Newbie

[Chris S1]

Good evening everyone,

I thought I would start by introducing myself, as my user name suggests I’m Chris and an owner of an 1999 S1 Elise.  It is my first lotus and I’ve only owned the car for a few weeks.  I have moved from owning classic Mini’s for the last 7 years or so.  I love the Lotus but it seems to lag behind the performance and handling of my old works Mini Cooper S.  So there may be a few questions coming about setting the car up and extracting a little more enthusiasm from the engine.  I’m in Wiltshire so if anyone knows of any meets or events in the area then it would be great to meet up with some local enthusiasts.  I’m currently reading through the parts and service manuals to learn more about the car.  I have also started the fatal list of jobs to do...Let the tinkering begin.

Regards, Chris.

[@ndy]

Welcome to MLOC Chris, Great choice of car and don't be fooled by the low power, once you get familiar with it you'l be amazed how capable these little plastic cars are.

[Phil S1]

Welcome Chris, my first foray into Lotus ownership was with a 99 S1 Elise, hence my user name, I've moved onto an Evora now so the name is now something of a misnomer 😁

As Andy has said don't get too hung up about power, it's all about the handling. Frankly there are loads of more mainstream cars on the roads these days that would out-run a Lotus in a drag race but that's not the point.

There's a wealth of knowledge on here for whatever tinkering you're thinking of so don't be shy to ask. In the meantime we really need to see some photos of the S1 🙂

[Chris S1]

Good afternoon,

Thank you very much for your replies.  Thankfully I have kept my geo setup equipment from when I raced my mini's.  So I have corner weighing scales and toe, camber and castor gauges.  Next on my list is to check to geometry and condition of the suspension bushes and ball joints.  I think this is where many of my handling problems are.

Regards, Chris.

[Phil S1]

A full check over and refresh of the suspension as necessary will be an excellent place to start for sure, the bushes and ball joints do wear over time, as can the steering rack. Also check the condition of the rear tie rods as they can sieze and ultimately break with potentially disasterous consequences.

[MrWill]

Hi Chris

Welcome on board! 

How damn fast is an classic works mini if it makes an S1 feel slow?

Would love to see Pic or two of your classic minis as well as the S1. 

There's that adage I always thought was brilliant for 90% of driving: its much (much) more fun to drive a slower car fast than a fast car slow. 😁

Couldn't agree more with Phil (not an S1) S1.   Prioritise Handling not power. There's so much tinkering to be had on these cars to keep you happily occupied. From my experience (i.e. mistakes) if you want to upgrade and keep the essence of the Elise  I'd keep the geo as per standard and if not already done, get the bilstein S2 shocks and springs upgrade to go with your bushes and joints. Again I'd go either standard design bushes from Eliseparts or Elisespares or superpro ones. You've raced minis so there is no need to mention ensuring tyres are a) decent make and b) not old and gone off. 

Good luck with the refurb you'll love it.

MrWill 

Ps I have the Eliseparts tools for ball joints and wishbone bushes if you need a lend. 

 

[DeanB]

Welcome to mloc Chris!

As others have said, it isn't necessary to have big power in an elise to enjoy it.  If you take it on a track day you might be surprised at how quickly it can lap relative to other more powerful but heavier cars. They are great on the brakes and carry lots of speed in the bends.

That said, a good and cheap mod to get you 15 bhp (a more than ten percent increase!) is to fit the MGF 135 cams.  They can be found for about £140 a pair. Aswell as giving you 135 bhp they allow the engine to rev much better between 5 and 6 grand.

Good luck!