rknebel

Just wondering from any of you guys who have had a Lotus, how they compare to the GT3 and GT3RS for Track day cars and just driving around town.

Thanks
Rick

RJFabCab

I can only comment on the Elise... I have not driven an Exige.

The Elise is spartan and raw which makes it a great track toy. It's light and responsive with excellent handling manners. Sure, the motor is underpowered, but the Exige S should be much better in this regard. It's lots of fun on the track.

As a DD, the Elise (with a sport exhaust) is almost unbearable. The resonance and ear pounding are just too much IMO. At 8K on the track, I thought my ears were going to explode. It was painful.

The stock shifter is loose with lots of play. The brakes are terrific and so is the steering. Very communicative.

Compared to a "street" GT3/GT3RS, the Lotus is unrefined and lacking in manners... which is perfectly fine for a track toy. And don't forget that your rearward vision will be useless in the Exige...

Rob in VA

PAGING MOOTY. MR. MOOTY PLEASE RESPOND.

blake

mooty has owned several of each (for track purposes), and is also well versed on the Cayman derivatives...

IMHO, it depends on the track. Short tracks with lots of twisties would be a blast in the Exige S. Although I would argue that trowing a "3" around the same track is just as much fun...

-B

LVDell

Mr Mooty, cleanup on aisle GT3.

Mike K.

For the past couple of summers I have been working for these guys
http://www.trioomph.com/EN/superCars.php?SC=SuperCar
as an instructor. I always ask the clients which cars they preferred and , with few exceptions, the F430 was first and the Elise came in second. It does lack power and is not as fast but is a real gas to drive. Very hard for larger people to get in and out, some just don't fit because of the large door sill.

tdf360

Interestingly enough, there seems to be very little difference in the lap times between an Elise and and Exige S. Most owners of the S comment the biggest difference is on the street rather than the track, where the Elise is just as quick since you can keep it spooled up. Several owners who have had both actually say they prefer the Elise, counter-intuitively. I'm a new owner of an Elise and am very impressed with the laser-like focus of the car and can't wait to get to the track.

Gary

LA964RS

Be interesting to hear Mr. Mooty. Now that the '08 Exige S has even more HP and the AP brakes, I'm guessing its a contender....

mooty

depends on how you drive.
on street, i didn't and still do not like 996gt3, it's not about the bumps, i can't explain why. i drove my lotus on street and loved it. it's actually much bumpier and i "take off" every time i hit a pot hole or speed bump, and i look foward toward each "flight".

but do not parallel park. b/c you WILL get hit and it WILL cost you way way more than GT3 to fix.

on track, they are fun. tossable and much much lighter. literally free to drive, consumables are next to nothing. if one needs rationalization, lotus is a more logical choice simply due to cost. but i like porsches more, i may still one day get a lotus again (that would be the 3rd lotus i have had since 2005).

on tight short track, lotus will be as fast if not faster than GT3. i really dont look forward to be hunted down by tdf360 when we goto infineon next month!!

gearbox is not very precise, sort of like GT3.
steering is beyond believe, you think it turns.
brakes, i hated it. i had porterfield R4, cheap but i hated it. pagid changed that.
also at 255 hp (255 cup) it is as fast as 996GT3 if not faster on the straights until 120-130mph.

oh, if you are much more than 180lbs, it's not a comfy fit. you will fit, just not well.

mooty

yeah, i drove all three on track as you know. S is a lot of money for little incease in performance.

elise is faster for me compared to exige.maybe due to no aero drag.

BUT the NEW Exige S with performance package at 243hp is oooh so nice. the interior if much better put together too. you'll see Brian C's car at the CFRA infineon if he would just finish breaking it in.

mooty

hi mike ;-)
yeah, i agree.
if i were to get another i would like an elise with 240 hp

any of RL drive S2000 often? it's actually harder to get in and out of that then lotus. at least the lotus door opens wide. s2k opens like 50 degrees.

mooty

you have got to be kidding...
WHAT rearward vision???

i just honk, pray and run over things.

YA911Fan

It might be worth waiting for the factory SC'd Elise which will be coming out later this year. Apparently they'll also have a second Exige model (without the IC) which should offer a hint of rearward visibility.

MM-Racing

my friend has lotus elise with honda motor (280-300 ps). This car on the track is faster than gt3 and even gt2 966 500ps. In Poland in 1/4 competition is runing 12,00 vs my 12,48 (MKII 400ps).
http://www.ecu-performance.com.pl/lotuspart1.wmv

RJFabCab

Excellent vid of what it's like inside the Elise cockpit at speed...