Yargk

I honestly don't know, but it seems like 335 would work on a gt3 since NGT was putting 335s on his 6. I'd probably do 265/315 if 335 wouldn't work, but that's just me.

yemenmocha

Could some of the experienced owners here comment on ownership costs of the Lotus vs. GT3?

Currently I have two road-only cars, and something trackable is likely my next purchase. However, I'm a little worried about the real life expense of operating a GT3 on the track so often - tires, routine maintenance, brakes, etc.

mooty

3-4x more in GT3

I trkee an exige and gt3 extensively.

cobrien

Yep, sounds about right. Depending upon what brake pads you run, you're generally looking at the Exige costing < 1/2 as much as the GT3, maybe only 1/3. Plus the Lotus doesn't eat pads as quickly. Same deal on rotors, though the savings are probably better. This is assuming you're running iron rotors on the GT3. If you're running PCCBs, then you're looking at an insane difference (and don't let anyone tell you otherwise, PCCBs do wear under track conditions, which is why I pulled mine and changed them to iron rotors 2/3 of the way through the season). Tires are probably about 1/2 as much for the Lotus as for the GT3, and again they last longer.

If you're doing the work yourself it's about even, but if you're paying a shop to do the work, the GT3 is going to be a bit more because you're going to need to swap pads, etc. more often.

roberga

52,000 on my rear PCCB and 30,000 on the front GENII. Both are in great shape. I run the Porsche green pads

cobrien

Just out of curiosity, how many of those are track miles?

roberga

>25K. The first 13,000 11,000 were all track

cobrien

Very interesting. Are your rotors showing wear now? If so, when did they start? My rotors started showing wear at about 1500 track miles, as did the Gen II rotors of a few other people I track with. All have opted to pull them off and go with iron rotors, and then put the PCCBs back on when/if they ever sell the car (the rotors are still fine, just trying to prevent having to replace them). I can't imagine why there'd be such a vast difference between yours and ours....makes me wonder if we got a bad batch or something (all the cars in question were built within a few months of each other in the first half of '07).

roberga

mine are as smooth as glass. The fronts that came with the car turned into emery boards.

Steve B in SD

I have both a 996 GT3, and an'07 Exige S.
They seem to be about the same in terms of cost of ownership-- maintenance, etc.
However, modding is a lot cheaper on the Lotus, as you would expect.
Porsche mods are pricey, by comparison.
Awesome cars, each in their own right!

340Elise

OK, I didn't buy the Isotope Green 240 Exige S. I loved it, but it was not the same as when I went from my 997 C2 to my 2005 Elise. I must say, the 997 GT3 is an impressive car and the Exige 240 did not blow me away in comparison.

However, I still want a Lotus and will try to get one in addition to my GT3 in the future.

One note on the 240 vs. 220 Exige S; I was not able to rev the car over 5K rpm, but I could not tell a difference in power; which is what I expected. The 220 hp variant was underated anyway (closer to 230 hp), and the 240 is just an honest 220 Exige with some mild ECU tuning to bring in another 10 HP. Big woop! Not worth it to me for at least 10K if not 15K more for the 240 Exige S.

So here is what I will probably buy: either the 2008 supercharged Elise without the intercooler, and order it as a stripper; only mod will be starshield. Or, I will go for a low mileage used 2007 Exige S, or I will pick up a leftover 2007 S if they are still around at a big discount. Also, the 240 should be dropping like rocks as rumors of the 2009's come out.

The final option is to pick up a used low mileage 2005 or 2006 NA Elise and then install the Sector 111 or Blackwatch Racking supercharger kit for about $5K and do the labor myself. Here I can get a 240 + hp Elise for around $35 to $38K including the supercharger.

These cars are just awesome, and I have found the maintenance to be very inexpensive.

Stephen

YA911Fan

A few questions for you, 340:

Does the 220 Exige S have some semblance of rear visibility since there's no IC?
Do dealers have the SC Elise yet?
Is the SS really necessary? (I can't stand the plastic wrapped look... )

I won't ask you why the plot to kidnap Rommel failed...

Thanks.

MickOpalak

Regarding the Car&Driver article:

I believe it was an '06, 190 hp Exige vs a Cayman S on Road Atlanta, which is a track that favors power and high speeds. Had the comparison been a supercharged Exige S vs Cayman S on a twisty track, the results would have been much different.

Terry L

340Elise's reactions mirror mine. The Elise/Exige is overwhelmingly impressive against almost anything but the GT3 - but the GT3 stands up to the overall comparison and comes out on top. That is why I still have my 2005 Elise but can't decide whether to sell it, return it to pure street specs, or install one of the aftermarket SCs to make the car even better on the track. Fortunately, winter allows me to procrastinate on this decision.

340Elise

1) yes, it is better for sure, but I really do not mind the IC in the way. This car is so small, that not being able to see out the back is about the same as driving an SUV (at least in terms of backing up). Also, I had the Multivex mirrors on my 2007, and you quickly get used to them and they give you plenty of view of the cars behind and around you, and take care of any blind spots. Also, it is nice to just remove the entire rearview mirror as this opens up your forward visability, which is more important anyway. When you back up, just use your mirrors and go slow; you should do this in any vehicle anyway.

2) My dealer does not have an SC Elise, but they are checking inventory at the ports to see if they can snag one for me, should I decide to go that route and take advantage of the loyalty incentive which expires at the end of February. You can always check the other dealer inventories to see if any are in stock yet.

3) I would most definetely get the SS. There is a reason that Lotus offers this as an option on the spec sheet. I personally want clear shield on any of my nice cars since I live in a state that does get some snow and ice in the winter, so we often have the little rocks on the road being kicked up during the winter months by other cars in front of me. On the Elise/Exige the most important area that this factory option covers is the front of the rear fenders. This area gets chewed up quickly if you don't have the starshield. Also, the SS is installed at the port, and it is the best installation that I have ever seen for a clear bra material in my life! Both my 2005 Elise and 2007 S were perfect as far as I am concerned. There were no bubbles, not a single corner peeling away, and excellent placement and alignment of the material. I don't think I have ever seen a Federal car that did not have it, and I bet you that 99.5% of them have it. If you don't have it, I think it will affect resale unless of course you have someone do it locally. But they will not do it as good as the factory stuff done at the port; they are masters of the Lotus clear bra!