Hi all, thought I would register on this fine forum and say g’day!Some interesting talk on the new Exige.
Pesky, can you email me? I don’t have your email address.
Hope to see you all sometime.
Keep it on the black stuff
Hyla Breese
Hyla
Have mailed my address privately.
Still laughing after those outrageous laps you drove me (& others)around Anglesey in the S2 last Saturday
For those who know Anglesey, you’ll understand what I’m on about if I tell you that Mr Breese was driving sideways round “School” on full opposite lock at 85mph - quite brilliant
Welcome to exiges.com Hyla
Good to see another racer join the forum… maybe keep us right on info and driving tips… I guess you are still jockeying for Lotus then?
excellente…
Thanks Pesky, have emailed back.
Glad you enjoyed Saturday in the S2, the rain just added to the fun
I have to say I’m very impressed with the S2 Exige. Out of all the Lotus product I’ve driven over the years it’s impressed me the most. Yes, whatever I say will come across biased but I don’t lie about things (the ozzy part of me coming through ). Yes there are things people don’t like about the car, there always will be for any car no matter what power or styling it has.
RoxTeddy, thanks for the welcome. Yep, the factory is still my stomping ground. Driver training and various corporate driving events the main activities.
Welcome to the forum
i’m almost too afraid to ask but if i don’t someone else will… so might as well get it over with…
well… how would you compare the exige with the S2 coupe … pro’s and con’s… just drivin stuff never mind all the cosmetix and toys…
Haha, I knew this would come up after my last post
Ok, I’ll give it a shot.
Firstly I think trying to compare the two is unfair but the best way to even try is to say that the S2 is an evolution. The Toyota engine certainly makes a big difference and the 6200rpm cut in of the second cam gives the best of both worlds. Trundle round town with low fuel efficient revs then on the track enter that other place on the dial
As for the 6 speed box, it’s fantastic on the motorway. Took me 6 hours to drive to Anglesey on the Friday and it wasn’t a drain, an S1 would leave you a little weary and ears ringing after that length of time
Not used 5th or 6th on track yet at Hethel or Anglesey, no need at all, revs a plenty!
The brakes, well if you had asked me before I drove it two weeks ago I would have said to you I don’t want any driver aids in the braking department. My racing career has brought me up on no driver aids and I didn’t want to start now. However, there was always going to be a however.
I did a journo day at Hethel two weeks ago with the car on a damp track. Those of you who know Hethel know that it has different surfaces, the old stays wet longer than the new. The ABS really helped in these conditions. As each wheel travels over different grip levels in the braking zone each wheel is being controlled individually, something you can’t do without ABS. Modulating brake pedal pressure to unlock a wheel will reduce the braking effort on the other wheels which could actually be on a grippier surface and deal with more braking force, therefore you have inefficient braking.
I was speaking with Dave Kaye today at Hethel who worked on the ABS system for the 111R and Exige and said they spent a considerable amount of time getting it just right and I reckon he has. Most of the braking required, even on track, won’t trigger the ABS, you have to really lay into it to get it active. Most ABS systems work on a 5% slip rate where as the Lotus system works at about 7%.
The chassis is what you would expect and doesn’t need explaining. Gav has worked his magic on it it’s fair to say. It’s very well balanced. I don’t know the damping specs compared to the S1 Exige but like the Elise S2 compared to the S1 Elise, the damping feels stiffer but the ride is better. Turn in is not as aggressive as the S1 Exige, the S1 would point very sharply at the detriment of front tyre wear, the S2 is better balanced in that area.
I don’t have figures for the aero but from driving it and knowledge the airflow around the front of the car and from underneath through the diffuser venturi is improved and therefore more efficient, therefore less drag. The S1 has a lot of aero grip generated and therefore more drag. The aero on the S2, although less than the S1, is more balanced between the two factors.
