Pauls Exige 410 Sport

[Tex]

2 hours ago, GFWilliams said:

I came up with a solution for this as it was getting really annoying.  Buy long (50mm or so) bolts, take out the nut plates and screw them in from the other side using permanent thread lock.  Then use nuts from the exhaust side to secure the exhaust.  Makes it significantly quicker to change the backbox.  There are photos on my build thread somewhere.

Found the photos (sorry for the thread hijack!)

Yes a much better solution, 

Will give it a try next time I swap out the back box although looks like it may not be too easy to access 

[Toqcars]

I have to say that the aftermarket carbon side scoops looks much nicer than the OEM 👍 There is nice carbon finish even on the inside. I guess that Lotus used the lightest design to shave off few grams, but lighter is not nicer in this case 😃

[Mitch Foden-Clarke]

On 23/03/2022 at 15:36, Paul_D said:

So Monday was Bedford. 

I stayed in a hotel nearby and woke up to a cold but clear sunny morning. In fact it was so cold that I couldn't push in the button to open the door. I had to go back to reception and ask for a jug of water!

I arrived at the circuit, and unlike others places they noise test as soon as you turn up before you've done anything. With my OEM exhaust I obviously failed! The add-on was fitted and at just over 4500rpm I got a reading of 96dB, well under the 101dB, so that was the first hurdle out of the way.

There was a big mixture of cars there, one of which unfortunately dumped a load of fluid everywhere during the sighting laps, resulting in a delay of nearly an hour before we got started. 

My single visit 12 or 13 years ago was a distant memory, so it was like learning the circuit from scratch. It's a long track to learn, but the huge amounts of run off mean you can probably get up to speed more quickly than at somewhere like Cadwell.

The first couple of sessions were fine, but as speed built up I did trip the drive by noise meter with a reading of 88.9dB. The rest of the day was spent short shifting or lifting off past those, but it didn't really spoil the day in any significant way. 

The Exige got quite a lot of attention, and I ended up giving a few passenger rides, each of which got good reactions.

I also met @tactical lizard and saw his lovely Military Grey 410.

I didn't take any photos, but here is a video from my best session which also includes some footage of @tactical lizardaround the 5 minute mark.

There was is still lots of time to find if I decide to go back, but I was getting there.

 

 

Great vid 👍 Trcak looks awesome 👌 plenty of run off (hopefully not required) 🙈😂😂

[Paul_D]

Another minor change finished off today. I saw a fair few posts in various places about people changing the rear view mirror for a smaller one. The OEM one is very big, and blocks an unnecessary amount of vision, especially if you are tall. If you look at it, only the middle part is actually reflecting anything useful.

 

I saw some people who had bought a £10 mirror from Amazon, with the major benefit being it fitted onto the OEM mount. You just had to swap it across onto the ball.

 

Unfortunately (as you can probably see) the mirror was very wide angled and I didn't like it. I definitely did like how much less space it took up though.

I therefore thought I'd see if I could sacrifice the mirror and use the rear section with the ball mount.

I got some scrap aluminium (from an old broken trolley jack and butchered it about a bit. The ball mount had to be spaced out a bit and the gaps filled and primed. 

Next I needed the mirror. The solution for this was a 4" x 2" inspection mirror which died for the cause. 

The whole lot was then masked and painted in satin black before being attached to the OEM mount.

Refitted to the car and I can see everything I need to out of the rear as well as a lot more out of the front.

The only downside is that the mirror can obviously no longer be dimmed, but for how often I drive in the dark this doesn't bother me too much.

[Paul_D]

Monday was a track day at Donington Park. I went once last year, so it's still a track I've got lots of learning to do on.

I travelled up on Sunday night, and met up with a fellow owner who I'd never met in person before. Our two cars certainly stood out compared to the sea of silver, grey, and black that normally dominate the car parks.

 

I woke up to a nice clear day, drove to the circuit and got the car into track mode. (i.e. I took off the number plate and got the tow straps / hook out)

There was some very nice machinery there on Monday, including this Ferrari 458 race car.

 

However, I think it was run by a company who rent it out for anyone to try, so the drivers weren't necessarily making the most of a race car on slicks. Luckily for me, this allowed me to have a fun couple of laps trying to keep up with it.

