How do your car geek friends react to the Elise?

3186 Views 23 Replies 16 Participants Last post by tylers65, Jul 9, 2004

frayed

Discussion Starter · Jul 6, 2004

I can understand how non-car enthusiasts would find the Elise a horrible car choice. Let’s run down some of the issues, perceived or real: safety, size, power, styling, reliability, part delays for repairs, dealer network, insurance rates, ingress/egress issues, utility, noise/NVH.

Most of us here know or think that they can deal with these issues in exchange for a driving experience that has no peer. Personally, I think I can deal with these issues b/c I have access to a second car with all the size, utility, reliability, etc that most people desire.

I’ve waffled on the configuration of my car choices for a while; after having put a deposit down, reading everything I can on the Elise, it’s hard not to think of options and ping your ‘car guy’ friends. What’s interesting, is that I would have expected more of the hard core, performance oriented drivers (like some of the folks I go to track with) to really embrace the Elise. But many don’t. Do you get that as well from your circle of car freaks?

Anyway, really not tons to talk about until they actually arrive, and this struck me this morning during my morning commute.

1 - 20 of 24 Posts

JBurer

· #2 · Jul 6, 2004

My RX-7 buddies tell me the car is too small to be masculine in the US.

One of the directors where I work (who races a Porsche Cup car and a spec Miata) told me the seats do not hold up well in an accident on the track - ie. apparently some have ripped from the car upon impact.

I'm still a fan, though!

LotusLust

· #3 · Jul 6, 2004

JBurer said:
My RX-7 buddies tell me the car is too small to be masculine in the US.

One of the directors where I work (who races a Porsche Cup car and a spec Miata) told me the seats do not hold up well in an accident on the track - ie. apparently some have ripped from the car upon impact.

I'm still a fan, though!

it is an ejector seat, mr. bond. it is helpful if you've taken the trouble to remove the soft top before engaging the system.

Arno

· #4 · Jul 6, 2004

JBurer said:
apparently some have ripped from the car upon impact.

Yep.. They are only held in by 4 M8 bolts.

Unfortunately (because of the alu chassis hollow extrusions) it's not very simple to use bigger bolts. Can be done, but it does require cutting and such..

At least Lotus is now using high tensile grade 12.9 bolts for these, which was not the case on the S1 (used regular 8.8). Should help things...

Bye, Arno.

Lartymarf

· #5 · Jul 6, 2004 (Edited)

frayed said:
What’s interesting, is that I would have expected more of the hard core, performance oriented drivers (like some of the folks I go to track with) to really embrace the Elise. But many don’t. Do you get that as well from your circle of car freaks?

That's because none of them has had the chance to drive one at the track yet. :clap:

Edit: And oh DIAM, this i my first post? !?!?!?
Get it, learn it, drive it, and then take some of
them for a spin at the track, I'm sure they'll be
converted. I dunno, that's what all the mags
say!

amcmahon

· #6 · Jul 6, 2004

Welcome aboard Lartymarf.

I have a mixed bunch. The semi-enthusiasts are the one's that claim to LOVE sports cars but want a luxury sedan interior with it.

So all of my S-E friends try and tell me I'll get tired of the harsh ride real quick and to reconsider. The hardcore enthusiasts I know think the car is awesome! and can't wait until I get mine. My normal, don't care much about cars friends actually ALL love the car. They think it looks bada$$ BUT think it's too small

and impractical of course.

My WIFE thinks the car is beautiful

but feels she'll hate riding in it and I concur with that as I've told her many times. Just means she won't be asking to drive it.

:clap:

Muckraker

· #7 · Jul 6, 2004

A friend of mine was in the market for a corvette. After hearing me talk about the Elise he's been researching so much he was quoting Horsepower numbers and options to ME! To say he's intrigued is an understatement.

Two other guys I work with are all over it.

meat

· #8 · Jul 6, 2004

Arno said:
At least Lotus is now using high tensile grade 12.9 bolts for these, which was not the case on the S1 (used regular 8.8).

Arno

I assume you can just swap these bolts out on a S1? This is good info to know if so.

Arno

· #9 · Jul 6, 2004

meat said:
I assume you can just swap these bolts out on a S1? This is good info to know if so.

Yup. No problem..

Remaining issue with the factory mounting points are twofold though.

The rear attachment points use steel inserts inside the alu chassis rail. That's fine.. But be very, very careful that the seat frame bolts are not cross-threaded into these when the seats are removed and re-installed.

Cross-threading loses a lot of strenght in a bolt/nut fastening system. Cleaning up the threads with a cutter doesn't really 'fix' that either.

Second one is that the 'nuts' glued in the front chassis beam are aluminium on the S1. Haven't found any real evidence on the S2 that this has changed, so on this end it's more likely that the thread will strip/pull out instead of the bolt breaking under stress.

But.. To put all this in perspective.. These 'issues' are mostly something for track/race use.

The normal setup passes the required crash tests for road use and approval without problems.

