All Over For Race Speed

[stupot]

 

Audi Power

 

 

Sorry, just like the idea....engines are available at a realsitic price.............some silly prices being quoted for the Honda Units.

[steve]

What was said about the PTP conversion that wasnt good?

 

My LAD 160 conversion is great and they do still do them, they just dont advertise all that much. You're welcome to come and have a ride in mine if you want comparison and with 57k miles on the clock with the conversion from new, reliability is proven.

 

0-60 is about 5.2, 0-100 about 13 and top speed is over 135. (not had the right road to take it much further.)

 

here's the website - they have the wrong car in the middle of their photo though!!! http://www.ladmotorsport.co.uk/

 

cheers

 

steve

[Scott_Mac]

 

Audi Power

 

 

Sorry, just like the idea....engines are available at a realsitic price.............some silly prices being quoted for the Honda Units.

The thought of a low revving turbo unit doesn't appeal to me in the slightest though.. i love ringing out the revs in my car.... hence the Honda appeals a lot.

 

Steve -

 

The PTP conversion gets a bit of a slating for its idle running, apparantly not all that good, due to cam change and cast iron plenum.... also doesn't quite make the power apparantly. The RS ones got a good reviews as they make the power (and excede on all bar one conversion), use the standard plastic plenum and idle perfectly.

 

All based on 2nd hand comments mind.

 

The LAD stuff got a pretty ousy write up in Evo a while back, but yours doesn't seem slow

[steve]

Yep - am happy with it - especially as it was free!!!

 

Looking at their website, they now do a 170 but dont ask me anything about it. What was it that EVO was saying? the idle on mine is fine. a bit lumpy when driving in slow traffic but you get used to it and its a small price to pay!

 

steve

[Scott_Mac]

I can't remember what Evo said about the LAD conversion... it is in quite an old issue.... i'll try and dig it out.

[emmajaneb]

What was it that EVO was saying?

According to Scott, it's ousy.

 

I think that means it's really special - so unique a word got made up to describe it....

[Scott_Mac]

 

I meant lousy.

[gramps]

I have PTP165 for very happy and impressed with performance!

 

Revs freely to 7250 and have timed runs (not that accurate! Speedo and stopwatch) with 15 stone passenger timing!

 

0-60 4.7 (best) 5.0 average.

 

difficult to get power down!

 

top end over 140

 

more torque and grunt=v.satisfied

 

will happily demonstrate for a small fee!

[Scott_Mac]

You see... more difference of opinion.

 

Performance seems impressive!

[Mark A]

Is the Duratec actually a viable commercial project?  Like with a price list and someone to do it and all?

 

Simon.

Duratec is a waste of time IMHO.

 

You are stuck with one of the weak links of the Elise you should get rid of with an engine conversion, i.e. the gearbox.

 

The Duratec conversion will cost around £6k and you only get approx 160bhp. Once you start tuning the Duratec it starts to get very expensive and you'll start to break the gearbox.

 

You can get 160bhp from PTP, Janspeed, DVA etc for £2-3k and be almost as reliable.

 

For me it doesn't give a big enough jump to warrant the price, especially as the Audi isn't much more and you get 225bhp for that one (although I'm not interested in a Turbo either).

[GCCK]

If you want to bid for it, there's a PTP170 full kit (worth £3300, fitted) in the SELOC Charity Auction. Currently up for grabs at just £2420.

[Scott_Mac]

And i believe you are leading Mr Kidd.....

 

TBH if i were to go the K tuning route, it would probably be a PTP170.... otherwise its a Honda. None of the other options really interest me that much if i'm honest.

 

DVA Power is worth a look i guess...

[stupot]

Its all subjective....but for me, never understood the duatec engine conversion - and personally, as I see many different engine installs in my profession, it is a poor install when I saw it.

 

If you want an engine, that you have to scream to get decent drive, then go for the Honda....or a Toyota unit....but if you want some Torque and not wish to scream the engine to get some decent momentum, then a Turbo Audi unit - K Series with a TT Conv - but beware weak gbox - is ideal. Sorted by the Audi unit, Audi gearbox....

 

Who wants to scream the danglies off your engine all the time? if thats how you wish to drive, buy a 2CV....you can scream the arse off one all day on the road and still have a licence :-)

 

Also, Audi engine can easily achive 300 bhp.

 

At the end of the day, depends on your wallet.....and you ego. To me, if you want real big power at an affordable cost, pound per bhp, the Audi conversion is the answer. If you want a reasonable cost and ease, K Series tune to 160 ish......anymore, big money or more knowledge to find the route...it is possible to get good reliable power from the K, at a reasonable cost, but it takes knowledge, time and skill.

 

But, at the end of the day, if you want big power, you bought the wrong car. The Elise is based on lightweight, not big power..thats a TVR etc....

 

Even my Pug 306 has more power than my Elise (167 against 160) !!!!!

 

 

 

All subjective and many bullsh!t opinions.....some true, some not so - ie - Plastic Inlet Manifolds on a K Series....but you pay your money, you takes your chances.

[Scott_Mac]

Clearly from that then you haven't driven a Honda engined car?

 

It is more tractable than any tuned K I have been in, has more torque and you can happily plod around far quicker than most k engined cars without even touching the VTEC zone... so it doesn't have to be a screamer.

 

As for the Audi engine, i have seen Bernards car, and it is very quick, very effortless etc, but I don't personally think that massive torque and massive power suits the Elise, like you say... its a lightweight car. My car is lethal enough in the wet, without a big turbo spooling up behind me and launching spectacularly backwards into a hedge. Therefore i don't really see it is a viable engine for the Elise, so disagree with your comment about the Audi conversion being good - yes it offers great value on a pound per bhp basis, but no thanks.

 

I will tune my engine a little - maybe the PTP kit as i say, but IMO the ultimate is the Honda.

 

As for the plastic vs cast iron inlet plenum..... several people i trust have tried to explain to me the difference and i'm not 100% sure, but the general concensus is that the plastic one allows a smoother idle and you don't really need the cast one until you are into silly power.

[Steve J]

So with all this talk of engine replacements and upgrades, how much is this going to stuff the insurance up? I already had to pay an extra £40 just for the stripes so I can imagine what they'll say when I mention different engine. I can't tell them that it is cosmetic only and has no effect on performance