R has arrived at last
Discussion
Finally picked up my first ever lotus this monday - the new 111R. First impressions in no particular order from a newbie are.....
1. Love the gear change. It's really solid and gives a rather satisfying metallic 'clink' feel. The ratios are very close too. Even sixth gear feels like part of the useable set, rather than some distant and unused motorway ratio.
2. Cornering is a real laugh. If I push on quickly it starts to loose a little traction at the front in a progressive way. I've noticed that applying a little more gas in the corners actually tightens it up more though. Mind you, this is all at speeds undrempt of in my previous Alfa's / Gti's etc.
(Maybe this is usual in RWD cars (?), although this is my first)
3. The hood is very easy to erect from the off.
4. The boot is non existant when the soft top is in there. Doh!
5. The suspension is pretty comfy on my country roads and handles pot holes really well. I was also suprised with it's ground clearance as I motored over speeed humps without a care.
6. Interior seems to be rather well made and suprisingly the heater is really powerful. Aircon works well enough in the cold conditions too!
7. It's a noisey bugger at 100mph on the motorway, even with the sound deadening on it's touring pack. This will take some getting used to.
8. I feel as if I want to recline the bucket sears back a little. I may fabricate some angled floor wedges to remount the seats a tad.
9. Everyone looks at me whilst driving! Little kids gawp, old ladies have complimented, blokes pretend not to look and some young girls certainly do notice it. Can't wait for the summer!
>>> Edited by Roadrunner on Tuesday 2nd March 08:21
1. Love the gear change. It's really solid and gives a rather satisfying metallic 'clink' feel. The ratios are very close too. Even sixth gear feels like part of the useable set, rather than some distant and unused motorway ratio.
2. Cornering is a real laugh. If I push on quickly it starts to loose a little traction at the front in a progressive way. I've noticed that applying a little more gas in the corners actually tightens it up more though. Mind you, this is all at speeds undrempt of in my previous Alfa's / Gti's etc.
(Maybe this is usual in RWD cars (?), although this is my first)
3. The hood is very easy to erect from the off.
4. The boot is non existant when the soft top is in there. Doh!
5. The suspension is pretty comfy on my country roads and handles pot holes really well. I was also suprised with it's ground clearance as I motored over speeed humps without a care.
6. Interior seems to be rather well made and suprisingly the heater is really powerful. Aircon works well enough in the cold conditions too!
7. It's a noisey bugger at 100mph on the motorway, even with the sound deadening on it's touring pack. This will take some getting used to.
8. I feel as if I want to recline the bucket sears back a little. I may fabricate some angled floor wedges to remount the seats a tad.
9. Everyone looks at me whilst driving! Little kids gawp, old ladies have complimented, blokes pretend not to look and some young girls certainly do notice it. Can't wait for the summer!
>>> Edited by Roadrunner on Tuesday 2nd March 08:21
Enjoy. You got it just in time for summer Roadrunner said:
2. Cornering is a real laugh. If I push on quickly it starts to loose a little traction at the front in a progressive way. I've noticed that applying a little more gas in the corners actually tightens it up more though. Mind you, this is all at speeds undrempt of in my previous Alfa's / Gti's etc.
(Maybe this is usual in RWD cars (?), although this is my first)
Congrats on the new motor but for Gods sake go get some driver training before pushing it too hard because things can get ugly a lot quicker in an Elise than an Alfa believe me. I can't stress that enough!
www.1stlotus.com
Not only will you learn what to do when the back end attempts to overtake you but you'll have a fantastic day of hooning in your new toy
Cheers,
Rob
You lairy ol poseur! I went for titanium with black wheels for ease of cleanig.
Anyway I got the back end out around 35 degrees angle this morning. I gave it bit of poke coming off a roundabout in damp-ish conditions. I steered into it pretty quickly and it all came to a settle again in a straight line. Must have looked rather amusing to the lone bystander at 6am, lol.
Anyway I got the back end out around 35 degrees angle this morning. I gave it bit of poke coming off a roundabout in damp-ish conditions. I steered into it pretty quickly and it all came to a settle again in a straight line. Must have looked rather amusing to the lone bystander at 6am, lol.
Congrats...enjoy....you'll get used to being stared at...wait until the summer !
ps - www.1stlotus.com for driver training ....it WILL bite you sooner or later....be prepared
...spending £120 on a day on the airfield is the cheap option !
ps - www.1stlotus.com for driver training ....it WILL bite you sooner or later....be prepared
...spending £120 on a day on the airfield is the cheap option !Roadrunner said:
I went for titanium with black wheels for ease of cleanig.
Roadrunner, do you have a picture of the wheels? My dealer is adamant that the dark/black wheels are not available for the R, even as an option. I asked whether he could swap a set from a new 111S that he has in stock and he checked with Lotus because the centre caps look different, ie. spaced-out. Lotus then confirmed that the wheels are not interchangeable.
I'm confused - please help
Cheers,
Rob
My dealer spoke to Lotus who said that the only way you could have possibly got black wheels for the 111R would be if you or your dealer got them sprayed. The 111S wheels don't fit. I'd really like to know what happened in your case because otherwise I'm just having to take the dealer's word for it.
Cheers,
Rob
>> Edited by b3ves on Friday 2nd April 08:19
Cheers,
Rob
>> Edited by b3ves on Friday 2nd April 08:19
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