20 replies to this topic

[TBD]

I visited KomoTec on Wednesday where they installed their Phase 1S tunig package for the Evora S. Daniel and his team were very friendly and most engaged in getting the job done. They also changed the shift cables, as I already noted, which took 4.5 hours instead of the 1.5 credited by Lotus. They stared early inthe morning and worked until 8 PM. It was already dark fo ra long time when I finally left.

The kit includes several components, a sports air filter, stainless steel exchaust manifolds, a sports cat and a retuned ECU. Basically exhaust back pressure is reduced which allows the retuned ECU to take advantage of the superchargersss potential.

Yesterday I had the chance to evaluate the results over the 500 KM on the trip back .

My impression is that the system completely changes the experience of the car. The Evora S engine is, despite the supercharger, normaly a bit sedate, fitting with its Camry heritage. I always felt it was a bit asthmatic at high RPM. The Komo-Tec completely changes that, the engine now feels very lively at high revs, very similar to the high-RPM Porsche, BMW or Audi S/RS model engines. The difference is all the more obvious as the higher power is only above 4000 RPM, there is absolutely no change to stock at low engine speeds. It really makes fun to NOT to change into a higher gear, the responsivenes is so lively.
I had the chance to compare some acceleration figures, though traffic prevented me from checking what the new top speed is. However, i don't expect miracles here +15% HP shouldn't get more than 5-7% higher top speed - which would at least match the Porsche 997 figures.

I compared the speed figures (6th gear) with the numbers I got from my previous pre-Komo-Tec video:

• 200 - 270 KPH cut from 42 to 32 seconds - a 10 second gain.
• 240 - 270 KPH slashed from 26 to 20 seconds - an amazing 6 seconds

I also noticed that, contrary to my expectations, fuel consumptio is down by 10-15%. I'm very surprised by this, so I will have to verify it over a longer period, but for the first time even the tank guage and consmption display are halfways correct. Daniel did tell me consumption could be down a bit, but I never expected this.



Sorry there's no RPM, we lost the OBD-dongle in the Komo-Tec shop.
The car I passed at 1:20 in the vid was an Audi S4, which is normaly impossible to pass with the Evora S. Normaly an Audi S4 can maintan the gap when he does pull over and will be able to pull back in when hitting traffi. Notice that I can actually gain distance over him, which means I'm continuously reducing the time gap. Finally he had to and let me pull by.

So, is the tuning worth the 3,690 €? For me it was an easy calculation, the Evora cost 70 K€ for 350 HP, meaning 200 € per HP. The Komo-Tec only cost 90 € per HP, so for me it was a bargain. The fact that the car feels much more sporty is the decisive advantage, Don't expect any difference at low revs, but at high revs its impresive - as the figures show.

Of course its too early to see if there is any impact to longevity or potential heat problems. From the feel and the fact that fuel consumption actually decreased I wouldn't really expect any problems to come up. I already had the likely heat problems on the standard car (clutch hydraulics and shift cables both overheated). I can't see why this would get any worse.

BTW. Daniel told me they are working on Phase 2, which should come sometime this year and which will be based on Phase 1, sothere is no reason to wait.

So, for me the only real question left is, why didn't Lotus set the engine up like this from the start?

[Justin182]

Glad you are happy with it, not sure I wOuld have bothered myself tbh.

Do you feel you really needed the extra 15%?

And going by your theory, why didn't lotus just give it 450bhp for launch ?

[TBD]

Its not only the 15%, but the fully different feel of the engine. Now its a sportscar engine, before it was a Camry. Much more so than I expected.

450 Hp would also be nice, but in the Evora price range not realistic. Let's be honest, the Evora S competes with the 911 at best. 390 HP beats the Carrera S, which is already quite a bit more expensive (admittedly at a better quality). The GTE is a completely different ballgame and the competition in that price range is completely different. Would you decide for the GTE, still based on a Camry engine if you can get an Audi R8, or, for a few pence more, a Gallardo? Maybe if I can afford both, but not for daily driving.

[Julian73]

Good news. I still only have 450 miles into my break in so the parts still await on my shelf.

Edited by Julian73, 25 March 2012 - 04:02 PM.

