All -
I just got back from ForcedFed's shop in Livermore ... We met Brett and his team and they introduced us to the car. We poured over the engine compartment. We did some Q&A. Then ... we went for test rides!
:crazyeyes: HOLY FREAKIN WOW, that thing is awsome !!!!!!!!!!
Ahem. ... must calm down ...
...
ok. all better now.
So...
I made the 40 minute trip over to ForcedFed's shop in Livermore California. It's located in an industrial park only a few miles from the nuke lab. I almost drive past the place but my peripheral vision picks up a dark colored Elise. I U it and pull in. There's a small gathering of people around a Graphite Gray Elise. I also recognize a particular Blue Liz parked nearby.
I park, get out, and join the group. The car is sitting there with its engine lid removed. We're outside the shop, there is a blue sky above, and the air is chilly. Folks are asking questions but I spent the first few minutes looking over the install before I join the conversation.
Yeah, the new slicks (edit: Toy R888's... not actualy slicks) look interesting - the wheels they are on look nice too (*shrug*). But what i'm interested in is located in the engine bay. Sure enough ... there's our familier engine. But around that engine are some new components. Over there's the cooler ... and over there is the intake ... peering down inside I can see the new exhaust pipes as well as the heart of the turbo. The welds look very good. It looks very clean and absolutely professional. It doesn't look like anything is cramed in either ... the parts all appeared to have generous clearance and the fit looks like Lotus themselves might have shipped it. I can see the Unichip controller. The engineering looks good. In the cabin there's two new gagues - whose look & placement arn't my style but oh well.
I hold in the drool and rejoin the group.
Q and A time...
Me: "How's the tune comming? Solve that dip?"
Brett's tune tech: "Yes, the dip's gone."
Me: "Oh yeah? Cool! Are you still doing VVTL?"
Tech: "Yes"
Me: "How's the speed?"
The tech with a big grin he can't hold in: "0 -> 100 is in the 8 seconds!" (edit: The tech might have been expressing a best guess or something. Since the tuning is not done yet I bet they themselves don't know yet. We need to wait for the track test for the final numbers.)
Me: "What!? Wow. How's the driveability?"
Brett then tells us that we're gonna see for ourselves ... we're gonna do TEST RIDES!
Kiyoshi climbs in to the passenger seat and they start it up.
It sounds different. A better kind of different.
Deeper.
Idle is more burbly. More purposeful.
Sounds like how my vette idles.
The car backs out and, at normal parking lot speeds, and makes its way out to the street. Now this is a big test for me because I want to make sure the thing doesn't sound or act ridiculous at normal driving speeds. My Liz is afterall my new daily driver. I'm impressed ... the Liz has a deeper voice but it's not shouting ... the thing has gone through puberty and its voice has changed but for the better. I decide that it would be fine on the street.
The car, on the main street now, dissapears behind a building and then we hear it launch. Hehehehe when you punch it folks are gonna know! Roar!
Eventually the car comes back and Kiyoshi is wearing a new grin.
My turn!
Yeah yeah ... driving out to the street ... yeah yeah, ... easing onto the deserted road .... yeah yeah ...
Brett eased up to about 25mph ... then launched it from there.
He floors it to the top of second...
Then floors it to the top of third...
We're climbing through fourth...
We keep going faster and faster and ohMyGodNowINeedToGoGetATowel.
Okay ... I've only gotten to know a 70's vette, my Supra, an RX7, a couple of Dodges. None of them were supercars. I'm sure many of you out there own some pretty darn fast cars and could do a much better comparison. But for me ... this was the fastest acceleration I've ever experianced - and I fell off a mountainside once!
At the top of third it was starting to get scary. I had a fleeting vision of being dead. These roads are deserted ... it's saturday in an industrial park ... but there are some slight curves coming up ... is Brett gonna slow it any???
Nope. We accelerate into the slight curves. I glance over and the needle's in the tripples.
The stock Liz is nothing like this. Now way. Now there's a monster in the boot. This is seriously faster. We come to a stop (our little Liz has some serious braking ability), U it, then do it all over again.
We then slow down to 70 and Brett puts it into 6th gear. He says 'watch this' ... then he floors it. The car launches forward in a way that my poor stock Saffron Liz could only dream about. No need to downshift!!
The drive gave me a new appriciation of the Liz's suspension and handling ability. The car was solid. I thought I knew were some of the car's limits were but Brett knows the car much better than I do. Brett must think I'm a nut case cause I was laughing out loud and saying 'oh my god' the whole time. I told Brett he could have charged me for that ride ... it was thrilling. Oh, and the not dieing part is good too.
