Products
Elise Exige (rover K)Baffled Sump Kit
Our Experience with the Rover K has shown that vehicle used particularly for track work can now corner so fast that the oil can be driven up the side of the engine and as a result reduce the oil supply to those alto important bearings, the oil supply is not lost for long enough for the engine oil pressure light to come on, but long enough for long term damage to take place!.
The only symptom you can get prior to a major engine failure is slight rattle from the cam followers during and straight after cornering but in the case of Exige's 190 Sport's and 340R's with solid cam followers you don't even get that warning.
Our new sump baffle kit has been developed with the help of RVJ Racing Services who have a vast amount of experience in fabrication components for racing and track vehicles. In our opinion it is a must for any one racing or even using there car for regular track days. This becomes even more important for people using sticky tyres and sports suspension.
The price of the kit is:-
£195.00 Which includes both the baffle kits and a modified oil pick up pipe / filter
Fitting Charge is £155.75 but the charge does depend on the type of exhaust manifold and down pipe fitted.
For more information of baffled sumps and oil surge read Art's article on oil surge and baffled sumps Art Markus thoughts on Oil Surge and Baffled Sumps
Testimonial for engine build and baffled sump.
Dear Lakeside,
I thought I would write to let you know how well the engine is getting on…
Following my rather large failure at the ‘ring last year, my engine was in a bit of a mess. Thankfully the head was relatively undamaged, needing just four new valves and a skim although a complete new bottom end was needed. After some discussion, we came to the conclusion that the failure could have been down to oil starvation on long fast corners. Lavant corner at Goodwood – my home track – proved particularly bad with the starvation after the fitment of AO48s and Nitrons due to the higher cornering speeds. As well as all of the other work and recommendations, which have made the engine superb, the single best modification has been the development and fitting of your baffled sump. At a recent test day at Goodwood, I had no symptoms of oil starvation whatsoever and the car ran faultlessly all day.
I would strongly recommend this system to anyone who takes their K-series Elise on track and would go as far to say that it’s the first track modification that should be carried out on a track day car…
James,
James MacNaughton
Club Secretary
Goodwood Road Racing Club
Goodwood Motor Circuit, Chichester,West Sussex PO18 0PH
Elise Heated Front Windscreens
We can now supply heated front windscreens for Elise's, which have the ability to clear a misted or frosted screen in just a few minutes a great advantage in a car with a very basic heater system. The heating elements in the screen are extremely fine, so not effecting your vision though the screen. We can supply and fit the heated screen for the same cost as standard screen, so if you have a cracked or broken screen it can be fitted as part of a normal insurance claim. There is an additional cost for wiring it in, which in the case of the S1 consists of fitting a matching switch to the blank in the right hand switch panel, with the S2 where there is no prevision for an extra switch we fit a timer relay which is wired into the side light, so on a cold morning you just start the engine and flick the side lights on and the screen switches on for a few minutes while the screen clears, this system can also be used on the S1 if required.
Elise Suspension Upgrades
As with most upgrades for the Elise there are
countless options available, at many different prices and making
many different claims. Upgrading your suspension can have one of the
biggest effects on your car on the road or the track,
The Picture here shows the original Koni Suspension
Elise S1
The original suspension on the Elise S1 was adequate it was produced by Koni at a price and was not some of their best work, it tends to be noisy and the life of the dampers is not very long by modern standards.
If your car is mainly used on the road with the occasional track day then in our opinion Lotus have produced the best answer them selves. The Bilstein dampers and springs on the S2 Elise were a big improvement over the Koni's fitted to the S1, as a result Lotus have produced a Kit for the S1 based on the system used on the S2. It lowers the ride height by approx. 10mm and the spring rates are a little higher making the ride slightly firmer (but perfectly acceptable for road use) and reducing body roll.
The price of the kit is:-
Fitting Charge £ 79.00 (Which includes an inspection of all other Suspension Components)
Geometry Check & Set Up £120.00
Suspension Kit £ 525.28 (Which includes 4 Bilstein dampers & 4 Springs)
Have a read of Nigel Fryatt's article in the Press section.
Elise S1 & S2
If your car is used more for track use or you are not too worried about a fairly stiff ride then the Nitron suspension is the one for you. The Nitron system gives you spring rates of 325lb at the front and 400lb at the rear, with this system you have the ability to set the ride height at a level that suits you and you can fairly easily adjust the damper rates at the side of the track/road.
One of the great advantages of Nitron is there support and back up service, the performance of all dampers reduces over time, but with Nitron they offer a great after sales service, rebuilding the units as regularly as you might require and a very reasonable cost. It is a first class service, it is often quite difficult to tell the difference between a serviced and a new unit.
