[jhjacobs]

As a noob here I am starting to loose my mind driving an Elise. This car is either the most visible car on the road with people gauking, snapping pictures from moving cars, chasing you down, etc. or it is entirely invisible. From the invisible side, it seems to be worse than riding a motorcycle! People change lanes into you, they pull out in front of you without right of way, and they encroach on you at traffic lights enough to make you moisten you seat a bit.

So what's up? Is an Elise invisible or highly visible? :shrug:

My Elise is GG which leans toward hard to see. Do owners of brightly colored Elises get the same thing? It's a real mind bender. Perhaps it's a vision related genetic condition that affects only part of the population.
anic:

 

[Allan Gibbs]

It's invisible to people who don't really care about cars and/or are pre-occupied with other things.

 

[Terculees]

I drive a solar yellow. Together with Chrome Orange and Krypton Green they're the 3 most visible colors you can own.

My conclusion is this: People that did not see you will not see you regardless of color. I've had people almost merge into me, not notice me entirely to the point where I had to change my velocity up/down to avoid an accident, follow too close (if I can't see your headlights, you're 3 feet behind me, jackass! Not safe for 85 mph :no: )

On the opposite side, I've had people take pictures, people follow me, make stupid comments (worst I got was from a teenager leaning out a window, "Hey Rich Man, can I have 10 $?" )

I rarely get a thumbs up from someone that truly appreciates the car. A generous short thumbs up from a Miata owner towing a small trailer with 4 track wheels/tires on it makes it worthwhile.

To sum up, drive it like you would a motorcycle. Pretend that anyone next to you, in front of you, or behind you doesn't know you're there, and adjust your driving accordingly. If they do know you're there, it makes their driving just that much worse.

 

[Randy Chase]

Motorcycles are higher so they can be more visible. You are often below the sightlines behind and to the right of many vehicles.

And yes, also too visible. Target fixation sucks.

 

[PECivil]

I think alot of it is where you live/drive. if you are near a place with a decent amount of exotics then you are noticed less.

BTW nice BMW. The CS is a beautiful car. Do you drive it much or is it a garage queen?

 

[Flash G]

Just stay out of blind spots. They're "extra invisible" there.



.

 

[Randy Chase]

Just stay out of blind spots. They're "extra invisible" there.



.

But the paradox is the paparazi loves them the blind spots.

"Hey.. let's speed up in the SUV to 95mph weaving in and out of traffic to see that little car!... cool, well... don't pull up next to it. That would be too obvious. Hang out by the rear quarter panel for the next mile or so. Then... when we are bored with that, let's speed up to 100mph or so and weave in and out as we speed away from the car... cuz that will show him. Something."

 

[...m...]

...blind spots?..i'd say adjust your mirrors, but for all i know the noble and/or rossion might actually have them...

 

[delise]

Something VERY important to realize if you are new is at parking garage ticket lines, in traffic, stopped at intersections people in front of you will suddenly slam their cars into reverse for various reasons, they dropped their ticket, machine is broken, pedestrian is crossing and they are in the cross walk etc. If you have pulled up too close and you can't see their face in any of the mirrors guess what happens. Wham smashed front clam, this is especially true of high SUVs and trucks. Be sure to stop far enough behind so that you can see the persons face in their mirrors, usually means half to a full car length which will sometimes piss off people behind you. Some people here also carry a tennis ball in the car to throw at somebody backing into them !

Most importantly is adopt the motorcycle attitude of always being invisible, never assume anybody sees, you , never assume that because you have a green light you can floor it into the intersection, I have almost been killed by people flying through red lights at 50mph, you DON'T want to get Tboned by a larger vehicle in these cars ( or any small sports car)

 

[EliseSC]

As you say, it's both. To other drivers the Lotus does not fit into their existing frame of reference - it's too low for them to see when they check in the usual places before making a lane change, for example. That's why it's important to stay out of other drivers' blind spots. When in doubt, use your horn or drop back out of the danger zone. When people finally do see you they are often delighted. A Lotus usually produces a smile.

 

[JnC]

The black a-pillars / soft-top don't help for being seen in traffic either.

 

[Randy Chase]

...blind spots?..i'd say adjust your mirrors, but for all i know the noble and/or rossion might actually have them...