I know there is great discussion on the rear wing. I can’t comment on the rear wing and how much it contributes to downforce without seeing the airflow over the rear of the car and whether the wing is in disturbed air or not. If any of you would like to know I can find out from the guys at the factory?
Personally I like the styling, but everyone is different and like different things, the joys of being humans
I still love the S1 Exige, it’s a fantastic car that drives a certain way and the S2 is an evolution of it.
I still remember when the S1 came out and we were doing track promotion events with it at various tracks and the response and attention it got. I’m sure it will always live on and without it the S2 wouldn’t be what it is.
How�s that do you RoxTeddy? Remember that these are my own personal feelings about the car. I’m sure some may feel it a biased account. Rest assured though, I don’t lie about things either, a spade is a spade in my book and I am truly impressed with the S2…and I’m not easily impressed with cars.
Hi Hyla, I’d like to add both my welcome and thanks for the laps on Saturday! The Hairpin was much more grippy by the end of the day for some reason!
Thanks too for the opinion. One more question though. If you were an S1 owner would you fork out �10-15k to upgrade to an S2? I do really like the S2, it’s just I guess what I really wanted was an evolution that made we want to spend the money.
Ian
Hi IDG,
No worries for the laps, hope you enjoyed them? As for the hairpin, once the car got back to the factory they found that the inner rear toe link had worked loose and then sheared off because it was loose. Now rectified and as good as new, in fact the car was used today at Hethel.
As for the advice as to fork out �10-15k to upgrade, it’s easy for me to spend your money . I’m not really the best person to ask that as my feelings and thoughts about these cars are to do with my job, not as an owner.
Put it this way though, if I had the money I would have one!
What were your thoughts after the demonstration at Anglesey? What made you think “Yes that’s what I want” or did something change your mind?
Do you want to track it or just for road?
Sorry I can’t be of more assistance. Like I said, it’s easy for me to spend your money and in which case if so, the answer is YES, get one, you’ll love it!!
Hyla
Thanks for the lucid, informative discussion, its more or less what i was looking for (and probably expecting, having driven the 111R). Most of our complaints are really around the fact that it isn’t as eye-popping brilliant looking, as powerful or lightweight or as much as a step forward from the 111R as we really really wanted it to be. In short how much over the 111R does it give a driver like you?..
You know… we wanted a Le Mans stripped out racer, GT car for the road… which is what most of us think we got with the original when compared to its little brother the S1 elise (or in fact with anything else available)…
In terms of handling and geo do you know what are the differences with S2, has it got wider track over its sibling 111R? what are the differences in camber/toe etc?
Also, after seeing it I wondered… how the heck can that rear wing contribute much to rear downforce?? because it is soooo… flimsy and flutters around when you push it with yer little finger - also its mounted to the rear hatch which is pretty flimsy itself… can you explain at all?
anyway, sorry to drag you into this rather predictably…
cheers
Hyla
BTW… any plans to rerun last saturdays Anglesey up here at Knockhill?? it sounds like it was lotsa fun…
If you were an S1 owner would you fork out �10-15k to upgrade to an S2? I do really like the S2, it’s just I guess what I really wanted was an evolution that made we want to spend the money.
Ian, you’ve answered your own question, & it’s the same for all the S1 owners (& many Elise owners) I’ve spoken to. At the end of the day, it depends upon what you want the car for (& ignoring the “looks” aspect!). If you mainly track your S1 (& if so, it’ll be well sorted brake & tyre wise!), then what’s the point in changing - much better to spend your dosh on a Honda or Audi transplant plus Nitrons. I would have loved to see Hyla driving Russ’s car last Saturday… If you want a cracking road car, & have a pot of cash which you’re just dying to spend, then buy an S2 - just don’t take the fecking roof off it though
There’s now a shedload of nonsense flying around the Wibbly Wobbly Way following last Sunday’s Top Gear. The helicopter feature was good (sorry, great) entertainment, that’s it, full stop. The Stig’s effort was impressive, but it was on a damp track, not a proper wet track like that negotiated by the GT3 for example. I do love the programme, & I really enjoy watching Clarkson, Hammond & May, but I sure don’t think it’s the be all & end all of motoring journalism which would determine me spending my hard earned cash on a car!
