[Baggies]

Purchased my Evora from the Lotus dealer in Auckland New Zealand 6 months ago. Have done 15,000km in the car since then.
While the car was new it was an old stock MY 11 car.
Car has been pretty much faultless in that time. Only warranty issue has been the brake light switch which caused problems with the throttle sensor, cruise control etc... Effectively putting the car into limp mode.
There are a couple of things though that seem to be spoiling my enjoyment of the car.

1, The brake feel while the brakes themselves are great. The initial bite of the brakes seems too fierce. The brakes grab with the initial touch of the pedal. Giving too much initial stop. Which means you lift off a little. The brakes are not as progressive and fearsome as my S1 Elise (these are not assisted) or the 993 I had previously or my WRX.
I noticed a thread were this issue was raised there was talk of there being some changes to the brake set up on the MY 12 cars. Does anyone know about the changes? Or has anyone driven both early and later cars and noticed a difference in brake feel? Possible solution is to fit a valve in the vacuum system and tune the brake assistance.

2, Since first driving the car I have been happy with the grip levels. But less happy with the handling and feel of the chassis. This initially I believed was me just getting used to the car coming from a 993. With its rear end bias to a mid engined car. I later found out the the rear toe on the car was out. I had mistakenly presumed that a new car off the lot would have the correct alignment settings. The poor rear toe set up chewed out the the inner edge. Of one of the rear tyres.
I ordered new tyres got the alignment set up properly and looked forward to using the car and it putting a smile on my face. Unfortunately the car is now more nervous in the corners than before. The steering hunts the cambers and bumps more than ever. The grip is still there. If you are brave the car can still be hustled through a corner.
Unsure of the cause of the continued problems I looked at my rear tyres purchased from Tire Rack (the correct LS Corsas). Both tyres are scalloped to their centre to the point that the center of one of tyres is not in contact with the road. Just the two outer areas of the tyre are in contact with the road surface. I have never seen this on a tyre before and wondered if anyone else had had this kind of experience with their Pirelli Corsa tyres?
I believe the scalloping of the centre of the tyre is the cause of my current handling woes.

3, I think I also need to change my exhaust as it is still stock with the third cat. I can barely hear the engine. I presume a louder exhaust improves the overal experience with the car.

I have owned a Lotus of some kind for the last 29 years starting in the original baby élan through Europa specials to buying a new S1 Elise in 98 (Which I still own). I have gone away from Lotus only once with an air cooled 993. I have also raced elans in classic race meetings. The Evora (based on what I have read was going to be my dream car). I have tried hard to love the car but these issues are making the love hard. I am sure I will get to the bottom of my issues with the car. Any thoughts and advice would be much appreciated.

Regards

Paul Aston.

 

[Julian73]

As to point one, 12s same as earlier cars. With lite application, initial bite is over exaggerated.. you can get used to it and not let off, brake later and harder or change pads to another compound. Friction level and characteristic such as this all in the pad. This all said, under heavy track application, the brakes are great.

 

[KCZ]

Agree with Julian's comments about the brakes. There are threads here about different brake pads. Also numerous exhaust mods...Larini, Plack, etc.

What psi are your tires inflated to? Do you have pics?

 

[goussama]

Definitely upgrade the exhaust!

 

[jet37ski]

An aftermarket exhaust set up can make the car sound as good as it looks, and definitely adds to the driving experience.

If there is nothing wrong with your brakes, you'll learn to love them. Took me a few weeks to get past the whiplash braking at every stop light, and I still haven't gotten it sorted with my left foot.

Don't know much about your tire issue, but the one thing that we almost never hear complaints about are the cornering abilities, so it sounds like something is off.

 

[tbd_Evora]

I ordered new tyres got the alignment set up properly and looked forward to using the car and it putting a smile on my face. Unfortunately the car is now more nervous in the corners than before. The steering hunts the cambers and bumps more than ever. The grip is still there. If you are brave the car can still be hustled through a corner.
Unsure of the cause of the continued problems I looked at my rear tyres purchased from Tire Rack (the correct LS Corsas). Both tyres are scalloped to their centre to the point that the center of one of tyres is not in contact with the road. Just the two outer areas of the tyre are in contact with the road surface. I have never seen this on a tyre before and wondered if anyone else had had this kind of experience with their Pirelli Corsa tyres?
I believe the scalloping of the centre of the tyre is the cause of my current handling woes.