Though I never thought the Lotus had great visibility (hence why I love and recommend the Multivex)... my reference to "blind spots" was more about the area they (the tourists) position in, not whether I could see them or not. Hope that makes sense.

 

[SirLotus]

I remember the posting here a few years ago of the Lotus owner who stopped at a red light. A large pick up truck stopped behind him and after a few moment the truck drove into the back of the stationary Lotus. The truck driver later stated that he forgot the Lotus was there, because it had disappeared under his hood line.
Michael

 

[PECivil]

"Hey.. let's speed up in the SUV to 95mph weaving in and out of traffic to see that little car!... cool, well... don't pull up next to it. That would be too obvious. Hang out by the rear quarter panel for the next mile or so. Then... when we are bored with that, let's speed up to 100mph or so and weave in and out as we speed away from the car... cuz that will show him. Something."

lol that is SO true! I have had that exact scenario happen at least 4 or 5 times.

 

[jhjacobs]

BTW nice BMW. The CS is a beautiful car. Do you drive it much or is it a garage queen?

The CS is in danger of becoming a garage queen now that I have an Elise.:evil: I do drive it often but being old and a product of Karmen it has to stay home if there is even a hint of water. I am 4 years into restoration and I am down to the transmission (nothing serious) and an engine bay clean up. Fortunately, this car is visible and it has the best driver visibility of anything I have ever driven. It does get lots of comments but usually only from people who have some knowledge of what it is. Occasionally I get a "Nice Mercedes" comment or "do they still make those?" question. My CS is really nice to drive. I lowered and stiffened it just a bit and I have Bilstein Sports and 28mm sway bar in front, 24mm in the rear. I put in an optical ignition kit and an 80amp alternator (for the big lights). Otherwise it is pretty much stock.

Back to the original post topic, yes, as a motorcyclist, I do drive the Elise with the assumption that everyone on the road is intentionally trying to kill me. Today I had to serve into the center turn lane to avoid a lady who simply pulled out in front of me from a side road like I wasn't there. A mile further down the road an on coming car turned left at a light that I was coming through just seconds before I was going to be in the intersection - thank god for great Lotus brakes and maneuvering. Jeezy Pete, people are crazy out there. Does anyone know where I can purchase a ground to ground missile kit (light weight, of course)? :thwack:

 

[Shawn C]

But the paradox is the paparazi loves them the blind spots.

"Hey.. let's speed up in the SUV to 95mph weaving in and out of traffic to see that little car!... cool, well... don't pull up next to it. That would be too obvious. Hang out by the rear quarter panel for the next mile or so. Then... when we are bored with that, let's speed up to 100mph or so and weave in and out as we speed away from the car... cuz that will show him. Something."

LOL, That was my whole day yesterday and today while driving the Exige lol. I am in ******* , Pickup Truckville Fort Myers

 

[DeepAmpeg]

As stated it just simply comes down to the fact that most drivers are bad drivers. I have friends give me crap for not waving as they drove by or they were on the sidewalk or something stupid. I tell em sorry I was driving. Being I ride motorcycles I can count on almost getting hit at least once everytime I got out for a ride even if its 5 miles down the road to the store. Hell I used to have a CJ8 scrambler with 6" lift and people would still almost run into me. The fact the elise is so low doesnt help this matter you just have be cautious and fortunetly you have this thing called insurance to save you from all the stupid drivers out there. In my case I live next to a state that doesnt require insurance and have heard some major horror stories with people getting their sports cars hit and not getting any insurance from the person that hit them. They could sue but in doing so would spend even more money on lawyers and court fees then just paying for the damage themselves. Ya its an ugly paradox alright. I still think in order to get your liscence here i nthe states you should have to pass a vigorous driving course not go 25mph on side streets and "parrallel" park behind a single car.

 

[RichS]

It's pretty easy: Drive it like it's invisible and you'll do fine.

 

[CosmosMpower]

Highly visible when you don't want it to be (cops, annoying high school kids in a SUV chasing you to take a picture) and invisible (Soccer mom on phone about to run you over) when you need it to be

 

[dasmoofler]

Sometimes I think people pull out in front of me just to be jerks. "Hey, watch me make that $200k car hit the brakes."