Re: I'm sick of this!

Did y'all see the Brit in my avatar?<!-- Signature -->

 

Hehe..I LOVE THE LOTUS ELISE!! This is like a damned road legal go-cart with gobs of power to weight ratio =)
Unfortunately I've only driven a normal Elise with some tuning. I live in Canada, but I have relatives in UK and I visit quite often. =)
I have to admit I really want one of these in Canada =)
It's just such a cool little car that would practically eat Ricers easily without mods. Not to mention I've see a bi-turbo version churning out something like 320hp =P
Now dats power to weight ratio =P

But you see, the definition of street racing in Europe and UK I find is different than the one here in North America. Here, it's all bout HP and dragging and straight-line. Pure power, handling is not a priority. In Europe and Asia, it's all bout the corners in addition to the straights. =)
See...I see ricers all the time driving their Civics, Integras, Preludes, Supras...etc. ALL SHIT!
I got a tweaked WRX that can eat them all..especially in straight line and even handling, but man, after driving a Lotus Elise, this thing is like glued to the ground!!
It's handling perfection. Very hard to spin out..but easy to drift when required =)

DAMN I WANT ONE HERE! =P

DA PUN

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MMM, I want one. Gotta love that weight. (Just so you young kids out there know, weight is just as, if not more important than HP) This car has 1hp per 13.89lbs. To give you an example of what that is like, the 1999 Camero Z28 has something like 1hp per 11.73lbs, and it's engine puts out almost 3 times the ammount of HP. And this thing would kill any american production car (IE Corvette and Viper, not saleen, or vector)

OK I am a little Bias, I've always liked the idea that lotus designed the body of the MR2 (That's my car). That's only a rumor I've heard, but if you compare the MK1 (mid-late 80's) and the MK2 (early-mid 90's) MR2 to the elise's of the same years, you see very similar styling.

 

Seconded. Seems that you and I are the only ones who know what this car's about, eh? Maybe that's because we aren't 15 with HP porno fantasies. Or that we've actually driven one rather than reading a few stats on supercars.net

LOL

 

yah, I "third" that.. it seems like a fun car to drive, and I'm guessing that you get your power/torque pretty quickly..<!-- Signature -->

 

<!-- QUOTE --><center><hr width="90%"></center><blockquote><i>Quote from Brit cars rule</i>
<b>Make it faster?...........why?
I've driven this to around 100mph and I'm not kidding it will scare the $hit out of you.

I don't see why you'd wanna turbo charge it because on the track it pi$$es on everything this side of an Exige.

As I've said before........those who want more power can choose a different model.

Standard Elise/Type 72......120bhp.......0-60mph in 5.6secs
Elise Sport 135.......135bhp.........0-60mph in 5.3secs
Elise Sport 190.......190bhp.........0-60mph in 4.4secs

There's also a Turbo Techniques conversions which gives it 190bhp from a Turbo charger and gets to 60 in 4.4secs

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Those who don't like the colour scheme/gold wheels.........why?
If u don't it then get a standard Elise and choose whichever colour u want.

I know loads of people in the States want this car but why bother because the majority will say........."hey look at the crap power and top speed"............they have no idea just how good this car really is! </b></blockquote><center><hr width="90%"></center><!-- END QUOTE -->

you may not want to hear this, but maybe people want to add more power to the car cause it is in their preference, not yours... your opinion could mean shit to whoever thinks differently of it.. everyone has an opinion on something.. some peoples opinion on this car just happens to be they want more power.. I'm not saying the lotus isn't a bad car, I'm just saying that there's always going to be people that want more from a car than how it is in stock form...
if you want to ***** and moan about what I've just said, obviously you are too thick headed to realize there's always going to be something on a car in which people care to change..<!-- Signature -->

 

Hey, now that I think of it, you are pretty right. I have driven 112 but it wasen't too scary. (2000 Taurus) But then I got to drive a '92 VR-4. I only got to 65 or mabye a little more, but the way it came up so fast and how I was driving around corners was enough to slap respect for true performance and speed into me for the first time. Like the Sport 190. 4.4 to 60 is really amazing. With the VR-4, it came in 5.5, but when driving, numbers are faster than you think. Most people just see numbers without experiencing them. Some would say the 996 Turbo is slow cause something else is .2 seconds faster. 60 in 3.9, to me, is very scary and I can't wait to do it!!!!!<!-- Signature -->

