[Considering an Esprit advice needed]

I was in exactly the same dilemma.  I had had a 4 cylinder years previous and I narrowed it down to a 1997 onwards with the revised interior but with the bodykit so I had no other choice than to buy a V8.  The engine was not a consideration at the time as it didn’t matter to me.  

I purchased my V8 about 4 years ago and the engine let go after 3 weeks.  This was a failure of a rebuilt engine by an ex Lotus dealership where they had used too much sealant on the sump which had caused blockages of the oil galleries and complete engine failure rather than a design problem.

I decided to upgrade and rebuilt the engine which cost around £20k.  The figure is high but it included a new billet crank, forged pistons, forged rods, ARP studs + Mike etc so although I nearly had to remortgage the house it was my choice, I think it could have been done for around £12k standard.

 

my engine was rebuilt by MikeS and now spends its time happily dealing with daily driving duties and also spirited weekend runs.  It’s an absolutely great car which I use as much as possible.  Having the confidence in the engine means a lot to me and it has proved to be extremely reliable.  As has been said earlier, it is a rapid car but is sometimes disguised by how refined the V8 engine is.  It sometimes doesn’t feel overly fast in isolation but if my wife is in her 981 boxster the Esprit absolutely leaves it for dead.  Also if we are going out anywhere the esprit always feels such an occasion to use, even if it spent the day just driving to work and back.

 

if your anytime around Yorkshire your more than welcome for a cup of tea and a chat and a run out in the car.

[Pipe clips and brake line unions...]

What a guy 👌🏻.  

[Lotac Bilsteins with standard springs - fitting guide (and comparison with Nitrons)]

Hi Dave, I’d be really interested in having a ride out in your car.  I’ve got the full Bilstein and Eibach set up and also the Lotac bushes and find the ride pretty crashy and unsubtle on anything but the smoothest roads.  I don’t track the car (anymore 😂) and wouldn’t mind dealing a little bit of softness into the set up

[Non-Lotus related Hobbies by Picture Topic]

I just burn through fossil fuel 🙈

 

 

[Suspension set up]

can anyone with more knowledge than me take a look at the following and let me know your thoughts.  
 

I had my esprit set up last year and that is the Center gravity sheet and last month a ball joint dropped down 10mm so I’ve had it fixed and a local company has set the car back up.  Thing is, they both seem to be different and there’s still a bit of red about on the parameters.  
 

just curious as if I should ask for it altering or if it’s fine for road set up 

[1997 Esprit V8 rebuild - remortgage needed]

On 05/03/2021 at 21:53, MrJP said:

Ah well this is strange, I was just reading this thread and I realise that the star of the show (R475AAH) is actually the sister car to R482AAH.... the 1998 gold V8 GT press car.  (Nice photo Bibs!)

I’ve been lucky enough to own the R482AAH for the past 15 years or so and the old girl still going strong.

OP, when your car is back on the road we should get them back together again!

That would be great 👍🏻.  Any excuse for a drive out 

On 08/03/2021 at 19:38, dclare said:

I’m still not convinced on my set up with the full Lotac Polybushes and Bilsteins as it does seem a bit crashy.  Waiting for Chris to sort his car out to compare........see you in 2025 😂😂

[paint, plate or powder coat?]

I have had mine zinc nickel plated.  It’s what is used on JCB diggers I believe.  Looks like a Matt grey drab colour but seems to be lasting 👍🏻

[Free V8 OBDII Scan Tool]

If you message me what you want I’ll hook it up and record the data you need 

[Original Lotus A0 technical drawings]

I’m not sure how good they would scan with the folds in them but I’ll make some enquiry’s 👍🏻

[Engine Knock on Start up]

I’m pretty sure I have heard of this happening before on a couple of other engines ? 

[Original Lotus A0 technical drawings]

Thought I’d post what I came across last week.  On purchasing a V8 engine the seller kindly added that he had some technical drawings that he received from Brian Angus at Lotus.  
 

the engine was supplied by Lotus as a test mule for a Lancia Kit car company that never materialised and there was potential of lotus selling the uprights too so I got quite a few A0 technical drawings with the purchase that I thought you all might be interested in .  I’ll get more detailed pictures when I get chance to open them all up but what a piece of history.  Also has some of the amendments on them and design changes and dates 

[V8 Engine ECM Upgrade]

9 minutes ago, cweeden said:

I am guessing an after market ECU provides much more freedom to tune for the specific car and modifications made to it. I am assuming (maybe incorrectly) that at the moment we only have the factory maps to play with when modifying the ECU which are a wee bit limited.

I'm keenly watching the work @v8GTmac1 is doing with the Megasquirt.

But haven’t the original ECU’s had lots and lots of hours development to get them the best they can be, or is it because of the compromises of emissions, gearbox warranty etc. 

[V8 Engine ECM Upgrade]

Forgive my stupidity but What would be the benefit of having a new ECU system over the v8 one?  Apart from the limited supply of OE ECU’s?  
 

the reason I used to use a Emerald was because the Rover Mems system at that point couldn’t be accessed and remapped unlike now which Kmaps are doing successfully.  
 

the main tuning I guess on the V8 is by increasing turbo pressure which the standard ECU seems to be able to cope with using a reflash.  Is it because it is a set map rather than a custom map that self learns etc?

