Financial opinion on the Lotus Elise/Exige Vs GT3
12-27-2011, 07:32 PM
#19
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As previously stated, the financials are a no brainer... Exige all the way.
Consumables are a complete joke with the Elise/Exige platform. The cars are so light that pads and rotors last forever. The drivetrain and engine are surprisingly robust in stock form
and will suffice for most weekend track outings.
Those who track hard and run sticky tires will need to throw more than a few bucks at the car. Fuel starvation and oiling become real issues. The toe and drop links suck and the rear suspension needs support. The stock sport suspension is quite adequate until 8/10ths driving, then the shortcomings start to really show up. It's a little sloppy but it gets the job done.
Serge's point is a good one about totaling the epoxied chassis. My answer would be to track insure the car (or not
) and run the stink out of it. This is the land of 4K motors!
The Lotus platform compared to the GT3 is "half the speed at one-quarter the cost for twice the fun" IMO.
Addendum: Allow me to clarify 'twice the fun' without discussing 'fun'.
The Lotus is an easy car to drive at 8.5/10ths compared to the GT3. It always feels like you are driving lights out especially when you have the pedal to the metal most of the time... and then you look at lap times and just chuckle because it sure felt like you were going fast.
Consumables are a complete joke with the Elise/Exige platform. The cars are so light that pads and rotors last forever. The drivetrain and engine are surprisingly robust in stock form
and will suffice for most weekend track outings.Those who track hard and run sticky tires will need to throw more than a few bucks at the car. Fuel starvation and oiling become real issues. The toe and drop links suck and the rear suspension needs support. The stock sport suspension is quite adequate until 8/10ths driving, then the shortcomings start to really show up. It's a little sloppy but it gets the job done.
Serge's point is a good one about totaling the epoxied chassis. My answer would be to track insure the car (or not
) and run the stink out of it. This is the land of 4K motors!The Lotus platform compared to the GT3 is "half the speed at one-quarter the cost for twice the fun" IMO.
Addendum: Allow me to clarify 'twice the fun' without discussing 'fun'.
The Lotus is an easy car to drive at 8.5/10ths compared to the GT3. It always feels like you are driving lights out especially when you have the pedal to the metal most of the time... and then you look at lap times and just chuckle because it sure felt like you were going fast.
Last edited by RJFabCab; 12-28-2011 at 02:08 AM. Reason: We're not supposed to talk about fun.
12-27-2011, 09:57 PM
#20
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While we are not supposed to discuss "fun", I did have occasion to rent an Exige 240s last year to drive Spa and Nurburgring. My home cars are Caymans S and GT3. Key question (IMHO): Is your regular track more curves or straights? Lotus is incredible in the curves, but is much more of a momentum car. At Spa, it was kind of boring waiting for the curves to show up. The long straights at the Ring were also painful. I am coming to Sebring next month for the first time, studying it now. It actually looks fun for GT3, maybe kind of boring for Lotus. I defer to those with actual experience....
