S2 Exige: How rare &worthwhile is the Race pack?
Discussion
Hi all,
I am looking to buy an S2 Exige for trackdays and weekend road use (just early morning fun runs, no requirement for it to be anything other than a toy). I really appreciate the comfort and security you get from a decent bucket seat and harnesses on track, not safety-wise but rather the ability to feel the car's movements without clinging on to the steering wheel to stay in your seat! I don't find them too annoying for road use either, although it would be nice to have standard belts in parallel.
As far as I can tell, the Race pack comes with Probax seats and Schroth harnesses, but is a pretty rare option, maybe 10% of advertised cars have had the Race pack in the time I've been looking. Given that I am also hoping for a lurid colour scheme (can everyone please stop speccing grey/silver Lotuses?) this shrinks the pool of potential cars massively.
The Race pack also adds extra oil coolers (correct?) - how useful are these? I drive pretty hard but I'm sympathetic to the car, eg no 30 lap stints at high noon in mid-summer. I haven't see any posts about standard cars requiring an oiling system upgrade, can they handle being flung around on R888s without suffering from oil surge or overheating?
Although the idea of having a "factory prepped" car appeals, if the seats / harnesses are simple bolt in mods I'd happily consider doing it myself and factoring that cost into the buying decision, or buying a car with that mod done. I don't want to get into welding in new harness mounts, chopping interior panels etc though!
I have waffled a bit, so, in summary:
1) How rare is the Race pack?
2) Is it highly desirable for track use or can my key requirement (seat + harness) be replicated easily?
3) Does the Sport pack add any of the same features or is it more like a trim option?
4) Where are all the kermit green / highlighter-pen orange Exiges?
Thanks all!
I am looking to buy an S2 Exige for trackdays and weekend road use (just early morning fun runs, no requirement for it to be anything other than a toy). I really appreciate the comfort and security you get from a decent bucket seat and harnesses on track, not safety-wise but rather the ability to feel the car's movements without clinging on to the steering wheel to stay in your seat! I don't find them too annoying for road use either, although it would be nice to have standard belts in parallel.
As far as I can tell, the Race pack comes with Probax seats and Schroth harnesses, but is a pretty rare option, maybe 10% of advertised cars have had the Race pack in the time I've been looking. Given that I am also hoping for a lurid colour scheme (can everyone please stop speccing grey/silver Lotuses?) this shrinks the pool of potential cars massively.
The Race pack also adds extra oil coolers (correct?) - how useful are these? I drive pretty hard but I'm sympathetic to the car, eg no 30 lap stints at high noon in mid-summer. I haven't see any posts about standard cars requiring an oiling system upgrade, can they handle being flung around on R888s without suffering from oil surge or overheating?
Although the idea of having a "factory prepped" car appeals, if the seats / harnesses are simple bolt in mods I'd happily consider doing it myself and factoring that cost into the buying decision, or buying a car with that mod done. I don't want to get into welding in new harness mounts, chopping interior panels etc though!
I have waffled a bit, so, in summary:
1) How rare is the Race pack?
2) Is it highly desirable for track use or can my key requirement (seat + harness) be replicated easily?
3) Does the Sport pack add any of the same features or is it more like a trim option?
4) Where are all the kermit green / highlighter-pen orange Exiges?
Thanks all!
I know of a "Sports Pack" - I think that consisted of the large Mohawk scoop, 308mm BBK and tune... I think.
a "Touring Pack" - I think only consisted of a cup holder and a radio.
a "Performance Pack" - I think only came with Ohlin shocks and an adjustable sway bar and launch control.
There were/are a whole slew of a la carte "Motor Sport" options you could have ordered for the car... but it was never a "Pack"... those included and ATL 70-liter fuel cell, 4-point and 6-point harnesses, roll cage, air jacks, built in fire suppression system, etc.
a "Touring Pack" - I think only consisted of a cup holder and a radio.
a "Performance Pack" - I think only came with Ohlin shocks and an adjustable sway bar and launch control.
There were/are a whole slew of a la carte "Motor Sport" options you could have ordered for the car... but it was never a "Pack"... those included and ATL 70-liter fuel cell, 4-point and 6-point harnesses, roll cage, air jacks, built in fire suppression system, etc.
Right, I'll limit this to packs that were available at the time my S2 was built (2008MY), as before these, some of the pack were a bit muddled (eg there was for a time, a 'supersport pack' and 'super touring pack' before this model year)
Sport Pack:
Probax sport seats with harness holes, Harness bar with T45 rollover hoop, switchable traction control (on/off), adjustable front ARB
Performance Pack:
Power up to 240bhp, longer roof scoop, variable traction control, 4-pot AP front calipers, uprated clutch plate and cover
Touring pack:
Extra NVH deadening and capets, ipod connection, driving lamps, leather or suede effect Probax seats (not of the sport variety unless Sport pack also present), cup holder.
