Carbon Fiber Turbo Elise update

[DPM]

Well I finally got the car track prepped to my specifications and ran it on the track yesterday for the first time. WOW what a car! The turbo is very smooth with absolutely no lag. Throttle control through all of the turns with light braking was all that was required to keep my line.

I did not install a front splitter yet as I wanted to see how it handled. With the CF body it appears that it does NOT need a splitter. I had it upwards of 120 MPH and it didn't feel at all light in the front end.

The Porterfield brake pads are more than adequate. Having stripped the car of a lot of weight I didn't think that any additional brake upgrades were needed. I never experienced any fade and I ran 2 20 minutes sessions with a 20 minute break in between. Braking was usually between markers 2 and 1 and it only required a short firm tap to set up for the turns.

The Ohlins coilovers (8 clicks and 15 clicks settings on all corners) paired with the Hoosier R6 slicks is wonderful and gives good communication between the track and the steering wheel. At no time did I feel like I was pushing the car past its limits. For those interested, tire pressures were 23 front and 25 rear at 72 degrees air temperature. I kept the tach "redlined" at or below 7000 most of the time, the intent was to get familiar with the feel of the car as well properly season the engine. I wasn't out to set a course record.

For a comparison, last season on this same track, most of the really fast Elises (Cups) were in the mid 1:40's as I recall. I posted 1:42 yesterday without even pushing the car. There was a 2006 Z06 and 2006 WRX STI, both fully sorted and equipped for track use (slicks, suspension and engine mods, etc) as well as my Diasio D962R. Those best times were Z06 @ 1:44, WRX STI @ 1:39, and the Diasio @ 1:33 (rev limited to 6000 RPM as we are seasoning a rebuilt engine), more info on that at Diasio's Forum. We turned 1:26's most of the time we ran on that section last year with a 8250 rev limit.

All in all, I'm quite happy with the car and it is everything I expected it to be. It is very agile and at least for me, has a quick learning curve. I hope to have some video to post after this weekend at Autobahn Country Club. I can't enter it in the Sunday race because of the rule of a roll cage but that's OK, We plan on spanking them with the Diasio anyway.

[PhlypSide]

Nice!!!!!! Any chance we'll ever catch your Benetec car on the street (if shod with streetable tires that is)?

[DPM]

Originally Posted by PhlypSide

Nice!!!!!! Any chance we'll ever catch your Benetec car on the street (if shod with streetable tires that is)?

No way! I set it up for the track since day 1. I didn't even get a license plate for it. All I need is some idiot out there running into it. I'd rather take my chances on a track. I don't even have collision insurance on it, just the usual, fire theft, etc... Let me know if you want to come out to the track sometime and I can get you through security.

[Bman]

Very nice! Glad your enjoying it.


Do you know the wet weight for your car?

[DPM]

Originally Posted by Bman

Very nice! Glad your enjoying it.


Do you know the wet weight for your car?

I'm trying to find a scale at the track. There should be someone there with one this weekend. I was told 1700 or less but I'm not sure if that is wet or dry, I assume that is dry.

[eliseguy19]

Sounds like you have a pretty awesome car. Any chance you could post when you will be racing it so that I could come and watch? I've been wanting to check out the Autobahn track for a while now.

[DPM]

Originally Posted by eliseguy19

Sounds like you have a pretty awesome car. Any chance you could post when you will be racing it so that I could come and watch? I've been wanting to check out the Autobahn track for a while now.

This weekend I'll be there this Saturday afternoon 2:00 - 5:00, Sunday AM 8:00 - 3:00. I usually try to get out of there by 3:00 at the latest on Sundays because the traffic really starts to build from everyone coming back into town.

This Sunday I have my Diasio engine mechanic going for some hot laps with my son. We are trying to get an idea for the best turbo setup, so I'll probably be tied up with him most of either Saturday or Sunday. You're welcomed to come along anyway. You can see that car in action and if time permits, I'll get the CF out there on the track.

My weekly schedule is usually Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons from 2:00 - 5:00 as well as Sunday 8:00 - 3:00 .

Let me know when you want to come and I'll get you a pass to get on the property .

[eliseguy19]

Originally Posted by DPM

This weekend I'll be there this Saturday afternoon 2:00 - 5:00, Sunday AM 8:00 - 3:00. I usually try to get out of there by 3:00 at the latest on Sundays because the traffic really starts to build from everyone coming back into town.

This Sunday I have my Diasio engine mechanic going for some hot laps with my son. We are trying to get an idea for the best turbo setup, so I'll probably be tied up with him most of either Saturday or Sunday. You're welcomed to come along anyway. You can see that car in action and if time permits, I'll get the CF out there on the track.

My weekly schedule is usually Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons from 2:00 - 5:00 as well as Sunday 8:00 - 3:00 .

Let me know when you want to come and I'll get you a pass to get on the property .

Woops.....should've checked up on this thread yesterday afternoon. I probably would have came out today.

Well I wasn't expecting a weekly schedule. You must be one lucky guy to be able to do that. Unfortunately I will be busy the next couple of weekends, but could probably make it on May 26/27th if you will be driving that weekend.

BTW I don't actually own a Lotus......yet
I'm looking into getting an Elise sometime within the next year or so.

