Joined
·
888 Posts
At Infineon and Thunderhill last week and this past weekend, I discovered that my LSS dampers (either the fronts or rears, I'm not sure which) need replacing -- I only know this because a fellow Lotus owner and I swapped cars and I followed my own car around T'hill watching the ass-end wiggle in all kinds of scary ways. The dampers must have gone bad slowly enough that I just started driving around the problem and got used to it.
Whereas his Elise (same year, same car) felt very settled over bumps, my car felt very uneasy, particularly as I moved weight around by braking or cornering. Quick left-right or right-left combinations required me to pause briefly between turns. Most likely, I think, it is the front dampers which are bad, as Lotus replaced the rears last spring when they did some warranty work on the car.
The car's exclusively a track toy, but I don't trailer it and I do the long drive to NoCal 3-4 times per year to get to events. My inclination is to spend money wisely, so I'm not looking necessarily for the fastest solution but for one which best balances cost and track performance, while still be comfortable enough for 9-10 hour drives a couple of times per year.
I'd consider just buying replacement LSS dampers from Lotus, but I suspect that they'll cost enough that I ought to consider buying something which is adjustable and has threaded spring perches so that I can adjust ride height and rake. But I'm out of my league as to what to buy and what the advantages/disadvantages are.
I'm a reasonably competent driver -- even with bad dampers, I was turning 1.57's/1.58's at Infineon, running the historic course (with the carrousel, the full esses, and the extended T11). With that background, I'd appreciate any feedback you guys might have to offer -- and I'd particularly like to hear from others with similar concerns/constraints who've actually bought coilovers for their cars.
Thanks,
Twin
Whereas his Elise (same year, same car) felt very settled over bumps, my car felt very uneasy, particularly as I moved weight around by braking or cornering. Quick left-right or right-left combinations required me to pause briefly between turns. Most likely, I think, it is the front dampers which are bad, as Lotus replaced the rears last spring when they did some warranty work on the car.
The car's exclusively a track toy, but I don't trailer it and I do the long drive to NoCal 3-4 times per year to get to events. My inclination is to spend money wisely, so I'm not looking necessarily for the fastest solution but for one which best balances cost and track performance, while still be comfortable enough for 9-10 hour drives a couple of times per year.
I'd consider just buying replacement LSS dampers from Lotus, but I suspect that they'll cost enough that I ought to consider buying something which is adjustable and has threaded spring perches so that I can adjust ride height and rake. But I'm out of my league as to what to buy and what the advantages/disadvantages are.
I'm a reasonably competent driver -- even with bad dampers, I was turning 1.57's/1.58's at Infineon, running the historic course (with the carrousel, the full esses, and the extended T11). With that background, I'd appreciate any feedback you guys might have to offer -- and I'd particularly like to hear from others with similar concerns/constraints who've actually bought coilovers for their cars.
Thanks,
Twin