Quick FAO Scuffers - aircon?
Discussion
Simon - thinking of shelving ALL wastage of money on little, expensive increments of power with my 240PP Exige. It seems that because of the gearbox limitations, the return on investment w.r.t. Toyota tuning is pretty damn low. Lots of money for 30-40 bhp? Sod that. And I don't want *gearboxes* becoming consumables.
So the idea is to wait, save the cash up, and when the warranty is well gone I'm sure you'll have a fully-tested conversion for a supercharged Honda and gearbox into the S2 Exige S - and by then hopefully the early-adopters will have found any niggles and sorted them quickly.
The issue for me is that I only want to spend proper money if I'm getting a substantially quicker car at the end of it - and not a car that is then beyond its own control. I'm thinking that I'll need one of your supercharged Hondas (320 bhp feasible?).
But the brilliant thing about the S2 Exige is how it's usable all the time and *fun* all the time - most of this comes from it not being insanely noisy inside, and having aircon / heaters to demist the car in winter quickly.
Does the Honda engine (with blower) still permit retention of the aircon kit? That's probably the only stopper. I'm happy paying for a few bushes / toe link upgrades - the car already has the big AP racing brakes with Pagid pads (surely more than *that* isn't needed FFS). Presumably the engine conversion is fitted with correct injectors etc. and fuel pumps are part of the package?
Just a wild-arsed query focusing on the aircon issue. I know there's not an S2 Exige Honda conversion kit out yet. I know that there's interest and you're working on one. However for me, I'd want to keep the boot and the aircon. If the Toyota can fit, with a chunky and inefficient Rootes blower, and still have room for the aircon then I'd expect the Honda and centrifugal blower ought to as well. But if that's not what *most* customers care about, I don't suppose it'll be part of your engineering requirements.
Can you give me a hint as to whether this is a likely option in the future?
So the idea is to wait, save the cash up, and when the warranty is well gone I'm sure you'll have a fully-tested conversion for a supercharged Honda and gearbox into the S2 Exige S - and by then hopefully the early-adopters will have found any niggles and sorted them quickly.
The issue for me is that I only want to spend proper money if I'm getting a substantially quicker car at the end of it - and not a car that is then beyond its own control. I'm thinking that I'll need one of your supercharged Hondas (320 bhp feasible?).
But the brilliant thing about the S2 Exige is how it's usable all the time and *fun* all the time - most of this comes from it not being insanely noisy inside, and having aircon / heaters to demist the car in winter quickly.
Does the Honda engine (with blower) still permit retention of the aircon kit? That's probably the only stopper. I'm happy paying for a few bushes / toe link upgrades - the car already has the big AP racing brakes with Pagid pads (surely more than *that* isn't needed FFS). Presumably the engine conversion is fitted with correct injectors etc. and fuel pumps are part of the package?
Just a wild-arsed query focusing on the aircon issue. I know there's not an S2 Exige Honda conversion kit out yet. I know that there's interest and you're working on one. However for me, I'd want to keep the boot and the aircon. If the Toyota can fit, with a chunky and inefficient Rootes blower, and still have room for the aircon then I'd expect the Honda and centrifugal blower ought to as well. But if that's not what *most* customers care about, I don't suppose it'll be part of your engineering requirements.
Can you give me a hint as to whether this is a likely option in the future?
You really don't do short posts do you?
From my perspective, highest output I have seen (without going into one-off huge engine builds) is ~260 at the hub's (TDi's Rototest), in comparison, we regularly get 320-330 on the same dyno from SC/IC/cam'ed stock K20's, highest I have done from a K20 with some light head mods is 345.
As far as fuel system etc, all this is delt with in the converstion stuff.
we are still using the 'chunky and inefficient Rootes blower' as you call it as it has proven plenty good enough and still a supiriour option than the centrifugal options, I am looking at other blowers at the moment, but it will still be a positive displacment type, also looking at Turbo's, but I am not sure there is a market for this.
At the end of the day, we can all do one-offs, but they end up costing shed-loads, and are not really very helpfull in terms of an actual sellable product.
cyberface said:
Simon - thinking of shelving ALL wastage of money on little, expensive increments of power with my 240PP Exige. It seems that because of the gearbox limitations, the return on investment w.r.t. Toyota tuning is pretty damn low. Lots of money for 30-40 bhp? Sod that. And I don't want *gearboxes* becoming consumables.
That's a very valid point, yes, you can get good power from the 2ZZ, but at what cost? and then the gearbox, engine mounts, fuel system, etc all need sorting out, none of this is in-surmountable, but it all costs.cyberface said:
So the idea is to wait, save the cash up, and when the warranty is well gone I'm sure you'll have a fully-tested conversion for a supercharged Honda and gearbox into the S2 Exige S - and by then hopefully the early-adopters will have found any niggles and sorted them quickly.
well, as far as I am concerned, it's already fully tested, I would not let a customers car out if it was not.cyberface said:
The issue for me is that I only want to spend proper money if I'm getting a substantially quicker car at the end of it - and not a car that is then beyond its own control. I'm thinking that I'll need one of your supercharged Hondas (320 bhp feasible?).
That makes sense, only real issue is who's numbers are you going to base this on?From my perspective, highest output I have seen (without going into one-off huge engine builds) is ~260 at the hub's (TDi's Rototest), in comparison, we regularly get 320-330 on the same dyno from SC/IC/cam'ed stock K20's, highest I have done from a K20 with some light head mods is 345.
cyberface said:
But the brilliant thing about the S2 Exige is how it's usable all the time and *fun* all the time - most of this comes from it not being insanely noisy inside, and having aircon / heaters to demist the car in winter quickly.
Does the Honda engine (with blower) still permit retention of the aircon kit? That's probably the only stopper. I'm happy paying for a few bushes / toe link upgrades - the car already has the big AP racing brakes with Pagid pads (surely more than *that* isn't needed FFS). Presumably the engine conversion is fitted with correct injectors etc. and fuel pumps are part of the package?
A/C is still an issue, I have one that we are working on at the moment, but it's still not at a stage I would want to commit to yet, although I do consider this just a matter of time and money. Apart from this, the Honda install is no more harsh than the std car (one advantage of the S2 Toyota install is that we have more room to play with so I could specify more compliant mounts than the original kit without the risk of chassis/engine contact).Does the Honda engine (with blower) still permit retention of the aircon kit? That's probably the only stopper. I'm happy paying for a few bushes / toe link upgrades - the car already has the big AP racing brakes with Pagid pads (surely more than *that* isn't needed FFS). Presumably the engine conversion is fitted with correct injectors etc. and fuel pumps are part of the package?
As far as fuel system etc, all this is delt with in the converstion stuff.
cyberface said:
Just a wild-arsed query focusing on the aircon issue. I know there's not an S2 Exige Honda conversion kit out yet. I know that there's interest and you're working on one. However for me, I'd want to keep the boot and the aircon. If the Toyota can fit, with a chunky and inefficient Rootes blower, and still have room for the aircon then I'd expect the Honda and centrifugal blower ought to as well. But if that's not what *most* customers care about, I don't suppose it'll be part of your engineering requirements.
Can you give me a hint as to whether this is a likely option in the future?
Base kit is done for the S2 Toyota cars, they are being done on a one-by-one at the moment as we are working on developing the std install procedure as much as anything, (this is to get to the point where the orriginal kit is to cut down install times).Can you give me a hint as to whether this is a likely option in the future?
we are still using the 'chunky and inefficient Rootes blower' as you call it as it has proven plenty good enough and still a supiriour option than the centrifugal options, I am looking at other blowers at the moment, but it will still be a positive displacment type, also looking at Turbo's, but I am not sure there is a market for this.
At the end of the day, we can all do one-offs, but they end up costing shed-loads, and are not really very helpfull in terms of an actual sellable product.
Well it's a technical forum and when I'm talking technical stuff I like to be clear. So yes I write long posts. Sorry. Your reply is equally long and it needed to be, because it contained a lot of detail. Thank you. (yes, this is how curt it sounds if I try to slash the word count 
)
What I was planning was a 'standard' intercooled supercharged K20 setup, if such a thing exists. I don't want to go down the one-off engineering route with something like this as the Exige is my 'daily' and will be used every time I need to drive somewhere. But I want a blower, and an intercooler (charge cooler an option if it's a 'standard' kit build). So whatever power this delivers… presumably a big hike on the Toyota options?
Air con is a must. I think you should consider this seriously in your kits but it's your business, not mine. Customers like me will want to retain aircon. If your customer base is primarily racers then they may not care, but I would have thought racers would start with S1 cars anyway…
Put bluntly, is your conversion the only sensible upgrade route - because from where I'm standing, short of buying a supercharged Evora, there's no *reliable* 'market standard' upgrade past 300 bhp for the Exige S2. Yes, one-offs abound, and if I was minted I'd have something like Frank Profera's nutter engine (i.e. get the power from the Toyota but solve the gearbox problem with a different Toyota gearbox).
Shame to hear about the supercharger, I thought you used the Rotrex for some reason. Oh well, *that* will be the issue with aircon, as the Rootes-type blowers are large in physical capacity. I'm a bit of a supercharger junkie, my favourite is the twin-screw unit on the Ford V8 in my MG 'sensible family saloon'
It's a 'late next year' project as I'll need funds for this and I'm currently spending on a project bike. But I don't want a one-off 'project' car since it has to be serviceable and long-lasting. The idea of your conversion is appealing because it's a kit engineered for production rather than engineered to fit - you know what I mean. If the K20 goes bang, then the engine gets replaced from a scrap Civic (or whatever) and I'm back on the road. It's the bespoke stuff I want to avoid in the car.
So if air-con is a no-no, then is my only other option to replace the gearbox with a 5-speed Celica job like Frank and then go all motorsport-tune on the standard Toyota motor?
)What I was planning was a 'standard' intercooled supercharged K20 setup, if such a thing exists. I don't want to go down the one-off engineering route with something like this as the Exige is my 'daily' and will be used every time I need to drive somewhere. But I want a blower, and an intercooler (charge cooler an option if it's a 'standard' kit build). So whatever power this delivers… presumably a big hike on the Toyota options?
Air con is a must. I think you should consider this seriously in your kits but it's your business, not mine. Customers like me will want to retain aircon. If your customer base is primarily racers then they may not care, but I would have thought racers would start with S1 cars anyway…
Put bluntly, is your conversion the only sensible upgrade route - because from where I'm standing, short of buying a supercharged Evora, there's no *reliable* 'market standard' upgrade past 300 bhp for the Exige S2. Yes, one-offs abound, and if I was minted I'd have something like Frank Profera's nutter engine (i.e. get the power from the Toyota but solve the gearbox problem with a different Toyota gearbox).
Shame to hear about the supercharger, I thought you used the Rotrex for some reason. Oh well, *that* will be the issue with aircon, as the Rootes-type blowers are large in physical capacity. I'm a bit of a supercharger junkie, my favourite is the twin-screw unit on the Ford V8 in my MG 'sensible family saloon'
It's a 'late next year' project as I'll need funds for this and I'm currently spending on a project bike. But I don't want a one-off 'project' car since it has to be serviceable and long-lasting. The idea of your conversion is appealing because it's a kit engineered for production rather than engineered to fit - you know what I mean. If the K20 goes bang, then the engine gets replaced from a scrap Civic (or whatever) and I'm back on the road. It's the bespoke stuff I want to avoid in the car.
So if air-con is a no-no, then is my only other option to replace the gearbox with a 5-speed Celica job like Frank and then go all motorsport-tune on the standard Toyota motor?
cyberface said:
So if air-con is a no-no, then is my only other option to replace the gearbox with a 5-speed Celica job like Frank and then go all motorsport-tune on the standard Toyota motor?
did not say it's a no-no, just it's still a work in progress.As for Franks car, yes it's impressive, but consider also it spends more time in bit's than running.
cyberface said:
Simon - thinking of shelving ALL wastage of money on little, expensive increments of power with my 240PP Exige. It seems that because of the gearbox limitations, the return on investment w.r.t. Toyota tuning is pretty damn low. Lots of money for 30-40 bhp? Sod that. And I don't want *gearboxes* becoming consumables.
So the idea is to wait, save the cash up, and when the warranty is well gone I'm sure you'll have a fully-tested conversion for a supercharged Honda and gearbox into the S2 Exige S - and by then hopefully the early-adopters will have found any niggles and sorted them quickly.
The issue for me is that I only want to spend proper money if I'm getting a substantially quicker car at the end of it - and not a car that is then beyond its own control. I'm thinking that I'll need one of your supercharged Hondas (320 bhp feasible?).
But the brilliant thing about the S2 Exige is how it's usable all the time and *fun* all the time - most of this comes from it not being insanely noisy inside, and having aircon / heaters to demist the car in winter quickly.
Does the Honda engine (with blower) still permit retention of the aircon kit? That's probably the only stopper. I'm happy paying for a few bushes / toe link upgrades - the car already has the big AP racing brakes with Pagid pads (surely more than *that* isn't needed FFS). Presumably the engine conversion is fitted with correct injectors etc. and fuel pumps are part of the package?
Just a wild-arsed query focusing on the aircon issue. I know there's not an S2 Exige Honda conversion kit out yet. I know that there's interest and you're working on one. However for me, I'd want to keep the boot and the aircon. If the Toyota can fit, with a chunky and inefficient Rootes blower, and still have room for the aircon then I'd expect the Honda and centrifugal blower ought to as well. But if that's not what *most* customers care about, I don't suppose it'll be part of your engineering requirements.
Can you give me a hint as to whether this is a likely option in the future?
You need a Europa... strong 6-speed box, potential for huge horsepower (im at 480BHP), strong engine mounts, driveshafts etc. If you like the Exige shape you can relatively easily drop the Vauxhall engine setup in using OE components. So the idea is to wait, save the cash up, and when the warranty is well gone I'm sure you'll have a fully-tested conversion for a supercharged Honda and gearbox into the S2 Exige S - and by then hopefully the early-adopters will have found any niggles and sorted them quickly.
The issue for me is that I only want to spend proper money if I'm getting a substantially quicker car at the end of it - and not a car that is then beyond its own control. I'm thinking that I'll need one of your supercharged Hondas (320 bhp feasible?).
But the brilliant thing about the S2 Exige is how it's usable all the time and *fun* all the time - most of this comes from it not being insanely noisy inside, and having aircon / heaters to demist the car in winter quickly.
Does the Honda engine (with blower) still permit retention of the aircon kit? That's probably the only stopper. I'm happy paying for a few bushes / toe link upgrades - the car already has the big AP racing brakes with Pagid pads (surely more than *that* isn't needed FFS). Presumably the engine conversion is fitted with correct injectors etc. and fuel pumps are part of the package?
Just a wild-arsed query focusing on the aircon issue. I know there's not an S2 Exige Honda conversion kit out yet. I know that there's interest and you're working on one. However for me, I'd want to keep the boot and the aircon. If the Toyota can fit, with a chunky and inefficient Rootes blower, and still have room for the aircon then I'd expect the Honda and centrifugal blower ought to as well. But if that's not what *most* customers care about, I don't suppose it'll be part of your engineering requirements.
Can you give me a hint as to whether this is a likely option in the future?
Scuffers said:
cyberface said:
So if air-con is a no-no, then is my only other option to replace the gearbox with a 5-speed Celica job like Frank and then go all motorsport-tune on the standard Toyota motor?
did not say it's a no-no, just it's still a work in progress.As for Franks car, yes it's impressive, but consider also it spends more time in bit's than running.
So what I'm looking for really is an indication of whether your business numbers tell you that the cost of production-engineering a 'retain air-con' option simply wouldn't be recouped in number of kits sold. If so, you won't be doing it (if a sensible businessman
) and if I want air-con then it'll either be a one-off addition to the kit, or not at all….randy said:
You need a Europa... strong 6-speed box, potential for huge horsepower (im at 480BHP), strong engine mounts, driveshafts etc. If you like the Exige shape you can relatively easily drop the Vauxhall engine setup in using OE components.
Randy - you *do* know that I'm an ex-VXT owner, right? And it was the VXT that brought me back to Lotus from Porsche? 
I prefer the VXT shape to the Europa, to be frank… dropping the Europa drivetrain into my Exige - is this possible? Also getting more than 280 bhp was always hard in the VXT because the turbo couldn't be kept cool. You have a race car, but is 300+ bhp attainable in a *road* car keeping all the road car comforts?
I don't want to swap the Exige for a Europa as the Europa with aircon is heavy - over that 1000 kg line in the sand that my Exige is perilously close to. Swapping the engine - well the VXT handled like a 911 with the iron-block engine and wouldn't putting a Z20LEH into the Exige similarly push it over 1000 kg?
All those problems getting more than 280 bhp from the VXT were airflow related. How will this be different in a *road* Exige or Europa?
Lastly, along with the 'road car' requirement and the aircon comes 'retain the boot' - it gets hot enough with the Toyota engine. However with the Z20LEH, tuned up past 300 bhp - there's the 'cherry-red turbo' issue. How have you solved it? I have the feeling your solutions are fine in a race car but not possible on the road.
Have you mapped out the flat-spots yet?
Don't get me wrong - I absolutely adored my old VXT and it brought me back to Lotus. But all other things being equal, my favourite engine type is supercharged, rather than turbocharged. And a mild turbo is OK, but the big torque spike of a 300+ bhp output from only 2 litres would make the Exige even snappier…
You're right though - if I can't afford to keep running the Exige then I'll be looking at either a Europa or (assuming financial strife) an old VXT again… but it needs different wheels and suspension, there's a lot of work to do on top of the standard car...
No flat spots in mine, just feels like a V8 TBO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiLtS4ucFow
The VX has suffered from bad tuners which is a shame. When I started with the Europa I didn't want to develop my own engine package, it was just that nobody had made a decent fist of it so I had to do my own. As with any modified car it's the implementation that counts which is why young scruffy has done well with his Honda's... less the engine, more his ability to make it work.
The VX has suffered from bad tuners which is a shame. When I started with the Europa I didn't want to develop my own engine package, it was just that nobody had made a decent fist of it so I had to do my own. As with any modified car it's the implementation that counts which is why young scruffy has done well with his Honda's... less the engine, more his ability to make it work.
randy said:
No flat spots in mine, just feels like a V8 TBO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiLtS4ucFow
The VX has suffered from bad tuners which is a shame. When I started with the Europa I didn't want to develop my own engine package, it was just that nobody had made a decent fist of it so I had to do my own. As with any modified car it's the implementation that counts which is why young scruffy has done well with his Honda's... less the engine, more his ability to make it work.
The VX has suffered from bad tuners which is a shame. When I started with the Europa I didn't want to develop my own engine package, it was just that nobody had made a decent fist of it so I had to do my own. As with any modified car it's the implementation that counts which is why young scruffy has done well with his Honda's... less the engine, more his ability to make it work.
Love the line round Surtees on lap one
What was the leading Exige powered by?
Love the sound of your car, though I've seen the build log of your race car and it's not representative of what I'd end up with (I want to keep the boot, and IIRC your manifolds eat the boot). My Exige sounds good enough with the 2bular zorst, but I must admit the VXT sounded better, didn't rev as high though of course…
Decisions decisions. Certainly on a *budget* decision alone (permitting 'sell the Fat Ginger Ballerina' heresy) a tuned and modified Europa makes much more sense. But if I want to keep my car, making a half-Europa half-Exige out of my car would destroy its inherent value, I think… whereas the market for a professionally converted Honda'd 2010 Exige (last of the Exiges, perhaps) would keep its value good, if you look at the sale prices for Honda'd S2 Elises.
Do you reckon that what you've developed through racing *is* transferable to road Europas? Keeping creature comforts, can you get enough air into the engine bay? Your race car is *awfully* chopped for lightness…
cyberface said:
randy said:
No flat spots in mine, just feels like a V8 TBO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiLtS4ucFow
The VX has suffered from bad tuners which is a shame. When I started with the Europa I didn't want to develop my own engine package, it was just that nobody had made a decent fist of it so I had to do my own. As with any modified car it's the implementation that counts which is why young scruffy has done well with his Honda's... less the engine, more his ability to make it work.
The VX has suffered from bad tuners which is a shame. When I started with the Europa I didn't want to develop my own engine package, it was just that nobody had made a decent fist of it so I had to do my own. As with any modified car it's the implementation that counts which is why young scruffy has done well with his Honda's... less the engine, more his ability to make it work.
Love the line round Surtees on lap one
What was the leading Exige powered by?
Love the sound of your car, though I've seen the build log of your race car and it's not representative of what. I'd end up with (I want to keep the boot, and IIRC your manifolds eat the boot). My Exige sounds good enough with the 2bular zorst, but I must admit the VXT sounded better, didn't rev as high though of course…
Decisions decisions. Certainly on a *budget* decision alone (permitting 'sell the Fat Ginger Ballerina' heresy) a tuned and modified Europa makes much more sense. But if I want to keep my car, making a half-Europa half-Exige out of my car would destroy its inherent value, I think… whereas the market for a professionally converted Honda'd 2010 Exige (last of the Exiges, perhaps) would keep its value good, if you look at the sale prices for Honda'd S2 Elises.
Do you reckon that what you've developed through racing *is* transferable to road Europas? Keeping creature comforts, can you get enough air into the engine bay? Your race car is *awfully* chopped for lightness…
Not sure why a professionally converted Honda car would have a better resale than a professionally converted gm car, particularly as so many oe lotus parts can be used to convert?
Converting Toyota engined cars is a hard one... I don't think that many people are after more than the 300bhp that is the practical limit on the gearbox and goes another 50/60 bhp for a Honda justify the massive jump in cost?
randy said:
cyberface said:
randy said:
No flat spots in mine, just feels like a V8 TBO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiLtS4ucFow
The VX has suffered from bad tuners which is a shame. When I started with the Europa I didn't want to develop my own engine package, it was just that nobody had made a decent fist of it so I had to do my own. As with any modified car it's the implementation that counts which is why young scruffy has done well with his Honda's... less the engine, more his ability to make it work.
The VX has suffered from bad tuners which is a shame. When I started with the Europa I didn't want to develop my own engine package, it was just that nobody had made a decent fist of it so I had to do my own. As with any modified car it's the implementation that counts which is why young scruffy has done well with his Honda's... less the engine, more his ability to make it work.
Love the line round Surtees on lap one
What was the leading Exige powered by?
Love the sound of your car, though I've seen the build log of your race car and it's not representative of what. I'd end up with (I want to keep the boot, and IIRC your manifolds eat the boot). My Exige sounds good enough with the 2bular zorst, but I must admit the VXT sounded better, didn't rev as high though of course…
Decisions decisions. Certainly on a *budget* decision alone (permitting 'sell the Fat Ginger Ballerina' heresy) a tuned and modified Europa makes much more sense. But if I want to keep my car, making a half-Europa half-Exige out of my car would destroy its inherent value, I think… whereas the market for a professionally converted Honda'd 2010 Exige (last of the Exiges, perhaps) would keep its value good, if you look at the sale prices for Honda'd S2 Elises.
Do you reckon that what you've developed through racing *is* transferable to road Europas? Keeping creature comforts, can you get enough air into the engine bay? Your race car is *awfully* chopped for lightness…
Not sure why a professionally converted Honda car would have a better resale than a professionally converted gm car, particularly as so many oe lotus parts can be used to convert?
Converting Toyota engined cars is a hard one... I don't think that many people are after more than the 300bhp that is the practical limit on the gearbox and goes another 50/60 bhp for a Honda justify the massive jump in cost?
I just think that it'd make much better financial sense selling the Ginger Ballerina and buying a Europa, *then* you fixing the engine… than doing an engine swap into the Exige with GM gear. Even though it's more Lotus to begin with… (ex-VXT owner, I know all the old arguments…)
Incidentally my comment about Honda car residuals is just an observation - whilst some of the market acceptance is due to Scuffers' undoubted excellence in production-engineering his kit to 'factory' standards with warranties, I think that a lot of owners secretly considered the Honda K20 series the 'perfect' engine for the Elise / Exige and the Toyota a poor substitute. Hence cars *properly* fitted with Honda engines are God's own Lotuses - with a Honda engine never having mechanically failed etc. etc. (false, I know, but crazy beliefs still abound).
The GM engine is fitted to the Astra VXR. Yes, I got soundly beaten in a dual carriageway drag race by a youth in a bright red Astra VXR whilst driving my yellow Exige, but this says how good the engine is AFAIAC, not that it's a barry-boy motor.
The last part is the critical factor. You're saying there's not much market for more than 300 bhp, and since you can get that with the Toyota engine, why bother?
Well perhaps I've been misinformed then - I was under the impression that the standard gearbox isn't just 'on the limit' over 300 bhp (aka torque required to produce such power without needing titanium conrods and special cranks and 10,000 rpm), but well 'on the limit' at below this. So pushing my Exige up to, say, 290 bhp with established tuning parts would be leaving the gearbox ready to break at any minute.
Lotus themselves gave me the runaround with the non-existent 'cheap chip swap' for 270 bhp and that'd be warrantied. Whether the backsliding on that was due to Lotus knowing that the gearbox would eventually blow if the car was then used on trackdays with 270 bhp, I don't know.
What is the truth in the matter here, and the actual cost? Let's put a minimum marker at which I'm willing to spend real money at 300 bhp. As I said to Simon, I'm not paying 5 grand for 30-40 bhp when 10 grand gets a proper engine and box installed into an earlier car (i.e. a Honda and proper gearbox). My car has all the safety bits (primarily the big brakes) so I reckon it only needs engine work and perhaps suspension setup to be OK with 300 bhp. How much would it cost me to get 300 bhp from the Toyota engine - mine is a 240 PP specification. Presumably ECU, more boost from the blower (smaller pulley), and now we've established that the fuel pump in the 240PP isn't enough for 260 bhp let alone 270 so it'll be no good for 300. I've been told that the 240PP has big enough *injectors* for 270 bhp, but now I doubt that as well.
Is a 300 bhp Toyota feasible for, say, £5k? And with a warranty of sorts? I've yet to be given any information about this 270 bhp Lotus factory-warranty upgrade that was originally offered to me for £450 and is now something else, in fact I'm getting a bit disillusioned with my dealer's communications of late (I've been trying a couple of months now to buy a £5 mouse mat… I've held off on posting this in public because I don't want to act like the SELOC crowd when it comes to making life difficult for dealers / traders / tuners etc. - but when something as simple as 'please accept my £5 now and give me a mouse mat' takes more than 2 months it really does sound like my business is considered *very* low priority and others are being 'served' instead of me).
I'm guessing Sinclaire's are the best chaps here and they're close enough to me to make them a no-brainer, but will a 300 bhp tune break the gearbox?
I'm already noticing weird clutch 'slip' and I'm not the only one.
Perhaps it's just the internet, and the usual blowing-up of rumours into something huge, and in reality the Toyota gearbox is OK and it was only Frank putting 400 lb ft through it that blew them up, I don't know. Certainly if I email Frank he'll tell me to forget decent power with the standard gearbox. And if I'm going to swap gearboxes, that's so much of a job that I'd rather buy an entire engine kit that's well productionised than just do a one-off gearbox swap.
For more than 300 bhp it's sounding like swapping to a Europa would be the most cost-effective route! But I love my Exige… the colour wouldn't work on a Europa and the Exige looks so damn good… I'm assuming the Europa is just a VXT underneath so I'm sure I could get it to handle just like my Exige, but it's not the same…
And at least this forum has open-minded people on it. We haven't yet had a 'you don't NEED that power' or a 'spend it on Walshy days' (aka 'you are not a good enough driver to have 300 bhp in your car' - presumably all those BMW M3 owners with 400 bhp shouldn't be allowed to buy them either…) or 'you won't be any quicker'…
Of course, I know all these things. I want it because it will be *fun*. And because I got blown away by a mk2 Golf on the Ilminster bypass last weekend 
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