say the ABS will not intervene early, ‘taking over from the skill of the driver’. Luxury options include an air-con system, carpets and electric windows. The performance pack includes sports seats, oil coolers and a race harness beam. The basic price is �29,995.
Several points struck me there:
Ian
the more i read, the more confused i get…
i really don’t understand how the S2 exige is the racecar for the road, and is slower than the elise 111R. what!? elise=roadcar for the track???
yet somewhere else said the car is a few seconds faster than the 111R on some track test??
In theory:
Elise = roadcar for the track
Exige = racecar for the road
The Elise is only quicker in a straight line because it doesn’t have the downforce, which causes drag, limiting the Exige’s top speed.
That downforce, the stiffer suspension and the tyres will make the Exige significantly quicker through the bends hence the faster lap time (but really 4 secs?).
Ian
That downforce, the stiffer suspension and the tyres will make the Exige significantly quicker through the bends hence the faster lap time (but really 4 secs?).
The stiffer suspension and tyres will make a lot of difference. 40kg of Downforce at 100mph? Using the coefficient of downforce (-0.02F, -0.04R) for the S2 Elise body gives just over 20kg of downforce advantage for the S2 Exige which I doubt would have enough effect to overcome the exige weight and drag penalty.
Sounds to me Like Lotus marketing billshut as they are selling it as a faster vehicle so it has to be seen to be faster. The 111R with the same suspension and tyres would be virtually identical in speed round a circuit.
thanks IDG,
that makes sense…
i agree, 4 secs is not a lot.
i am almost afraid to ask the following:
but would there be more modifications possible for the exige!? to “improve” it. make it closer to what it is meant to be??
not saying it will be like the S1, but closer?? maybe…? (don’t shoot me.)
“some are born superior, others just need some training” (S1 vs S2)
I am sure they will bring out a 250bhp version in the next year or so. I would rather wait and get that than buy one now and upgrade.
i agree, 4 secs is not a lot.
Do what!?! 4 seconds is a lifetime on a track, in a race that could be the difference between 1st and 10th!!! And I know where I’d rather be
I think the 4 seconds is a bit of a tall claim as it’s loads and loads of difference IMHO.
It’s been said before, it’s all loads of marketing BS. 4 sec… pah!
The new Elise/Exige are not bad cars, and definitely better than the old std Elise.
But expect to see the S2 Exige being beaten on the track by the Toyota Elise (mark my words).
That is, until the 250BHP version comes along, devaluating the S2 Exige (and pi$$ing off its owners).
That, I would say, would just beat our S1 Exige.
But then you can always upgrade the engine to a Honda one and theve we go again!
Isn’t this all sooo much fun?