It’s also a tad strange, in that it feels like a new car and drives like a new car but where I’m sitting is still very familiar!
I made a comment to the wife about it being like a new girlfriend, you have a fondness for the old one but you’d never go back (needless to say, she wasn’t a fan on the analogy!).
So what’s it like to drive? Well, it’s not really got much more power than the K but the extra torque certainly makes a difference. For instance, you don’t need to plan ahead as much on a roundabout, where with the K you’d need to keep the revs up for a fast exit (if that makes sense). Also that VTEC does make it a bit more frantic at the top of the rev range, which helps the sense of speed (and improves the noise ).
I think its much more resolved than the original packaging. There’s less harshness and it feels more planted. I always know a car is ‘sorted’ as I find myself going faster than I thought I was. It’s also lost that annoying ‘kick’ when you back-off too quickly, probably because the engine seems better tided down.
Opening the engine bay is a treat too. All silicon hoses and proper braided stuff, none of Lotus’ dull, cheap black rubber.
Anything I’d change? Well when I say planted, it certainly is more so at the back end. That does seem to have helped with traction but I did notice some definite porpoising at the front-end and when looking at the car it does seem to be pointing up a little. This doesn’t seem to affect handling, there’s no increase of understeer (on the road), but it does make me wonder if there’s improvement to be had (corner weighting?). And there is of course always the obvious change, a super-charger. Not quite yet.
Martin/Steve, a public thanks. I hope you enjoy the kick from making our great little cars even greater! Between you and JSR (previous suspension set-up and re-fresh) my car has literally been re-born.
I don�t understand the supercharger-stuff.
The K-engine has lots of potential as NA engine when stroked and sleeved up to 2.6 ltr
The NA concept fits much better to the character of the elise than this supercharger sound-terror.
[quote=petere]I don�t understand the supercharger-stuff.
The K-engine has lots of potential as NA engine when stroked and sleeved up to 2.6 ltr
The NA concept fits much better to the character of the elise than this supercharger sound-terror.
Regards
Peter [/quote]
Peter, its a fair point but the Supercharger route means -
Proven access to an extra 100 Bhp - when a charge cooler is used to keep it that way after a few laps
No opening up of engine
Standard parts that are not so expensive and simply bolt on ( remap of course required … )
The sound is of course personal, I liked the old K series and would have loved to put a 2.2L NA BDG in the back just to be different -
I’d love a 280-300bhp NA Honda - I think it would rock!
Unfortunately, it’s a lot more expensive than going the well-proven supercharged route - bang for buck you can’t really beat the SC.
As Andy says, it also takes you down the route of ‘expensive race’ type engine, so you have more costs coming if it ever goes pop compared to the standard engine.
Would still love one though!
Won’t be long before someone has a silly power turbo Honda car though (don’t think there’s any in the UK as yet - well, not a K20 ).
Not quite yet.
Bl**dy RICE BURNERS 
as you would expect from “the Lotus Boys”