The price of the kit is:-
Fitting Charge £ 237 (Which includes an inspection of all other suspension components and adjustment of the
steering rack height to eliminate bump steer)
Geometry Check & Set Up £120.00
Suspension Kit £ 995.00 (Which includes 4 single adjustable dampers 4 Springs)
Also available is an Eibach spring upgrade kit for £95, this replaces the standard Nitron springs with Eibach motorsport units. Benefits of this upgrade include weight reduction and lower friction. Customised spring rates of either Nitron or Eibach springs are available at no extra charge if desired.
The prices quoted here are only a guide price, this is due to regular price updates by Lotus Cars. As you would expect Lotus price updates are usually upwards!!
prices are plus VAT @ 17.5%
For further information on Nitron products go to www.nitron.co.uk
Lotus Brakes
Lotus have always been an innovator with brakes, they were one of the first manufacturers to fit disc's brakes all round when most were still relying on the very old technology of drums brakes. This continued with the Lotus Elise in 1996 with the introduction of Silicon Carbide Reinforced Aluminium Metal Matrix brake disc's often referred to as MMC.
These brakes had many advantages of conventional steel disc's, they were much lighter, the pads lasted two or three times longer and they produced little brake dust thus making keeping your wheels clean much less of a chore, there were a couple of down sides, braking in extreme wet weather was a bit unpredictable and under very extreme condition on the track you could melt the disc's.
Unfortunately production and supply of these brakes was stopped in 2000 and although there are a couple of aftermarket suppliers that offer replacement pads they just don't seem to be of the same quality as the Lotus originals and as a result not something we can recommend.
By way of consolation Lotus are offering two steel brake upgrades for people with MMC equipped vehicles, you can have the standard steel disc's with Lotus pads or the cross drilled brake disc's also with Lotus pads, these we have to order from the factory with the chassis number of the particular vehicle they are going to be fitted to. This offer is only available for vehicles originally equipped with MMC brakes
Steel Upgrade Prices:-
Standard steel disc & pad set ( four disc's &
two sets of pads) £331.88
Cross drilled disc & pad set ( four disc's &
two sets of pads) £376.14
Fitting charge for both options £ 79.00
The prices quoted here are only a guide price, this is due to regular price updates by Lotus Cars. As you would expect Lotus price updates are usually upwards!!
Al prices are plus VAT @ 17.5%
One thing to note although we are not aware of any plans to withdraw this offer it could be at anytime, so if it is something that appeals don not leave it to long!.
Lotus Tyres.
There are many different tyres available for the Lotus Elise & Exige, but most tyres are designed with a different vehicle application in mind, the Lotus Elise & Exige is much lighter than most other cars on the market so whilst the sizes and speed ratings may be right, they may not suit a car with such a low weight.
The S1 Elise was originally equipped with Pirelli P Zero tyres which while designed for that application they never had a particularly good reputation for wet weather grip, the Pirelli's have become increasing difficult to source with the replacement of the S1 with the Bridgestone equipped S2.
Thankfully Lotus have teamed up with the Japanese tyre manufacturer Yokohama to produce a replacement tyre specifically designed for this application. They have produced a Yokohama Advan Neova which would seem to do an admiral job. It Is an unusual tyre because a different tyre is produced for each corner of the car, presumably because of the success of this tyre Lotus/Yokohama are now producing a different tyre in the sizes required for the S2, this is call a Yokohama AD07 LTS this tyre only has a front and a rear tyre not a different tyre for each corner.
Unusually for a manufacture supplied tyre they are not too expensive !!!
Elise S1 Lotus/Yokohama Advan Neova
Fronts £ 78.56 + VAT & fitting/balancing
Rear £ 109.56 + VAT & fitting/balancing
A complete set fitted & balanced £492.78 incl. VAT.
Elise S2 (excluding Exige and motorsport derived cars)
Fronts £ 80.88 + VAT and Fitting/balancing
Rear £ 112.85 + VAT and Fitting/balancing
A complete set fitted and balanced £508.14incl. VAT.
Exige and Motorsport Application
For Exige and Elise there is a track orientated tyre call the Yokohama A048 which offers much improved grip in dry conditions although they can be a little scary on standing water.
Exige S1, S2 Elise S2 A048
Fronts £ 123.06 + VAT and Fitting/balancing
Rear £ 150.40 + VAT and Fitting/balancing
A complete set fitted and balanced £695.50 incl. VAT.
Elise S1 A048
Fronts £ 87.89 + VAT and Fitting/balancing
Rear £ 136.73 + VAT and Fitting/balancing
A complete set fitted and balanced £580.74 incl. VAT.
We can supply tyres for all other Lotus and Porsche Models at competitive prices, please rings to discuss your
requirements.