Hangar 111 Turbo 250S kit

[CTE]

I am thinking about upgrading my 111R with the above kit. Does anyone have any useful experience/comments about this kit.

I have read previously that too much power can lead to problems within the gearbox. I have also read that the standard Elise SC can suffer from charge cooler problems when driven hard (i.e. trackdays) with a resultant loss in performance. This kit apprears to have improved cooling?

Any experience/thoughts would be much appreciated.

[Exige77]

A friend and contributor on SELOC recently had the 280 kit fitted.

After some problems he had it independently Dyno'd and it was only producing 199.7 at the hubs.

Yota gearbox is OK untill you arroach 300BHP and it will go bang, just a matter of time. 250/280 should be OK.

Yota engine does not come with a charge cooler from the factory. If fitted it reduces temps and not increases them.

Maybe you are confussed with Heat Soak ? This si a problem with non CC'd cars.

Ex77

[CTE]

Thanks Ex77....I was thinking more of an intercooler. I had read that the factory SC Elise cars do not have adequate intercooling, unlike the Exige.

[Exige77]

The Exige intercooling is far from adequate.

Have a look here on Exiges.com:

http://www.exiges.com/ubbz/ubbthreads.php?ubb=show...

It is a much discussed topic.

Ex77

[subaqua]

And the old model Elise Sc has neither a chargecooler, nor an intercooler.

Hence the problems with heatsoak

2012 model Elise SCs have an intercooler I believe

[MrSimba]

Sell it & buy a vx220 turbo, plenty of 250-300bhp VXT's in the classifieds for very keen prices

[CTE]

MrSimba..probably a very good idea...I am not a badge snob, although I do much prefer the look of the Lotus...oh yes, and my missus works for Lotus, although that might be all the more reason to buy a Vauxhall? I know modifying cars is never a straight forward task.

[Exige77]

Proven effective upgrade is a katana Kit from Sinclares. (now Essex Autosport)

Speak to Wayne.

You can start with the the basic kit and upgrade as you go along with Exhaust options, intake, different sized pulleys, Charge cooler, bigger fuel pump, upgraded gearbox etc etc. Sky is the limit. Well up to about 330bhp anyway.

Basic kit alone is a very significant improvement.

Ex77

[peter450]

If your worried about reliablity, just get the offical lotus S/C upgrade, it's a bit less powerful 220HP, but you have the piece of mind that it was developed by the factory and is essentially the same kit as whats bolted onto every S/C they sold to date

[CTE]

Have to say the Essex Autosport upgrades look good.

[jfk01]

Gearbox at 300 bhp is the Achilles heel ..
Cooling is relatively straightforward in my experience , even without a cc ..
The yota lump is pretty good for 300+ in unopened form ..

[Speckle]

Exige77 said:

Proven effective upgrade is a katana Kit from Sinclares. (now Essex Autosport)

Speak to Wayne.

I had this kit fitted by Sinclaires in September last year and it completely transformed the character of the car. I've had no issues at all since the upgrade (apart from the extra £££ I spend on petrol nowadays due to wanting to drive the car more often )

Highly recommended if you're looking for a proven power upgrade.

[CTE]

Have you found that the engine has lost some character with the smoother power delivery, or does the engine still scream away at higher revs?
In the standard form, whilst its not the fastest car around, the engine character is a bit addictive.

[Speckle]

I loved the cam change before the upgrade and was concerned that some of that character would be lost. I can honestly say that the whine of the supercharger is way more addictive than the cam change ever was!

The power delivery is much more linear but, as far as I'm concerned, that's a good thing. Overtaking is simply a formality now, no need to worry where the revs are or if I'm in the right gear, just go

[Exige77]

As Speckle says the whine is very addictive.

You can still scream up to the redline or use the torque in the higher gears.

Best of both worlds depending on your mood.

Ex77

[CTE]

Sounds really good....a boring but practical question...how did it affect your insurance, or is there a specialist who treats such upgrades favourably?

[Speckle]

CTE said:

Sounds really good....a boring but practical question...how did it affect your insurance, or is there a specialist who treats such upgrades favourably?

My annual premium only went up by £24! I use Henderson Taylor and they are well used to insuring modified cars.

[forester2945]

Spekle - what did the upgrade cost if you dont mind me asking?

[forester2945]

Sorry - typo Speckle, my bad

[Speckle]

Hmmm, can't send you a PM for some reason...

On their website, the Katana upgrade is currently advertised at £3,995 plus VAT. I had a custom map on top of this (recommended) which was about another £300 I think.

Compared to trading in for a factory Exige S, the upgrade was by far the better (and cheaper) deal.