 

It's just all about the individual preferences: do i want to get a phatt muscle car to blast along a straight road or do i need a car which is cornering well? We here in Europe need small light cars for tight corners. My neighbour has a 71' Plymouth RoadRunner. It's thaaaat big, heavy, with enormous fuel consumption, poorly engineered, that an european designer starts to weep about it. But: the earthquake-like sound growling from the engine bay and the sport-exhaust is definitely worth having one !
But it doesn't fit on our tight country raods. So cars like those small british roadsters, or japanese WRC derivatives from the likes of an Mitsubishi Lancer EVO are first choice. And: if you wanna reach top speeds and can't do without cornering fast, get yourselves a Porsche. There's a broad model range, fitting everyones needs: the convertible for the investmentbanker, the Turbo for distorting the space/time continuum and the GT3 for track use and abuse...

 

<!-- QUOTE --><center><hr width="90%"></center><blockquote><i>Quote from stollentroll</i>
<b>It's just all about the individual preferences: do i want to get a phatt muscle car to blast along a straight road or do i need a car which is cornering well? We here in Europe need small light cars for tight corners. My neighbour has a 71' Plymouth RoadRunner. It's thaaaat big, heavy, with enormous fuel consumption, poorly engineered, that an european designer starts to weep about it. But: the earthquake-like sound growling from the engine bay and the sport-exhaust is definitely worth having one !
But it doesn't fit on our tight country raods. So cars like those small british roadsters, or japanese WRC derivatives from the likes of an Mitsubishi Lancer EVO are first choice. And: if you wanna reach top speeds and can't do without cornering fast, get yourselves a Porsche. There's a broad model range, fitting everyones needs: the convertible for the investmentbanker, the Turbo for distorting the space/time continuum and the GT3 for track use and abuse...</b></blockquote><center><hr width="90%"></center><!-- END QUOTE -->

The Road Runner is not badly engineered..<!-- Signature -->

 

there is no substitute for lightweight - you just don't need a fantasticly large and hard tuned engine when you can weigh ~800kg.
i have a 500hp skyline and it gets eaten by westfields, chevrons, cobras, lotuses - some seriously weigh less than half my car.

 

First off I shall declare my undying love for Lotus and my exitement in realizing that I just MIGHT be able to afford one when they come to the states.
Second, while I prize handling and agility just as much if not more than power, here in the central US the opportunities to really straighten out a challenging twisty road are few and far between. You have to realize that we live in a country where you could literally travel for DAYS in a straight line, and that fun "B" roads are very few and far between. I SPECIFICALLY remember all the really fun twisting roads that I have driven on, and have driven more than a half-hour out of my way to use one for it's whole 10 minutes of driving fun. Even in our cities about the only time you can really enjoy cornering is around intersections (dumb and you'll get arrested) or highway off-ramps (fun for 10 seconds). I couldn't even tell you where the nearest road cours is. I'd have to drive (straight) for hours just to get to one in Chicago. So it's only natural for us to gravitate towards straightline power. I'm just glad I realize from my all-to-short affair with a 944 how exhilirating sharp handling is... <!-- Signature -->

 

What carrera26 said is exactly the reason for the different car philosophies in Europe and the US. There, people, apart from some sports car enthusiasts, would never buy a car with stiff suspension, responsive handling as there's no need for that.
The point is: Do I need enormous horsepower? Can I handle it? Can I afford it? I think, the Elise (and other cars of its kind) is the perfect small sportscar.
Even here in Europe people are laughing about VW's Bugatti Veyron with its 64 Cylinders, 384 Valves, 12 Turbos.... That's a poser-car for millionaires who will eventually kill themselves with it - if they arent't killed by their wifes in the first place, because they spoiled the fantastic creme-colored interior with their big asses.

To all willing to buy an Elise: if you're about to get into a rain shower, remember: the Elise has got a roof from hell !

