Looks like a fun car..
I feel confident the Elise has been discussed and there are fora that focus on it. That said, it is brilliant. I've had mine for over 8 years and it is truly unique. 1930 lbs or so with fuel and reliable Toyota power and with a robust aftermarket esp for such a low production vehicle. So light there is no power steering and the steering feel stands alone in sports cars produced this century. Not for poseurs, as it is loud, rattles, is difficult to get in and out of and impractical, all of which make it more endearing. Values have stabilized at $25K min and I doubt they go down from there for a well cared for car. I don't think we will see another car under 2000 lbs produced again perhaps ever.
Agree with Keith - I've had mine for 7 years and have no intentions of ever selling it!! This thread asks and answers quite a few quetions - http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/british/379103-elise-exige-questions.html
I had a Elise sport and it is a drivers car. I had the sport exhaust put on the car and that adds to the excitment. I did not have any trouble with the car, it was perfect. my car got "on cam" at 6500 rpm then it showed its teeth. Check the cam for gauling. Several of the cars had a manufacturing error and the oiling holes where not drilled properly. I never had any problems but a few freinds with the car had this I had alot of trouble getting in and out of the car with the hard top on. With the top off it was easy. The car also comes with a soft top which is easy to use and get in or out of the car when in use. It goes in the trunk when not in use. These are great cars. I kind of wish I still had mine. Lee
im kind of tossing around the idea of getting one as well. I have not driven one but i fear im going to miss the power of my G8 especially down low. Dont the early ones have under 200hp? What does it cost to get "decent" power out of one?
I agree the normally aspirated car is underpowered. Contact BOE fabrication on power adders, but a supercharger is probably on the order of $7k
Yes the standard model was 192 hp. They are still a blast to drive and flick around. The chip upgrade is supposed put the hp to 220. Most of that hp increase is higher rpms so you don't reqally get that much hp. Maybe a 2-3 hp real increase. But do not let that stop you. The power is satisfying enough and the car is awesome to drive. Good luck Lee
Don't dismiss it out of hand due to the power... you have to remember it only weighs 900kg. As Lee says - get behiind the wheel of one and see if you like it.
It's not an open highway straight roads kinda car, so if that is your arena its not a great choice. Imagine an RC car made just big enough to fit humans and you get the idea. I handling and feel is in another league compared to anything else out there. If tactility is your thing this is a great car. As to power, the issue is that the second cam only comes in above 6500 rpm. A computer program brings this down to 5700 rpm which is where you will be shifting from 3rd to 4th. The motor is more like a motorcycle motor and needs to be kept on the boil. For 7k you can do the supercharger and go to 300 hp which will be like 500 in a normal car. But it's not necessary, the supercharged cars are going to be heavier and are not really faster on track. The best upgrades are the computer change, better rotors and pads, maybe adjustable shocks and another set of heels/tires for the track. It's pretty much at a track where an Elise can be driven as intended. On the road corner speeds are so high that it starts to feel insane. Put it this way a corner taken on the limit at 60 in my m3 feels like nothing in the Elise till you are way over 90. It's a car all about inertia grip feedback, I'd torque and low rev acceleration are your thing its not for you. Think go kart for the road, not muscle car. If you have the right roads for it, nothing comes close, if not its probably a pain. I track mine probably 10 days per year, compared to other cars tires last twice as long, pads last for a season at least. Other than fresh fluids at the beginning of the season, and oil changes every two track days there is no maintenance that is needed. You're also going to smoke pretty much everything through the bends and if you're good get enough of a lead that by the timetable straights come all the power other cars have can't close the gap.
