HOW MUCH DO THE CARS REALLY WEIGH?

General General Lotus Talk
1

What are the real on the road weights of the elise 1, 2 and exige?Would a stripped elise mk 1 with magnesium wheels, no air con etc and a 190VHPD be faster than a 190 exige with aircon?

2

Any Elise with 190 will be faster than an Exige.Haven’t heard of one actually being weighed at under 800kg

3

Really? That’s a bit too lardy. I may get an s1 then, higly modified. How much do you think an ultra stripped S1 could weigh? I’d go for magnesium wheels, no aircon, close ratio 6 speed box and a new VHPD190 engine etc. Budget up to 30k all in. Any idea of lightest weight and possible performance stats of this?

4

[image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/shocked.gif[/image] What!? the Elise faster?And I just bought the Exige !!

5

650kg or less with the same engine is going to be more fun than with 800plus kg. Especially with a close ratio 6 speed box too!!

6

You seem to be forgetting the small matter of suspension & brake upgrades, which would also be neccessry for the Elise to keep up with an Exige through the twisty bits [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif[/image]Budget of �30K - chucking money down a big drain!

7

Suspension upgrades would ‘only’ be a couple of grand though. I take it you think an exige would be wiser!

8

quote:Originally posted by BT52:Any Elise with 190 will be faster than an Exige.With the downforce, wider track and grippier tyres I’d put my money on an Exige being quicker through the Craner Curves!You might get a lighter Elise through the chicane slightly faster but where’s the fun in that?!Anyway, I thought the weight of the S1 Elise had creped up significantly since it was launched.Ian [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif[/image]

9

Next time somebody is at Donington try the weight station, off to the left at the end of the pit straight.I wanted to on Monday but somebody parked their Ford Escort on it all day!Ian [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif[/image]

10

PabsWiser - I’m hardly to best person to ask when it comes to spending money on cars! [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif[/image]So much will depend upon what you want the car for, & what you expect it do!From your earlier posts, I am presuming that there will be a hefty track bias,as opposed to road use. I personally wouldn’t dream of spending �30K on a MK1 Elise - you could buy Trevor’s fully track sorted Exige for around �26K. You would be guaranteed to immediately lose bucketloads of dosh on the Elise. Only on track would the differences between the Elise & Exige be readily apparant. Even then, driver ability is the really crucial factor - ask anyone who has been out on track with Gavan Kershaw, Alastair McQueen, Chris Dinnage from Lotus, in bog standard (apart from Pagid pads)MK2 Elises. There are of course, some (non Lotus factory)extremely competent Elise drivers out there, who are much quicker on track than the average Exige driver - & yes, I am speaking from personal experience!If you are thinking about mainly road use, with the occasional trackday, then it is a different ballgame altogether. Some of us can live with Exige on a day by day basis - but we are in the minority - even though we all love the cars on track! I would have thought that an Elise of the spec you are considering would not be too dis-similar. The financial comments still apply!!!In any event, if I were you, & you intend spending �20K plus,then I’d try both an Exige & a MK2 Elise before parting with a considerable wad of cash!

11

Wise words, I guess Pesky’s comments are spot on.Still, is it true that the Elise weighs 650kgs? If the Exige is advertised as 745kgs (I suppose the non-AC version), then the Elise can’t weigh too different.Does the Elise come with AC? does the soft top weigh a lot more than the thin fiberglass top we have? The Elise still has an engine cover.Isn’t the Exige the Elise Sports replica with better/lighter bits and pieces?I thought that was the concept. Am I wrong?Uldis

12

quote:Originally posted by IDG: Anyway, I thought the weight of the S1 Elise had creped up…Been to Brittany recently, have we? [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/grin.gif[/image]

13

UldisLike you, I’m not sure where in the car the additional weight arises. I think that it is fair to accept Lotus’s figure for the differential in weight, though?Aircon - can be ordered as an option in the Mk2 Elise, but I don’t know if this can be done acroos all the variants of the model. However, there is a big difference to the Exige aircon - the Elise one actually works as it should do!!!

14

Thats why I am putting front spoiler and rear wing on the back of my elise. with beefed up suspension and DunlopR’s I should run from these pesky (no pun intended) exiges [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/grin.gif[/image]

15

Pabs, there’s an Elise S1 Sport 190 advertised in “Circuit Driver”. 98(S), 22k miles. Very full spec. Asking �16,995 (Tel:0208-4506999)

16

quote:Originally posted by LRdriver:Thats why I am putting front spoiler and rear wing on the back of my elise. with beefed up suspension and DunlopR’s I should run from these pesky (no pun intended) exiges [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/grin.gif[/image]Pistols at dawn, it is then!!! [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/grin.gif[/image]

17

Her in doors (with the blackened toothbrush) reckonsThe Elise was designed as a womans carand the Exige was designed for men…

18

Oh and…Parked my Exige behind a canary yellow Elise in Southampton this afternoon, guess which car got the most attention?I’ll give you a clue it was new ali not yellow.There is no competition - there never was.

19

Service notes say:Std S1 Elise - 755kg111s - 770kgExige - 785KgIf weights your problem ( my 100kg is ) then I guess you buy a 340R ( with aPolycarbonate body ) and go on a diet [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif[/image]

20

Has trevor still got his exige for sale?