[Win]

Is there a reason why the US spec car has the exhaust in the center of the car?

 

[Win]

Could the current fed prototype change back to the original way?

 

[zvezdah1]

I preferred the 111s type exhaust myself. On the aztec bronze prototype (also pictured in R&t) I liked the angled down exhaust with raw edges. I really do not like the twin pipes exiting straight back with the rolled edges(as seen on the bordeaux red test car), although that's the config on the S1, albeit exiting from the diffuser.

But I'll take it whatever way they bring it to us.
Chris

 

[Nathan111]

I think the changes are because the Toyota engine has the exhaust ports on the rear while the Rover engine has them on the front.

 

[Lotusfanatic]

"Could the current fed prototype change back to the original way?"
- they can't be changed to the older 111's style

 

[FederalElise]

I suspect it's because the Celica has a single pipe exhaust. The Celica engine design is meant to be single exhaust and the exhaust in elise is not a true dual pipe, just branches to two pipes for the heritage.

 

[RacingDynamcs]

The current fed pics showed off that NASTY needle dual penis design which is ugly!! my god i cant believe lotus is going with that.

 

[tonykomo]

or you could try this:

 

[RacingDynamcs]

cool but not good enough =P

 

[tonykomo]

um, really? Full titanium system including manifold, CRP and exhaust not good enough? whole thing weighs 10kg, not good enough? sounds like a ducati on steroids... i had a tubi on it before and it was nothing compared to this. Yoshimura is THE definitive bike exhaust manufacturer and they only make a couple of exhausts for cars on a custom order basis. US$3k for a stunning piece of kit.

 

[ya hachu]

I preferred the 111s type exhaust myself.

Same here, definitely. The 111s exhaust is beautifully integrated into the rear of the car while the planned design is exactly the opposite - just hanging there below the diffuser, looking tacked on. Hopefully an aftermarket exhaust can address this deficiency without moving the car out of stock class or being belligerantly loud.

 

[RacingDynamcs]

um, really? Full titanium system including manifold, CRP and exhaust not good enough? whole thing weighs 10kg, not good enough? sounds like a ducati on steroids... i had a tubi on it before and it was nothing compared to this. Yoshimura is THE definitive bike exhaust manufacturer and they only make a couple of exhausts for cars on a custom order basis. US$3k for a stunning piece of kit.

I am not sayint he exhaust is bad.. i had no idea of its performance abilities..

what i was saying is that i dont like the way it looks.
I like the 111s exhaust style the best.

IF the US version does come with the strange stick out exhaust i'm cutting and lining it to the design lines of the underbody aero so you cannot even see it.

 

[Arno]

I imagine you'll quickly see different aftermarket mufflers with tail pipe configurations you want.

It's not rocket-science.. Anyone capable of welding and a little spare time should be able to do it. A little sheet-metal or metal grille work added and you can make it look just like the european version with an exit pipe on each side.

I would not be surprised if the reason for the center exhaust setup is beacuse Lotus are using some 'off the shelf' Toyota muffler which just happens to exit there. The DOT and EPA are probably happier if they use a 'complete' toyota setup.

Another probable cause is because of road regulations that manufacturers have to follow. Can be pretty odd rules..

Same sort of thing here in europe where the 111S has 1 tail pipe that's closed off by a valve/flap until the engine reaches 4000rpm and then opens. This isdone to cut the noise level at low rpm's because of regulations surrounding the type approval.

Perhaps the euro pipes stick out too far for US regulations? Don't have a clue, but might be a reason..

Bye, Arno.

 

[jml1952]

I'm confused. If it's that simple to reroute the tail pipes, why wouldn't Lotus do it?

Clyde said that they can't - care to elaborate?
Rules or physics, or what? We probably don't want carbon monoxide leaking back into the cabin of the car, so does that have anything to do with it?

 

[tonykomo]

My car is a 111s. The stock exhaust is awful. Extremely heavy, very badly built, and sounds like a kitchen blender. I also had a Tubi installed which was beautiful but that was way too heavy and as this car is all about power/weight ratio, it had to go. A lot of people un the UK have a round tip Janspeed exhaust for their 111s. Thing is though, you might find by putting a 111s style exhaust on the US engine, it might affect the power and torque of the engine negatively.

 

[Arno]

I'm confused. If it's that simple to reroute the tail pipes, why wouldn't Lotus do it?

Lotus is bound to much more rules than just engineering issues.

They may *want* to do a euro-style exhaust, but may not be able to do so and at the same time keep within the legal constraints that they have to comply to.

A private individual or aftermarket company has much, much more freedom in this respect.

Simple example is noise levels. A manufacturer has to adhere to pretty strict rules on Db levels their car produces, but the owner is still very much in his right to slap on a much louder exhaust.

Clyde said that they can't - care to elaborate?
Rules or physics, or what? We probably don't want carbon monoxide leaking back into the cabin of the car, so does that have anything to do with it?

Nobody outside Lotus knows the exact configuration of the engine and exhaust pipework, so this is largely speculation...

Still.. I can't really see an issue with exhaust gasses in the cabin as you would be re-creating the existing euro setup.

Also the engine bay is open to the air and the passenger compartiment has little connection to it.

Of course there may be issues with added pipework or cat-converters that can make it more technically challenging to change the exhaust locations, but if I look at the incredible variety of exhaust and pipework designs on the euro elise's then I can't imagine there won't be some clever people in the US as well who will be doing some 'creative' work as well..

Bye, Arno.

 

[zvezdah1]

I imagine the shape, curving, etc. of the pipes has a major influence on emissions, and performance.

Tonyyoshi,
I like the Ti. system pictured on the Hong Kong Elise, but a bit more than I'd want to spend, being a tightwad and all.

Several good motorcycle exhaust manufacturers out there (like the yosh made pipe in the pic) that could probably build a great lightweight exhaust.

I'm surprised no one is working on a carbon fibre system (at least the can part). Quite popular on bikes, and very light weight.
Chris

 

[tonykomo]

It's easier to show off a carbon silencer on a bike. In a car it's hidden away.

FYI, the stock exhaust weighs roughly 38 pounds, the CAT weighs 11 pounds and god knows what the manifold weighs. Of course these are all on the UK spec car so that will be completely different for the US model.

 

[tonykomo]

is it possible to get some pictures of the US exhaust system? with the rear grill and diffuser removed.

 

[babak]

The car will be unveiled during the LA auto show Jan 2004. All we know at this point is that the pipes are paired and exit at the center.