S1 Elise Owners - If You Haven't Done It Yet...

[GCCK]

Just got my car back from Horizon Motorsport. Mike and his team have done a wonderful job and it feels like a new car. Here's why:

 

Bought car in std spec Sept '02. From a dealer, 12 month warranty.

 

Spent nothing on the car except servicing and a dropped window (oh and a minor indescretion on the cat & fiddle run) for the last 20 months. Yes an Elise can really be that reliable. However, the result was worn out tyres (which were the "wrong" ones on the back anyway), tired dampers, spongey brakes, squeaky clutch trunnion, obstructive gearchange, and one or two cosmetic things that were starting to grate. Does this sound like a familiar story?

 

Had fitted: S2 suspension (with Steve Butts' brackets to lower to 110F/120R), Advan tyres, Geo, s/s braided hoses, gear linkage kit, C service (incl cambelt), brake pads, Hurricane induction, plus some other bits & pieces (lights on buzzer 'cos I forget and batteries are expensive, gear lever gaitor, fuel pump, etc).

 

Total spend £2.5K or thereabouts and hurricane apart, no engine upgrades at all.

 

But what a difference. Like a new car. All the iritating quirks cleared at one fell swoop, and most of all the driving experience is immensely improved. On the wrong tyres, tired components and a geo that was clearly very twitchy, it's amazing I was able to travel as quickly as I did sometimes. Entering a bend, turn in was very nervous and the back reacted as if it could let go any time. In practice, most of the time it was a case of excessive tyre wall flex feeling like oversteer but every once in a while, it was REAL oversteer... Not the most confidence inspiring set up on give-&-take and unfamiliar roads.

 

Instead today, in wet as well as dry, the thing is just SO planted. Turn in and it goes in. The back follows and no "wait for the flex to bottom out" - it just tracks. After giving it a bit of a workout, it was possible to balance drifts at will, brake well into the apex, make it dance either end, in & out of neutral. It's never been this good even when I bought it, but it really was so poor immediately before making the changes. The point is, these things rarerly happen in one day, they get progressively worse over time. I can't wait for next weeks run!

 

The other revelation is the ride. I just don't get it! The car is running 35 & 25mm lower front & rear, on stiffer springs yet its SO smooth. A real win-win. Those S1 dampers will all be at least 4 years old now for everyone and well past their sell-by. For £530 incl VAT & postage, get some from Steve B now!

 

True enough, it's a lot of dosh to spend in one go, this side of a Honda, Turbo Technics, Audi or PTP engine job, especially as the results seem so intangible at first. It's also hard to pinpoint exactly which bit accounted for which improvement: Tyres, Suspension or Geo all at once - but it makes the before/after contrast all the more dramatic.

 

Sorry to write such a long and self indulgent post, but all I really wanted to say was budget now for some significant running changes - your enjoyment of your car could depend on it.

 

Graeme

[GCCK]

Just one other thing: two items I identified as strange/ faulty a year ago while the car was still covered by the Lotus used warranty and I got fobbed off at Nick Whale. I was impressed by Ian Garrett at the time but he gave me the TADTS line on the noisy fuel pump (and I believed him) whereas Mike had no hesitation in swapping it - this time at my expense obviously. And guess what? the new one is as quiet as a, well, proper fuel pump.

 

Since I was first-time at Horizon, I was cautious about going there but persuaded by excellent feedback on here. Could have gone either way, could have driven me back into NW's arms. No chance now. Chalk & cheese.

 

Graeme

[Ladders]

 

No ones going to be safe on the runs anymore

 

 

Graeme, did you replace any of the bushes at the same time?

 

In a way I looking forward to getting mine back after hopefully having a Geo, you never know whether everythings A ok untill then I suppose!

[GCCK]

Horizon looked at all the suspension components and reported everything else OK. Greased the rear wishbone ball joints but after the "testing session" there was a little bit of knocking. I'll probably do them next year!

 

Graeme

[MattyB]

Sounds good! But £2.5k! Thats alot of wonga!

 

I'd highly recommend a good geo though to anyone who's not had one for a long time....can really revitalise the car, it did for mine.

 

Edited to say, and for £75+VAT from Horizon, there is no excuse in not getting it done!

[Simon G]

Nice one Graeme, good to hear you getting round to it, money well spent IMO. All you need to do now is get an S2 and join the 21st century

 

I know you'll enjoy it over the next few months, we'll try and keep the pace

[Steve J]

Oh god, that's all we need, a faster Graham He'll be off in to the distance in no time on the run.

 

£2.5k is a lot of money, but I suppose cheaper than chopping in for an S2 etc. So when are you getting the engine conversion??

 

Got mine booked in for a service at Horizon on Thursday, so much is the pressure of MLOC reviews. Do you think all this competition will bring NW prices down?

[Kris H]

Steve - always going to be a market for main dealers since folks with warranties need the official stamp, and there is always a tendency to go back to where you bought the car from anyway, particularly if you're not a big internet user and therefore don't stumble across things like MLOC. I don't see that NW will need to bring prices down as they are the best main dealer in the area, and I would use them until my warranty was up, but may think about horizon after, although I probably won't have the elise by then. Got to be hurting them though if a very good specialist has popped up on the door step.

 

Graeme - great news. I know these aren't engine mods as such but if they allow you to drive the car better/quicker then they have the same effect. In fact it's questionable as to whether upping engine power if the handling's not spot on is a good move anyway.

 

Kristian

[gramps]

Graeme what was the price for the s2 susp? I was quoted 790+vat (I think) by Chris Neils.

[GCCK]

Gramps

 

S2 suspension was £531.24 incl VAT & delivery from Steve Butts. Not only is he a fair bit cheaper than a Lotus garage, although the bits are in genuine Lotus sealed bags, but he will set the ride height to your requirements. Most "experts" say there should be a slight rake (10mm) front to rear whereas getting the bits from Lotus you get one choice: 135mm front & rear.

 

Price varies slightly depending on which ride height you want: more for less if you see what I mean. Mine was 110 front, 120 rear using S2 springs (not VX) and a specially fabricated front bracket. If you tell Steve your current ride height and spring type (parallel or later barrel) he will set the circlips to give the desired spring length.

 

email him on [email protected].

 

Graeme

[Scott_Mac]

You still didn't mention the sound deadening though did you

 

Mine is in for an MOT tomorrow... need to get Cat back on and number plate back in place too... cheers Mike for sorting it at zero notice once more...

 

Am also sorting the car for braided hoses (clutch and brakes) and must get my removeable wheel fitted!

 

Am certainly getting more tempted by the S2 suspension... saw lots of std S1's (and tbh some S2's) at Bedford that looked as though they may tip over on the final bend into the start straight! So stiffer stuff needed IMO!

[MattyB]

Is Mike "fitting and unfitting" the cat for you....if you know what I mean...

 

Or are you doing it?

[Scott_Mac]

Mike is.... at least i hope so, cos i'm not doing it!

 

I also need to re-attach my number plate plinth... and hopefully get the Momo wheel fitted too

[steve]

Am also sorting the car for braided hoses (clutch and brakes) and must get my removeable wheel fitted!

Scott - the removable wheel is a standard item. In fact mine came with 4!!!

 

[GCCK]

As Scott has mentioned, I got Dynamat stuck down under the seats and to the lower part of the rear bulkhead. Still get the nice woofly noises from the top end but not the grindy noises & vibration from the bottom end. The seats had to come out anyway (best when doing the clutch work), so seemed like a good idea. Well, I like it, and it's not as if dynamat qualifies as carpet, does it?

 

Graeme