The Lotus Cars Community banner

Best brakes in US

1836 Views 13 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  Nick
It's official! Road & Track's Road Test Summary lists the Elise as the best braking car in the US. From 60 mph 105ft. From 80 mph 188ft.

In the slalom, the Elise is 3rd behind the Enzo and (sadly) the Boxster S.

In the skidpad, the Elise is 6th. It trails the Viper, 911 GT2, Enzo, Carrera GT, and the Saleen S7.

The Elise is in pretty good company, IMHO.
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
cbolz said:
It's official! Road & Track's Road Test Summary lists the Elise as the best braking car in the US. From 60 mph 105ft. From 80 mph 188ft.

In the slalom, the Elise is 3rd behind the Enzo and (sadly) the Boxster S.

In the skidpad, the Elise is 6th. It trails the Viper, 911 GT2, Enzo, Carrera GT, and the Saleen S7.

The Elise is in pretty good company, IMHO.
Old news... Plus MotortTrend beat the Enzo with the Elise, (Non LSS mind you) to set a new all time best slalom record of 73.2 MPH.

Look here
cbolz said:
It's official! Road & Track's Road Test Summary lists the Elise as the best braking car in the US. From 60 mph 105ft. From 80 mph 188ft.

In the slalom, the Elise is 3rd behind the Enzo and (sadly) the Boxster S.

In the skidpad, the Elise is 6th. It trails the Viper, 911 GT2, Enzo, Carrera GT, and the Saleen S7.

The Elise is in pretty good company, IMHO.
Car and Driver had an LSS elise at 1.06 on the skidpad. Anyone have skidpad figures for the cars listed above?
It's a test of the tires not the brakes! Put different tires on and stop in less than 100 feet or more that 110 feet, it's the tires.
James A said:
It's a test of the tires not the brakes! Put different tires on and stop in less than 100 feet or more that 110 feet, it's the tires.

LOL. Yep. And weight.
Are Yokohoma A048's legal in the US for road use?

If they are, I doubt many cars would get near an elise using them in slalom, braking or lateral G.

Craigy
>>>LOL. Yep. And weight.<<<

And race tuned ABS. I'm curious as to whether they left off or backed off the common ABS "ice mode". This is the mode where if one corner of the car lifts (cornering and braking or hits a bump) it slows down "too fast" and then the ABS brain decides you are on ice so it backs off the braking on the other three corners. My old E30 M3 does this on bumpy surfaces. Some FWD cars do it when an inside rear tire lifts or gets light. Only cure is to brake differently to avoid the ice mode, or quickly lift and reapply when it occurs. Until I learned this, I'd occasionally think my brakes went to 1/3 power once in awhile. Blew a few autocross turns that way!

Stan
Craigy said:
Are Yokohoma A048's legal in the US for road use?

If they are, I doubt many cars would get near an elise using them in slalom, braking or lateral G.

Craigy
Yes legal here. A048R come with the sport package

UK and Europe don't get the sport package option on the 111R? At least you have the Exige!
AO48R are 60 treadwear DOT legal R-Compound tires intended for racing but which are quite streetable. Stiff sidewall. Might get noisey after awhile like the AO32 which start out loud and get louder. I wonder if they would tend to heat-cycle or harden up with street use or not. They should still have a decent life on the road as the car is so light. Maybe 6-8000 or more depending upon toe / camber settings in use.

Yokohama AO48R Flyer

Stan
Stan, I tried to initiate Ice Mode when I autocrossed the Elise and could not. I hate ICE MODE!!!

It also lost me more than one autocross in the Spyder.
Stan: Thats quite the understatement about the ao32rs. I had a third gen rx7, full engine back exhaust, no cats (on the track not street) intake and running 12 or so lbs of boost. WOT the tires were still louder than the car.

It was positively painful to drive it long distances. Switched to victoracers, which ended up being nice and quiet, plus great tracktion rain or shine, though not heavy rain and NEVER snow.

Lets hope the 48rs are nothing like that!

Scot

(BTW Wheel bearings going bad are even louder as I discovered in my boxster s)
Wish I could comment on how loud the 48's are but I can't hear them over the engine/exhaust noise in my car.

My car - with the Motorsport brake package and 48's - can outbrake just about anything. It's fun on tracks where the big hp cars can out-muscle me down the straight and they start braking at 400ft and I stay on the gas down to 150-200ft. Gain back lots of ground that way.

Can't wait to go to full slicks and then I'll be braking at 100-150ft!
I've driven a 135R S2 elise with A048's and I didn't notice them being loud at all.

having said that, the sales guy in the passenger seat next to me was screaming a lot.

;)

Craigy
cbolz said:
It's official! Road & Track's Road Test Summary lists the Elise as the best braking car in the US. From 60 mph 105ft. From 80 mph 188ft.

In the slalom, the Elise is 3rd behind the Enzo and (sadly) the Boxster S.

In the skidpad, the Elise is 6th. It trails the Viper, 911 GT2, Enzo, Carrera GT, and the Saleen S7.

The Elise is in pretty good company, IMHO.
I read the article (I think the same one), it didn't go against the Boxster and it did beat the Enzo in the slalom.

Nick
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
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