 

180 mmm sweet 180, who needs a turbo when you can just tune the engine with an ITG air filter system that adds a staggering 18BHP and its carbon fibre.Then an exhaust system that adds 5BHP. Plus Better engine management computer squeezing out an extra 10BHP(possible). plus an advanced NAtural aspiration tuning 50+bhp thats like a 180 with the same weight but 73BHP more but possible to get way more!!!!1 thats like 0-60 in like 3.5 seconds. Now scream at dat and da best thing about this car is that it is british<!-- Signature -->

 

Yes. That is also it. Elise isn't about top speed. With its ultra light weight, it flies around corners. How many lateral g's does this peice of art pull anyways?<!-- Signature -->

 

<!-- QUOTE --><center><hr width="90%"></center><blockquote><i>Quote from stollentroll</i>
<b>It's just all about the individual preferences: do i want to get a phatt muscle car to blast along a straight road or do i need a car which is cornering well? We here in Europe need small light cars for tight corners. My neighbour has a 71' Plymouth RoadRunner. It's thaaaat big, heavy, with enormous fuel consumption, poorly engineered, that an european designer starts to weep about it. But: the earthquake-like sound growling from the engine bay and the sport-exhaust is definitely worth having one !
But it doesn't fit on our tight country raods. So cars like those small british roadsters, or japanese WRC derivatives from the likes of an Mitsubishi Lancer EVO are first choice. And: if you wanna reach top speeds and can't do without cornering fast, get yourselves a Porsche. There's a broad model range, fitting everyones needs: the convertible for the investmentbanker, the Turbo for distorting the space/time continuum and the GT3 for track use and abuse...</b></blockquote><center><hr width="90%"></center><!-- END QUOTE -->

If the roadrunner were designed in 2002, it WOULD be a joke, and poorly engineered, but it was a damn fine piece of workmanship in the early 60's late 70's. Very well engineered car, FOR IT'S TIME. I would love to drive an elise. I don't know why the big three can't come out with a serious lightweight sweet handling machine. What kind of G's can the elise pull?<!-- Signature -->

 

1.02 G, according to the latest Sport Compact Car review, and others I have seen. (the Sun international was bone stock suspension, so this is a valid stock number.)<!-- Signature -->

 

You just talked about emission rules. This guy with this RoadRunner I know, has a special numberplate allowing him to drive "street illegal" cars on the road (if they have at least brakes, lights etc.) Are you allowed to drive, let's say those 500hp Hemis on public roads? Or are you gonne be killed by the police for excessive pollution of the environment?

 

I fourth that.<!-- Signature -->

 

I gotta say this car is a great car alrady, but there is room for improvement(as always). Just because you are satisfied with the car, doesn't mean a psyco, power-crazy, speed demon is. They may want an Elise with 3000 hp and a top speed of 270 mph. Sure, they'll probably get killed but hey, it's their decision.<!-- Signature -->

 

If you want windy twisty roads in america, move to the west coast, I live in an area where all the roads are twisty (northern california), and down in the central valley you only have to drive about a half hour to find curvy roads. I hated driving in the central states cause it's just one straight line for hours.

 

<!-- QUOTE --><center><hr width="90%"></center><blockquote><i>Quote from MR2Man</i>
<b>If you want windy twisty roads in america, move to the west coast, I live in an area where all the roads are twisty (northern california), and down in the central valley you only have to drive about a half hour to find curvy roads. I hated driving in the central states cause it's just one straight line for hours.</b></blockquote><center><hr width="90%"></center><!-- END QUOTE -->

Hey you do not need to go out west to go find some good roads. Drive to nay rural town. I have some great roads in Wisconsin.

 

Anywhere in the U.S. where there are mountains there are nice roads. I live in Florida and we have the most boring roads. Flat, straight, boring roads. I know all the curves in the 50 miles radius of my house. Do have one fairly exciting road with one killer 10 mph. curve worse than the worst at Leguna Seca. Banked wrong and completely blind on a downhill slope. Almost wrapped my Vette around a telephone poll and an oncoming car. Anyway, back to this car. It's sweet and I'm sure it handles great, but what is wrong with wanting a little more hp out of it?? Even on the most curvey roads you still have to accelerate out of the turns. I've never driven this car and it looks like it'd be a blast to drive, but it could still have a little more hp. Hp isn't just a teenage or American thing. Why do you think F1 drivers like doing qualifying laps when the suns not out?? Because the cool air squeezes a few extra hp out of the engine. Why do you think some of the GT protos are more than 700hp and light as hell?? BECAUSE THEY GO FASTER. So don't get pissed when people want more hp, because the car would be better with more horsepower.