Owners opinions on their 89-non-SE.
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NONE
None at all, I love my 89 Non SE, very reliable and a blast to drive.
None at all, I love my 89 Non SE, very reliable and a blast to drive.
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938 Posts
So nice.
Do you find that acceleration equates to satisfaction?
Believe me , I know there's so much more about the car.
I am very cerebral when I drive and serious.
I enjoy it very much being so communicative with the machine.
I was actually looking for a very good FIAT X19 as a type of replacement.
My first dream-car.
They are little gutless turds but to get the most out of the machine there is something special.
Anything on your vehicle that you are not so happy with?
Thanks.
Mike
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1,235 Posts
You can't go wrong with a '89 Turbo Esprit. If you ever get the chance ask Arnie Johnson at Lotus USA how the non-SE Turbo's stacked up against the SE's in a head-to-head track competition when the SE's first came out ....
And I like the plumbing a lot better on my car (having worked on both SE's and S4's). I hate the placement of the SE oil coolers. Don't like airbags either....
And I like the plumbing a lot better on my car (having worked on both SE's and S4's). I hate the placement of the SE oil coolers. Don't like airbags either....
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mieczkow. Nice car as well.
Easier to work on.
What is your opinion of the 5 spoke wheels that are in my other Thread?
I really don't want to go all that way during the winter season on the leeward side of the mountains.
It would be an adventure that I don't want to go on. Not now.
Did you repaint your engine?
Mike
Easier to work on.
What is your opinion of the 5 spoke wheels that are in my other Thread?
I really don't want to go all that way during the winter season on the leeward side of the mountains.
It would be an adventure that I don't want to go on. Not now.
Did you repaint your engine?
Mike
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1,235 Posts
I'm not much of a connoisseur of wheels - those wheels looked OK to me. I'm not enthusiastic about spending a lot of money on wheels - I'd rather put it into the other aspects of the car. I've always liked the stock Lotus wheels generally.
The only repainting of the engine are the "red bits" - intake plenum, valve covers, etc. - things that were painted by the factory. The rest of the engine was thoroughly cleaned and and a few items were walnut shell or bead blasted (e.g. the water pump) but nothing that was aluminum was painted.
The only repainting of the engine are the "red bits" - intake plenum, valve covers, etc. - things that were painted by the factory. The rest of the engine was thoroughly cleaned and and a few items were walnut shell or bead blasted (e.g. the water pump) but nothing that was aluminum was painted.
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I refinished my "red bits" as well.
Lotus used crinkled or "hammered" VHT (Very High Temperature) paint that did not hold up very well. I had refinished mine once, but decided to get things powder coated during my engine refresh.
The finish is gloss, not wrinkled, but it should be easier to wipe clean.
This was an interim picture, there is a LOT more Red on the engine now!
Lotus used crinkled or "hammered" VHT (Very High Temperature) paint that did not hold up very well. I had refinished mine once, but decided to get things powder coated during my engine refresh.
The finish is gloss, not wrinkled, but it should be easier to wipe clean.
This was an interim picture, there is a LOT more Red on the engine now!
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Atwell,I refinished my "red bits" as well.
Lotus used crinkled or "hammered" VHT (Very High Temperature) paint that did not hold up very well. I had refinished mine once, but decided to get things powder coated during my engine refresh.
The finish is gloss, not wrinkled, but it should be easier to wipe clean.
This was an interim picture, there is a LOT more Red on the engine now!
You still have your EBPV working !? (if not why bother refitting the throttle jacking capsule?) Also wondering why the blue silicon hoses clashing with so much Red?:no:
Colin
Yes, my EBPV still works. Got the OE Red Clutch Hose in there too.
Doesn't the throttle jack work when the A/C is on, to maintain idle speed?
Red and Blue are PRETTY....if you don't feel the same way, well, that's what the engine bay cover is for. :facepalm
Finally ot my engine running today. :up: :up: :up: A few glitches still need to be ironed out. Perhaps a new topic will come in a few days. Don't know if the A/C system works yet.
Doesn't the throttle jack work when the A/C is on, to maintain idle speed?
Red and Blue are PRETTY....if you don't feel the same way, well, that's what the engine bay cover is for. :facepalm
Finally ot my engine running today. :up: :up: :up: A few glitches still need to be ironed out. Perhaps a new topic will come in a few days.
Don't know if the A/C system works yet.
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Can't say for sure on an '88 but on an '89 the idle speed is controlled by the computer as far as AC and AC demand are concerned. You do not need to have any of the EBPV/TJ stuff for that purpose. I got rid of all that stuff on my car almost immediately after purchase. The idle speed responds quite noticeably to AC demand on my car.
