The Lotus Cars Community banner
  • Hi there! Why not register as a user to enjoy all of the benefits of the site? You may register here. When you register, please pick a username that is non-commercial. If you use a name that appears on any search engine commercially, you must pick another name, whether it applies to you or not. Commercial usernames are for supporting vendor use only. If you want to become a supporting vendor and grow your business, please follow this link. Thanks!

2007 Lotus Exige REV400 Build Details

13K views 56 replies 22 participants last post by  Kimgt 
#1 ·
I've gotten a few requests to do a build post and talk about my car, so here goes:



Here are the overall specs on my Exige:

Body/Interior:
*ReVerie 1650mm wing with 220mm stanchions
*ReVerie side skirts
*ReVerie front splitter
*Difflow 5-element rounded diffuser and block-off plates
*APR canards
*6-point cage by BOE
*BOE Clam Hinge
*Tillett B5 seats with solid mounts
*Schroth Profi II 6H 6-point harnesses
*Stereo Delete
*HVAC Delete

Steering/Suspension:
*OMP SuperQuadro
*Elise-Parts QR Hub and 20mm spacer
*Elise-Parts bump steer kit/steering arms
*MONOball spherical bearings
*BWR Penske D/A with 550/800 spring rates
*SSC Rear Toe-Link/Brace
*Lotus Track Pack sway bar

Engine/Transmission/Cooling:
*BOE Built long-rod 10.5:1 with JCR Head, Ferrea Solid Rockers, REV400, gPAN3, BOE Fuel Surge Tank, BMRS hoses, 60A motor mounts (100OCT tune, 355 whp/265 wtq)
*PPE Header
*BOE front HEX, ProRad Radiator, Setrab rear oil cooler (front cooler delete), BOE swirl pot, BOE Oil Catch Cans
*BOE Silent Touch exhaust
*HDSS clutch, Fidanza lightweight flywheel, LETSLA shift linkage

Brakes/Wheels/Tires:
*315/330mm AP Racing BBK with XP10 front and XP8 rear pads (about to upgrade the rears to XP10 to improve bias)
*LSS wheels with 195/50-16 and 225/45-17 R888 rubber on 3mm spacers and BOE wheel studs

I think that's everything (for now). I'll be building the trans with a set of BWR beefy gears and adding an Accusump this winter.

















Note that in the last photo, there's an extension attached to the exhaust in order to pass sound at Thunderhill - 103 db limit! I was at 106 dB before.

Some video from Thursday:

You'll note that the top speed I'm reaching in that video at Thunderhill is low (~123 mph); I discovered the next morning (Friday) that the intake tube had shifted and the opening was suctioning up against the clam at high RPM (>6000), and the motor was starving for air! After fixing this problem, my front straight speed was up to 133 mph and the back straight I was hitting 125 per my AiM Solo DL.

My thoughts:

I had a session on Friday where I got to go out and drive with a 991 GT3RS and a V6 Exige Cup; neither of them could pull on me on the straights, and I was turning faster lap times than both (I put in a best time of 3:13.9 running the 5-mile with the cyclone on the front side and the west bypass). The car keeps up with pretty much everything out there, and it's no surprise - this motor pulls HARD. However, it's still exceptionally manageable. Combining the phenomenal predictability of the Penske D/As with a much more reactive throttle pedal, I felt super comfortable sliding the car around the track. I can get away with staying in 3rd through the slowest turns, but now I'm running out of 4th in several areas where grabbing 5th is inconvenient (e.g., coming into T8 and T10). I plan to remedy that with the transmission build this winter. I think this car is capable of 1:57s on street tires doing the Thunderhill 3-Mile cyclone configuration, and I think I'll put down a 1:59 the next time I'm out there - the intake problem was costing me almost a full second on the front straight.

I absolutely love the car, it's a total beast!
 
See less See more
1 9
#3 ·
Thanks, I get out to the track about once a month, but I've only had the motor since August so I've got 3 days on it, total. I usually run with HoD and Speed SF but I've gone out with trackmasters, NCRC etc.

