A&Q about Lotus
Q:
After convincing myself that I absolutely must have more power in my Elise...can anyone convince me that that FF kit is not the way to go? To summarize what it seems like everyone is saying...FF completed what Lotus should have before they imported. Any comments would be greatly appreciated!
A:
I would like to be convinced as well. So would the other current Exige owners . . .
A:
dont buy it!!! are you convinced?
I dont know anything about this LOL, I would talk to NM Elise, i think Stephen has the 275 kit if I am not mistaken, and seems to be happy with it.
A:
Reasons not to buy:
1. voided warranty
2. Worse gas milage
3. more speeding tickets (if they can catch you)
4. Tire tread life will be cut in half
5. Your cheeks will hurt from smiling to much
A:
OK, I'm convinced, now I need to get the money together to go buy it/get it installed
A:
wait until after the warranty expires and then get the FI... turbo or S/C...
then you'll be better than the new newer newest exigliserit SsSsS... in 3 years... that might be about 9 more models right? lol
anyway... i'd like to plan on a FI route someday... but price and warranty is the only thing...
and besides... it would only void warranty in the engine and it's parts right? they can't be like ... actually... i'm gonna stop myself... cuz i know they can... *sigh*
but you know what i mean
A:
Originally Posted by bluejae
wait until after the warranty expires and then get the FI... turbo or S/C...
then you'll be better than the new newer newest exigliserit SsSsS... in 3 years... that might be about 9 more models right? lol
anyway... i'd like to plan on a FI route someday... but price and warranty is the only thing...
and besides... it would only void warranty in the engine and it's parts right? they can't be like ... actually... i'm gonna stop myself... cuz i know they can... *sigh*
but you know what i mean
I have a 6 year warranty, no I did not pay for it . . . But I would only wait until about half of that is up. Then maybe FF.
A:
Originally Posted by Mattr762
Reasons not to buy:
1. voided warranty
2. Worse gas milage
3. more speeding tickets (if they can catch you)
4. Tire tread life will be cut in half
5. Your cheeks will hurt from smiling to much
See my signature.
1. Voided drivetrain warranty only matters if you were destined to have a warranty claim during the initial 3 year period.
2. I did not notice any change in gas mileage.
3. They still can't catch me.
4. I did not notice any change in tire tread life.
5. I wondered why my face was always hurting.
A:
The #1 reason not to get a ForcedFed 275 kit is huge and unavoidable.
They sell a 340 kit
As far as speeding tickets, scramblers/diffusers are very nice. If they're illegal where you live, go V1.
A:
Originally Posted by rush
After convincing myself that I absolutely must have more power in my Elise...can anyone convince me that that FF kit is not the way to go? To summarize what it seems like everyone is saying...FF completed what Lotus should have before they imported. Any comments would be greatly appreciated!
I haven't convinced you? Like I said, give me a call and we can discuss all the details. My car goes out to Livermore next weekend to be upgraded to a 340; I'm thinking at that point it should be peppy. Infact, I think I will get a vanity plate with peppy on it; I like it. It has a nice Mexican ring to it too.
All I can say is "Forced Fed good, veeeeeeeery, veeeeeeeeeery gooooooooood." if you try it, you will buy it; it is that good. Mine is still my only car and a daily driver; it never misses a beat. I sure hope my 340 will be the same. I will have that one with two maps that I can switch between. The 91 Octane Dr. Jekell and the 100 Octane Mr. Hyde. Should all be very interesting with my new ATS/Across Carbon clutch and LSD being installed at the same time; and with my upgraded brakes both front and rear and the quick ratio streering rack, it should be a nice little car; my little peppy!
A:
Boost, Light weight car, faster speed, and the noise of a spooling turbo. Umm yea you don't want that at all. And your just not going to be happy at all that your little car wont be touchable anywhere either. Food for thought once you go boost you will never go back that's why you shouldn't buy the kit
A:
deddie-
Do you need to worry much when its time to pass smog and the visual inspection here in Cali? Or, no worries as long as a discretely placed benjamin is involved.
How about getting pulled over and asked to open the engine lid? I don't think a discretely placed benjamin can help out on this one.
A:
Up it gies without saying, Tripoint sc is 50% of the cost and 90% of the power with proven reliability and easily upgradable. I don't know what frank has spent on his car but I thikn he is pushing 270 whp on 91 octane. Yes he had custom work done, but the FF kits are terribly expensive for what they are...and the Unichip is a flintstone invention-been around for a long long time. I would think that knowing that the ECU disables power through its learning function you would want something that addresses that....in any case. Only the Tri point ecu solution does that. And you can have yo car back in three days...
I still have yet to see a dyno of a 340 kit, and is that pump gas they run, or a mix? For 25 thousand dollars I would want to know. P.S. you can build a 2zz through a reputable motor shop for a lot less than what FF charges for theirs, the weisco pistons are all the same-8.8 compression ratio.