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Unless you need to pass emissions, the EBPV serves no purpose. It is only there to reduce COLD idle emissions. It is open once the engine warms up. The throttle jack on GM cars is only there to allow the car to maintain idle when the exhaust is restricted.Yes, my EBPV still works. Got the OE Red Clutch Hose in there too.
Doesn't the throttle jack work when the A/C is on, to maintain idle speed?
et.
As Tom said useless junk, the cars run better without it.
I beg to differ.
The EBPV (aka "Potato Valve", think of sticking a spud into your tailpipe) prevents a driver from accidentally getting too hard on the throttle on a cold engine.
Eventually the valves all start to rattle, too. Would YOU touch a car containing a Diamondback rattlesnake, ready to pounce? rotfl <--- Theft Deterrent
The '88 did not use an Idle Air Controller to maintain idle. But the '89+ 4 cyl cars did.
OK, back to Topic.:no:
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There was a really knowledgeable gentleman (Mr. Strange-no really, that was his name on the yahoo list that was adamant that the 89 non SE was the best 'true handling feel' of all Esprits. As a tire engineer (IIRC) he had all of the castor/camber/radius/roll bar/rack/braking data comparisons and the 89 was the best of all the worlds. Also no ABS, no Airbag, no intercooler mechanicals etc etc Having owned several including 88's, 89 non SE and 90/91 SE's I can say he knew his stuff but for the average driver (me) it was tough to pinpoint the exact reason that it felt so pure (IMHO)
Colin
on the yahoo list that was adamant that the 89 non SE was the best 'true handling feel' of all Esprits. As a tire engineer (IIRC) he had all of the castor/camber/radius/roll bar/rack/braking data comparisons and the 89 was the best of all the worlds. Also no ABS, no Airbag, no intercooler mechanicals etc etc Having owned several including 88's, 89 non SE and 90/91 SE's I can say he knew his stuff but for the average driver (me) it was tough to pinpoint the exact reason that it felt so pure (IMHO)Colin
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I can't say he would say one or the other is "better" but I had the chance to have a conversation with Arnie Johnson a couple of years ago and when he heard I had a non-SE '89 his eyes kind of lit up and he told me a few stories about being at a track event when the SE's and non-SE's were being run through some paces and let's just say the non-SE's were not dominated in any sense by the SE's. And there were some surprises regarding how well the Turbo's performed.
I don't have any problem with the SE. I would be happy to own and drive one. But I'm not sure they represent any huge step forward in performance. The things I don't like (the ugly air-bag steering wheel) and the things I REALLY don't like (the oil cooler architecture) are relatively minor flaws as I see it. But would I think the average buyer would be short-changed by having a non-chargecooled Esprit? Absolutely not. And if you want to tweak the Turbo (without going nuts dollar-wise) add the green dot cams, a good header (e.g. Al B's one-off or Aluminox), throw out the stock cat and either go straight pipe or else get a genuine hi-flow cat. You will get some noticeable extra zip - more than enough for most street drivers.
I don't have any problem with the SE. I would be happy to own and drive one. But I'm not sure they represent any huge step forward in performance. The things I don't like (the ugly air-bag steering wheel) and the things I REALLY don't like (the oil cooler architecture) are relatively minor flaws as I see it. But would I think the average buyer would be short-changed by having a non-chargecooled Esprit? Absolutely not. And if you want to tweak the Turbo (without going nuts dollar-wise) add the green dot cams, a good header (e.g. Al B's one-off or Aluminox), throw out the stock cat and either go straight pipe or else get a genuine hi-flow cat. You will get some noticeable extra zip - more than enough for most street drivers.
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The SE's were set up with alignment settings that caused more understeer. That is easy to fix though. The 89SE doesn't have ABS or air bags.
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As an owner of an 89SE with modest tweaks. and having driven the 89Turbo the difference I note is power and Torque. Handling and ride is very similar, and more dependent on the suspension and tires, than the model.
But, honestly I have always found each Esprit to have its own personality irregardless of the version, and I have owned and driven a lot of fun "slower" cars.
Randy
But, honestly I have always found each Esprit to have its own personality irregardless of the version, and I have owned and driven a lot of fun "slower" cars.
Randy
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938 Posts
Hi.
Could you tell me the size of your rear tires. They are 16". Yes?
Thanks beforehand.
-btw-your Black car is just crazy.:drool:
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I purchased an 89 non-SE in around 2004 because it had updated wheels and spoiler - so it looked great and was in good condition. I would have preferred another model, but it was more about the timing and location of the purchase and I was happy with the performance. .
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