I can't say enough about the REV300/400, I'm super impressed. I really don't drive it on the street, but let me know when you'll be at the track and I'll be happy to take you out for a session.
 
#5 ·
Hah! Yea it's the first I've heard of it, too. Not gonna make Nov 7 unfortunately, day before the election I imagine the market will be going crazy!

I've never actually been to a GGLC track day, but I've heard good things. My friend Aleks is planning to be there in his E46 M3.
 
#10 ·
Good question; right now it's just pulling air into the engine bay. I haven't figured out what I want to do with that yet... The obvious solution would be to replace it with an Elise roof and delete the remainder of the scoop on the rear clam, but that just seems like a lot of expense for right now. Transmission and Accusump are the more immediate priorities. I've toyed with the idea of running some brake ducting down from the roof, but with the BBK it would just be unnecessary.
 
#13 ·
Thanks! Yea, I ran with other 991 and 997 GT3s, C7 Z06s, a new Viper ACR, etc. and while I'm not going to outrun those guys on the straights, the car definitely keeps up. It's a weird feeling to be able to bury the pedal and pass when needed. I definitely get point-bys much quicker than I used to, although some people (cough cough Corvette drivers) will still try to drag race me down the straights thinking they can lose me that way...nope!

ahh darnit, i'll be going on the 7th and was hoping you would be there lol

are you going to do any other days at laguna before the year is up?
I'm not sure about Laguna, it's going to take some engineering to pass sound and I don't want to trailer down only for my day to end immediately. I think with the exhaust redirection I'm right around 100 dBs, getting to 90 is going to be tough. There's a speedSF Sonoma event on the 5th/6th (103 dB) that I'm considering though...
 
#17 ·
I'm on the stock master cylinder, and I've been running the lighter compound in the rear; however, my rear brakes are being underworked and the fronts overworked, so I'll be switching it up to run XP10 in F and R rather than 10F 8R. Phil has suggested that I could also try and get the bias closer to 55/45 with a biaser, so that's something I'm considering for this winter.

Fantastic build. I have struggled on whether to keep my Elise super streetable or put a cage in for the track for best safety.

How comfortable do you find the B5 Tillet for drives ~ 2 hours in length?
Thanks man, the cage definitely makes it very difficult to drive on the street for both safety and comfort reasons. The B5s are great, I've done 3hr drives in them up to Thunderhill on a few occasions. It's not great, but it's not horrible, either.
 
#18 ·
I had those seats in my caterham (well slightly different and no padding) and I could do 100s of miles. Cold in the morning, but other than that awesome. And for those on the street, although tempting, a cage is dangerous without a helmet. And, btw, I am the least safety prone person on this forum I bet so this is not one of those rants. I have hit my head on a street car with a roll cage and it is not fun. Take the air bags out like me, no problem, but at least wrap the cage in foam or the like for non-helmet driving. I rather drive than drool lol.
 
#22 ·
I smogged it in February on the old motor with the M62 and FastWorks tune and the OEM catalyst, and it passed. It won't be getting smogged again, it definitely wouldn't pass. This car is effectively a track-only vehicle


Surprised that your stock MC is ok for the size of the brakes ... in particular the rear brakes.
Suggest that may be some of your problem .. as against brake pad compounds .
The MC for my setup doesn't seem to limit my braking at all. I can ABS easily if I want to. I've never felt like I wasn't moving enough fluid, and my pedal travel doesn't seem to suffer, either. If my pedal travel were super deep I would tend to agree with you, but for the time being the easiest thing to check for me is the rear compound, so that's what I'll adjust first.
 
#23 ·
Nice car, couple of questions...

Nice Exige! So I see that you are just over 350 wheel horse but as far as I can tell no tranny mods other than the LETSLA and the extreme clutch.

I'm curious what you're going to do to strengthen it soon (saw you post about transmission upgrades being your top priority). I've read on these forums where some people say the stock tranny can handle 350 wheel horse if you "handle with care", heard others say eventually 3rd (and maybe 4th too) will die on you with that level of power.

