Factory Track Pack Recommended Set up

[Mark Starr]

Several of you out there have ordered or already have the optional Track Package on your MY06 Elise or Exige. There is no mention of the recommended set up for street and track use in the manual. There will be an addendum sent out but until that arrives, I wanted to post this for your convenience. This is just the recommended set up and you might find that your style of driving or the track conditions require some fine tuning of the settings or set up............................

[Randy Chase]

Thanks Mark!

[Stan]

Thanks Mark. We can see that changing the front perch by 6 mm changes the front ride height 10 mm. And out back 8 mm at the spring leads to 10 mm at the chassis ride height checking point. This is due to the motion ratio through which the suspension articulates. They also suggest more negative camber out back than for the other Elise options. Some of that comes automatically through lowering. Does anyone know if they left the steering rack shim alone...and the free length of the springs if different than LSS.

[Rookie999]

Mark,
Great info - been waiting to get some info on the settings for the Track Pack..thanks for taking the time to share!!!!

[Robert Puertas]

Originally Posted by Stan

Does anyone know if they left the steering rack shim alone...and the free length of the springs if different than LSS.

That's the info I have been given. No change to the rack, and slightly longer springs of the same rate.

[Jack]

Mark,

Thanks for the info -- it's very much appreciated.

[MotorCade]

That's good gouge, Mark... Thanks!

[codymac]

Thanks, Mark! Can't wait to turn all those things!

[PsychoRallye]

Originally Posted by Robert Puertas

That's the info I have been given. No change to the rack, and slightly longer springs of the same rate.

Speaking of the rack, has anyone replaced theirs? Level of difficulty? Any special tools required?

I've got a new one on the way...

[achiu]

So has anyone driven a track pack equiped car? How does the ride stiffness compare to the LSS for street use?

Alex

[shay2nak]

This is cool stuff, thanks for posting. I like how we can adjust the suspension stiffness, personally I'd adjust it a little stiffer for normal driving.

So, let me get this straight...

The ride height of a normal Exige is 130mm.

The ride height of a Track Pack Exige is 120mm.

Fully lowered track pack ride height is 110mm.

Is this correct?

[Vantage]

Originally Posted by achiu

So has anyone driven a track pack equiped car? How does the ride stiffness compare to the LSS for street use?

Alex

I will ask a proud new owner tonight and let you know.

[shay2nak]

Originally Posted by Vantage

I will ask a proud new owner tonight and let you know.

you bought an Exige?

[Stan]

For those who can mod (nonstock classes) I kinda wonder if the Elise would respond well to using helper or tender springs. The car is designed to deal with a fair amount of chassis roll. So droop travel on the inside corners might be extra important. Helper or tender springs can help get lotsa droop travel. For the Ohlins rears I set the length a bit longer than stock (SCCA legal) so there is some potential there to help exit wheelspin if there is a droop related aspect to the matter. It seems like Lotus feels that roll is not the end of the world. A stock Elise with LSS springs rolls around 3 degrees or so, more than some other competitive cars. So perhaps when you can modify an Elise, the thing to do is NOT to try for the common American zero-roll goal. But keep more of the soft springs and firm damping strategy Lotus generally uses. Lotus has done some neat things with the way the suspension bump steers front and rear, expecting it to move when you are cornering.

[Rookie999]

Some pics of the optional Track Pack dampers/anti-roll bar. The rear track link is under the rear diffuser so no pics. Factory settings for dampers were 3 front, 2 rear, and the anti-roll bar was on the middle (3) setting.
Thanks to Richmond Euroclassics Porsche/Lotus for allowing me to take these pics.

[MitchT]

Stan is very much on point with the body roll. I talked with the owner of wire wheel cars, he has had several motorsport elises , a 190 track car, etc. etc, all have been tracked and dialed into the 9th degree. We were doing laps at moroso, the 190 was incredible, I felt my car (05 standard lowered ) car rolls a little too much , and his response was, the chassis is so stiff compared to other cars that the suspension is indeed designed to be softer sprung, which I assume has always been a lotus tuning thing. I saw the same comment in a european auto rag, about lotus's ability to make a car handle but not be too harsh.

[Stan]

Originally Posted by Rookie999

Some pics of the optional Track Pack dampers/anti-roll bar. The rear track link is under the rear diffuser so no pics. Factory settings for dampers were 3 front, 2 rear, and the anti-roll bar was on the middle (3) setting. Thanks to Richmond Euroclassics Porsche/Lotus for allowing me to take these pics.

Looks like the spring's extra length (same rate) comes from making one end into a tender or helper spring, sort of. See the changing spacing between the coils? A rising rate setup.

Can you get pictures of the rear suspension brace? I forgot to do this last week at HRM. Supposedly the production braces is different and simplified from the Lotus Sport brace some have installed on their cars.

[bruh_la]

Is the upright always left unpainted? It looks terrible rusting like that.....

What does this part look like on an Elise after a year or so?

[Buz]

Do the track pack shocks have steel or aluminum bodies?

[Stan]

Originally Posted by Buz

Do the track pack shocks have steel or aluminum bodies?

Hey it's a British car..so it's aluminium. (which is what the bodies are made of..saves maybe a pound or so of unsprung weight. When there is a remote reservoir, the weight savings goes away for the grand total but you are still ahead on unsprung. Unsprung weight savings help ride and handling, the tire can better stay on the ground.