 

if anyone has time to explain I would definitely appreciate it 

[V8 Engine ECM Upgrade]

I’m still surprised that there isn’t an aftermarket solution to the ecu.  When I regularly ran K series engines it was a pretty simple affair with the Emerald ecu and a days rolling road.  I think I read the emerald can’t be used because of the number of injector drivers?

[Your experience with Dog/pet death and having another]

Heartbreaking to read this thread.  Don’t know where I would be with out this little shit ...........
 

hope you manage the grief and make the best decision for your family 🤞🏻

 

 

[Squeaking dash]

I’m now trying to eliminate various noises in the cabin, one been the bulkhead knocking and one the centre vent carbon surround.  It seems to constantly creak and squeak when driving and I think it’s rubbing against the dash vinyl.  Has anyone had any luck with products that you can wipe on interior parts to stop the noise. I’ve heard dry ptfe mentioned ?

[Help with Oz Saturn rear wheel cap]

I think I’ve managed to source 2.  I’ll drop you a Message 

[Help with Oz Saturn rear wheel cap]

I think they have fronts but not rears 

[Pro Alloy V8 Intercooler kits group buy...]

I would be interested in the 10+ price 

[New Lotus Owner]

2 hours ago, mike_sekinger said:

If you'd have built it yourself, it might be in pieces already.  🤣

A fair amount of your cost could have been limited if you had only one party involved from the beginning.  It's not a very good case study on how much a typical rebuild might cost.

Yes it might be in pieces but I’d have more money to rebuild it again and not be reliant on other people 😀

[New Lotus Owner]

The engine cost is a tricky one as if I had done the build myself I would have saved £8k in labour so that brings it down dramatically.  And then if I didn’t use aftermarket and updated parts it would have been even less.  And then if I had only replaced the 2 pistons and rods and crank I actually needed and didn’t have ARP head studs etc etc I reckon I could have done it for £6-7k 

[New Lotus Owner]

2 hours ago, Barrykearley said:

Bloody hell @Mightymetro don’t scare him off.

You didn’t scare me off 😂😂😂😂

 

should have listened 

[Swindon Alan]

Gutted to hear this.  His pain staking research and advice really helped me during  My rebuild.  RIP

[New Lotus Owner]

Thought I might add my thoughts to this

ive owned a n\a Stevens , used a s4s For a weekend and now own a V8.  In my opinion it all comes down to what you want the car for.  The main reason I went for the v8 is that I wanted the later dash and the wider arch trims after the 1997 update.  Petty I know but that’s what I hankered for so it was a gt3 or v8 but the gt3 didn’t have the arch trims and wider wheels.  

N/A - was a fab Stevens car in azure blue with cream leather.  Didn’t feel very fast and was pretty rough but it was a nice car, it just didn’t feel like I imagined an esprit to feel.  Might have just been a bad example etc but I didn’t keep it long

s4s - definitely felt more fun to drive hard than my V8.  Really good turbo kick that enhances the whole feel of driving it.  Whooshing everywhere, light nimble, fast.  Fabulous machine but just preferred the later facelift.  It felt like an occasion everytime the turbo spooled up.  The Purchase cost Of this car was actually more than my v8 was and it also was quite tatty cosmetically so the work mechanically on my v8 kind of balanced the cost I would have needed to spend on the s4s interior and exterior.  
 

v8 - love at first sight with the old girl but it’s taken a while to get my head around enjoying the car.  It really isn’t a rev monster and relies a lot on torque to get it going where it is going.  In my eyes it feels like a very accomplished GT car rather than a track \ back lane blaster and I didn’t gel at all.  BUT........I’m learning to drive to its strengths and I’m now completely happy with my decision to plump for the v8.  I can’t say the car feels heavier or Lardy like most reviews do because I cannot feel it and I believe the 4 pot turbo feels lighter due to the engine characteristics and delivery which is masked by the V8.  It just doesn’t feel fast until you look at the speedo.  I try to use it as much as possible and have found it excelling on both A and B roads.  A blast around the `north Yorkshire moors with a friend with a Caterham proved just how good it is at those back road blasts that I never gave the v8 credit for.  It just does it in a silent assassin style compared to the s4s.  I’m in West Yorkshire but if you want an extended run out in a v8 Your more than welcome to hop aboard.  Always happy for an excuse to have a blast 

 

a quick note though about my car 
 

I purchased a v8 2.5 years ago and drove it a couple hundred miles and then the engine let go (due to a poor rebuild by a previous owners preferred `lotus dealer).  The engine bill alone was just shy of £18,000 for the parts and labour however pretty much everything has been upgraded to make it as reliable as possible including billet crank, steel rods, Forged pistons etc etc and included the usual maintenance while it was out work like refreshed turbos.  While it was off the road I went about refreshing other things on the car like suspension, cooling system, fuel tanks, brakes and dropped another £10,000+ On these items.  This was with me doing the work too although this work is the same cost on most models.  I was heartbroken and wallet broken and questioned why I didn’t just cut and run.   However.......having got it running again in June I’ve completed 2000 miles in it and have forgiven it all it’s sins 😀.  It’s as close to having a mechanically new esprit as I can hope And I am loving driving her again.

[New tyres]

I went for the Nankang NS2R tyres Andy and they feel really good.  Good grip even in the wet and also great tread pattern looking on the wide rears from behind.  They seem quite predictable and can break traction at will at the rear (bit of throttle pedal 😂)  but in a controlled way .

 

downside is they are pretty noisy and they are really really stiff on the sidewall