Personally, I find myself pushing hardest (street driving only for now) in 1st and 2nd but very rarely going all the way through 3rd at full throttle (speed limits and cops and what not) :p

Eventually I would like to move to a Rev 300 or maybe even Rev 400 (if it's at all possible to keep it streetable and keep my A/C for those sweltering hot Indiana summer days). Just wondering if it's possible to mitigate the costs of transmission changes... or do you see yourself eventually going full blown MR2 transmission swap out? (supposedly that tranny can handle like 700+ HP)

I had my Exige on the local Putnam track a couple weeks ago (during the free, lunch-time, "highway speeds only, anyone can drive" session) and now I fear I may have a bit of a racing bug. I've always wanted to increase the HP but I've always worried about having to drop another 5-10k on transmission changes... know what I mean?

Thanks acslater!
 
#24 ·
Trans breakage is correlated with use, power, and driving style, etc. If you're dumping the clutch and you have more power than the trans was designed for, you're going to break something eventually. The prevailing wisdom is that the stock trans starts to see much higher levels of breakage above 300 whp, specifically when you're talking about high-stress usage like tracking/racing. My trans has 80k miles on it, in stock config (i.e., no gears have been replaced) and I have 30 trackdays over the last 30 months on it with 0 problems running at S260 power levels (call it ~235 whp). I have 3 days on it with the new power levels and no problems yet, although I've specifically stuck with R888 tires until I upgrade the gears.

If you're going to be on the track, you're not going to use 1st at all. You'll rarely (if ever) need 2nd. Most of your time will be spent in 3rd and 4th, and those are likely to break with prolonged use at higher hp levels - it's just a matter of how long it takes.

As far as upgrading, I'm going to Fred's gearset (Blackwatch Racing) which has a thread here on the forum with a ton of details. It's not a cheap swap, but it's worth it to me considering this car is 100% track use now.

The REV300 would be a great kit to start off with since it has a simple upgrade path to the REV400. There is no I/C with the REV300 and you don't NEED the front HEX with the REV400, so you could get away with boosting your power AND keeping your HVAC intact. My advice, if you really want to get into tracking, is to start with low power levels - it'll force you to learn how to drive the car the way it's intended: as a momentum car. Then, as your skills and car control develop, you can increase power and benefit from both a momentum driving style and power on exit - the best of both worlds!
 
#25 ·
Thanks for the info acslater. If and when I get the cash I'll probably do the 300 first and then progress to the 400 later. I've also been wondering what it would sound like with one of those "silenced decat" pipes I've seen online (can't remember where). Here in Indiana they apparently don't give a sh1t about the environment so emissions testing isn't a thing... wondering if I can get max power without drawing unwanted attention from law enforcement and the idle pedestrian interloper/"do-gooder".

I notice you have a track exhaust setup (I assume) and you mentioned having to quiet it a bit. Is it just straight through, no baffling and no cat?

Thanks.
 
#36 ·
I really miss my REV400 I had in my old Elise. It was 99% track car, slicks and almost same build as yours and easily faster then majority of big engined race cars. I did have a stock trans with HDD clutch and light wight flywheel and did regular trans oil changes. I tracked it hard for about 3 years and even had a back up trans just in case, but never had a trans issue. So my thoughts if you shift smooth with stock trans is fine for some. Currently I have the BOE Torque 300 tune and all the option BOE suggest for this tune and very happy with it. But still miss my REV400 on the faster tracks and if I had not already invested so much in my build might have gone with the REV400 again. But last weekend I was pretty easily faster then a REV300 Elise all around the track.

How do you like the LETSLA shift linkage? I am considering this or the soon to be released Sector 111 shifter. Here in Michigan I have all winter to decide :(
 
#38 ·
I use Power Punch, a moly solution, that has helped both my cars shifters. Given to me by a late friend who was Toyota engineer. Use Redline MT-90 too.

Have you done the "Stan" mod? (Don't know if applicable to all years.)

I also bought the Sector 111 Re-Enforcer to also stabilize the shift tower.