And someone prepping the car for real race work probably already dumps the normal seats and has no problems with drilling/cutting holes in the alu floor sheet to access the hollow chassis beams and installing reinforcements..

Bye, Arno.

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meat

· #10 · Jul 6, 2004

Arno

I use my car for the track only - no road use at all.

I haven't swapped my Exige seats out yet either.

I did notice that my seats mounts into holes that are slightly offset to the original set of mounting holes.

I don't think I've read about this issue in 3+ years of researching the car - learn something new everyday.

Goose

· #11 · Jul 6, 2004

As I'm in the buckle of the American Car Belt, my car-geek friends don't know what to make of the Elise. I get the feeling that such a car (inded, anything other than an american muscle car) is not their cup of tea. I'm afraid that "high tech" in my neck of the woods consists of pushrod V-8's and leaf springs.

amcmahon

· #12 · Jul 6, 2004

Arno said:
But.. To put all this in perspective.. These 'issues' are mostly something for track/race use.

The normal setup passes the required crash tests for road use and approval without problems.

And someone prepping the car for real race work probably already dumps the normal seats and has no problems with drilling/cutting holes in the alu floor sheet to access the hollow chassis beams and installing reinforcements..

Bye, Arno.

I don't see how it's relevant as to whether it's track or street. Same safety issues apply. A hard/fast enough crash or impact is going to be just as dangerous for this as any track accident.

xxxotic

· #13 · Jul 6, 2004

Some people that I work with race BMWs and Audis and want to see the car when I get it, since they have heard of it before.

Other ones have heard of Lotus and think they cost $100,000 and wonder where I am getting the money.

And then other ones have never heard of Lotus and have no idea of what I am talking about., but they are regular geeks, and not car geeks.

I found out a good way to find out if a person is a yuppie or not.

Ask a BMW owner if they know what a Lotus is.
If they said "no" they are a yuppie.

toyopet

· #14 · Jul 6, 2004

well, i guess they are pretty much excited about the car but doesn't really wanna show it. they just kept on asking me about it but sounds like they are well informed about the status of the car.

----------------------------------------------
'96 honda civic
99 mitsubishi pajero turbo

spindoc

· #15 · Jul 6, 2004

My track buddies have all been selling their '95 M3's for Radicals, or are continuing to run Spec Miatas. I'm one of the few of our group who doesn't have a tow vehicle and trailer (my track car is a Mini Cooper S). I think they pretty much all are excited about the Elise coming.

Arno

· #16 · Jul 7, 2004

amcmahon said:
I don't see how it's relevant as to whether it's track or street. Same safety issues apply. A hard/fast enough crash or impact is going to be just as dangerous for this as any track accident.

True, but track use much more often involves higher speed crashes and spinning or roll-over type crashes.

Especially the last is a risky one which puts very high, repeated, sideways and backwards forces on the seat, especially when combined with a 4/6 point harness that keeps you in your seat.

Road crashes on the other hand are most of the time 'single' events. Crash-bang, stop..

There supposedly have been 1 or 2 cases where the seat mounting bolts or inserts have failed. True, but we don't know the exact circumstances, so they may well have had other problems (damaged screw threads, incorrect torque, etc.)

Many Elises are crashed in often quite spectacular fashion (one guy in his S2 Sport190 rolled it on the road and into a field.. Car was completely toast, but he walked off..), but the seat flying out is extremely rare.

Bye, Arno.

Arno

· #17 · Jul 7, 2004

meat said:
I did notice that my seats mounts into holes that are slightly offset to the original set of mounting holes.

Nope.. That's normal

The seats in the Elise are mounted a-symmetrically with the driver getting more space than the passenger and because the chassis is basically the same for both LHD and RHD cars are there multiple holes for the different seat positions in the chassis.

The passenger seat usually uses the most outboard bolt holes, while the driver's seat is moved a little more to the center of the car (and if you look carefully it's also angled towards the center slightly) and uses the inside bolt holes.

This does not have to be the case if you use a Corbeau/Motorsport seat though as it's size may require it to use somewhat different mounting holes than the standard seats.

I have now put in the seats from www.eliseparts.com and it's a similar story here.

Bye, Arno.

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Canyon Carver

· #18 · Jul 7, 2004

If your friends are car geeks then they should all :bow: to your decision. Anyone who rates a cars masculinity based on it's size certainly haven't noticed all the Soccer Moms navigating the asphalt jungle in their H2s.
This all of course is just my opinion...but it's the only one that matters

DetailersParadise

· #19 · Jul 7, 2004

All my car geek friends are telling me to get the CO. I picked the car, the wife picked the color.

Derek

· #20 · Jul 7, 2004

Canyon Carver said:
If your friends are car geeks then they should all :bow: to your decision. Anyone who rates a cars masculinity based on it's size certainly haven't noticed all the Soccer Moms navigating the asphalt jungle in their H2s.
This all of course is just my opinion...but it's the only one that matters

Yeah, by that logic F1 cars would be only for girls

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