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

[Riddlefox]

RoadandTrack.com -- Comparison Tests - 4-Track Free-for-All (9/2008)



Kind of surprised at how poorly the Exige did

[noobified]

Looks great in Burnt Orange! As for the results,

[xtn]

Really? I'm not surprised at all.

See the part where the author says a few adjustments could drastically effect the times? That's definitely true for the Lotus. Proper setup makes a huge difference compared to as-delivered settings.

But you're never going to get around HP/drag at higher speeds. Every car in that test will whup up on the poor little Lotus when the go-pedal his held down. Most of them by quite a large margin.

xtn

[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...

http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/d..._autocross.pdf

[Riddlefox]

Why not deliver the car with the right setup then? And the same argument could be made for any of the cars, I imagine.

I didn't think that the Exige would shine in the high speed oval, but I would've hoped for more in the autocross and the short road course where top speed doesn't matter as much.. especially after the showing that the Elise and Exige did in the C&D Lightning Lap (and VIR is a higher speed track).

[aschen]

the autocross times are for sure confusing. exige should be able to lay the smack down on many of the cars that beat it. Autocross is so dependant on tires and driver (even with the pro) its hard to magazine race with times. I wonder which suspension setup it had. The time by the gtr further confirms my suspiscion that it either comes with "ringer"tires or it can suspend physics. I suspect the former....

[lotusforsale]

Originally Posted by aschen

the autocross times are for sure confusing. exige should be able to lay the smack down on many of the cars that beat it. Autocross is so dependant on tires and driver (even with the pro) its hard to magazine race with times. I wonder which suspension setup it had. The time by the gtr further confirms my suspiscion that it either comes with "ringer"tires or it can suspend physics. I suspect the former....

Well, most road tests of the Elige/Exise, from the time it first got here, pointed to the sport package A048's as 'ringer' tires.

[aschen]

Originally Posted by lotusforsale

Well, most road tests of the Elige/Exise, from the time it first got here, pointed to the sport package A048's as 'ringer' tires.

And they are absolutely right compared with stock tires on most cars. It becomes a bit more hazy in this all star group. The exiges performance is a bit disapointing but the numbers have never added up for the gtr

For example when compared against a zo6
it weighs much more
has much skinier tires
less rated horspower (although it it likely very understated)

Yet it spanks the zo6 in every test. Cars are more than the sum of there parts and all that jazz but it just doesent add up. All the electronic gizmos in the world cant increase the available grip at each contact patch

[Riddlefox]

Aschen, it seems like that the Z06 just can't put down the power as well as the GTR. All the reviews complain how the Z06 will transition into oversteer if you breathe on the gas. With the AWD of the GTR, you can probably just floor it and let the diffs and computers figure out how to put down all of its power to all four tires without spinning you off of the road.

[noobified]

I think there's more lag with this supercharger than there is with the turbo in the Evo." Overall, the Lotus is such a pure experience that it just feels faster.

Well, at least it "feels" faster. I would have to disagree with the lag comment. I would assume the car was delivered with the proper set up. Why would Lotus set their car up for failure?

Either way, the S240 was up against some very tough competition.

[xtn]

Originally Posted by Riddlefox

Why not deliver the car with the right setup then? And the same argument could be made for any of the cars, I imagine.

I didn't think that the Exige would shine in the high speed oval, but I would've hoped for more in the autocross and the short road course where top speed doesn't matter as much.. especially after the showing that the Elise and Exige did in the C&D Lightning Lap (and VIR is a higher speed track).

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.

You might be surprised at the extent of the change made by proper setup on the Lotus as compared to most other cars. Still, compared to many of the other cars in that test, the Lotus is a very expensive, very fast little economy car. I'm not knocking it; it's my favorite car in the world. But it's not the fastest. The best SPORTS car in the world does not necessarily mean the fastest car in the world.

xtn

[ZJChaser]

I was at streets of willow that day when they were running the test at big willow. That new Lambo was far and beyond the meanest sounding car of the group! Patricko and I went over and chatted with them a bit but they wouldn't let us take photos

[Monsi]

you can make an elise fast in a straight line... its not that hard to add power
its not easy to make a car handle well that doesnt from the get go, sure you can stiffen up the suspension but you cant change weight balance, chassis geometry and other things of that nature

[Bavarian Motorist]

Most impressive: Viper ACR and DBS. Did not expect these two to perform as well as they did.


Most disappointing: Exige S 240 and Z06.


Exige S had its work cut out for it, but it should have owned the autocross course; at least in the top 5.


For all that's been made of the Z06, it stank in those tests.

[Bavarian Motorist]

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.

You might be surprised at the extent of the change made by proper setup on the Lotus as compared to most other cars. Still, compared to many of the other cars in that test, the Lotus is a very expensive, very fast little economy car. I'm not knocking it; it's my favorite car in the world. But it's not the fastest. The best SPORTS car in the world does not necessarily mean the fastest car in the world.

xtn

I'm not disagreeing with you, but aren't sports supposed to be competitive? So shouldn't the best sports car win some of the events?

[Murix]

This is a pretty cool test. Results are not too surprising or disappointing. Not exactly a bad bunch of cars to be in. End of the day, if lap times matter, it sounds like the Exige needed more power.

[Bavarian Motorist]

Man, that Viper looks BA!!!





Exige looks unstable...






And this GT2 looks fast just in this pic alone...






DBS looks really muscular...





R8 looks menacing and sinister...too bad it's too slow to back that up. Needs 30 more hp.





LP560-4 is the superman of this group. It can take you to lunch, take you clubbing, and kick ass at the track.





Z06 looks dull in this company...

[xtn]

Originally Posted by Bavarian Motorist

I'm not disagreeing with you, but aren't sports supposed to be competitive? So shouldn't the best sports car win some of the events?

Sounds good to me. Two weeks ago I couldn't get a 2008 Viper ACR out of my damn way fast enough. Put a different driver in that beast and it would be a different story.

We're talking about a $20K go-cart (almost) chassis and drivetrain combo competing against much higher priced machines. It's impressive enough to me that they even include the Lotus in such comparisons with the world's fastest.

It's very competitive against all other street legal cars pushing the HP and torque number we've got to work with. Do I wish it was faster? Sure. But I'm also conscious of track operating costs. The Lotus wins the competition called "Who didn't need new brake pads and tires after that one weekend of testing?"


Just sayin',
xtn

[Monsi]

and of all those cars... even if I had the money to choose... I would still take the exige

"Who didn't need new brake pads and tires after that one weekend of testing?"

SHAZAM!

[Bavarian Motorist]

So you think the Exige could have done better in more experienced hands.


As far as pricing though, the 240 comes in around $70k loaded, compared to maybe $40k for the Evo which remained very close to it or beat it in many of the events, and around $70k for the M3, $80k max for the Z06 and how ever much the GTR cost. Point being, the Exige is up there in price. It's not the cute little, relatively cheap Corvette fighter it used to be. It has some serious competition.


One of the drivers mentioned that the more confident he felt, the faster he could go. You could chalk that up to lack of experience driving an Exige...who knows. Just speculating.




If I had to pick one of those cars, I'd take the Exige only because the roof is removable...