[DetailersParadise]

After hearing a stock Elise at the track, I knew I wanted to upgrade the exhaust. Well, Ferrari of Denver finally received a demo and promptly installed a stage II exhaust on the car. I took the car out for a test drive and loved the sound. The true test, however, was the wife. She drove the car and thought it sounded like a sports car should. I don't have any sound clips, but there are a few floating around the board which is a pretty fair representation.

At idle, it's very unobtrusive. You really can't tell it creates additional noise. A blip of the throttle and deep growl is emitted. I wouldn't say it was deep like a male lion, more like a leopard or a cat not as big. It certainly isn't rice. It's also not as deep as the APR on my TT. Unlike the TT, there is no boomyness or resonance under engine braking or throttle lift.

Under power, the note is strong and authoritative without being obnoxious. Late night drives in quite neighborhoods might require short shifting to keep the noise down a bit. I guess it just depends on how well you like your neighbors.

As one accelerates through the gears, there is a slight gurgle and muffled backfire at throttle lift between shifts. It actually sounds very cool and menacing. Rev-matched down shift are also musical. There is excellent aural feedback and, like I mentioned, it sounds very wicked.

All-in-all, I think the sound of the exhaust fits nicely with the car. It doesn't sound out of place or strange. It's not so loud that people can hear you coming for blocks, but when you pass them, there will be no doubt.

I put the exhaust on my postal scale and it came in at 18lbs 4oz.

Now all I need is my car so I can get this thing installed.

Exhaust in the trunk of my TT

Shiny SS can with brushed tips

 

[DetailersParadise]

I agree; it's definitely a worthwhile upgrade. What did you think of the car itself?

The car is everything people said it was. It had just over 600 miles, so I didn't shift above 7500 rpm. I felt the car has plenty of power in the lower rpm range. I would say a good bit more than an S2000.

The chassis was very solid. I could feel the suspension give, but what really surprised me was the way the car seemed to move as a single solid structure. There was zero flex anywhere. Bumps weren't jarring, but they almost shifted the car as a whole. The ride was solid, but not uncomfortably so. I think my S2000 was sprung stiffer from the factory. I'm glad I have the LSS ordered. It should give me just what I am looking for in ride quality. Of course I'm driving in a TT with an eibach pro-kit, poly bushing and 18" rims with rubber band tires. Keep this in mind when weighing my opinion of ride quality.

The front end felt light. I think it is because I'm not used to the behind the seat engine design. I am also used to the front-end bias of my Audi. I tried to break the back end loose, but didn't. Equal effort would have sent a Mustang sideways.

The steering wheel is wonderfully small. Turning is intuitive and blessed. Think, and she does. However, I couldn't help to ponder that the car might do well with some wider rubber up front. Again, this could be my biases coming into play.

I have a few gripes, but they are pretty minor. First, the brake had quite a bit of travel. I was very surprised at how far it was necessary to engage stoppage. This also put the throttle pedal out of easy reach for a heal/toe downshift. I found myself pushing on the side of the throttle pedal. I was at a light and mimicked my technique and noticed I was putting quite a bit of flex on the throttle pedal as I tried to roll over from the brake. Maybe it will just take some practice to get it right.

My second point isn't so much a gripe as an observation. I'm not sure if I am using the correct terminology, but the gears are wide. I am trying to say that when shifting from second to third, I had to be very aware of what I was doing so as to not hit the space between first and third. If you hold out your hand with the fingers together and this is what I would consider a tight gate. Spread your fingers apart and this is the Lotus shifter. I wouldn't consider it a problem, but it will certainly take some getting used to.

 

[DetailersParadise]

Nick.
Did you happen to sample the exhaust at cruising speeds in 5th and 6th?
If so, was there any excessive drone or resonance?
Was the drive with or w/o the hard top?
thanx for the pix.
m.

I'm afraid I didn't get out of 4th, but I did see 90ish. I searched for drone, boomyness and resonance at the usual places. For example, I would have the car in 3rd and let off the throttle to run the rmp from 4000 to 2800. I didn't this several times in each gear. Normally, if there was going to be some uncomfortable sound, one would find it in that range. The car I drove had the top off, but if there had been some bad bass, I would have picked it up. Living with my current exhaust has made me pretty sensitive to what I was looking for.

I can't say for certain there isn't any. My test drive simply did not cover all possibilities. I can say that I was comfortable enough with the sound to go ahead and get the exhaust. Ok, the truth is my wife was comfortable enough with the sound to let me get it.

 

[DetailersParadise]

It's interesting how different people have different impressions. The first time I drove the Elise demo, I went from 2nd to 5th. I felt that although the throw is longer than I'm used to (my daily driver is an 02 Audi S4) the Elise's pattern was rather close. Now since I own the Elise, I am used to it but my audi's shifting pattern is far between(but shorter throw) and seems rather sloppy and rubbery. just my experience.

Good point, I have a very heavy countersunk shift knob that knocked quite a bit of travel off the front to back throws. The gate on the the TT may also be a little tighter than the S4.

 

[DetailersParadise]

I paid $800 for the exhaust with installation being extra. I doubt I will have my dealer install it for me as I wasn't completely impressed with the cutting job they did on the demo. In their defense, it was their first and I think they rushed through it because they knew I was coming by for a drive.

I will likely pull the panel off, and take it too a local metal shop I have worked with in the past to do the cutting. The exhaust is one bolt and two hangars, so I will do that piece of the install myself.

Part # on my receipt for the exhaust says LOTAC 05335

 

[DetailersParadise]

I plan to do some more investigating into this. If Lotus has an official price sheet, I would love to take a look at it.

FOD has been very, very good to me and I'm sure if there was a mistake or discrepancy they will make it right. They are a new dealer and still learning the Lotus methodology. I simply can't go to them and state a couple of guys on the internet said the price should be closer to $600.

 

[DetailersParadise]

I wonder if the price discrepency has to do with installation and the way Lotus prices the product. Different dealers interpret the price sheet differently.

One scenario could be the exhaust is a $622 retail item, but is considered dealer install only. That would run the price up to around $800. One dealer reads the price sheet as $622 plus install and the other $800 installed. That doesn't explain why I have an $800 exhaust decorating my backyard, but as we have all discovered, nothing about this love affair is textbook.

 

[DetailersParadise]

Ok, I guessed right. FOD sent me an email explaining that $800 was my price installed. I tend to show up at the dealership as they are unloading new goodies. They are still learning the Lotus system as I am bugging them to sell me stuff. This was simply a case of growing pains. No harm, no foul.

Shay2nak-Yes, Canyon Carver works at FOD. Thier GG demo still hasn't arrived. I'm not sure where their current demo came from, but since it had just over 600 miles on the odo, I would guess auction.

 

[DetailersParadise]

It's hard to tell, because the Elise is so light. It felt very quick. Much quicker than my TT, but I couldn't guess how much power I was losing because of the altitude.

I can tell you that my 180hp Turbo GTI could keep up with my lighter 240 hp S2000 at about 8000 ft. My guess is at about 5200 ft (Denver) we are losing power in the 20% range. I'm sure someone has a method more scientific than my guess.