R&T Test - Exige S240, GTR, SRT10, LP560, GT2, R8, Z06, DBS, M3, EvoX

[mopho]

Originally Posted by FLuXeXigeS

agree with Murix...Lotus should have these cars pretty much dialed in during delivery, considering 99% of Elise Exige owners take their cars to tracks often

99%? Where do you come up with that number? It's bet its more like 15%

How often have you been to the track with yours?

[Stormy320]

my 240 with track pack had the suspension dialed in on comfort when I drove it off the lot. Not even in the middle, but comfort. I would assume when they did the test they didn't adjust the suspension, but it would be hard to verify.

My old Exige did not have track pack and had considerably tighter suspension.

[cpforyou]

If you look at the Big Willow Lap times, they pegged the Lotus Exige S240 at 98.11 seconds, or 1:38.11.

There are quite a few people hitting low 1:30s. I believe Jack hits 1:33, John Wurth hits 1:35s, etc.

[lotusforsale]

Originally Posted by FLuXeXigeS

Lotus should have these cars pretty much dialed in during delivery, considering 99% of Elise Exige owners take their cars to tracks often

Told you a MILLION times not to exaggerate.

[lotusforsale]

What? No Cobalt SS in the test?

[LBC111]

Originally Posted by Stormy320

my 240 with track pack had the suspension dialed in on comfort when I drove it off the lot. Not even in the middle, but comfort. I would assume when they did the test they didn't adjust the suspension, but it would be hard to verify.

My old Exige did not have track pack and had considerably tighter suspension.

My Exige also had the suspension set to "very comfy" from the factory, until someone at my first track event noticed the body roll, and we adjusted it to a more track-ready setting. The change in handling was not just apparent, it was phenomenal.

[Murix]

Originally Posted by cpforyou

If you look at the Big Willow Lap times, they pegged the Lotus Exige S240 at 98.11 seconds, or 1:38.11.

There are quite a few people hitting low 1:30s. I believe Jack hits 1:33, John Wurth hits 1:35s, etc.

Do you know what type of speeds they are hitting? Just curious. Perhaps the track pack being set to soft was part of the problem. Watching the video, it had a lot of lean! More than I remember seeing in person in fact.

[Zinhead]

Originally Posted by cpforyou

If you look at the Big Willow Lap times, they pegged the Lotus Exige S240 at 98.11 seconds, or 1:38.11.

There are quite a few people hitting low 1:30s. I believe Jack hits 1:33, John Wurth hits 1:35s, etc.

So their pro driver five seconds off the pace set by a bunch of amateurs? So much for the accuracy of Road & Track testing.

[FLuXeXigeS]

im always exaggerating LOL

[Riddlefox]

Originally Posted by xtn

Because the right setup would:

1. feel twitchy and darty on public roads,
2. wear our tires faster on highways, and
3. not be as safe for un-educated drivers.

The last two points are irrelevant for press mules, I'd imagine. The first one might apply, but I think most journalists would see it as part of the Exige's track-ready nature.

[carl]

Interesting test I'm very familiar with the WS big track. All of the times look soft to me, the viper should be 124-126 and the gt2 126-27 and the lotus 134ish with a pro driving. My S did a 132 with worn 48s and my old Elise did a 130.04 with a set of Jacks old slicks and Craig Stanton driving. Both cars were well set up with nitrons, track alignment and corner balanced. carl

[Green Hornet]

Don't the S240s have narrower front wheels than the rest of us with sport packs?

[mopho]

Originally Posted by Zinhead

So their pro driver five seconds off the pace set by a bunch of amateurs? So much for the accuracy of Road & Track testing.

The fact that that other people can go faster in a car that they have more seat time with is irrelevant to the testing since the times only need to reflect a fair comparison to the other cars.
Using the same driver throughout reduces the driver as a variable in the comparison and puts the focus on the cars themselves.

Millen isn't exactly in his prime, but he brings experience and the ability to evaluate the cars to the table.

And how much time have you and the others spent behind the wheel of the Lotus learning it? It is not reasonable to compare your times to Millen (especially since your car is not on the stock set up) since he probably only did a handful of laps in the car before having to move on to the others
I am sure if Millen (or any magazine test driver for that matter) spent all day in just the Exige he could have done better times.



..

[ZJChaser]

From their descriptions of the lotus it really does sound like the suspension was left full soft and it had a poor alignment(especially rear toe). Not dialed in like us that frequently track. And this is likely the drivers first time in that car, not driving the same car for a year or more on tracks learning all of its delicacies.

Carl, they were running this test the day that we were running the one day LCS at SOW. I spent a lot of time watching them run around big willow that day since I wasn't driving at SOW and while they were quick non of the cars appeared to be pushed to their ragged edges but they seemed to be consistent with them....at least the best I could tell observing from a little distance. I think every car is capable of a good bit more but I think its pretty even across the board and I think the lotus was setup poorly but its lotuses fault for sending a test car setup like that. They really should care a bit more about cars being used for these types of tests.

