2bular Sports Cat
2bular Cat Back
Red Top 25
Performance Friction pads
Geo by Tech 9 Motorsport
So far I have the following planned for 2009:
Upgrade harnesses to 6-point with a good mounting solution within the constraints of the Lotus tub.
Race Technologies DL1 with ECU interface and a brake pressure monitor.
Lots of tuition from one of the Tech 9 drivers.
2-way suspension and much reduced ride height, circa 60-70mm. The car won’t be driven on the road.
Front splitter and rear wing. This is the one I see the least return on investment so will be left to last.
I may change the seats at some point but will run only one seat unless I have some instruction booked. This will also allow me to add a second camcorder to film my inputs which can then be reviewed and synchronised with the data log and the forward facing camera on cage.
Any other suggestions that will make a REAL difference?
Firmer suspension bushes?
As I said I am most dubious of the aero parts.
On the weight saving front I will address the weight of the pilot as the priority
I’m just in the process of pricing Ohlins v Nitrons (spoke to Lotus Sport today) and my query is similar, do I need an Accusump if I fit the 2-way suspension??
I won’t go that low Damon but will invest in the driver training and driver weight loss
Yep big brakes and Ohlins mate, huge difference…I’m doing the Accusump in March. Every bit of weight I can take outs coming out as we speak…You would not believe how heavy those seat are ? I could also save you 13kg on wheels as Coordsport have a couple of sets of Exige fitting Rays Volk TE-37’s in black with 5% off and rings thrown in!
I’m just in the process of pricing Ohlins v Nitrons (spoke to Lotus Sport today) and my query is similar, do I need an Accusump if I fit the 2-way suspension??
I won’t go that low Damon but will invest in the driver training and driver weight loss
Hi Ian
On the suspension front I am working on a solution from another supplier
Yep big brakes and Ohlins mate, huge difference…I’m doing the Accusump in March. Every bit of weight I can take outs coming out as we speak…You would not believe how heavy those seat are ? I could also save you 13kg on wheels as Coordsport have a couple of sets of Exige fitting Rays Volk TE-37’s in black with 5% off and rings thrown in!
I’ve been digging around on the wheel front too and TMR seem to be the lightest I could find, but very expensive.
The best balance of weight/cost seems to be the lightweight Lotus option (5 spoke)
Yep big brakes and Ohlins mate, huge difference…I’m doing the Accusump in March. Every bit of weight I can take outs coming out as we speak…You would not believe how heavy those seat are ? I could also save you 13kg on wheels as Coordsport have a couple of sets of Exige fitting Rays Volk TE-37’s in black with 5% off and rings thrown in!
I’ve been digging around on the wheel front too and TMR seem to be the lightest I could find, but very expensive.
The best balance of weight/cost seems to be the lightweight Lotus option (5 spoke)
Not according to Seloc …Mine are both lighter and cheaper my friend and way better looking
If you’re running that low, check that you’re not running out of front upper ball joint travel on travel on bump and turn - check out 2-11 wishbones and steering arms.
You’d be surprised by the benifits of proper aero - try taking the wing and splitter off your Gallardo GT3 and see your drivers reaction!
If you are really serious about weight, managed to get an S2 Elise - I know - below 700kgs, with a full FIA 6 point cage, so it is doable. Current project is go a bit mad with an S2 Exige to see how far you can go.
Bigger AP discs, depending on where you are now. You get most of the benifits of the Lotus kit at a fraction of the price.
The list can go on, depends on how deep are your pockets, whether you want it to be reversible and how much of a compromise you are willing to accept really.
Yes you are right, when the current discs are spent I will replace with AP discs.
I know what you are saying about aero, I just think in terms of the S2 its one of the most expensive modifications for a modest return compared to the other items. And as you say, a decent aero requires taking the car to the point that an easy resale or return to standard is difficult and so expensive it could be argued it negates the gains.