THE SOUND
And there is an awsome new sound while the car is running hard. You can hear the turbo ... it's a sucking, screaming, blasting sort of sound that builds up ... like Darth Vader. Except ... it's a "Darth Vader Is Comming To KICK YOUR ASS" kinda sound. It is so sweet. At the shift it makes a phsssst! sort of sound. I like it.
This is now a different car. We get back and I told Brett I know he's got got at least one sale. I notice that we didn't do any standing lauches or really put any stress on 1st gear so I ask if they have a 0 -> 60 yet and he says not yet but that it's in the higher 3's and falling (I take it there's a little more tuning left to be done.)
I take a part and feel the welds with my fingers. Good craftsmanship. The indside of the seam feels good too.
Something I regret ... I had a video camera in my coat pocket BUT FORGOT TO USE IT! I did however take a few still images. I will attach them.
I'm sorry if my description is short on technicalls ... I'm not a gear head or a racer ... just a guy who loves cars and gets thrills off of quick acceleration & great handling. (I don't care much for top speed - I never use it *shrug*). Brett has some test equipment wired to sensors scattered through the system ... he held it up and read off some temperatures and seemed very happy with the numbers but it was greek to me. (When it comes to my cars I understand things like the throttle pedal, the shifter, and occasionally the gagues but if he says the temp is good then I'll have to trust him.) The number 'twenty degrees below zero' was used at one point. Also, 7psi I think.
What I want is a system that is install & forget ... and for that to work it has to be well designed and reliable. I think that's what we might have here. We discussed projected prices and I was pleased ... I was actually willing to go a little higher The install will be an additional charge on top of the kit. They said that if the car ever needed any servicing that they could do it.
You know that grin folks talk about when they talk about driving in their Elise? Well, I've now upshifed the Grin Level. My grin now goes to eleven.
...
I'd like to thank Brett and his tech for letting us lay eyes on this thing, ask questions, and of course the test rides. They were nice, articulate, and willing to answer questions. I have never never ever accelerated that fast before and I'll never forget the ride.
Next step... convince Sara that this year's toy budget needs a little boost.
-doma
edits: various typo corrections
I just got back from ForcedFed's shop in Livermore ... We met Brett and his team and they introduced us to the car. We poured over the engine compartment. We did some Q&A. Then ... we went for test rides!
:crazyeyes: HOLY FREAKIN WOW, that thing is awsome !!!!!!!!!!
Ahem. ... must calm down ...
...
ok. all better now.
So...
I made the 40 minute trip over to ForcedFed's shop in Livermore California. It's located in an industrial park only a few miles from the nuke lab. I almost drive past the place but my peripheral vision picks up a dark colored Elise. I U it and pull in. There's a small gathering of people around a Graphite Gray Elise. I also recognize a particular Blue Liz parked nearby.
I park, get out, and join the group. The car is sitting there with its engine lid removed. We're outside the shop, there is a blue sky above, and the air is chilly. Folks are asking questions but I spent the first few minutes looking over the install before I join the conversation.
Yeah, the new slicks (edit: Toy R888's... not actualy slicks) look interesting - the wheels they are on look nice too (*shrug*). But what i'm interested in is located in the engine bay. Sure enough ... there's our familier engine. But around that engine are some new components. Over there's the cooler ... and over there is the intake ... peering down inside I can see the new exhaust pipes as well as the heart of the turbo. The welds look very good. It looks very clean and absolutely professional. It doesn't look like anything is cramed in either ... the parts all appeared to have generous clearance and the fit looks like Lotus themselves might have shipped it. I can see the Unichip controller. The engineering looks good. In the cabin there's two new gagues - whose look & placement arn't my style but oh well.
I hold in the drool and rejoin the group.
Q and A time...
Me: "How's the tune comming? Solve that dip?"
Brett's tune tech: "Yes, the dip's gone."
Me: "Oh yeah? Cool! Are you still doing VVTL?"
Tech: "Yes"
Me: "How's the speed?"
The tech with a big grin he can't hold in: "0 -> 100 is in the 8 seconds!" (edit: The tech might have been expressing a best guess or something. Since the tuning is not done yet I bet they themselves don't know yet. We need to wait for the track test for the final numbers.)
Me: "What!? Wow. How's the driveability?"
Brett then tells us that we're gonna see for ourselves ... we're gonna do TEST RIDES!