 

I also saw a fairly bizarre incident where a misunderstanding led to one car pushing another off the circuit!

 

[El-RGB]

Very nice driving! Are you still running cup2 tyres?

Frank

[Paul_D]

@El-RGB

Thank you.

Yep, it's actually still on the original CUP2 tyres from the factory. They've done 7000 miles and 7 track days now. 

[Toqcars]

Nice driving. I see you are quite polite driver 👍 Also:

- how can you drive without the gloves???

- how can Cup2 survive 7 track days? I am ordering the 3rd set after the 3 or 4 track days for the rear. Still on original fronts 😆

[Paul_D]

@Toqcars

I do have gloves with me, but I think I actually prefer driving without them. If I feel my hands getting a bit sweaty then I put them on.

As for the CUP2 tyres, I'm surprised. My fronts aren't even half worn yet, and I expect to get at least another 3 or 4 days out of the rears before they need replacing. 

Obviously if depends on the track surface and how hard you push. I try to go quite fast (within my limited talent) but I'm not really the sort of driver who is constantly sliding the rear end around. I stay in Race mode so I don't have lots of wheelspin. 

[Brendonian]

Nice work with the mirror. I decided on something I think is more aesthetically pleasing, and only a little smaller than standard. (You may be able to see the entire rear window with yours, but probably not with both eyes at once).

I used the Mirror from an SLK/Audi TT/R8/Carrera GT. Cut the grooved mounting point from the very "foot" of the original mirror. Dremmelled out the mounting point on the new mirror until the standard mounting part could fit inside, then bonded it in place, filled any gaps with P38, sanded off all the embossed text on the rear of the mirror, and painted the whole thing to get a uniform shade of matt black.

[Cyan410]

On 14/02/2022 at 08:20, Paul_D said:

@Toqcars Well in typical fashion... while the car was up in the air, it all worked perfectly. Good connection and stable picture. I started the engine and there was no interference. Yesterday evening when I moved the car after it was back on the ground it seemed to struggle to get an initial connection, and then had the odd flicker on the screen. 

I'm going to try moving the transmitter to a different location, possibly into the battery compartment using a little extension lead. 

In theory I could have used the same system to have the picture on the AIM dash. In fact, Elise-shop sell those transmitters with the correct connector already fitted: https://www.elise-shop.com/aim-mx2e-wireless-video-connection-for-reversing-camera-p-503630.html

Personally I would rather have it on the head unit screen, as it means I can use it as a rear view mirror whilst still being able to see my speed etc.

Hi Paul

I love your car, and your detailed posts!  I’ve got three questions, if you don’t mind?

Firstly, can you please let me know if you managed to sort out the transmitter signal issues?  If you could have a do-over, would you have gone for the hard wired option between your camera & head unit?

Secondly, like you, I think I’m not going to connect my camera to reverse gear, as I’d like to have the ability to turn on the video at any time, as a rear view mirror.  Do I assume correctly, that instead of tapping the camera into the reverse light power supply, you’ve simply tapped off another power source, like the 12v power socket, and wired in a switch?

Finally, if I’m correct re the switch, what switch did you end up purchasing?

Many thanks

Michael

[Paul_D]

Hi Michael,  

Yeah, I did manage to sort out the poor signal. I bought a little 4 pin extension cable which I ran up into the boot through a hole already there. I then placed the transmitter near the front side of the battery.  The signal now seems good most of the time. I can notice it breaking up now and then on track days, which I’m guessing is because of all the radio signals. 

You can see it happening at certain points in this video: 

 

Obviously hard wired would be better, but I’m still happy with the wireless version for its relative easy of installation. Although maybe it wouldn’t be as awkward as I imagined to run the cables? I’m not sure to be honest. 

For the power I used a ‘tap-a-fuse’ thing connected to a supply that’s only live when the ignition is on. So I didn’t need to worry about fitting a switch. This was also convenient as you can tap a fuse in the panel next to the battery, so it’s in roughly the same place as the new transmitter location. 

