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11 Posts
Hi everyone,
I recently bought an 08 Elise SC coming from an 04 STI.
This is the first rear wheel drive, and first rear mid engine, sports car that I have ever owned.
Knowing myself, I like to go faster and faster. I'm hoping to avoid crashing the Lotus, and I feel like it has a much higher limit than what I am pushing the car to now.
Any advice you have or good resources you know of for information/cautions/pointers on driving a rear engine rear wheel drive, the Elise specifically?
I imagine that this car would tend to over-steer and spin out very quickly once rear traction is lost. Is this true? How to avoid this (skipping the obvious short answer: drive slow) and how to correct it once the car goes to spin. Is there time between feeling the car slip in the rear and totally spinning out, enough to correct? My STI was heavily modified, including mods and professional suspension set-up and testing to improve handling, and when I got too crazy or made a mistake the car would slip or slide very predictably, was easy to feel and control. Should I expect the Elise to be so forgiving? I don't have sport package. Just Elise SC with traction control, no LSD.
Things to consider. I am planing to not modify the car, after having had too many headaches with a previously modified car. I am also planning not to go to any track days or schools in the near future. But what do you guys with experience recommend as the best track schools? Any very good for Elise/Lotus?
Also, high speed question: do you feel that the Elise is in your experience stable at top speeds? So far I have kept the Lotus below 110. Before pushing it more, I'm just curious about people's experiences; the car feels very stable at top speeds, correct?
Thanks for any advice, reference, pointers, etc. I am totally new to rear wheel drive sports cars, and to rear mid engine cars.
If you know that these questions have been previously addressed in the forum before and know the links, please direct me there. I did some looking but thought that I would ask everyone's opinions/impressions/ideas anyway.
Thank you.
Brandon
I recently bought an 08 Elise SC coming from an 04 STI.
This is the first rear wheel drive, and first rear mid engine, sports car that I have ever owned.
Knowing myself, I like to go faster and faster. I'm hoping to avoid crashing the Lotus, and I feel like it has a much higher limit than what I am pushing the car to now.
Any advice you have or good resources you know of for information/cautions/pointers on driving a rear engine rear wheel drive, the Elise specifically?
I imagine that this car would tend to over-steer and spin out very quickly once rear traction is lost. Is this true? How to avoid this (skipping the obvious short answer: drive slow) and how to correct it once the car goes to spin. Is there time between feeling the car slip in the rear and totally spinning out, enough to correct? My STI was heavily modified, including mods and professional suspension set-up and testing to improve handling, and when I got too crazy or made a mistake the car would slip or slide very predictably, was easy to feel and control. Should I expect the Elise to be so forgiving? I don't have sport package. Just Elise SC with traction control, no LSD.
Things to consider. I am planing to not modify the car, after having had too many headaches with a previously modified car. I am also planning not to go to any track days or schools in the near future. But what do you guys with experience recommend as the best track schools? Any very good for Elise/Lotus?
Also, high speed question: do you feel that the Elise is in your experience stable at top speeds? So far I have kept the Lotus below 110. Before pushing it more, I'm just curious about people's experiences; the car feels very stable at top speeds, correct?
Thanks for any advice, reference, pointers, etc. I am totally new to rear wheel drive sports cars, and to rear mid engine cars.
If you know that these questions have been previously addressed in the forum before and know the links, please direct me there. I did some looking but thought that I would ask everyone's opinions/impressions/ideas anyway.
Thank you.
Brandon