[DPM]

I finally got the CF Turbo Elise scaled today at the track. 1786# with a full tank of fuel, which equates to 1720#, if gas is calculated at 6.25# / gallon.
My diagonal weights are quite close, 890 x 896. Not going to get much closer than that!

[DPM]

Just finished testing some modifications and posted some video on youtube...enjoy. Didn't push it too hard just went out to have some fun. I'm loading some others with the Diasio in front of me tomorrow. Both cars are running stronger than they ever have. We will be running the Diasio next weekend in the Bobby Rahall Historic Race at ABCC. It's on the full track where we set the record last year and we hope to beat it. Wish us some luck!

YouTube - Lotus Elise Carbon Fiber Turbo @ ABCC North Track

[OriginalBlackCi]

Great vid. Very fast and I bet the car sounds even better in person. Do you still have the sequential Ikeya shifter?

[doug_porsche]

Okay, I am watching Top Gear, so I may be warped here.

You build a CF, Track only, Turbo Elise weighing 1750 or so pounds. All cool and I would trade you cars in a hart beat but....

In you video, also way cool, in the lower right hand corner of your video, is a speaker for the stereo. You have a stereo in your track only car. My guess is its either playing "The Best of TOP GEARS STIG self help driving CD's", or you have the track programmed into the navigation system.

I really do love the car! You seem to have built my dream car, or one of my dream cars as I am sort of fickle when it comes to that sort of thing.

[DPM]

Left the front speakers in, rear speakers out. The fronts don't weigh that much and aesthetically it looks better than a hole in the dash.

[DPM]

Originally Posted by OriginalBlackCi

Great vid. Very fast and I bet the car sounds even better in person. Do you still have the sequential Ikeya shifter?

I took it out near the end of last season. I could never get it adjusted correctly and Ikeya still has been no help it resolving it. When it works it's great but it's too finicky for me. We could never seem to find 3rd or Reverse. Reverse I could care less about, but 3rd is well used on track as you could tell in the video I just posted. I jacked around with it all last season and finally gave up and reinstalled the stock shifter which works great, just not as fast on the changes, which was one the reasons for the Ikeya in the first place. It's sitting in one of my garages collecting dust. It would come out of adjustment way too often for me. It makes a great $2800 paper weight though.

I'm sure if someone has the time and patience it would work correctly. Part of the problem might be that when my original shifter cables were replaced, the jam nut settings were never transferred over to the new cables so there is no baseline to start with on the location of the jam nuts and length of the swivels. Who knew!. It's got to be perfect and there were too many variables on adjusting both cables to get it just right. Just turning a nut a 1/2 turn would dramatically change things and I just ran out of patience with it as I wanted to get it on the track and not keep messing with it.

I contacted Shinoo @ Sector111 several times since last May (2007) and he never got any support from Ikeya and I imagine that is one of the reasons you won't find it for sale on their site any longer.

I am pretty sure I have figured out the problem and it's a rather easy engineering fix but Ikeya dropped the ball. When the cables move into 3rd there is about another 1/4" of throw that is needed for full engagement and that extra throw could be accomplished with a slightly larger radius cam in the mechanism. It's a simple cheap retro but they have done nothing to remedy the situation. Too bad because when it works it's awesome.

[Chris Mackey]

Funny. 3rd is the same gear I have a problem with...with the stock shifter. Maybe the problem isn't in the shifter.

[DPM]

Nope it's the shifter. We measured all of the individual cable throws in each gear and 3rd is always 1/4" shorter than the stock shifter. We compared it to a stock Elise and a Cup car and they have the exact same cable travel, so it's the shifter.

We had another track member that had a brand new Cup and FVMC installed one in his and he had the exact same issue, no 3rd and no Reverse.

[perryeyges]

I just had Neil's Ikeya shifter installed in my car yesterday. So far it shifts fine. Is the 3rd gear thing sporatic? Shinoo told me that it was a spot to be especially mindful of. Reverse is a little difficult but as you said it was the least of my worries.. Any advice would be helpful on how to keep the thing in tune. I will be doing street driving and track events but no competetive(racing) events. Maybe Virginia Cuty hillclimb next year

[perryeyges]

Re: "Ohlins 8 clicks and 15 clicks", Dampening Rebound??

[DPM]

Originally Posted by perryeyges

I just had Neil's Ikeya shifter installed in my car yesterday. So far it shifts fine. Is the 3rd gear thing sporatic? Shinoo told me that it was a spot to be especially mindful of. Reverse is a little difficult but as you said it was the least of my worries.. Any advice would be helpful on how to keep the thing in tune. I will be doing street driving and track events but no competetive(racing) events. Maybe Virginia Cuty hillclimb next year

If you have it dialed in then I would use some red loctite on the nuts so they don't move. It's very touchy to say the least.

[DPM]

Originally Posted by perryeyges

Re: "Ohlins 8 clicks and 15 clicks", Dampening Rebound??

Yes, compression 8 clicks and rebound 15 clicks works well with mine. Since your car weighs about the same as mine then that should be really close.

Those brakes should do the job, I am still on the first set of pads and rotors. I have never had any sign of fade on 20 minute sessions and the tracks I'm on have lots of turns and heavy braking zones at the end of the straights.