[fzust]

Any way to make this work? Perhaps a flat mounted IC with a scoop to direct air over the IC?

http://www.xs-engineering.com/index.htm?content=products_turbocharger_kits.jsp&subnav=subnav.jsp

 

[L8BRAKR]

Where there is a will there is a way. Like you said, the only real problem is gonna be the intercooler. I think you might be able to do something using the diffuser but I've never seen an S2 and the fed car will most likely be different because of the exhaust location anyways.

 

[Craigy]

A few reasons turbocharging the elise is not typically tried:

1. doesn't suit the car. People prefer tuning NA engines rather than adding turbos - makes it feel more racy.

2. The K series motor isn't too great at handling forced induction - it's all-aluminium and doesn't take well to more heat/stress.

3. Heat: the elise chassis is glued together so putting a hot turbo in there could be dangerous if the heat isn't managed properly. This is why the "turbo technics" conversion is actually a supercharger. The VX200 (elise-alike for opel/vauxhall) has a real turbo, but it's on a vauhall engine, and lotus had lots of problems dealing with the heat it generates. A chap in england called Bernard Scouse has fitted an audi/volkswagen 1.8 turbo and he's getting on well with it so this may be "deal-with-able".

4. weight versus power - a highly tuned elise typically weighs no more than a standard one. A turbo elise is usually heavier. Do you simply want more power, or higher power to weight? More weight means more (heavier) brakes, typically lower cornering speed etc. Is it worth the extra weight for the power?

Craigy

 

[Craigy]

I see the toyota engine is made of metal matrix composite - so it will probably take to forced induction better than the K did. Interesting (from a "let's-add a supercharger" point of view)

I'm still not interested in turbocharging it though - I like being able to floor it out of a corner and feel the engine pick up immediately and linearly.

1/4 mile times mean nothing to me.

Craigy

 

[meat]

11.5:1 compression doesn't take well to FI.

Packaging is also a major issue with an Elise.

Heat is also a major issue, since Elises don't have great cooling - notice the Fed car as TWO oil coolers.

If you want to go faster, buy a Vette - the Elise is not about straight-line speed.

 

[Lotus Fury]

I'm still not interested in turbocharging it though - I like being able to floor it out of a corner and feel the engine pick up immediately and linearly.

Craigy

Same here. No turbo in my car's future. I'm not even thinking about SC'ing it but of the Turbo vs. SC route I would take the SC. This car with about 250-300 HP would be at the edge of power vs. control. I bet you could get around 250 out of the engine without having to get FI.


I'm just hoping my 24" spinners will fit right cause that's just the way I roll.*

*That's a joke.

 

[fzust]

Turbo

I understand the reaction folks here have, but I generally just haveto tweak stuff. The turbo would be better than I think characterized here. I have a Turbo M3 that I built and the turbo fits the character of the car perfectly. It is critical to get the boost curve to match the character of the car and not be peaky. The problem with SC, even twin-screws is that the load on the 4 cylinder engine makes it feel like the AC is on all the time when not it WOT. I saw the S2 this weekend and it *looks* possible as there is generous side venting. The turbo is also good because huge intercooler can cool the charge temps aggressively to deal with the 11.5:1 compression. My thinking is that a multivaned ball-bearing turbo could get 6-7psi built very quickly(by 2000rpm) and held flat through redline.

 

[LarryB]

As a long time owner of a car design for a turbo (MR2T), not what I'd want in a Elise. Even a small quick spooling low boost turbo, doesn't give the smooth response of a N/A motor. There is no room for a I/C in the engine bay much less a big one. Suppose you could fit one in the trunk, you'd still need to vent air to cool it. But as a long time turbo owner it will be intresting to see someone try.

 

[Arno]

Any way to make this work? Perhaps a flat mounted IC with a scoop to direct air over the IC?

For a mid-engine car don't use an air-air IC, but use an air-water-air chargecooler instead.

See the Esprit turbo's and how Lotus did it there.

More expensive, but it does work.

Bye, Arno.

 

[Jeppe]

Elise S1 Turbo

 

[BrianK]

There's also the issue with ECU & the fact that XS's turbo kit won't work on the Elise if it does anything to the ECU (which I'm sure it does).

 

[Jeppe]

Here is a turbokit for the s2 Elise.

 

[Eyelise]

Correct me if I'm wrong but there is room for an Intercooler in front of the passenger rear tire. If you went with an Air to water intercooler you need a separate small radiator. I suppose it could go there as well.

 

[Eyelise]

As far as the high compression, running boost up to 8 psi seems not to be a problem. There are three kits now available for the 2ZZ-GE. We would have to replace the lotus ECU with a PowerPC or equivalent tunable ECU.

 

[smoseley]

Put on an exige hardtop w/ a scoop and feed the air to an intercooler where the "trunk" is right now ;-)

 

[Arno]

Correct me if I'm wrong but there is room for an Intercooler in front of the passenger rear tire.

The side-vents don't have that much airflow going through them when driving, so IC efficiency would be very low.

If you went with an Air to water intercooler you need a separate small radiator. I suppose it could go there as well.

Actually you would mount the chargecooler radiator at the front of the car and put pipes from the engine to the front of the car. That would give the best result.

Same reason why Lotus usually mounts air-cooled oil coolers at the front of the car and not at the side-vents. You also don't want to increase the engine bay temperatures too much. It gets hot enough in there as it is.

A chargecooler with front mounted rad is an expensive solution, but it does work very well.

Bye, Arno.

 

[Jeppe]

Correct me if I'm wrong but there is room for an Intercooler in front of the passenger rear tire.

This is the solution AS-Setups have used in the turbo kit for the S2, so that will work. They have it on the drivers side.

 

[Eyelise]

It would be an awful lot of piping to put the intercooler at the front. How feasable is it to put the turbo under the car? I've seen this set-up at least once before. It would certainly help with heat management in the engine bay.

 

[Arno]

Elise == closed flat floor all the way from the front to the rear.

Fitting stuff under the car is not possible. You would need to go through the sills at the side, but that's difficult.

And you would not want an air/air IC all the way at the front. The volume of air in the circuit from the turbo to the throttle plate would generate a gigantic amount of lag.

A chargecooler does not have this problem though.

Here piping is not an issue (still difficult, but not impossible). Normal thickness hoses carry the hot and cold water to/from the cooler radiator in the front of the car and the heat exchanger in the intake system hardly adds any lenght to the air pipework.

Bye, Arno.

 

[MotorCade]

Just doesn't seem worth it, IMHO. In order to make it work, I figure you'll need the turbo, air to water intercooler, associated piping for the air, long water hoses for the intercooler, an upgraded waterpump, and probably some other assorted upgrades (like the fuel system). It adds a lot of extra water piping throughout the car, it heats up the engine compartment even more, it's difficult to fit, and it will likely have some lag as it spools up. Oh, and a retuned ECU. For all the money you spend, you'd be better off with just a simple engine swap.

Personally, I'm going to focus on naturally aspirated performance. If/when I get to the point where I need more than I can get from the Toyota lump, I'm going to swap to a better motor. It's already been done before, it's a proven remedy. But no turbo. Not for me.

Cade