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Anyone track a Rossion or SPF GT 40

6K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  slaughtr 
#1 ·
Been tracking my faithful elise for the past year. At the point of another suspension upgrade and serious HP upgrade. Alternatively considering a different car for the track.

Tried a SPF GT 40 on the road, but apart from the power it felt a little soft and mushy compared to and elise, the steering had this very dead on center feel. Perhaps it was just the street setup? The appeal apart from the looks, power and history is that a GT 40 is durable and economical to run at the track while relatively easily maintained at home.

Then I saw a rossion, alsways discounted them because the noble I had seen previously seemed crudely built. But the rossion appeared almost germanic in build and I know they are light and lotus like. But is it too much of a street car for hardcore tracking, and are they durable.

Anybody have any experience with either of these they care to share, and or any comparative notes?

Other choices seem to be a z06 vette, they go but seem a little big for shorter tracks and they are somehow lacking in feel, a little too streetcar. Porche GT3 appeals, but you have to buy used and they are major $$$ to run, plus there is limited self servicing to be done.

So its back to SPF GT40 or rossion or maybe I should just bite the bullet and get a dedicated track car, but most of these seem to require a lot of fettling and are not really plug and play.

So any experience or opinion appreciated, especialy any track experience with a rossion or SPF Gt40.
 
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#2 ·
I own an '05 Lotus Elise with a BOE supercharger and an '09 Rossion Q1. The Lotus is my primary track car but I have taken the Rossion a couple of times to the track and Autocrossed it a couple of times. I almost didn't consider the Rossion because, like you, I tested a Noble and it just seemed very kit car-ish. I agree that the Rossion is built to an entirely different level. I love the interior, it's fast as hell and it gets looks like you wouldn't believe. Don't consider buying one without being ready to get stopped everywhere.

Even with the BOE TVS 400 supercharger kit (stock engine, so about 285 whp), the Rossion is so much faster in a straight line it's not even close. That said, when it's time to go to a road course track, I almost always choose the Lotus. Even compared to something like the Rossion, the handling is just so much better. Sure, maybe I would get used to the Rossion if I took it more, and maybe I baby the Rossion because it's worth so much more, but even with that taken into account, the Elise, to me, is just more fun at the track. Maybe that wouldn't be the case if I didn't have the extra power, the downforce upgrades, the full blown slicks, the race harness etc that makes the Elise so quick, but even without those, it's just more fun to drive, at least to me.

Now at the drag strip, it's an entirely different story, as this video of me in my Rossion and a friend driving my Lotus will attest.:cool:

 
#7 ·
The TVS 400 on mine is intercooled. I have only single adjustable Nitrons on my Elise. Any more adjustments and I just screw it up. I have a different front sway bar and removed all the shims and I have tuned all the stock understeer out of the car now. I love it. As far as the brakes, I just have Ultradisks from Sector 111 and Pagids. I've never seen the need to go bigger.

Here's a recent video of my car at Miller in Salt Lake. I'm fighting the front end in this video because I had just corded my front Yoko 005 slicks and had to replace them with my old Hoosier Autocross tires in the front while still driving the Yoko's in the rear. Not an optimal setup. Still, it was easy to keep up with the 911 GT3's and Turbo's in the straight and demolish them in the turns. Phil at BOE is great to work with as well.

 
#4 · (Edited)
Wy not something like a Radical etc. buy a truck and trailer and experience 2Gs instead of e 1.1 of the Rossion stock and 1.0 of the Elise stock.

Ultima GtR is also road going and can be in the Rossion $$$ range.


EDIT just found a radical SR3 with feather lite enclosed trailer for $39,900
 
#8 ·
I have the Utradisks and pagids too, agree you dont need more brake than that. Also run Yoko slicks the hard compound.
Still has the LSS suspension, dont really have an issue with understeer, but left rear tire seems to eventualy overheat and loose grip. But then at LRP nearly evver turn is a right hander. Maybe the Nitrons slightly lowered and with their siffere springs will reduce body roll and balance grip between the 4 tires better. Although someone else said that their moving to Ohlins from LSS made no difference at the track, just allowed the car to be more liveable on the street.

Besides shocks and springs did you go to monoballs or V2 arms?

Love the idea of the TVS, I thought the Rev 400 was supposed to be 400 hp or something and you needed internal engine mods, transmission upgrades clutch etc. Intercooling just seems toi make so much sense if youre going to track.

Please give feedback on your experience.
 
#9 ·
I don't have any other suspension mods.

Phil at BOE will customize your TVS 400 tune depending on your engine mods. I'm using the tune for a stock engine. It's all the power I need. Previously, I had a ForcedFed turbo kit, but I always had trouble with the tune and I'm not a tuner, so I got tired of messing with it. Phil's tune started right up and has run flawlessly since the install. I installed the kit myself with a little help from friends. I would recommend taking your rear clam off if you go that route. I have a race header and decat pipe and my tune is customized for that. I haven't Dyno'ed it, but with Phils intake and the decat I should be right at 300 whp now. I also have his clam hinge which I love.
 

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#10 ·
OMG you're running the T1-R's with the 400?!?! I had those on my car and i liked them for stock power, but found them pretty sketchy with the Rev300 (REV400 being the intercooled version of the REV300 TVS) ... at least with a factory limited slip diff it was WAY too easy to get the car sideways. I'll continue to use them on the front but not on rear.

TO boxerman, For the kits he doesn't just change the tune, he also adjusts pulley size depending on motor set-up. I think willingness to keep or eliminate the cat's and stock exhaust make for a pretty substantial change to power levels. If you're in california (or a state that only has 91 octane max) you also get a little less power due to loss of octane. I'm in CA and My engine is completely stock with all the way through the crummy stock exhaust with cat... essentially i've got the weakest optioned Rev300 you can get... i dunno what my power is, but it's DAMNED fun. It's more to handle in some ways, but at the same time less stressful because you no longer have to squeeze it to the bitter end of RPM limit to get power out of it.
 
#11 ·
OMG you're running the T1-R's with the 400?!?! I had those on my car and i liked them for stock power, but found them pretty sketchy with the Rev300 (REV400 being the intercooled version of the REV300 TVS) ... at least with a factory limited slip diff it was WAY too easy to get the car sideways. I'll continue to use them on the front but not on rear.
My street tires rarely get any use. I've had then ever since I ran through the stock 048's, about 5 years ago. Before the turbo. Before the TVS, lol.
 
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