Re-reading your ride height - if you do get to 60mm or so, you will need to keep a real close eye on wheel arch liners at the top, the back of the clam where the headlights are, wheel arches on lock if you are running anything with a tread and your oil coolers.
Alternativly, get rid of them and fit a better radiator and laminova in the engine bay - loads of weight saving and less pressure drop.
Re-reading your ride height - if you do get to 60mm or so, you will need to keep a real close eye on wheel arch liners at the top, the back of the clam where the headlights are, wheel arches on lock if you are running anything with a tread and your oil coolers.
Alternativly, get rid of them and fit a better radiator and laminova in the engine bay - loads of weight saving and less pressure drop.
Yes as I said it was an observation by the engineers, it would be tested and I suspect we would settle on not so much. Thanks for the observations it will help.
If you are feling really brave, buy a light damaged clam and fit it with proper wing thro the clam, get rid of the boot box, open the rear clam like the GT3 car I used to run and change the WORLDS HEAVIEST boot lid for a lightweight one, with no wing and closed deck.
That way you still have the good origonal clam to go back on if you return to standard!!
Are you modifying the car for fun or with a view to enter some kind of race series? For instance I think changing suspension bushes led to someone being relegated to the back of the grid for the Cadwell round of the LOT series.
All seems to be a bit of a waste of money to me TBH, at the end of the day it’s a road car not a race car and i’d rather spend the time driving the thing instead.
Suspension will make the biggest difference but I’d be wary of running that low. I tried 95/100 and suffered some bumpsteer issues so would suggest the arm kit from eliseparts to get around it. It also caused the back wheels to lock up under heavy braking so i’d check the handbrake cable operation (I think a different one is available from lotussport). You’ll also be wearing out the top of the front clam along with the normal bit behind the lights so consider re-routing the cables before they get worn through. I think evo_ufo has some ali plates bonded in place to overcome this.
I think the official big brake upgrade requires the GT hubs which could be construed as changing the suspension hard points in some regs. Eliseparts do a 4-pot kit that doesn’t require these.
Get a big arb to help turn in. Plans and Hoffmans do one that’s bigger than your average.
Are you modifying the car for fun or with a view to enter some kind of race series? For instance I think changing suspension bushes led to someone being relegated to the back of the grid for the Cadwell round of the LOT series.
All seems to be a bit of a waste of money to me TBH, at the end of the day it’s a road car not a race car and i’d rather spend the time driving the thing instead.
Suspension will make the biggest difference but I’d be wary of running that low. I tried 95/100 and suffered some bumpsteer issues so would suggest the arm kit from eliseparts to get around it. It also caused the back wheels to lock up under heavy braking so i’d check the handbrake cable operation (I think a different one is available from lotussport). You’ll also be wearing out the top of the front clam along with the normal bit behind the lights so consider re-routing the cables before they get worn through. I think evo_ufo has some ali plates bonded in place to overcome this.
I think the official big brake upgrade requires the GT hubs which could be construed as changing the suspension hard points in some regs. Eliseparts do a 4-pot kit that doesn’t require these.
Get a big arb to help turn in. Plans and Hoffmans do one that’s bigger than your average.
Thanks Neil
No, competition is off the agenda for a while.
Just looking to make some improvements and enjoy the car. That is why the aero is now looking doubtful.
And the experiences of you guys seems to point to the lowering be less severe. Thanks again for sharing that.
I am going to see how the brakes go, I swore by the AP 6 pots on my CSL and thought that would always be an upgrade to make with cars going forward, but I reckon the std. 2-pot is workable on the Exige atm.
I’ll consider the ARB once the suspension is sorted. I am getting understeer atm and will keep an eye on that.
If you are feling really brave, buy a light damaged clam and fit it with proper wing thro the clam, get rid of the boot box, open the rear clam like the GT3 car I used to run and change the WORLDS HEAVIEST boot lid for a lightweight one, with no wing and closed deck.
That way you still have the good origonal clam to go back on if you return to standard!!