mooty

if you get 7gt3 front toe out and 255 or more rubber up front, the str is as direct as 6gt3.

that said, the lotus is still far more telepathic than 6gt3 or even the cup car for that matter. it's manual str and the car is light so your hands will feel EVERYTHING. and i kid you not, you think, it turns. the BEST part of the lotus is steering and lack of wt.

blake

That is good to know. Thanks Mooty. I really want to get a Lotus... I need to take my local dealer up on his offer for a test drive. I absolutely enjoy manual steer cars. I still like the 93/93 RS America for that reason...

-B

340Elise

One word of advice, make sure you get a supercharged version. The NA car is not bad at all, but as I stated, it does not have a linear power band and you really need to be on the second cam to get the thing cooking. This may be fine for the track, but it can be very annoying on the street. It is not as bad as an S2000 (mainly because the Lotus is so light that the very low torque is adaquet), but it is close.

You can now get the Elise with an SC without an intercooler with 220 hp. That is the model I suggest you get. If you want to spend more, then you may want to go with the bad a$$ 2008 240 Exige S; you can take the top off the Exige also.

If your wife ends up using it on a regular basis; which she will, if not, then you will; then you will thank yourself for going with the SC because it is a real joy to drive around town, but then get on it on the track. It will also help tremendously with the problem the other guy described about catching up during braking into a corner, then taking it slow because he has a GT3 in his way, and then coming out of the corner the GT3 takes off down the straight. The new 240 Exige S is tested at 3.9 or 4.1 from 0 to 60 and also has a very good quarter mile time, I just don't know it off hand.

If you want to save some money, then go for a used 2007 Exige S with the 220 hp motor. It is the same as the 240, just slightly detuned (all ECU related) and can be reflashed by Sector 111 for $2,000 and they will bring it up to about 265 hp! This is a reliable tune and is something that has been reverse engineered by a very intelligent man for the past 4 or so years. You can get a very nice used 2007 with low miles and plenty of warranty for under $50K.

Anyway, if you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to PM me. I love Lotus cars and I am a bit surprised that more GT3 guys do not also have an Elise or Exige in their garage. If you have never driven one, you don't know what you are missing.

Stephen

Turbo4ever

I could understand that, the Exige is the best handling machine. Just lack some power, but I guess the 240 would solve that problem.

However, I am still looking forward to the new RS.

Off topic, how was the Isotope green look like, like the old KG?
Are you going to add LSD for the 240?

Thanks

Turbo4ever

You are lucky, you have both!

So if you could only keep one, the Lotus or Porsche?

cobrien

Yes, very, very lucky! That's something I never forget.

Between the GT3, Lotus, and Z06, if I could only keep one, it would be the GT3 (I'd cry a lot, though ). It just does so many things well: a great track car, a great street car, comfortable on long drives, and incredibly fun to drive at all times.

The Lotus has an edge on handling, and is even a little bit more fun on track than the GT3, even though it turns slower lap times. And it can be used as a daily driver, but you're giving some things up at that point compared to the GT3. The Lotus is harder to get into/out of (doesn't bother me, bothers most passengers, though!), is noisy, rattles a fair amount, can't really carry much stuff, etc. Also, the Lotus is a moving people magnet. Every time I take it out people stare at it, stop in intersections to take pictures (WTF!?!?), and generally cluster around the car. On the highway, I create my own traffic jams because people in front of me slow down to get a look at the car, people behind me speed up to get a look at the car, and people next to me just stay there....looking at the car. While it's nice at first that people appreciate it, after the 2nd or 3rd time it gets kind of old, particularly if you're in a hurry to get somewhere.

With the Z06, it's also a great track car and a great street car, and will turn the fastest lap times of the three. It's comfortable for long rides, can hold a lot of stuff in the hatch, and with the right tires is a perfectly good daily driver, even in the rain. But it's just not quite as fun as the GT3, which is why I'd pick the GT3. The GT3 feels more connected to the road than the Z06, so the overall driving experience is better, whether on the street or on the track.

TraqGear

Terrific write-ups guys. It's great to see the people who have adequate seat-time in these cars respond.

tdf360

Just my two cents, I don't personally find the NA Elise to be a PITA on the street at all. I can echo all the other comments about what a great laser-focused car the Lotus is, I am very impressed with it.

Gary

Yargk

I love everything that the lotus is and represents. However, the one thing that makes me scratch my head is the lap times reported by Car and Driver or Road and Track. An Exige S was slower than a Cayman. So... What kind of lap times do stock Exige S's get at Thunderhill in good hands?

340Elise

True, it is not a PITA, but the supercharged version really makes a difference and makes it more enjoyable IMO.

340Elise

The Isotope is very, very similar to the KG. I think I like it a little better actually, but very similar.

I can take or leave the LSD. Lotus actually recommends against it, but put it in because of demand from the autocrossers. Lotus claims the car is a little quicker without it, but that is based on the NA Elise. It may be a good idea for the 240 car.

Did you know that the 240 comes standard with the AP Racing big brake package, launch control (I would never use it), and a variable Traction Control? The variable TC has a dial on the left side of the steering column and has 30 settings I believe. It allows you to go from TC off to an ideal slip angle of 7% I believe. It also has the extended roof scoop like on the cup car and a few other standard performance items. It is just the European version of the 220 Exige S with the Euro Performance package (I forget the exact term they use).

It is a great car, we will see if my GT3 goes up for sale on Friday night!

blake

Thanks for those comments Stephen! I have been leaning the way of the SC because of the altitude here in Utah. MMP is at @4500 feet, and I live up in the mountains at 7500 feet. NA cars (including the GT3) definitely feel a bit sluggish., though I have gotten used to it.. I am interested in the used '07 route. The search will begin in early March.

And thanks for the heads up about the ECU flashing - 45hp for $2K! That is great news!

Thanks,
-Blake

mooty

exige s will be faster than cayman
but not faster than cayman s, especially at TH. at infineon yes.

Turbo4ever

Something wrong with Lotus performance spec, from the factory spec the Lotus should be faster than the Cayman/S.

Turbo4ever

Let's see, and tell me your comment about the 240.

At first, I also want to buy that in Isotope green, but I think my S1 Exige is way good enough for me at this moment and price.

Even tho I love my Exige, but I still think the GT3/RS is much more serious, at least for the look. The RS look like a racing car and the Exige look like a go-kart. Lots of people telling me to keep both in the future, but I think that is too much for me and the big drawback is my Exige doesn't have air conditioing, that's a major problem here.