Very definitively still an alignment/ tire issue. The Evora wears its rear tires fast, but quite evenly. Scalloping definitively should not be there! What tire pressures are you running?
The alignment is very sensitive on the Evora, very small adjustments can have quite dramatic effects. Make sure the car is settled before starting.

 

[lotus90]

if the car was new old stock MY 11 car. Did it come with warranty? he in the states most new cars come with some kind of warranty.

 

[Lckitty]

On the brakes; I had an 11 and now have a 12. I had gotten used to that quick bite on the '11 and came to really like it. The '12 doesn't have that initial bite. Really, I miss that quick grab, but I'll bet my passengers like the 12 better as thier neck doesn't whip ;-)

Tires; I'm guessing your pressure is slightly low.

Yes, I covet a louder exhaust too.

 

[JLSELISE]

Seems like another alignment is in order.
Make sure the alignment machine is calibrated and that the tech knows how to use it. Also, alignment should be checked/set with weights in the driver seat to match the driver's weight.
As for tire wear--sculpting of the tire is usually a sign of tire imbalance or worn dampers. If rear tires are slightly out of balance it could be hard to "feel" that through the chassis.

 

[Baggies]

Thanks for all the replies.

Understand the brake hardware callipers, pads etc.. Being the same on both. MY 11 and MY 12. Thanks lckitty for confirming that there is a difference in initial pedal feel between the newer and older cars. I can now take this up with my dealer in NZ to try and find out what the changes are on the MY 12. And whether they can be retro fitted to my car.
I guess I can and have got used to the initial grab in the last 6 months. I would prefer a car with a more progressive feel. Will be interesting to see if the dealer and Lotus can do anything.

Issue with my tyres is that they are new and have done only a few hundred km. as I purchased them from tyre rack in The US. And got them shipped to NZ I am unsure if I have any warranty. I have e mailed Tire Rack customer service with my concerns and images of the problems with the tires. I have yet to hear back.

Saving for an exhaust. The problem with having multiple cars is that there are always things to be done.

I will get to the bottom of my issues with the handling and set up with this car. There is so much that is good about it. Reading everyone's posts about the good things about this car reassure me that it is the right car for me. Just need to keep the faith and get the problems sorted.

PA.

 

[Brendan]

When I first got my car, it felt nervous on bumpy roads, particularly under braking. My dealer did a geo setup, and it was slightly improved. Later, a couple of new tyres seemed to improve it further. After a couple of months, a guy at a small independent garage spotted the play in the drop-links on the anti-roll bars. Replacing those made a 100% improvement.

 

[Baggies]

Brendan,
Thanks for your reply will check out the drop links tomorrow.

PA

 

[Chris D.]

Thanks for the review. I bet there are a lot of awesome twisties in New Zeland.

 

[Plackslayer]

When I switched to the DTC-70's for pads my braking became much more predictable (even more so than the stock Federo 2500's) and I absolutely love them.

They are more aggressive but initial bite isn't as snappy. The pads also did a nice job of turning my stock rotors for me They then ate completely through them at the track with lots of time there lol. WELL worth it in my eyes.

 

[Baggies]

Thanks for the replies.

Had my alignment checked again today. Also checked camber and castor etc... All are as the manual and well within the allowed tolerances.

Looks like my current issue is with a poorly manufactured Pirelli Corsa rear tyre. Which remains scalloped in its centre. Effectively the centre of the tyre is not in contact with the road. Waiting on Tire Rack Customer services to reply to my e mails.

Either way I need a new tyre.

Waiting on Lotus NZ/Australia to confirm difference between early and late model brake boost settings. Failing that we can fit a valve that allows us to adjust the amount of vacuum boost. I can then find a boost level that suits me.

Thanks for the info on the different pads. However I think the problem from my point of view is more to do with the initial level of vacuum boost.

NZ is great country to drive the Evora or any Lotus. Empty roads, hills and mountains. I am lucky enough to be able to use my Evora as company car. I live on the East Coast of the North island and regularly make the trip to Auckland for work. About a 4 and half hour drive.

 

[azac]

NZ is great country to drive the Evora or any Lotus. Empty roads, hills and mountains. I am lucky enough to be able to use my Evora as company car. I live on the East Coast of the North island and regularly make the trip to Auckland for work. About a 4 and half hour drive.

Up the Coromandel Peninsula ?