fixing the s1 handling??

[mrhatmostly]

ok, the s1 is undoubtedly a damn fine handling car but rumour has that its on-limit handling is a bit viscous. now is this just a track situation (ie when driving 10/10ths) or will it be discovered on real world driving (if pushing a little - not that i would do that on a public road - lordy no!).
and can this be fixed by a suspension upgrade? hope so, as i find the s1 much prettier than the s2...

[Gargamel]

The main issue was the factory tyre choice - the P zero didn't really give a progressive break away, on the limit, hence "stories" about the rear end just going away

most owners swapped them for Yoko Advans or similar which gave a bit more feedback.

The other important factor here is driver training for quite a few people it was there first rear wheel drive car with high power to weight. Hence many owners serious over estimated there ability to catch a rear end break away and actually turn into instead of out of.

Driven at 8/10ths on the right rubber and the std setup with the right tyre pressure and a dry road there are no problems whatsoever.

[Scott_Mac]

P Zero's plus wet weather equals bad news... I have driven two std cars, and the change in tyres makes a marked difference... the Yokos are a little wider though, which can throw a little understeer into the equation...however, this is safer than oversteer to the amateur driver...

If you respect the car, then I don't see any problems with it.

[petermayhew]

Undoubtedly the S1 benefits from the Lotus Sport suspension upgrade as fitted to the S160. I had a std S1 upgraded and the difference was remarkable (I also fitted Yoko 539's). However with the high power to weight ratio and stiffer suspension the weight transfer happens quickly without a lot of body roll, so you have to treat the car with respect. Driving in the wet just exagerates the experience. I like to think of the car as sharpening the edges of the handling envelope (should have been in marketing!)
Peter

[fergusd]

Agree totally w.r.t tyre choice, stay away from Pirelli's in the wet (great in the dry though), we've seen more Pirelli shod cars come to their end in Scotland than anything else . . .

The S1 specific Yoko Advans are a lovely tyre, very nice dry and wet performance, quite soft on track, but lovely ride quality . . .

As soon as you fit stiffer suspension with less travel you change the rate at which the car fails, generally faster. My experience is that it is very difficult to catch real power on oversteer (within the confines of a road), but relatively easy to catch lift off oversteer, neither of these should be an issue in the dry, but either can be provoked very easily on wet roads with cold tyres, you will probably not catch either if you have not done it before on an airfield . . . and at this point you're backwards in a hedge with a written off chassis . . . this is where the cationary tales come from and the bad rep . . .

Just be very carefull, get some training and learn what the car does when you panic/screw up/don't understand what you did . . .

Fd

[robmk1]

i changed my Pzeros to Goodyear Eagal F1's, (the ones on the advert with the Z3)and at high speeds (three figure speeds!!!) the rear breaks on uneven surfaces very progressivly and is really easy to catch without even thinking about sweating. In the wet the F1's grip fantastic.