A&Q about Lotus
Q:
my wife has said she has rented us an elise for the weekend celebration of our first anniversary. i think from budget here in san diego. we have it from fri till sun night. we are going to be driving from SD to santa barbara on saturday. then returning sunday afternoon.
id like this weekend to go good. she knows how much i like the elise. she likes P-cars. this is also an extended test drive to see if i get my way and we get an elise later instead of a p car. but anyways...
what i know right now is, 1. dont overdrive my abilities in my enthusiasm. 2. never ever lift the throttle. 3. dont mess up a down shift. 4. act like im on my motorcycle, pretend i am invisible when in traffic.
here are my questions
1. how accurate is the gas gauge? im notorious for running cars on fumes.
2. packing, is soft luggage going to be best? or will a roll bag, like the kind you get away with as carryon for flights, fit just fine?
3. what is the best way to make the non adjustable passenger seat comfy for a few hours drive? i know not to even bother taking cd's. (which reminds me, i dont even know if its a hard or soft top)
4. i have a lowered acura rsx, so i know to approach things at angles. is the elise super horrible with this??
thanks for your sincere replies. i am sure this will be a great experiance. and hopefully besides a fun weekend it gives me leverage in a future purchase and ill be a "lurker" no more here.
A:
You are in for some fun! I'll do my best to answer some of your questions and assume that other posters will fill in as well...
1. Gas gauge seems fine to me although I never run past the last bar. I would assume you probably have about 20 miles left when that final bar is displayed.
2. Soft luggage for sure. The hard case MIGHT fit depending upon whether there is a soft top in the boot. It is not worth taking the risk of it not fitting and starting your weekend off on the wrong foot.
3. The passenger seat is quite comfortable despite lacking adjustability.
4. The Elise is lower than anything I have ever driven. They say it is four inches off the ground and I believe them. It is alarmingly easy to scrape the front. Proceed with caution and extreme angles.
A:
Originally Posted by Rowdstar
here are my questions
1. how accurate is the gas gauge? im notorious for running cars on fumes.
Pretty accuract though it takes a while to update. I usually dont let it go below 1 bar on the gauge
2. packing, is soft luggage going to be best? or will a roll bag, like the kind you get away with as carryon for flights, fit just fine?
Soft luggage only - airline roller luggage will not fit through the boot opening
4. i have a lowered acura rsx, so i know to approach things at angles. is the elise super horrible with this??
Not incredibly bad - just take it slow and remember the angles.
Have a fun trip
A:
I second Stretch's assessment. Bring a nice square seat cushion for your passenger. She just might appreciate it. No way will a roll-on fit in the trunk. Soft luggage all the way. Despite all of our enthusiastic mpg reports, I routinely fill the tank when the trip odometer shows 220 mpg. At each fill-up, press the little button on the lower right side of the steering column to zero out the trip odometer. Run with your lights on all the time. Always give the area behind a good look before hopping in and backing up. Little things you would otherwise roll right over in another car can pose a bigger problem than stuff you try to navigate going forward. Never pull up behind an SUV so close that you can't see their rear-view mirror. Have fun!
Tom
A:
excellent answers, thank you! i am sure it will be great!!
A:
I've found that small duffles work great in the trunk. We have four that we pack for weekend, or longer, trips and they will fit in the trunk with the top. The trunk is surprisingly large if you have the right sized, soft things to pack in it.
We have taken a couple of trips up to Monterey and found the seats quite comfortable for both of us. They are certainly not cushy seats, but they seem to be very form fitting such that there are no pressure points that create sore spots. And that is in an '05. Although they didn't feel much different to me, most people claim that the '06 Probax seats are more comfortable (but do not have a lumbar adjustment).
The fuel light comes on at about one bar and, depending on how spirited the driving, you have between 30 and 50 miles to empty. If you have the top off on a sunny day, it is easy to not notice the fuel light, though.
If you have a canvas shopping bag, or one like they hand out at every convention / conference ever held, it fits nicely on the shelf behind the seats. You can carry water, fruit, candy, snacks, maps, whatever in there very nicely.
A:
Can you fax me a copy of the contract when you are done. I would like to read someone elses.
A:
Be sure to watch some of the "how to get in and out of an Elise" videos on the net. It takes some practice, but once you figure it out it shouldn't feel awkward anymore.
A:
i have gotten in and out of one half a dozen times in the showroom and at autocross events.
well, now i cant take pictures next to the car and pretend i bought one right now. darn, guess i have to be honest.
and my wife only knew that budget rented them because of me mumbling when i read the forum. otherwise it would have been san diego prestige, whic would have cost a bit more.
thank you for the great advice!
now, does anyone suggest a good route from here to santa barbara??
A:
good scenery, highway 1.
A:
Leave your checkbook/credit cards at home, as you will be tempted to drive from the rental place to the Lotus dealership at the end of the weekend.
Have fun, and Happy Anniversary!