A:
Define "proven reliability" for the Tripoint kit.
A:
Mean TT has a good point. I know Lucien has mentioned that the shop he works with has a NA engine build coming up. No details as of yet. I would really like more power, but I am going to wait till all the dust settles.
As of right now, FF seems to have a really solid system but they are on the steep side. Tripoint seems cheaper, but they seem to still be sorting out some details, like intercooler. Jay has had both good and bad comments. Lucien has been a postive promoter of Wilkens, I haven't heard any negative things from them. Ragnorak seems to have gotten some bad press as of late.
In a nutshell, if you want the power now, can't wait, and have the coin, go FF if it's near you. I like having the tuner near by. Other wise, if you have the patience I would wait to see how things settle over the next few months.
soulman
A:
Im putting the FF kit on come Dec/Jan. Yes.. warranty would be nice, but the kit seems pretty trouble free. I will be lucky if i put 5k miles on the car this year, I dont particularly need it to last for 350k miles anyway.
As for the tri-point vs FF debate.. the tri-point kit doesnt come with an aftercooler, and until more people get them and I see hard data (maybe its out there) I really dont believe the 'no heat-soak' claim. Once you add things like the aftercooler, price starts to get closer. Additionally, the turbo is less stress on the crank, has the ability to run different boost levels easily dependent on fuel.. etc etc.
Im not saying the tri-point isnt a good kit, but is it a no brainer choice over a turbo? I dont think so.
A:
Originally Posted by Mean TT
Up it gies without saying, Tripoint sc is 50% of the cost and 90% of the power with proven reliability and easily upgradable. I don't know what frank has spent on his car but I thikn he is pushing 270 whp on 91 octane. Yes he had custom work done, but the FF kits are terribly expensive for what they are...and the Unichip is a flintstone invention-been around for a long long time. I would think that knowing that the ECU disables power through its learning function you would want something that addresses that....in any case. Only the Tri point ecu solution does that. And you can have yo car back in three days...
I still have yet to see a dyno of a 340 kit, and is that pump gas they run, or a mix? For 25 thousand dollars I would want to know. P.S. you can build a 2zz through a reputable motor shop for a lot less than what FF charges for theirs, the weisco pistons are all the same-8.8 compression ratio.
I can't speak for the Tripoint kit; I have no experience with it. All I know is that my FF 275 kit with over 8K miles on it has been realiable and drives like a factory turbo (looks like it too). I also will NOT say that the FF kit has proven reliabilty; it is too soon to tell, and we need other high mileage FF kits on other cars to make that determination. I know for a fact the same is true about the Tripoint kit; you do not yet have the data (on the Elise) to make this statement. Also, I really do not understand why people are always looking at the cost of the FF kit. This is the wrong area of the car (or life) to try and save money. The FF kit is top notch quality; if you want to save money use coupons at the grocery store and buy generic brand cereal.
The Tripoint kit may or may not be a good kit (in the long run), I do not know this, and neither do you; only time will tell, same goes for the FF kit.
It is nice though that there appear to be two good options out there (FF and Tripoint), and one is a turbo and the other a super charger. And for those who do not like after-market power upgrades, you can get the Exige S; times are good!
A:
Only real reason is because you can build a better kit for cheaper by yourself. If you don't have the time then go with a kit...
A:
Originally Posted by rush
After convincing myself that I absolutely must have more power in my Elise...can anyone convince me that that FF kit is not the way to go? To summarize what it seems like everyone is saying...FF completed what Lotus should have before they imported. Any comments would be greatly appreciated!
Whatever you do make sure you get some boost...any kind, it's essential! In terms of the SC vs. turbo question here's a recent vid of Frank's batmobile. He's doing some mighty handy cornering, but the most interesting thing about the video (and I was going to take some myself in my car) is how linear and delicately responsive the whole system is. If you listen carefully you can hear instant throttle response, and instant SC engagement in a completely linear way. A great turbo setup will for all intents and purposes spool so quick you wouldn't notice also, but I fell in love with the whine of the SC first time I heard it and I like the feeling that there is just a bigger engine in the car now.
The pulleys came in and his current setup is putting out a tad over 300bhp if my math is correct...I should be hovering near there too after the intercooler. Price for the SC with intercooler is similar the FF275 kit but gets you a real 300 at the crank. So you've got some great choices, SC whine, or turbo BOV? lol - as far as reliability, it's all a matter of the tune. Search to your heart's content on newcelica.org and you'll find all sorts of people with the same supercharger and basically the same turbo setup - most are doing great after years, some have had trouble do to the tune and detonation.
A:
a better kit for cheaper? what about the R&D involved?
and about the ecu... i glanced at the FF website... they have some standalone ecu thing... but that alone costs over $6K... what is that about? i would assume it's better than the one the 275 kit comes with? or is it the same?
is the FF kit still like $10K?