111R to 111S - anyone done it?

[limpsfield]

At this stage I am just curious.

I bought a new car today but still have the Lotus, obviously. The only Elise I have ever driven is the 111R - I bought the second one I saw. And I love the second cam boost but the most enjoyment is still belting it around a deserted country road.

So I was wondering if I would get the same enjoyment from an S? It is just idle wondering at this stage - but I could probably sell mine and buy a similar S and pocket a few thousand in the process.

The best answer is of course to go and try one and I think I will but was wondering if anyone had done it and what the thoughts were.

Edited by limpsfield on Saturday 19th June 23:07

[kambites]

Do you mean a 111S or an S? The former uses a VVC K-series, the latter a lower powered Toyota engine.

[21TonyK]

I had an Elise S as a courtesy car for a month while my S2 Exige was having some paintwork done a few years back. I'm sure I've posted comments in the past but my lasting impression is that it was a better daily driver road car. One of the main reasons for this I found was the linearity of the engine. Nice smooth torque curve and ample power for every day fun. Also the fuel economy was noticeably better. The suspension was obviously softer that my Exige but I guess would be the same as a non-sports racer 111R.

I do seem to remember posting words to the effect of it would be a difficult choice between an NA Exige and an Elise S if it was for daily road driving so ignoring the suspension differences I'd say the same between a 111R and an S.

As many others have said you can feel like a bit of a hooligan trying to keep the 111R and NA Exige on seconds cam on road and it does not make for relaxed driving.

Edited by 21TonyK on Sunday 20th June 13:48

[limpsfield]

Sorry, I meant the Toyota engined S. Thanks for the comments so far.

I know exactly what you mean about the second cam encouraging hooliganistic driving!

Edited by limpsfield on Sunday 20th June 13:09

[The Bandit]

To be honest once you've sold your R then found an S with a spec/colour you like(if at all)the difference you'll pocket will end up being about £500 at best.
Good ones are still at the £17-18k mark so it might end up costing you!!
Unless theres something wrong with your car then keep it

/S owner

[peter450]

It's bascially a R without the 2nd cam, a 5 speed box (no bad thing imo), the engine i think has a slightly longer stroke, which may explain peoples perception of it being a bit more torquey

The K series VVC is much the same, put with more power and less weight than the toyata powered S 155hp vs 135hp, personally if it were me and i needed to pocket a bit of extra cash, i'd swap to the rover car, you will pocket a whole wad more cash and the car will probably not feel much if any slower than the R and pulling from lower RPM might even have a bit better get up and go, over the R thanks to lower weight

Just my thinking, but why go to the hassel of selling your R, to buy a yota S, when the saving is probably not going to be that big?, better to go the K route and really save money, while not really loosing much performance

[limpsfield]

Thanks for the thoughts. I had been looking at the prices of the Rover engined S's by mistake and thinking they were Toyota. I think I need to try a K series Elise to see.

cheers

[21TonyK]

limpsfield said:

Thanks for the thoughts. I had been looking at the prices of the Rover engined S's by mistake and thinking they were Toyota. I think I need to try a K series Elise to see.

cheers

Apart from the engine the most noticeable difference is the brakes (non-servo/no ABS) and the gearbox which is well noted for it's lack of feel although this can be improved with new linkages. Personally the gear box and brakes really put me off but I jumped straight from a new M3 into one and it was a bit of a culture shock!

[live ade]

RE 111R vs S (S2 - toyota). I had an R for 4 weeks while my S was fixed. As an everyday & road car IMHO the S is the better car. The handling setup, gearbox and more linear power delivery, for me, are the key differences. I loved the extra power of the R, but wondered how quick you would have to be if exiting a wet roundabout when it comes on cam. The g/box in the R I drove had seen better days.

RE S1 vs S2 ... totally depends on how often you will drive the car.

It might be worth looking at the engine management on your R. iirc there's some device out there that changes the way the extra power is delivered (I think it stops the camchange happening so abrubtly)

[kambites]

live ade said:

RE S1 vs S2 ... totally depends on how often you will drive the car.

I don't think anyone is discussing S1s. The other car being used for comparison is the S2 111S.

[RichyBoy]

I've done the vx220 to Elise s1 to exige s 220 to Honda sc Elise to Elise s1 to Elise 135r and I preferred the standard s1 engine to the Toyota sc, probably no help.

Edited by RichyBoy on Monday 21st June 10:09

[live ade]

kambites said:

live ade said:

RE S1 vs S2 ... totally depends on how often you will drive the car.

I don't think anyone is discussing S1s. The other car being used for comparison is the S2 111S.

Ah, OK... forgot about that model ! scratch that comment then ! I haven't driven a K series S2 so can't contribute to that debate.

[worldwidewebs]

live ade said:

The handling setup... are the key differences)

eh? Go on, explain that then?