A:
Something I always like to remind new Elise drivers - Unlike most modern cars, there is no safety to prevent the car from starting in gear and lurching forward (or backward if it's in reverse), and if the key is turned, all it takes is a push of the Start button to get that to happen. If you're not used to the start procedure and it causes you to forget to pay attention to the clutch, then bad things could happen (for example, if you put it in gear and take your foot off the clutch after turning the key, like you do in most cars, but before you press the Start button). Just be extra careful that it's not in gear when you press the Start button.
A:
The gas gauge is fairly accurate. When there are no bars left you have about 30 miles MAX. Stop for gas before there are no bars left.
Soft luggage. I wouldn't even think about hard luggage for your trip. Even if hard luggage would fit there are other issues to consider like potential clam damage or not being able to squeeze something else in later.
Take CD's. Not sure why you wouldn't?
The following is from and may be worth keeping in mind:The windshield frame isn't structural. Don't hang on it.Be careful not to lift the boot lid too high and damage the clam.The soft top does fit behind the seats if you need it to, even with the seat all the way back. Always disable immbolizer before turning key (primes fuel system) or car may have trouble starting.
A:
woo hoo. thank you keeper and shift lock. good information. this will be the weekend of november 18th. CANT Wait.
hmm, ive read soo much on here about not being able to hear the crappy stock stereo, i thought i would just forgoe the cd's..
yeah, i really doubt the rental guy will have had tons of training to show me the ins and outs. this forum is by far the very best one for all the hobbies i have.
thank you.
A:
Originally Posted by Rowdstar
hmm, ive read soo much on here about not being able to hear the crappy stock stereo, i thought i would just forgoe the cd's..
Ah, I see. Yes, the stereo is crappy, but not being able to hear it may be a bit of a stretch. I use mine all the time, top down, on the highway.
Have fun!
A:
Originally Posted by Rowdstar
what i know right now is, 1. dont overdrive my abilities in my enthusiasm. 2. never ever lift the throttle. 3. dont mess up a down shift. 4. act like im on my motorcycle, pretend i am invisible when in traffic.
Good, except that part about not lifting the throttle...I'm no expert, but I've been playing with the car in several autocrosses the past couple years, and have been really surprised at how tolerant it's been of lifting. The degree to which this slips the rear end varies a lot (based on tire pressures in the autocross case). Whenever I'd try to give it some gas to keep from spinning out, I'd spin. Lifting seemed to work well, just do it gradually and you'll feel what's going on (and can very easily change that by getting back on the throttle).
1. how accurate is the gas gauge? im notorious for running cars on fumes.
During very hard driving, like on a track, it is virtually worthless. Otherwise, it seems to be fine.
2. packing, is soft luggage going to be best? or will a roll bag, like the kind you get away with as carryon for flights, fit just fine?
Only soft bags.
3. what is the best way to make the non adjustable passenger seat comfy for a few hours drive? i know not to even bother taking cd's. (which reminds me, i dont even know if its a hard or soft top)
The seat's not bad; remember there's an adjustable lumbar support (well, on the 2005 models at least) - use it. Depending on how long your wife's legs are, she might be more comfortable with something stuffed in the passenger footwell as the footrest can be too far away for most people.
4. i have a lowered acura rsx, so i know to approach things at angles. is the elise super horrible with this??
I'd rate it as 'very good' for its class. My previous car was a slightly lowered MKII MR2 with an aftermarket front lip, and that was much, much worse than the Elise. The biggest thing to watch out for with the Elise are parking curbs - do NOT pull too far into parking spaces, too many people have damaged their front ends this way (not cheap!). Keep in mind the car is incredibly short, you don't NEED to pull all the way forward in a parking spot.
One more thing, don't ever parallel park! The car has no bumpers and can break if other people park by braille around you.
Have a fun trip!
A:
Dont push the gas gauge issue. When the light goes on, put gas in it.
Soft bags only.
My wife does not complain about the seats at all. I haven't a complaint about them either. It's going to be personal preference with you and yours, so maybe additional padding may be an option. Watch the height though.
As mentioned by others; watch the parking blocks and remember to traverse the deep driveway entrances at an angle.
As far as roads up to SB; get on Hwy 1 at Sant Monica and take it through to Ventura. when you get to Ventura catch the 33 toward Ojai and go left on 150 then right on 1 at Carpenteria. If you take the 405 to the 101, the ride will be less than desirable and you'll have a hard time convincing the wife that you should get an Elise. You may even be disappointed by the ride on a concrete freeway yourself. My car loves asphalt, not concrete.
The stereo is useless at 70 MPH on the freeway with the top off. With the top on, its OK.
Having said all that; you are gonna have a blast! I rented the KG Elise from Prestige before I bought mine, I was hooked after 5 miles.
Have fun, be careful, and if it starts spinning, put both feet in. Clutch and Brake pedals to the floor.
MS
A:
Lifting on an autocross cross is great for helping to rotate the car.
Lifting on a track, at 80 mph in a hard turn is bad, mm, kay?
A:
Run the back road from/to Ojai for an alternate route one way or the other.
routes 33 and 150
A:
Be sure to inform your wife about proper sport driving attire. She may want to refer to the photo below.
My girlfriend took me to Vegas and rented this for the weekend for my birthday shortly before I bought my Elise.