[koorby]

Fantastic upgrade!

[TBD]

I have been enjoying the Komo-Tec tuning very much the last week and had the chance for a further run yesterday.

I did try to find a better position for the microphone, but wind noise remains dominant,
so there is unfortunately no chance to really hear the engine.

I was able to reach 290 KPH (180 MPH) top speed, which is pretty much what I expected (required power growing exponentially). Actual top speed may be 2-3 KPH more, but even on the Autobahn it will be hard to reach that as traffic will invariably force you to brake.

The liveliness of the tuned engine is what I find most impressive, really turns the Evora into a top-notch sportscar. Even in the city I find myself hitting the rev-limiter just because its so much fun to give throttle. Also, there is regularly a great sounding backfire plopp when you lift the throttle (don't know if it actually produces any flames in the exhaust).

I actually think the only way to further increase top speed would be through the wind tunnel and by filling the various door, window, hatch, etc. gaps. The high wind noise does indicate substantial amount of turbulence and the Lotus gaps are not exactly very small.

Edited by TBD, 30 March 2012 - 07:41 AM.

[mdavies]

Its not only the 15%, but the fully different feel of the engine. Now its a sportscar engine, before it was a Camry. Much more so than I expected.

Of course it's not a technical comparison re the NA engine and the CAI, but in spirit it's the same. Everyone who has fitted the CAI for a modest torque increase (of about 7%-10% measured in my case with Sports exhaust) makes the comment "it absolutely transforms the feel" - now it's a sports car. There is more to it than just the numbers.

[Bibs]

The bill often makes it feel faster too!

[koorby]

Does the Lexus GS350 F use the same 3.5L V6? I assume yes. If so, it's tuned to 306HP NA without a SC. Watch videos of it, and it sounds like an Evora with the CAI kit and a sport exhaust. Seems that Lexus know how to tweak this V6 as well, especially if their substantially heavier car can reach 60mph in 5.6 seconds. Maybe grafting the Lexus ECU and intake onto the Evora engine would work some wonders?

Edited by koorby, 01 April 2012 - 09:46 AM.

[JAWS]

The Lexus engine is a 2GR-FSE Toyota unit, that has direct injection etc, so not the same.

[koorby]

Ok cool, thanks for clearing it up for a newb like me, hehe!

[Julian73]

Does the Lexus GS350 F use the same 3.5L V6? I assume yes. If so, it's tuned to 306HP NA without a SC. Watch videos of it, and it sounds like an Evora with the CAI kit and a sport exhaust. Seems that Lexus know how to tweak this V6 as well, especially if their substantially heavier car can reach 60mph in 5.6 seconds. Maybe grafting the Lexus ECU and intake onto the Evora engine would work some wonders?

The prior GS350 used our engine but the new version uses the longitudinal mount front engine rear drive direct injection engine from the IS350

[brusselsangel]

Thomas, Do you have any before and after rolling road/dynometer runs and also AFR figures? If you have but don't want to post then on here, can you email me.

Thanks

Paul

[TBD]

Unfortunately not. It was 9PM when they finished my car and too late for a dyno-test. But there is on on the Komo-tec website.

[Julian73]

The prior GS350 used our engine but the new version uses the longitudinal mount front engine rear drive direct injection engine from the IS350

Sorry statment is wrong, our engine has only been used in the ES of the Lexus range.

[Trevsked]

Have you had the car on a dyno yet to confirm figures?

Trevor.

[TBD]

Unfortunately we didn't make it to the dyno when the kit was installed, it was already 9pm. But, I have no reason to doubt the numbers, and KomoTec has their own large dyno on site. My car was not the first.

[Sven76]

Wouild also think that the KomoTec numbers are reliable. Even my mechanic from a competing company recommends the KomoTec kit. It's getting higher and higher on my shopping list...

[SIMONRP]

I was after a bit of clarification on the re-mapping of the ecu as far as the Komo-tec upgrade.

 

Are both maps re-calibrated on the S or is it just the 'Sports button map'? Is there still a change in the car's character from engaging Sports mode?

[TBD]

The tuning has no impact to the characteristic of the Sports Mode, except that both modes (normal and sport) are much crisper.