[Cyan410]

1 hour ago, Paul_D said:

Hi Michael,  

Yeah, I did manage to sort out the poor signal. I bought a little 4 pin extension cable which I ran up into the boot through a hole already there. I then placed the transmitter near the front side of the battery.  The signal now seems good most of the time. I can notice it breaking up now and then on track days, which I’m guessing is because of all the radio signals. 

You can see it happening at certain points in this video: 

 

Obviously hard wired would be better, but I’m still happy with the wireless version for its relative easy of installation. Although maybe it wouldn’t be as awkward as I imagined to run the cables? I’m not sure to be honest. 

For the power I used a ‘tap-a-fuse’ thing connected to a supply that’s only live when the ignition is on. So I didn’t need to worry about fitting a switch. This was also convenient as you can tap a fuse in the panel next to the battery, so it’s in roughly the same place as the new transmitter location. 

Thanks for sharing your knowledge Paul 👍

[Cyan410]

Hey Paul

I’m just in the process of installing the Philips LED bulbs you’ve recommended and bought the same dust caps you recommended.  
 

Quick question.  Did you stuff the larger connectors inside your dustcaps or did you modify the dustcaps so that the connected sit outside the dustcaps?  Seems a bit tight to squeeze everything within the dustcaps and I’m fearful if I do try stuffing everything within it might all melt.

Thanks

Michael

[Paul_D]

@Cyan410  I fitted everything inside the dust caps. I remember having the same thoughts as you, but in the end I manged to tuck everything away ok.

[Cyan410]

Cheers Paul.  In the end, I’ve put the connectors outside the dust caps and done my best to wrap the connectors watertight.  Thanks again for your help.

[Paul_D]

It's been a little while since I updated this thread, but not much has really happened other than a couple of track days. 

I did make one further tweak to the rear view mirror, as there was still parts of it that were pointless height wise. I basically masked up a bigger mirror so that the size perfectly matched the area worth looking at. The best comparison of original, version 1, and version 2 is stills from my track videos, as the camera is always in the same place. Forward visibility is much improved, and I can see just as much behind as I could with the OEM mirror.

I went to Cadwell Park on 24th May, and it was one of the quietest track days I've ever been on. There were only around 30 cars present. Weather forecast was terrible, which may have had something to do with it. In the end, it only started raining properly at 5pm. I had loads of clear laps, and managed to improve last years time by over 2 seconds.

Last week I was back at Snetterton. This was a very mixed day weather wise. Wet, dry, wet and then dry again. No problems all day, and I managed to improve my Snetterton best by a fraction. 

As it was a Javelin day, I've got a few photos with needing to pay an arm and leg for them.

I met up with my friend Viren who I met last year at Donington. He's got an Exige 350 with Alias23 intake, 1-way Nitrons and Cup2 tyres. We had a few good sessions together, and I don't think there's much speed difference in a straight line between a 350 with Alias intake and 410! Our sessions together were in mixed conditions, getting drier as each one went on.

 

Other than that, not much to report. Car is working well, and I'm having lots of fun. Next week is Brands Hatch GP circuit with Lotus on Track. I'm hoping for good weather, as my rear Cup2's are now down to around 3mm of tread...
 

 

[MrD]

Fantastic stuff Paul, using the car as intended and you are very moderate about your skills. Thoroughly enjoyed your videos.

On the Alias23 front you are right, the kit unlocks so much power that a normal S is in par with a 410. My lightened V6 cup (Li battery, forged wheels, lightweight exhaust) was right behind my mate's perfomante all the way up to 4th, we of course had to back off on that stretch of a private road;)

I also got a question in regards to the LED bulbs, even without the dust cap it seems that the bulb actually touches the liner. The cap on the other hand isn't tall enough to actually seal, has Philips perhaps revised the product and made it bigger? Or am I doing something completely wrong?

[Jcx]

@MrDi too find the bulbs with caps on touch the liner and it gets warm quickly. Time will tell if that becomes a problem. Let’s hope not eh?

[MrD]

2 hours ago, Jcx said:

@MrDi too find the bulbs with caps on touch the liner and it gets warm quickly. Time will tell if that becomes a problem. Let’s hope not eh?