[xtn]

Originally Posted by Riddlefox

Originally Posted by xtn :

Because the right setup would:

1. feel twitchy and darty on public roads,
2. wear our tires faster on highways, and
3. not be as safe for un-educated drivers.

The last two points are irrelevant for press mules, I'd imagine. The first one might apply, but I think most journalists would see it as part of the Exige's track-ready nature.The last two points are irrelevant for press mules, I'd imagine. The first one might apply, but I think most journalists would see it as part of the Exige's track-ready nature.

I'm sure you're right, but the question was about why Lotus delivers them with lousy alignment settings, not about how journalists would feel about it. I doubt very strongly that the turnip farmers in Hethel specifically prepped that car for the R&T test. It's much more likely that R&T called up somebody in the USA and that somebody said, "Yeah we got one here, come and get it."

xtn

PS - I see a lot of people talking about body roll, and relating it to the damper settings. First, one has nothing to do with the other, except with regard to transient changes. Firming up the dampers will not effect how far the body rolls. And second, body roll is not detrimental to performance unless the suspension geometry results in undesirable alignment changes past a certain travel point and you want to keep travel from getting to that point, or you're rubbing the fenders or hitting the bump stops. Unless you're reaching one of those conditions (and a stock Elise/Exige is not) then the only benefit of lower body roll is an emotional/confidence one for the driver.

[mopho]

Originally Posted by xtn

I'm sure you're right, but the question was about why Lotus delivers them with lousy alignment settings, not about how journalists would feel about it. I doubt very strongly that the turnip farmers in Hethel specifically prepped that car for the R&T test. It's much more likely that R&T called up somebody in the USA and that somebody said, "Yeah we got one here, come and get it."

The bigger car companies hire firms that do the care, maintenance, prep and delivery of the press pool cars but often smaller and low volume companies like Lotus rely on the local dealerships to do it. Lotus of Newport Beach was doing it last time I had an Exige, but iirc I remember hearing that Lotus of Beverly Hills was taking the job over.

[eurosport]

Originally Posted by 25psi_Elise_Killer

i'm really shocked the Exige didn't do too well compared to the much heavier/high HP cars in the autocross. I would think the Exige would clean house in the autocross...

no LSD! There's your problem right there...

[Riddlefox]

Originally Posted by xtn

I'm sure you're right, but the question was about why Lotus delivers them with lousy alignment settings, not about how journalists would feel about it. I doubt very strongly that the turnip farmers in Hethel specifically prepped that car for the R&T test. It's much more likely that R&T called up somebody in the USA and that somebody said, "Yeah we got one here, come and get it."

I see the disconnect... I meant, why doesn't Lotus deliver the press cars prepped so they look good when magazines and reviewers are using them? I mean, you know if you loan it out to a journalist, he's probably going to write about it... so why not do everything you can to set the car up for success? I see that it's probably a dealership handing them out, but if I were Lotus' PR department, I'd be "Hey - it's R&T, give them a good car."

And does the S240 come with a brake bias adjuster?

[mopho]

Originally Posted by Riddlefox

I see the disconnect... I meant, why doesn't Lotus deliver the press cars prepped so they look good when magazines and reviewers are using them? I mean, you know if you loan it out to a journalist, he's probably going to write about it... so why not do everything you can to set the car up for success? I see that it's probably a dealership handing them out, but if I were Lotus' PR department, I'd be "Hey - it's R&T, give them a good car."

And does the S240 come with a brake bias adjuster?

The cars are only going to be prepped to be clean and mechanically sound, they are not going to deviate from the stock suspension settings because it is a personal preference as to the set up, so how would they know how to set it?
All the cars with exception to the Viper should have been in an "as they are delivered" state. The only reason the Viper did have set up changes is because an engineer was there to do it for them and quite frankly, it perhaps got an unfair advantage because of it, but I don't think it would have mattered much. I know when other mags tested the Viper the engineer came along too, but I think it was as much to be a chaperone, I don't believe they are building that many of those cars

[mopho]

Instead of continually looking for excuses as to why the car didn't place so well, how about excepting that the car was outgunned by some pretty heavy hitters?

Personally, I think the most important part of the whole test was this quote by Millen

Not that Steve didn't enjoy the 240-bhp mid-engine Lotus. "What a fun car! It's very, very tossable," enthused Millen. "Getting into a corner, there's quite a bit of understeer, but as soon as you get on the throttle and load the chassis, it becomes very balanced. You can drive it so hard, get in so deep, because it's just so light."

And that is why we choose to buy cars like this and not the others! (well, besides money, but I think I would still buy a car like the Lotus even if I could afford the others)