I’m just glad that I can’t afford to change my S1 for an S2, even if I really wanted to
PS I’ve written this before I know what Hyla’s response to your question is, cos I’ve had a few “scoops”, & my keyboard is slightly blurred slowing the typing down somewhat
RoxTeddy
I understand what you mean about the looks and the other issues relating to the Elise 111R and the Exige.
As a “driver like me” it gives me more of a track orinantated feel and characteristics. You are right in saying there isn’t a giant leap between the two but there is enough of a difference to get the most out of each of them. I could go into the dynamic chassis/damping differences and the associated characteristics but that would be a very long post indeed and would bore the hell out of you .
Tomorrow I’ll try and speak to the guys that put the thing together and get some of those answers for you. I don’t know them myself as yet with it being so new…I just drive em
Don’t worry about dragging me into this. If I can help I will. Will get back to you tomorrow.
No, sorry, I didn’t mean the toe-link issue, I wasn’t going to mention that! I was suggesting the amount of A048(s) that you managed to deposit at the Hairpin due to the angle you were taking it at; lap after lap after lap! All very impressive.
Rox pretty much matches my thoughts. When I see my car it makes me smile because it just looks like a baby LeMan car. It’s got a bit of magic. I can’t pick my nose in it because somebody is always looking (probably why Russ has darkened windows ). Seven year old kids stop and point. My two year old son even licked it! I’m not sure the S2 does that.
Many have said the car looks better in the flesh and I can’t say I felt that when I first saw it. The quality is very impressive, that I did like. The bit I really liked, but perhaps difficult to truly tell without driving it, was the handling seemed to be a bit more…hmm, trying to think of the word…composed. I suspect it’s more fun on the track, but is it easier to tame? Would that reduce the challenge? [Rhetorical questions there] The car is clearly cracking and deserves to sell loads.
Something that would interest me though. Can you fit the S2’s suspension to the S1 in some form? With perhaps slight alterations for the weight.
Ian
Bloody hell, after just 5 posts, Monsieur Flippin Vortex is already a 5 Star Member
Took me 3 years to get 5 Stars, so this photo sums it up:
[image]http://www.upload.racecarparts.co.uk/pictures/Oulton170404/ins%20g.JPG[/image]
![http://www.upload.racecarparts.co.uk/pictures/Oulton170404/ins%20g.JPG[/image]](http://www.upload.racecarparts.co.uk/pictures/Oulton170404/ins%20g.JPG%5B/image%5D){kind=link}
Do you want to track it or just for road?
Sorry, didn’t answer that one. I think the Exige is the best trackcar you can actually drive to the track in any weather and over any real distance (as long as your exhaust is okay! ). That’s what I want mine for really. Weekend jornts, long drives to trackdays (which there are plenty of if you live down south!) and circuit sessions themselves.
LOL at the pic Pesky!
Ian
Pesky
You never fail to make me laugh… ou are a 10 star man and i’m sure it would be real easy to knock some pegs off mr vortex…
And he was offering to be so helpful, shame on you Rox!
It’s true Pesky, ‘you the daddy’!
Ian
Welcome Hyla,
I’m very interested to hear what you can find out about the aero and suspension differences between S1 and S2. I’d particularly like to know exactly how much effect the wings have on both of the cars. And I’d like to know if you can take those silly air scoops off the side of the S2
I’m curious… what brings you here, Hyla? You don’t own an Exige do you?
Have Lotus asked you to come on here and promote the S2.
You’re welcome anyway.
Ooh, another question for you Hyla; Can you find out how the body is made for the S2?
Do Lotus make it in-house as they did the S1, is it out-sourced to the French company that make the S2 bodies, or do they take S2 Elise bodies and modify them?