Yeah this can't be right and I'm glad I'm not alone here. The built-in fan actually touches the cap which in theory would compromise rotation and therefore cooling. I'm not feeling very confident in this even if I leave the bulk of the cables outside the cap.

[Jcx]

I can hear the fans spinning freely. The ends with fins are designed as a sink to dissipate heat. With lots of airflow on the move I expect much cooling. Time will tell. 

[Paul_D]

@MrDThanks for your comments. 🙂

With regards to the bulbs, when I installed mine there was definitely a bit of space between the bulb and the dust caps I fitted. I checked this at the time, and I was able to push the end of the cap in by a few millimetres. I had deliberately not pushed the cap as far on as possible though to try and create a bit of airflow space around it. I put the cap on just far enough to seal, and then put a cable tie around it to stop it accidentally coming off. 

[Paul_D]

Just carrying on from comments I made on another thread;

I haven't really done anything else to the car, other than a couple of track days. I had one at Brands Hatch where the car went into limp mode. After turning off and on again it was ok but at the time I lost confidence and it partially ruined the day. (As did getting black flagged for noise, as it was a quieter GP circuit day)

On Saturday I was at Hethel for a track day with Lotus on Track. It was a pretty warm day, I think 31°C according to the weather forecasts.

Yet again, after a few sessions, as I left the pits the car went into limp mode. I drove it back, opened the engine bay up and discovered this:

I

There had clearly been some issue with the cap either leaking, or genuinely relieving the pressure.  I'm sure that this is what caused limp mode. 

I know that there were issues with tanks and that the part is now on the fourth revision. I've ordered a new tank and cap. A little while ago I took the old tank off to have a good look at it, and discovered a problem.

Looking inside showed this:

A clear crack where the mounting studs are. I filled the tank with water, and looked from outside:

 

No doubt there, water that's not under any pressure leaked straight out. 

I'm still not sure exactly how this relates to my problem and what had been happening. Effectively my tank has been slightly open to atmosphere and in theory unable to pressurise (if the pressure was rising slowly). Has this caused the coolant to boil, at which time it pressurises so quickly the cap relieves the pressure? This could also cause flow issues which would result in the 'pump performance' error code I've seen shown on the forums before which caused limp mode. 

Either way, hopefully the new tank and cap will be an end to this particular problem.

The track day at Hethel was fun. Quite a relaxed day due to the heat, as people were limiting track time and socialising a bit more. The circuit is more fun to drive in real life than it looks from the track map.

For the second time, I was out on track with a 350 which had been fitted with an Alias23 intake, but also the lighter forged wheels from a 410/430 and Nitron suspension. This was a different car to before and yet again after taking it in turns to lead, I came to the conclusion the straight line speed was basically identical. That did however change later in the day after a few laps as he seemed to noticeably lose a bit of power to heat soak. I was having to lift off when following him, which I didn't need to do earlier on.

[DH2]

5 hours ago, Paul_D said:

Has this caused the coolant to boil, at which time it pressurises so quickly the cap relieves the pressure?

If the chargecoolant is getting far above ambient, then you've got other issue(s).  It should never get warm enough to create any real pressure, under normal operating conditions. 

I'd be surprised if this would cause a MIL.  I've seen plenty of leaking bottles and caps, but never MIL caused by it.  Unless the pump isn't working.

Dave

[Paul_D]

@DH2

Both times this has happened it's been right at the start of a session, so just after the car has been sat there for a while whith everything very hot. I'd wondered if the heat soak and no circulation was causing high temperatures inn the coolant. I know the chargecooler pump starts when it sees 20°C and is at max speed by 50°C, so you're right, I wouldn't really expect boiling temperatures in normal use.

The Lotus Service notes state: Note: Although the system is not fully pressurised, the coolant may reach a temperature of 70°C approximately.

However....something definitely occurred which caused coolant to be spurted everywhere, and the engine bay was immaculate the session before it happened. It didn't actually cause a light, just the limp mode. 

If you look at this thread, their coolant bottle looked like it was behaving the same as mine and they also had the power loss. Although they had no light either, the Lotus code reader showed a code stored - P123B: Charge Air Cooler Pump Performance Limited.