S1/s2 Suspension

[Ellie]

Sorry to bring this up again, I know there are threads on the site about this already but if you fit S2 suspension to an S1 and change the ride height to 110/120, will the car still clear road humps? Don't want to damage Ellie, haven't had her long!

[GCCK]

The car will clear the humps, no problem. However, you will brush the front mudflaps regularly - sounds disconcerting at first because it sounds very sudden, startling and expensive until you get used to it. Eventually you start to anticipate when it's going to happen. No damage is done to the flaps barring a slight abrasion to the underside and it's not noticeable.

 

You may start carrying your front number plate around in the boot though. Go too close to a kerb, front on in a car park, and you'll catch the underside on the top of the kerb.

[ipanter]

And remember to finish your braking for speed humps before you get to them.

[simon_prickett]

I eventually took the mudflaps off my S1 which was running at 100/110... because I got sick of the snagging - also ripped one of them and had to buy a replacement.

 

Never had problems with most speed bumps though.

 

Simon.

[wayne]

What is the advantage of the s2 suspension??

and if advised, where and what would you require for the job??

big job???

(im a guy who wants to play with my s1 through the winter months as you can see!)

[malbon]

What is the advantage of the s2 suspension??

and if advised, where and what would you require for the job??

big job???

(im a guy who wants to play with my s1 through the winter months as you can see!)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

The bilstein shocks of the S2 are a big impovement over the dated S1 Koni shocks. Everyone knows how noisy the elise is and the S2 stuff removes a lot of the knock/clank that you get. You can also buy them with the ride hieghts pre-set. I dont know what the ride heigth for the S1 is but the gap between the tyres and the arches is huge. If you get ride height adjusted to the settings talked about above then it looks a lot squat and better.

 

It is a simple replacement 'part for part' job. You get 4 springs and shocks and 2 front replacement brackets if you go for the lower ride height.

 

You will need.

 

S2 Susp. Kit - buy off Steve B from SELOC for around £500

A Trolley Jack

Set of spanners

Ratchet

something to take the wheels off.

 

1. Jack up one side

2. Take both wheels off.

3. Take both back/front Spring/Dampers off - 2 top bolts/s

4. Put new ones on.

5. Put wheels back on

6. Let the jack down

7. Do the other side

 

8. Take it to somewhere that does GEO's to make sure the wheels are alligned.

[Martin R]

Im also considering the same modification to my S1. I think the wooden feel and the clanging and knocking from the suspension spoils what is otherwise a superb car. I was thinking of going for something like 145/135 as a happy medium. Mine at the moment appears to be 160/160. It appears a quite straight forward job. Also i dont think i will need the extra brackets at 145/135.

[malbon]

Martin,

 

don't faff around - get it down to 110/120 - its not that low and speed bumps aren't a problem - also looks great. you don't need the brackets (off a VX) if you go any higher than this at the front IIRC.

 

Very straightforward.

 

Im also considering the same modification to my S1. I think the wooden feel and the clanging and knocking from the suspension spoils what is otherwise a superb car. I was thinking of going for something like 145/135 as a happy medium. Mine at the moment appears to be 160/160. It appears a quite straight forward job. Also i dont think i will need the extra brackets at 145/135.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Black Swan]

Went tke S2 route over the summer and it does make a difference. Feels more planted I think at 110/120 and the wheel arches look fuller (hope that does not sound too MAX Power). As you can see the number plate takes some stick and a solution needs to be found to suite your needs. Would recomment it for anyone who has sh@gged shocks anyway.

 

Peter

[Ladders]

What is the advantage of the s2 suspension??

and if advised, where and what would you require for the job??

big job???

(im a guy who wants to play with my s1 through the winter months as you can see!)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

S2 Susp. Kit - buy off Steve B from SELOC for around £500

A Trolley Jack

Set of spanners

Ratchet

something to take the wheels off.

 

1. Jack up one side

2. Take both wheels off.

3. Take both back/front Spring/Dampers off - 2 top bolts/s

4. Put new ones on.

5. Put wheels back on

6. Let the jack down

7. Do the other side

 

8. Take it to somewhere that does GEO's to make sure the wheels are alligned.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Pretty much right, but I had a seized bolt on the bottom rear shock, presume as it gets at lot of water spraying up. So just keep stuff like that in mind.

 

You will also need some silicon sealent to coat the backs of the new brackets that steve supplies to stop bi-mettalic corrosion.

[Scrappydog]

Im also considering the same modification to my S1. I think the wooden feel and the clanging and knocking from the suspension spoils what is otherwise a superb car. I was thinking of going for something like 145/135 as a happy medium. Mine at the moment appears to be 160/160. It appears a quite straight forward job. Also i dont think i will need the extra brackets at 145/135.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Martin - just a reminder, if you using standard S2 shocks up front then you will need the extra bracket. The "kits" (either Lotus or SteveB) use VX220 springs on S2 dampers up front. Sorry if you knew this already, but it wasn't clear from the thread whether people were talking about the S2 derived kits or simply using S2 springs & dampers.

 

Cheers,

 

Andy

[Mr G]

I'm not sure the S2 kits from Steve B aren't in fixed ride height sizes???

 

I would deffo go for the lower end of the 'standard' ride height zone - mine was on 120 110 and I think I only ever had one rub on one of the massive speed bumps going into the Palmerdrome in Bedford.

 

Not a problem at all on normal driving.

[Mark A]

Im also considering the same modification to my S1. I think the wooden feel and the clanging and knocking from the suspension spoils what is otherwise a superb car. I was thinking of going for something like 145/135 as a happy medium. Mine at the moment appears to be 160/160. It appears a quite straight forward job. Also i dont think i will need the extra brackets at 145/135.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Martin,

 

If your car really is 160/160 then there is something wrong with it as it shouldn't be any higher than 140/140. (this is with 75kg in each seat and a full tank of fuel)

 

Lowering to 110/120 (I wish everyone would quote front/rear ) is okay, mine runs lower than that (especially now I'm running lower profile front tyres to try and remove some of the Toyo tyre wall 'slop') adding on the front splitter and I have much less clearance at the font as the approach angle is greatly reduced. The only real problams I have are in some of the Multi story Car parks in Cov which I now just avoid (or take one of the other cars instead).

[GCCK]

IIRC later S1's were set at 160/160, not 140/140 of the earlier cars. Not sure if there's a direct correlation with the introduction of barrel springs because changeover was sometime in 1999 IIRC - 111s included.

 

If there was a poll, I think you'd find most S2 fitments were set by Steve Butts at 110/120 - suppose someone should ask him. Standard kits come out at 135/135 ex Lotus (or Steve). Not much call for S2 gear at less than that - if someone was that serious about low ride height for track use etc, they wouldn't be buying S2 stuff.

 

Note that you won't be able to buy a kit with the 10mm differential front/rear from Lotus dealers. Steve Butts configures his kits and I believe Horizon have got things calibrated now, to set the springs to the desired lengths (it's all in the circlips, so I'm told).

[wayne]

well it sounds easy and im going to order this week...i'll be on asking more info nxt week probably..Thanks for everyones input...maybe in a few years(like 20???)I can help on the tech front....(i know alot about building if anyones got any questions...)