prices are + vat
and my car is a A spec 
Out of interest, roughly how much is the Emerald for the S1?
I have heard the price would be around 700 plus tuning say another 200
give you a ball park figure anyway
Bugger! just looked at my ecu and the prefix is ‘A’,will put this off until next spring and spend the cash on some new brakes instead over the winter.
Just checked mine and it is a reflash-tastic B
Mark
Bugger! just looked at my ecu and the prefix is ‘A’,will put this off until next spring and spend the cash on some new brakes instead over the winter.
Mine’s an A as my car is one of the first to roll off the line (Press Car) it’s a bit of a bugger but I really want to change that 2nd cam point so it’s got to be done.
Oh, apparently the dealers should now know about this…
Sounds like if you have the rear badge instead of lettering you have an A
I’ve got the B spec ECU, and my car came with the badge, although it was one of the last before they started using the lettering.
I’m thinking I might go for this as a reflash, and then if I decide to go with an Emerald at a later date I’ll have something to sell on.
Yeah, day to day driving and having to drop into second to overtake people is my biggest gripe. I’d rather just be able to floor it in 3rd
I think the cost is pretty good really as you’d spend �400 on an Exhaust and it won’t last forever plus I guess Motorsport have had an amount of cost in the R&D to get this product working legally.
Plus… the cost of writing “track use only” on it in black marker pen must be significant!
Plus… the cost of writing “track use only” on it in black marker pen must be significant!
lol!
This is Lotus you know not an Audi
OK, after reading all this post I’m a little confused.
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The is an upgrade that lowers the camchange from 6.200 to 5.500 RPM, either through reflash (B spec) or replacement (A spec.)
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You can also get it in a package that includes airfilter and headers.
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No point in getting 2) (and an aftermarket exhaust) as the ECU has learning capabilities and adjusts the gained HP to stock levels.
Is this correct?
Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Nico
The reason people see a change in power when they make changes is partly to do with the engine running a bit leaner than it used to and the power will increase as the AFR moves towrds ~13.5:1 which is the ideal value. The problem is that the ECU is programmed to run at a richer AFR in order to protect the engine (exhuast valves/ports/cat can all melt if the run too lean). So what people then see after the initial gain is that the power decays a bit as the engine learns the changes and makes everything safe again. Its not that the engine wants to make less power. It should still make more than standard though.
Now the new ECU will probably run similar AFR values at steady state but the transient fueling will be a bit richer, this will make it more driveable as theres more fuel kicking about ready to burn, the problem is that the engine wont pass EU4 certified emmsions any longer (it will pass an MOT / TUV test though) but the car isn’t strictly legal in many european states hence the “Track Use Only” labeling. The baseline calibration in the ECU may also be set up for the new exhaust but I cant confirm that, its quite likely that the ignition values will be different too and it may rely a bit more on the active knock control, who knows.
Overall this new ECU should be beneficial to most drivers, its just a question of value for money. For example you could buy this ECU for the same money and play with it as much as you like?
Fascinating stuff Bob. Its nice to have someone here who obviously knows what they are talking about. Like a lot of people I had been wondering why Lotus hadn’t gone with this different ECU map right from the start when the 111R/S2 Exige were launched, but I guess the emissions issue explains it.
I have pretty much decided to go for the reflash, although I am going to wait a few weeks until the mid winter months when I don’t use the car much as it sounds like it might take a while to turn around. A fully programmable ECU like the one on your link or the forthcoming Emerald seem quite appealing but are probably not worth it for me as I don’t think I will be modifying the car any further (famous last words - Piper cams might change my mind, althought I would like to see a few more guinea pigs first ) And whisper it - a reflash is invisible to insurers
Mark
…until the insurance inspector makes a glancing over the engine bay checking to see if anything is amiss sees written in white tip-x on the ECU ‘not for road use’…
Official Confirmation…
Lotus Sport T4 and T4e ECU � Track Optimised
Description
A Lotus ECU with the cam switch point optimised for track usage (switch point revised to 5750 from
6200 rpm). This allows the driver to maintain the use of the high-lift cams during track driving, whilst
avoiding unwanted switches to low-lift cams. All other functionality of the original ECU program is
retained, preserving the full European emissions compliance of the powertrain.
Applicable vehicles
Elise 111R Non Federal
Exige Non Federal
Features
Transition to high-lift cams at 5700 rpm (standard set at 6200 rpm)
Simplistic installation
Full retention of European emissions compliance
Part(s) supplied
Lotus T4 Manual ECU AL53M0215F
Lotus T4e Electronic Throttle ECU AL53M0244F
Prices:
T4 or T4e ECU with Program �795.00 + VAT
Program Only �395.00 + VAT (supply of ECU required)
For further information please contact your local Lotus Cars Dealer.
Slightly disappointing that. Only 500 rpm drop. Will it make enough of a difference for �465? Sounds like the Emerald option maybe worth waiting for instead.
As I understand it, when the second cam is engaged it doesn’t disengage at the same revs if that makes sense. So once you are in second cam mode it stays on second cam untill you drop below 5200 I believe. I will confirm when my ECU comes back from Lotus.
Exige77
AlunR - does this mean the Lotus dealers can flash your ECU on the spot? or do they have to send the ECU to the factory?
Said earlier in the thread LMS only can reflash
I’m hoping mine will be here this afternoon at BK…
Now I just have to get out of work early enough!