Kiyoshi climbs in to the passenger seat and they start it up.
It sounds different. A better kind of different.
Deeper.
Idle is more burbly. More purposeful.
Sounds like how my vette idles.
The car backs out and, at normal parking lot speeds, and makes its way out to the street. Now this is a big test for me because I want to make sure the thing doesn't sound or act ridiculous at normal driving speeds. My Liz is afterall my new daily driver. I'm impressed ... the Liz has a deeper voice but it's not shouting ... the thing has gone through puberty and its voice has changed but for the better. I decide that it would be fine on the street.
The car, on the main street now, dissapears behind a building and then we hear it launch. Hehehehe when you punch it folks are gonna know! Roar!
Eventually the car comes back and Kiyoshi is wearing a new grin.
My turn!
Yeah yeah ... driving out to the street ... yeah yeah, ... easing onto the deserted road .... yeah yeah ...
Brett eased up to about 25mph ... then launched it from there.
He floors it to the top of second...
Then floors it to the top of third...
We're climbing through fourth...
We keep going faster and faster and ohMyGodNowINeedToGoGetATowel.
Okay ... I've only gotten to know a 70's vette, my Supra, an RX7, a couple of Dodges. None of them were supercars. I'm sure many of you out there own some pretty darn fast cars and could do a much better comparison. But for me ... this was the fastest acceleration I've ever experianced - and I fell off a mountainside once!
At the top of third it was starting to get scary. I had a fleeting vision of being dead. These roads are deserted ... it's saturday in an industrial park ... but there are some slight curves coming up ... is Brett gonna slow it any???
Nope. We accelerate into the slight curves. I glance over and the needle's in the tripples.
The stock Liz is nothing like this. Now way. Now there's a monster in the boot. This is seriously faster. We come to a stop (our little Liz has some serious braking ability), U it, then do it all over again.
We then slow down to 70 and Brett puts it into 6th gear. He says 'watch this' ... then he floors it. The car launches forward in a way that my poor stock Saffron Liz could only dream about. No need to downshift!!
The drive gave me a new appriciation of the Liz's suspension and handling ability. The car was solid. I thought I knew were some of the car's limits were but Brett knows the car much better than I do. Brett must think I'm a nut case cause I was laughing out loud and saying 'oh my god' the whole time. I told Brett he could have charged me for that ride ... it was thrilling. Oh, and the not dieing part is good too.
THE SOUND
And there is an awsome new sound while the car is running hard. You can hear the turbo ... it's a sucking, screaming, blasting sort of sound that builds up ... like Darth Vader. Except ... it's a "Darth Vader Is Comming To KICK YOUR ASS" kinda sound. It is so sweet. At the shift it makes a phsssst! sort of sound. I like it.
This is now a different car. We get back and I told Brett I know he's got got at least one sale. I notice that we didn't do any standing lauches or really put any stress on 1st gear so I ask if they have a 0 -> 60 yet and he says not yet but that it's in the higher 3's and falling (I take it there's a little more tuning left to be done.)
I take a part and feel the welds with my fingers. Good craftsmanship. The indside of the seam feels good too.
Something I regret ... I had a video camera in my coat pocket BUT FORGOT TO USE IT! I did however take a few still images. I will attach them.
I'm sorry if my description is short on technicalls ... I'm not a gear head or a racer ... just a guy who loves cars and gets thrills off of quick acceleration & great handling. (I don't care much for top speed - I never use it *shrug*). Brett has some test equipment wired to sensors scattered through the system ... he held it up and read off some temperatures and seemed very happy with the numbers but it was greek to me. (When it comes to my cars I understand things like the throttle pedal, the shifter, and occasionally the gagues but if he says the temp is good then I'll have to trust him.) The number 'twenty degrees below zero' was used at one point. Also, 7psi I think.
What I want is a system that is install & forget ... and for that to work it has to be well designed and reliable. I think that's what we might have here. We discussed projected prices and I was pleased ... I was actually willing to go a little higher The install will be an additional charge on top of the kit. They said that if the car ever needed any servicing that they could do it.
You know that grin folks talk about when they talk about driving in their Elise? Well, I've now upshifed the Grin Level. My grin now goes to eleven.
...
I'd like to thank Brett and his tech for letting us lay eyes on this thing, ask questions, and of course the test rides. They were nice, articulate, and willing to answer questions. I have never never ever accelerated that fast before and I'll never forget the ride.
Next step... convince Sara that this year's toy budget needs a little boost.
-doma
edits: various typo corrections