I cannot argue with what you said except I would not do all those things it is a wonderful car as it is. I drove my Elise for 5 hours on trips many times to get somewhere and I was fat and in my 60's . Yes the car is not a Bently in long trips but it is comfortible. The acleration is not ZR1 vette like but I argue it is still exciting to use. Maybe even more exciting! In racing I was with my friend in his Lotus Elise on the track. He is a racing instructor for Chin motor sports. On the track (Sebring) it was always in the bunch in the curves and way behind the pack on the long straight runs. This demonstrates one of your points. Don't mean to sound emotional but it one of my favorite cars of all times. People should drive one if they are interested and decide for themselves. Lee
I've had my 05 S2 for 4 years now and have loved every mile I've put on it. It see's regular track and street use and as others have said, is a very exciting car to drive. Depending on what year you get, you need to be aware of certain things. For example the 05 and early 06 cars suffered from premature cam wear. I replaced mine with piper stage 2 cams which not only solved the problem, but increased my HP by a considerable amount. Before the cams she dynoed out at 164 RWHP, after the cams she is putting down 194 RWHP. Also helping in this dept are a Janspeed Stage 2 exhaust and K&N filter. My car had the sport pack which provided bilstein coilovers which were ok, but using the car on track, the rears ended up failing at 20k miles along with the bushings. In everyday use, I hear they tend to fail at 30K miles. I've since replaced both. AST coilovers for the shocks and monoball spherical bushings. I opted for the stiffer motor mounts, RTD brace, specific for track use, upgraded brakes, quick turn steering rack and a few other little goodies that have transformed this little monster into a formidable, fun, track ninja. She does very well on the smaller tracks i.e. Limerock or NHMS and will corner with anything on the bigger tracks. But 500HP vs 220HP, and I am going to lose that battle everytime on a long straight. For a naturally aspirated car, she holds her own against some of the bigger displacement cars out there. Most importantly, she puts a smile on my face. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.
Just get one and have fun... You won't gain 30 whp from a cam change so don't listen to the dreamers.. Check out LotusSport.org ? Index page if you want real info on Lotus. I've had mine since 05 and will never sell it. There is no other car that will give you the best bang for the buck..
You would be better off with an Exige S, it will give you more under deck lid room for mods and it just looks better.. These are great week end toys that won't break the bank, unless you are a mental case like myself..
The alternative view is get an Elise. It comes with a soft top (though apparently it takes very little, other than buying the soft top, to fit it to an Exige) and you have a rear window. The rear window you don't need for the track, but it would be nicer (I would think) for frequent/daily driving. Having said that, I have an Exige S because once I felt the power difference there was no looking back (and, actually, the difference seems to be in low to midrange torque, which for the street is ideal). I have not driven a supercharged Elise, so I can't comment there--possibly the best of both worlds.
I am pretty sure if you take the roof off the exige you lose the direct air injection and therefore sme power. The elise by itself is all you need at least in my view. Mine was a elise sport, 1 of 50 built for racing. At least that ir was the plaque at the passenger said. It had a need color combination. But to be honest i could not tell the difference between the sport and the normal Elise. I would just get the normal car that has not been tracked. I think you will love it Lee
The roof scoop on the Exige funnels air to the air-to-air intercooler. Removing the roof doesn't eliminate this flow, but it does make it less efficient. Not a big issue on the street, but I would never run at the track without the hard roof on. S
I agree with this. Mine was a 2006 model year so maybe they are better with the newer models. The hard top is alot of work to get off or on. Not simple like a vette that is clip clip I would check that out before assumed I would use the hard top as you choose. I am not really sure about the newer cars. Lee
Best handling cars I've ever owned. It's like the steering is wired into your brain. Drive one on any good, tight track and you'll never get rid of the smile on your face. Image Unavailable, Please Login
i've had an exige S since 2007. it rarely sees the road nowadays as it's very impractical and uncomfortable in bad roads. still, there is nothing that can come close to it for driver feedback and excitement on the track and twisties. while it is a joy to drive on the track because of the feedback and gokart feel, i still think it is a very technical car to drive and need a lot of patience, practice, and skill to get it to turn fast times worthy of the caliber of the vehicle. i'm still learning mine and feel way off of what i think the pace of the car should be. while a couple of laps on an STi, 1M or GT3RS, i am already at a good pace for those vehicles. it is cheap to maintain and super fun to drive. and gets a lot of attention too.
i am interested in an elise for this summer to use as a top off cruiser looking for either black, red, orange, or green would appreciate any leads thanks
Check the lotustalk forum and the usual suspects like ebay and cars.com. There are plenty around, but do check for any chassis damage as I have seen more than a few with salvage or washed titles, as it is appallingly easy to total one. The chassis is officially non-repairable and front and rear clam replacement is so pricey that they also can total a car. The latter are not a big deal if clam repair was cosmetic, but a damaged chassis is a no-go as I have not seen anyone who can fix one (the chassis is a bunch of aluminum extrusions bonded together and cannot be repaired with conventional techniques).
Ultimate auto in Orlando maybe be able to fix it. I have had a several freinds that had their Lotus Eises fixed there. One of these cars had substantial damage. They are a Lambo, Bently and Rolls Royce dealership but they do work on all cars. They have a big shop and can do major restoration of most cars even old packards and such. Worth a call anyway Good luck lee
