I’ve owned most Elise based derivatives and with the exception to Ohlins, Pagid pads and braided hoses never really fallen for the whole upgrade thing.
As a bit of a guide to others I thought it might not be a bad idea for folks who have ‘upgraded’ various parts on their cars to give their honest opinion on the real life benefits all in one place here. Example; in the last 12 years and 10+ cars I’ve never had a problem with a radiator but read it’s a must upgrade!?
So, have you fallen for the hype on here and other sites, or wouldn’t you be without certain components?
If I’ve got one overwhelming observation over many years of tatting ,I’d say that most manufacturers over engineer their production cars by about 30% …
Go beyond that however and it gets exponentially expensive .
… anyhow, the most noticeable change on my car was switching intercoolers dramatic change that was …
Ohlins are very important good call and a game changer. Weight removal affordable where we can such like a full 2Bular system will do just that and make a car more responsive, so a no brainer. JSR’s recommendation on the KAAZ gear set was pure gold. A brake upgrade IMO inc 4 Pots, braided hoses, SRF, PF pads is also right up there. Listening to SC owners tell you how much more BHP they have over each other pre gear box explosion :tired: and how they can pull away from you on a straight costs nothing but drives us NA owners to get one over any chance we get on track, that costs nothing . But the Rad never went in 4 years of TDs prior to its change, the sump was a case of just in case to a Gpan and I’ve been revving my engine to 9k with a stock head for 2 years and I still (one for Tim) hit the limiter every now and then…
Shall we all fit rearview mirrors then J/F incase you approach us from the rear on the hangar straight ?
Brakes ?? On a N/A ??
Where would these be needed ?
[quote=jfk]Shall we all fit rearview mirrors then J/F incase you approach us from the rear on the hangar straight ?
Brakes ?? On a N/A ??
Where would these be needed ? [/quote]
I’d like to replace the factory upgraded adjustable Bilstein fitted currently and missed out on Junks last set. Is it really worth the extra for the 46mm Ohlins over the standard? Probably do 5/6 trackdays next year.
Well you’d get a fair chunk back when it comes to resell them I guess but I’ve found the jump from Bilstein to 36mm then onto 46mm night and day each time. I’m no expert but bloody hell 46mm Ohlins are just awesome.
should really have added, my car is now way better than I ever will be and is very stable all of the time, this does make it very safe on track. I do feel all the upgrades I have done have been worth it, and just to be Pesky for a minute! If you don’t improve you, you will not really get the best value out of your upgrades.
I feel that the standard car is merely there as guidelines and should be upgraded as much as is mechanically possible!! haha
In Fairness, my bog standard S2 was a great package, with only the brake pads letting it down on track. I am a PF man, so once they were fitted all was well. The ohlins added to it and made a good car a great one, but for road use only with the occasional track day, standard stuff is pretty good.
With standard ic there Is a noticeable lag between gear changes.
With the forge it disappears.
This phenomenon is explained very well on one of the American forums.
I’m not asking for anyone’s agreement just sharing what I’ve found to 'work ’
And I wouldn’t describe the difference as subtle either !
good call and a game changer. Weight removal affordable where we can such like a full 2Bular system will do just that and make a car more responsive, so a no brainer. JSR’s recommendation on the KAAZ gear set was pure gold. A brake upgrade IMO inc 4 Pots, braided hoses, SRF, PF pads is also right up there. Listening to SC owners tell you how much more BHP they have over each other pre gear box explosion :tired: and how they can pull away from you on a straight costs nothing but drives us NA owners to get one over any chance we get on track, that costs nothing 
. But the Rad never went in 4 years of TDs prior to its change, the sump was a case of just in case to a Gpan and I’ve been revving my engine to 9k with a stock head for 2 years and I still (one for Tim) hit the limiter every now and then…
Is it really worth the extra for the 46mm Ohlins over the standard? Probably do 5/6 trackdays next year.