SC - Safe in the wet? Does it need traction control
Discussion
I'm looking at a second hand Elise, as a more all weather car next to my Caterham (lovely in the dry but with a LSD - dangerous in the wet).
Heart set on the high revving SC, but the one I've found doesn't have Traction Control.
I'm guessing with an open differential, this is not a safety issue as if I gas it too much in the wet, the inside wheel will just spin it off.
Then I hear people with Last Editions being told to never turn ESP off. Makes me wonder if I'm making a silly mistake, and getting the wrong model.
Any experience / thoughts welcome?
Heart set on the high revving SC, but the one I've found doesn't have Traction Control.
I'm guessing with an open differential, this is not a safety issue as if I gas it too much in the wet, the inside wheel will just spin it off.
Then I hear people with Last Editions being told to never turn ESP off. Makes me wonder if I'm making a silly mistake, and getting the wrong model.
Any experience / thoughts welcome?
You’ll be fine, especially if you are use to a Caterham. I’ve had both Elise’s and a Caterham. Elise has better tyres for wet weather and more weight. As long as you are not silly in the wet, it won’t be an issue without the traction control. In my old Elise I had traction control (the basic on/off) type and I would say it was more dangerous having it on, as it would just suddenly cut the power
The throttle is an analogue device you know, you don't have to press it all the way down. 
Realistically the open diff and huge rear-biased weight distribution make any normal Elise relatively benign on the power; the problems tend to come from either aquaplaning or lift-off oversteer, neither of which is significantly affected by the power output.
I've daily driven a 111S, which is admittedly a fair bit less powerful but is also a fair bit lighter, for 17 years now and not had an issue with the lack of TC. The lack of ABS has created more heart-in-mouth moments.
Realistically the open diff and huge rear-biased weight distribution make any normal Elise relatively benign on the power; the problems tend to come from either aquaplaning or lift-off oversteer, neither of which is significantly affected by the power output.
I've daily driven a 111S, which is admittedly a fair bit less powerful but is also a fair bit lighter, for 17 years now and not had an issue with the lack of TC. The lack of ABS has created more heart-in-mouth moments.
Had my 2007 Elise S for three years. Not long after I got it, I did a Walshy Play Day at North Weald. This involved a high-speed 90 degree left hand bend and a kidney shape circuit. Was absolutely chucking it down all day. I spun once which was a result of a lack of talent rather than grip which given the conditions was incredible.
I spun again because I wanted to see if I could get a little drift going. What I learnt was that the Elise doesn't like to drift. It's either stuck to the road like a limpet or it isn't and the isn't comes a very long way down the line from where you think it is.
I spun again because I wanted to see if I could get a little drift going. What I learnt was that the Elise doesn't like to drift. It's either stuck to the road like a limpet or it isn't and the isn't comes a very long way down the line from where you think it is.
I currently have an S2 SC and previously had a Caterham HPC
Simply put No the Elise doesn’t need traction control - it’s a riot to drive offering a modicum of extra civility over the Caterham and like any performance car whether it has t/c or not needs to be respected to make sure you don’t run out of talent
Simply put No the Elise doesn’t need traction control - it’s a riot to drive offering a modicum of extra civility over the Caterham and like any performance car whether it has t/c or not needs to be respected to make sure you don’t run out of talent
Having had to take the daily on a French roadtrip due to an issue with the TC in my S3 Elise (from memory a brake switch that meant throttle couldn’t be applied) , I’d say it’s one less thing to go wrong!
I’ve been caught in biblical rain in the Elise and a bit of drizzle in the 7 I’d choose the Elise every day.
I’ve been caught in biblical rain in the Elise and a bit of drizzle in the 7 I’d choose the Elise every day.
I have a 111R with the factory supercharger kit fitted. It doesn’t have traction control. The rearward weight distribution means there’s a lot of traction. You need to be quite lead footed to lose grip. As with all Elises, weight transfer is more likely to catch you out than excess throttle, and basic traction control won’t save you from that. Just take your time getting used to it (and/or get some tuition).
matjk said:
I’ve got an early S3 SC and it doesn’t have traction. I don’t know if it can retrofitted but I’ve never missed it , annoyingly it was in the description for the car from Bell & Colvile and I didn’t notice it didn’t have it for a few days .
I also have an early S3 SC. It had tc retrofitted by Bell and Colvill by a previous owner, so it’s possible. I’ve only noticed it intervene on a couple of occasions, usually when accelerating out of T junctions in damp weather. Never noticed it on track. Tyres are Avon ZZs. Gassing Station | Elise/Exige/Europa/340R | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff