Impressions of my new 1999 V8
Discussion
I've had my new 1999 V8 for a few weeks now. Here's a few impressions for any folks considering an Esprit:
The car is drop-dead gorgeous in person. It has an awesome presence because it's low, wide, and sleek, with vents and sills and scoops that make it unmistakably exotic.
It's fast, and the power from the V8 starts early in the rpm band. Handling and steering is razor sharp. I've driven Corvettes and Firebirds and this Esprit doesn't lumber around like those front-engine boats. I've driven Ferraris too, and the Esprit feels far more nimble.
The interior is swathed in leather. The seating position is LOW and you feel like you're inches off the ground. (You are!) But visibility isn't nearly as scary as people say. Nor is the steering wheel noticeably big or bothersome. The only thing is the wheelwell leaves little space for your feet to operate the pedals. I'm a size 11 shoe so I find myself using my toes, not my foot, on the clutch. The clutch isn't heavy, but the throttle is. But you get used to it! That's the thing: there's nothing about this car that is unpleasant. Of course, maybe when it starts falling apart on me I'll feel differently.....!
A couple of things that current owners might be able to help me out on: First, the engine seems to run hot. Temp gauge rises fast and hits 100 C. PO had dealer check it but they couldn't find anything wrong. Coolant is topped up, the radiator fins and core are clean, so what gives?
The radio, the original Alpine, gets lousy reception. Antenna problem?
An occasional light rattle or scraping sound deep in the back. I understand that the cat cores can sometimes come loose, so I'll have that checked. I've heard that the welds on the sports exhaust can go bad, so I'll have that checked as well. Either could be the culprit.
It stalls every great once in a while at a traffic light, without warning. Fires right back up, though. Odd. Anyone else have this?
1st and 3rd gear are really close together, so you learn to be more precise in your shifting.
The chin spoiler is so low that you must be mindful in old neighborhoods and parking lots. Speedbumps and intersections of 'domed' streets can give your poor Lotus a painful smack.
The exhaust note is perrrfect. I believe mine has the sport exhaust (it's stainless, so it must be the sport, right?). It's powerful but quiet with normal driving, and builds to a throaty roar when you push it. Very nice.
Any help on the above issues would be appreciated. I've searched the forum for answers already but more help is always, um, helpful. PS I live in Pennsylvania, near Philly.
>> Edited by 99whiteV8 on Friday 29th July 02:41
>> Edited by 99whiteV8 on Tuesday 2nd August 03:02
The car is drop-dead gorgeous in person. It has an awesome presence because it's low, wide, and sleek, with vents and sills and scoops that make it unmistakably exotic.
It's fast, and the power from the V8 starts early in the rpm band. Handling and steering is razor sharp. I've driven Corvettes and Firebirds and this Esprit doesn't lumber around like those front-engine boats. I've driven Ferraris too, and the Esprit feels far more nimble.
The interior is swathed in leather. The seating position is LOW and you feel like you're inches off the ground. (You are!) But visibility isn't nearly as scary as people say. Nor is the steering wheel noticeably big or bothersome. The only thing is the wheelwell leaves little space for your feet to operate the pedals. I'm a size 11 shoe so I find myself using my toes, not my foot, on the clutch. The clutch isn't heavy, but the throttle is. But you get used to it! That's the thing: there's nothing about this car that is unpleasant. Of course, maybe when it starts falling apart on me I'll feel differently.....!
A couple of things that current owners might be able to help me out on: First, the engine seems to run hot. Temp gauge rises fast and hits 100 C. PO had dealer check it but they couldn't find anything wrong. Coolant is topped up, the radiator fins and core are clean, so what gives?
The radio, the original Alpine, gets lousy reception. Antenna problem?
An occasional light rattle or scraping sound deep in the back. I understand that the cat cores can sometimes come loose, so I'll have that checked. I've heard that the welds on the sports exhaust can go bad, so I'll have that checked as well. Either could be the culprit.
It stalls every great once in a while at a traffic light, without warning. Fires right back up, though. Odd. Anyone else have this?
1st and 3rd gear are really close together, so you learn to be more precise in your shifting.
The chin spoiler is so low that you must be mindful in old neighborhoods and parking lots. Speedbumps and intersections of 'domed' streets can give your poor Lotus a painful smack.
The exhaust note is perrrfect. I believe mine has the sport exhaust (it's stainless, so it must be the sport, right?). It's powerful but quiet with normal driving, and builds to a throaty roar when you push it. Very nice.
Any help on the above issues would be appreciated. I've searched the forum for answers already but more help is always, um, helpful. PS I live in Pennsylvania, near Philly.
>> Edited by 99whiteV8 on Friday 29th July 02:41
>> Edited by 99whiteV8 on Tuesday 2nd August 03:02
sounds like heaven. Enjoy!!! 
Hi Matthew,
Congrats ! You seem to like the car, thats fine ;o)
With the stalling, problem, just give it some more time to learn the idle properly. These cars need a lot of time (sometimes it takes up to 1-2 weeks till it has learned to idle properly)
When it dies, just fire it right up and donot play with the throttle to keep it alive. This will confuse the learning procedure. Also let it learn with AC ON and OFF. It has to learn both conditions.
With the coolant temp, 100°C is normal for summer. Do the fans come on around 100°C ?
Have fun.
Marcus
www.PUKesprit.de
>> Edited by Paula&Marcus on Friday 29th July 12:19
Congrats ! You seem to like the car, thats fine ;o)
With the stalling, problem, just give it some more time to learn the idle properly. These cars need a lot of time (sometimes it takes up to 1-2 weeks till it has learned to idle properly)
When it dies, just fire it right up and donot play with the throttle to keep it alive. This will confuse the learning procedure. Also let it learn with AC ON and OFF. It has to learn both conditions.
With the coolant temp, 100°C is normal for summer. Do the fans come on around 100°C ?
Have fun.
Marcus
www.PUKesprit.de
>> Edited by Paula&Marcus on Friday 29th July 12:19
Thanks guys. Paula&Marcus, I'm familiar with the 'ECM learning' routine, but why should my ECM need to learn anything? I've never shut it off or pulled the battery or fuse....
As for when the fans cycle on, I'll check. I've read many times on this forum about how under-engineered the Esprit cooling system is, so I'm not tooo worried. TADTS seems the common response. I will be looking into Water Wetter, which folks here seem to like.
As for when the fans cycle on, I'll check. I've read many times on this forum about how under-engineered the Esprit cooling system is, so I'm not tooo worried. TADTS seems the common response. I will be looking into Water Wetter, which folks here seem to like.
Welcome. Water wetter is a good move. I use it in my main and chargecooler systems. I would pull the battery for a few minutes and let the ecm re-learn. It can't hurt anything and it may take care of the stalling. As far as the stereo, what antenna do you have? Motorized or the small antenna on the back of the roof? I would start by removing the radio and checking the connection for the antenna there. Its not so difficult. You may want to have a cheap aftermarket antenna (like from radio shack) handy just to test to see if there is a big difference when you plug it in. Fiberglass cars always get worse radio reception, but it shouldnt be too bad. For some ideas on stereo options check out my guide at www.skynetworks.gotdns.com/Install.asp
John
94 S4
www.skynetworks.gotdns.com
John
94 S4
www.skynetworks.gotdns.com
Took my '99 V8 for a quick spin today. I must say this: I've read a lot of posts by folks here who've tried Ferraris, Corvettes, or Porsches, etc and kept coming back to the Lotuses.
Now I know why: They are absolutely SUPERB. They just feels so fast, light, and solid. I can't wait to get it on a track.
Now I know why: They are absolutely SUPERB. They just feels so fast, light, and solid. I can't wait to get it on a track.
99whitev8 said:
Thanks guys. Paula&Marcus, I'm familiar with the 'ECM learning' routine, but why should my ECM need to learn anything? I've never shut it off or pulled the battery or fuse....
As for when the fans cycle on, I'll check. I've read many times on this forum about how under-engineered the Esprit cooling system is, so I'm not tooo worried. TADTS seems the common response. I will be looking into Water Wetter, which folks here seem to like.
The ECM actually never stops learning ... sometimes its also possible that it learns something bad/crap (quite human istn´t it ?). Its not uncommon that it idles normal for months and suddenly starts to die while sitting at a traffic light. Best cure for this is disconnecting the battery (or ECM 5A fuse) and let it learn from new ;o)
IMHO the Esprits cooling system is not underengineered its just not overengineered ... if one of the components is getting out of range you will get to know it ... hmmmmmmm
Cheers
Marcus
www.PUKesprit.de
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