[offroadr35]

I need to remove one front and one rear shock to have them dynoed. Anything i should know about removing them? Is it as simple as jacking the car up, taking the wheels off, and unbolting them?

-Steve

 

[Surferjer]

It is that easy. With the proper tools you're looking at 15 minutes. Take a look at this thread:

http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6697

It's all there.

 

[BTC]

Who is going to dyno them?
Are they LSS shocks?
What rates are you going to dyno them at?

I was about to do this two weeks ago but found out the LTS shocks have 3 adjustments and the LSS shocks have only 2. I'm waiting for Lotus to confirm that this is correct. It seemed strange to me. Shouldn't the LSS have more adjustment.

I'm waiting for a reply from England.

Brian

 

[Stan]

>>>I was about to do this two weeks ago but found out the LTS shocks have 3 adjustments and the LSS shocks have only 2. I'm waiting for Lotus to confirm that this is correct. It seemed strange to me. Shouldn't the LSS have more adjustment. I'm waiting for a reply from England. <<<

It's printed right in the Lotus service manual. The 3/2 thing I mean.

Section CI, page 9 paragraph 13:

".....- Standard Elise with three grooves in the damper body; Use the centre groove for standard mid-laden ride height of 130 mm.
- Elise with Roadsports suspension package, and Exige, with two grooves in damper body; Use the upper groove for a mid-laden ride height of 130 mm."


The upper groove on these dampers results in the lowest ride height of the various options on a given damper. Note that the manual calls out mid-laden (average driver/passenger and 1/2 tank of gas) ride height at 135/130mm for the normal and sport setups.

 

[BTC]

That's my point. The LTS suspension can be lowered to 125 mm and the LSS can't. Why? And to take that one step further.. Does this mean the LTS car run lower in Solo but can't use the wider wheels.

It makes more sense that an LTS car should be delivered at 130mm and go up in ride height and the LSS car can go up or down from 130 mm.

My theory is the shocks are mismarked from Bilstein and Lotus created the book from the shop floor.

Brian

 

[Stan]

>>>That's my point. The LTS suspension can be lowered to 125 mm and the LSS can't. Why? And to take that one step further.. Does this mean the LTS car run lower in Solo but can't use the wider wheels. It makes more sense that an LTS car should be delivered at 130mm and go up in ride height and the LSS car can go up or down from 130 mm. My theory is the shocks are mismarked from Bilstein and Lotus created the book from the shop floor. <<

Well if the owner's manual is correct the LTS ride height would come out to 135 mm....and the final LTS groove is 5 mm further along the body. Since we are working through a motion ratio, the 5 mm would increase somewhat past that amount in terms of the effect on ride height but it won't be much and would be close to LSS. The LSS and LTS springs have different free lengths too....and the position of the grooves on the body could easily be different (LSS/LTS) too.

In any event my now off-the-car LTS springs have free lengths of 8 3/4 and 9 5/8 inches. They are about 10% softer than the LSS springs. LTS damper is roughly 13 7/8 long eye to eye (F) and the rears are about 16 1/2 inches long. On the car, spring installed. Travel is about 4 inches.

 

[offroadr35]

thanks guys. it was as easy as could be.

The shocks are going to be dynoed by Guy Ankeny. He is going to make me a custom set of Penskes. Once we dial them in correctly I believe Blackwatch Racing will be selling a similar system in kit form but you'd have to talk to them about that.

-Steve