Mine just had the sport pack, and was fine for everyday use for most of my ownership and frequent trackdays. The harness bar was the most important element for me, though you have to fit your own as only the Cup cars came with them as standard. I fitted mine alongside the standard belts, along with a fitting it.
The only hole in my knowledge is the oil coolers, but my Sport pack car definitely had them as it was part of the recall last year.
Sport Pack:
Probax sport seats with harness holes, Harness bar with T45 rollover hoop, switchable traction control (on/off), adjustable front ARB
Performance Pack:
Power up to 240bhp, longer roof scoop, variable traction control, 4-pot AP front calipers, uprated clutch plate and cover
Touring pack:
Extra NVH deadening and capets, ipod connection, driving lamps, leather or suede effect Probax seats (not of the sport variety unless Sport pack also present), cup holder.
Mine just had the sport pack, and was fine for everyday use for most of my ownership and frequent trackdays. The harness bar was the most important element for me, though you have to fit your own as only the Cup cars came with them as standard. I fitted mine alongside the standard belts, along with a fitting it.
The only hole in my knowledge is the oil coolers, but my Sport pack car definitely had them as it was part of the recall last year.
aww999 said:
I haven't see any posts about standard cars requiring an oiling system upgrade, can they handle being flung around on R888s without suffering from oil surge or overheating?
Sticky tyres plus track work requires a baffled sump or similar on the Toyota engines, there's not much chat about it on here but it's definitely the case.Oil cooler is standard though I think (but not certain on this), one oil cooler would normally be enough for an engine of this type IMO.
Cheers,
Dunc.
Thanks for all the responses, it sounds like I should assess each car case-by-case rather than searching for key words. Not too much of a chore, who doesn't love trawling the classifieds?
I will do some research on the sump issue as well, happy to spend money up front to ensure tha car can pound round the track with no issues.
I haven't received any messages, will try to send you one to establish contact
I will do some research on the sump issue as well, happy to spend money up front to ensure tha car can pound round the track with no issues.
I haven't received any messages, will try to send you one to establish contact
Cars 2004 thru 2007 didn't have twin oil coolers as standard unless the performance pack was an option.
I've owned a 2005 111R with single oil cooler and a heavily modified S2 Exige with twin coolers.
The Exige was thrashed everyday (and on track) for almost five years and did 85,000 miles before I sold it. I would not buy or track an S2 Exige without twin oil coolers. The temps are way different and will impact the longevity of the engine. I know several owners that had HGF with a single cooler over their ownership. I would also recommend removing the mesh of the side pods...simple mod that also helps control temps.
I've owned a 2005 111R with single oil cooler and a heavily modified S2 Exige with twin coolers.
The Exige was thrashed everyday (and on track) for almost five years and did 85,000 miles before I sold it. I would not buy or track an S2 Exige without twin oil coolers. The temps are way different and will impact the longevity of the engine. I know several owners that had HGF with a single cooler over their ownership. I would also recommend removing the mesh of the side pods...simple mod that also helps control temps.
I had a similar wishlist when I was shopping for mine. Performance pack was a must, sport pack preferred and in a lairy colour with the forged wheel option.. very little sub £30k came up between April/Aug this year those that did were often gone within 24-48hours.
In the end a fully loaded car came up PP/SP/TP Factory 260 upgrade only issue was it was white! Actually quite liked the colour in the flesh when I went to view so and ended up buying it. Didn't have the forged wheels but managed to pick some of these up from SELOC recently.
Also look out for RGB or Sprint versions as they both come with PP/SP/TP as standard. There is a lovely sprint on SELOC at the moment http://classifieds.seloc.org/ads/lotus-exige-s2-sp...
No issues retro fitting harness to a non-sport pack exige but if you want the proper probax seats with the harness holes then they dont come up very often and when they do they carry a premium!
In the end a fully loaded car came up PP/SP/TP Factory 260 upgrade only issue was it was white! Actually quite liked the colour in the flesh when I went to view so and ended up buying it. Didn't have the forged wheels but managed to pick some of these up from SELOC recently.
Also look out for RGB or Sprint versions as they both come with PP/SP/TP as standard. There is a lovely sprint on SELOC at the moment http://classifieds.seloc.org/ads/lotus-exige-s2-sp...
No issues retro fitting harness to a non-sport pack exige but if you want the proper probax seats with the harness holes then they dont come up very often and when they do they carry a premium!
Mines a 2006 Sport pack S
It has Twin oil coolers as they were replaced on the recall this year, probax harness seats, harness bar , roll bar, sport pack bilsteins from the factory.
Now has factory 260 upgrade, lotus motorsport 4 pot upgrade, adjustable anti roll bar, large roof scoop, forged wheels + sump , lightweight flywheel and new clutch to go on.
It has Twin oil coolers as they were replaced on the recall this year, probax harness seats, harness bar , roll bar, sport pack bilsteins from the factory.
Now has factory 260 upgrade, lotus motorsport 4 pot upgrade, adjustable anti roll bar, large roof scoop, forged wheels + sump , lightweight flywheel and new clutch to go on.
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