One of the swivel joints under the shift cover was at a terrible angle. I marked, then moved it. And lubed all of them.

This Elise shifts wonderfully!
 
#43 ·
I see your point of view, and I hope none of this has come across as contentious, although re-reading my last post left me feeling a bit guilty...

My stance in all this is that an individual was asking about modifications and hoping to get more "oomph" by de-catting his car, which isn't even street legal in most states. My advice NOT to is supported by raw data, not subjective assessments, and it has the added benefit of keeping his car street legal and saving him some money.
 
#45 · (Edited)
Ok again, talking about bottlenecks... you had already replaced the header. So the next bottleneck was the cat. It makes sense if you think about it in those terms. As BOE hypothesized, the header was a greater bottleneck than the cat; in your case, you replaced the header...so now the bottleneck was the cat. Replacing the cat allowed you get full benefit from the header, which was limited.

The only data I've seen that isolates variables is the BOE header shootout, and they saw no difference in power from deleting the cat WITH THE STOCK HEADER, which is specifically the situation we're talking about here. Incidentally, BOE saw about a 17 whp benefit from the 2bular header, with no cat

Just food for thought...
 
#46 ·
Yes, and a decaf PLUS tune doesn't really count.

A good vendor here told me cat was worth about 3-4 hp. This cannot be felt and will not show up on a stopwatch.

Before I got a tune for ECU, I tested car in 3rd gear, 3500 to redline.

Then, same day, same amt of fuel, ran same test on same piece of road.

3rd gear long enough to minimize timing errors. And, a shift would introduce too many variables.

(BTW, picked up a full second.)
--

We've had some funny "butt dyno" cases here. One fellow swore he and his friend could feel significant difference with those 4 electrode spark plugs.

Goaded into getting this on a dyno, he found he lost a few hp with those plugs.

Anyone remember the guy who KNEW that hot water in his sink took longer to drain than cold??
 
#47 ·
Engine/Transmission/Cooling:
*BOE Built long-rod 10.5:1 with JCR Head, Ferrea Solid Rockers, REV400, gPAN3, BOE Fuel Surge Tank, BMRS hoses, 60A motor mounts (100OCT tune, 355 whp/265 wtq)
*PPE Header
*BOE front HEX, ProRad Radiator, Setrab rear oil cooler (front cooler delete), BOE swirl pot, BOE Oil Catch Cans
*BOE Silent Touch exhaust
*HDSS clutch, Fidanza lightweight flywheel, LETSLA shift linkage
Have you considered going the K-swap route?
I'd imagine you could sell this package and have almost all the funds for a turbo K24.
Seems like a lot of work to get 355whp, when a non-built turbo K20/K24 could produce +400whp and have plenty of that under the line.
But, then you run into the same issue with the gearbox being the weak point.

On the other hand, 355whp is quite a lot in a 2100lb car.
 
#48 ·
Is that a real question? By that same logic, hell, why not do a V6 swap? I'm very happy with the motor I have in its current configuration, and if I get an even larger desire for power, the motor can handle the new REV-X platform coming out, which would get over 450 whp

I've never been a fan of motor swaps. I find that the more idiosyncratic the build, the harder it is to troubleshoot potential problems, etc.
 
#49 ·
If the balance of a car is off, an engine swap may transform the car... But Lotus got it spot on with the Type 111 chassis. That is why I'm all for "building" the engine and replacing the gears in the box (a la Quaife) in the Lotus. Building the engine will maintain the balance and feel of the car, yet up the HP so you don't get passed on the straights by the muscle cars that can't make it around the corners... I'm all for the 2ZZ-GE build.
 
#53 ·
I answered your question pretty thoroughly. But I do think that your intention WAS to ruffle feathers because I can't imagine you believed your suggestion could be interpreted in any other way- you basically said "hey you can sell your setup that you JUST built and get a Honda swap done"

I entertained the suggestion but I won't pretend it wasnt asinine
 
#55 ·
  • Like
Reactions: qz5gxt
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top