f*cken Whoosh!1!! - nope F*cken Whoops!1!! more like it!

[pedro]

i dont know whats funnier, the pictures or a forum dedicated to elise's

[Madhatr]

Probably didnt account for all the weight in the rear. Had an exige on the hoist at work and it became very light at the front, next to nothing past the cabin.

[kwottr0]

i dont know whats funnier, the pictures or a forum dedicated to elise's

Driven a few Elise's then, have you ?

[pedro]

Driven a few Elise's then, have you ?

yes
hence my dislike towards them

[kwottr0]

Hmmm...
I see.

edit:
What models ?
With what engines ?
What didn't you like about them ?
(Serious questions, btw, not taking the piss)

[pedro]

used to work for rick damelian in sydney
lotus sales actually
i attended 2 customer only track days
the steering racks were not a strong point in those cars.. although rectified, was pretty piss poor for a track orientated car.
the roof was a friggen nightmare, and the non adjust. steering wheel was a bit silly.

althought they sorted it out later , it was too late.. i already thought they werent my cup of tea

used to own an rx7 which, i admit wasnt put together much better, but it was a hell of alot nicer to drive both on the road and track.

in saying that, they're good on fuel, and the cockpit is cool. just not me.

[cobba]

only time ive needed to use a ratchet strap etc for a porsche is when you have front suspension etc and tank out

[kwottr0]

used to work for rick damelian in sydney
lotus sales actually
i attended 2 customer only track days
the steering racks were not a strong point in those cars.. although rectified, was pretty piss poor for a track orientated car.
the roof was a friggen nightmare, and the non adjust. steering wheel was a bit silly.

althought they sorted it out later , it was too late.. i already thought they werent my cup of tea

Fairy nuff. What was the latest one you drove ? Toyota or K series ?

in saying that, they're good on fuel, and the cockpit is cool. just not me.

The more I drive them, the more I think they could possibly be 'me'.
Would have to be Toyota, and R, or course.
Dunno still...I have all winter to think about it.

[CXTdreamer]

I blagged a drive of an early K series Elise, I thought it was fucking sensational, though this was only on the street, not on a track

[Banzai]

I'll own up to owning an Elise and for almost two years now it has been my only car, is driven almost daily and averages close to two sprint/track, hillclimb or skidpan days per month.

On the road it is the nicest car I have ever driven. It may not be the fastest car on the track but it is the most fun. The car just works with you and wants you to go around corners. Every other production car I've driven on the track fights you. No power steering, no power assisted brakes, no ABS, traction control, nothing to dilute the pleasure of the drive. Yes, I know the Toyota engined cars now have most of those things fitted.

I think Pedro needs to try an Elise built this century. The steering rack was sorted in the 1990s. I can put on or take off my roof in 30 seconds without leaving the driver's seat. The relationship between the driver's seat, steering wheel and gearknob is pretty much perfect so no need to adjust the angle or reach of the wheel.

Most people seem to be under the mistaken impression that Elises cost stupid money. They don't. Prices start around $70,000. I was looking at a number of sports cars at around a similar price point; 350Z, S2000, used Z4 and none of them came anywhere near the Lotus in terms of fun or low running costs. If the 2 litre MX-5 had been available at the time I might have considered it but I know I would have regretted not buying an Elise for the looks if nothing else.

I'll be the first to admit Elises aren't for everyone. They aren't very good for carrying furniture or families. I don't do either of those things so I don't care. I can easily fit a couple of weeks worth of groceries in the boot or enough luggage for few weeks away. The longest time I've spent in the car in a single day was 10 hours or more than 1,000km with lots of fun roads in the Snowy Mountains and Victorian Alps. No back pain, no numb bum although a little bit of deafness from the combined effects of wind noise and my fcuking loud exhaust.

Personally, I hate cars with more than 2 doors and I prefer no more than 2 seats. Again, I prefer some sort of soft top although I don't mind coupes. Would I buy another Elise? In an instant but I wouldn't say no to a nice new Exige S either.

And to get back on topic, if my Elise is being lifted off the ground, it is only on a 4 post hoist. I make sure tyre shops jack it up with trolley jacks and only do one side at a time. The correct lifting points for the rear are usually concealed by the undertray. Most people mistakenly use the central jacking point just in front of the rear wheel but that is the centre of the car's weight. Take off a front wheel and the car will be back heavy and slide off a two post hoist unless it is tied down.

BTW, an Elise/Exige team is going to win the AROCA 6 Hour relay race again this year. Just watch us at EC on Sunday.

[kwottr0]

Banzai: Tops! That's more the type of feedback I was looking for

(Especially the bit about running costs...copied and saved, to show my wife at a later date.)

Cheers.

[Beavis]

kwottro: The missus still talks about you taking us through the hill in Nic's Mini.

[kwottr0]

Come back when there's snow...more fun then ! (Oh hang on...you'll prolly have enough there too )

Say Hi to Trace for us.

[Beavis]

Eh, hasn't snowed yet, but it can't be far away. Plenty of frost on the windscreen (sorry, windshield) when I go to work each morning!

I reckon you two should come visit here.

[Paddington]

Ouch!! Fuckin servicemen thinking they know everything. I bet they didn't touch the manual, just thought 'Pfffft as if we don't kow how to jack up a car. What could be so different? Whatever.'

tyrefitters FTMFL. worse than know it all mechanics, as they're failed mechanics.