New Exige Sport 350

[CTRMint]

4 hours ago, The Pits said:

Me too. Been waiting for factory forged wheels for ages. No idea why the rears are a half inch wider other than for more grip. I don't think Lotus had any cunning plan to stop owners retro fitting them, on the contrary I'm sure they would have sold quite a few sets. 

I suspect they have found a way to make an existing wheel work rather than commission a new, bespoke design. The original plan may even have been for a wider tyre but cost implications have got in the way.

The Sport 350 looks to me like half of an Evora 400 update. I think the plan at some point was to have all this plus the chargecooled engine but weight and cost were starting to spiral. I think it's actually quite smart to stop the process here and get an improved car out for £55k. The whole hog would surely have started anywhere over £65k and weighed somewhere approaching 1200kg. Lotus have instead raised the spec and performance of the entry level, while keeping the price low.

Having met Jean-Marc Gales I can assure you that he preaches the gospel of St. Colin with considerable zeal which is really encouraging. He comes across as genuinely passionate about the benefits of lightweight. It's the ultimate win-win when it reduces cost as well. So we better get used to less weight being prioritized over more power. Surely we are all in agreement that it is the right thing for Lotus?

You may be right, still a bit disappointing.  When I read the forged option in the spec I was almost reaching for my wallet!  I hope Lotus realise there is a real sales opportunity for existing owners and produce an 'OEM' forged rim in the spec we are currently using.   

[The Pits]

Agreed, I would rather give my money to Lotus but will be forced to explore other options if they don't.

[Stubox]

1 hour ago, CTRMint said:

produce an 'OEM' forged rim in the spec we are currently using.   

What is so different on the rear assembly that doesn't allow them to be fitted to a current car?

[NedaSay]

On 12/11/2015 at 05:33, Bibs said:

Exige Sport 350, 3-Eleven, more than likely some other stuff

 

Some other stuff like an Evora 400 roadster and another prototype for a certain car due to reach market in 3 years, I hope the Geneva stand will have a bit more gusto this year.

[CTRMint]

51 minutes ago, Stubox said:

What is so different on the rear assembly that doesn't allow them to be fitted to a current car?

Not sure I based my comment on the TLF article stating they couldn't be retro fitted.

 

[Rancid]

Different offset, but possibly cured by spacers?

[The Pits]

Yes different offset. They will protrude out beyond the wheel arches if fitted to a current car, with a fairly detrimental effect on the car's handling balance. I generally consider suspension to be the last thing I would ever modify on a Lotus. Even if it could be done, the new wheels wouldn't be interchangeable with the old ones, so a pointless exercise. Might be better just to buy another pair of the cast wheels. The total weight penalty is 5kg (not 5kg per wheel) so really not worth the hassle.

[Stubox]

Ah, pity. Komotec it is then

[The Pits]

I believe Komotec use the same wheels as it happens, also 10J at the rear.

They look identical to me.

http://komo-tec.com/Shop/en/Exige/MK3-Toyota-V6/Wheels-tyres/KT-Sport-forged-wheel-Exige-S-V6.html

It would be interesting to find out how they adapt them for the cars but according to Lotus it's not a small job to do properly.

[Arun_D]

I'd be surprised if these wheels were any different to the Komotec offering, which are also 10J width. Are we saying the car honestly has a different hub arrangement, at which point what happens when a customer doesn't order the forged wheels, and the car is built with the cast wheels we're used to?

[JAWS]

On 11/12/2015 at 14:59, The Pits said:

I'm sure you could have a glass cover retro fitted if you really wanted...

 

Unfortunately the heated seat switch and harness are no longer fitted so it would lack functionality.

I understand the gear mechanism could be retro fitted but costly and a big job, also the forged wheels being an option can be fitted to a previous Exige, a geo being the only thing required. Although they are essentially the same as the Komotec wheels they are machined differently to give a better balance.

[Bravo73]

Re the forged wheels, why not just talk directly to the manufacturer, Rimstock?

[CTRMint]

I wonder if Rimstock would do a TLF Group buy in a forged rim with the original dimensions :-)

 

[Stubox]

Good idea  I'd be in for a set!

[Bravo73]

22 minutes ago, CTRMint said:

I wonder if Rimstock would do a TLF Group buy in a forged rim with the original dimensions :-)

I'd be very surprised if they didn't. They were happy to sort a group buy on the 18" Evora 'Motorsports' wheels.

I've got the contact details of the person to contact, if you want.

[Rancid]

Looks like they already do the Pro forged ultralight in the correct offset (26?) but only in an 18"

 

http://www.team-dynamics.com/wheeldetail.php?ProForgedUltralight

[CTRMint]

19 minutes ago, Stubox said:

Good idea  I'd be in for a set!

Me too :-)

 

[The Pits]

Video hot off the press:

 

[DaveC72]

Really enjoyed that, thank you.

[Rancid]

Good stuff.

Correct to assume DPM was fully off?

[The Pits]

Yes for the show boating, DPM must be fully off. It won't allow angles that lairy in any of the other modes.

Having spent the day playing with the DPM system at the 'ten tenths' day it was a nice chance to explore the car's limits with everything OFF. I came in after 3 or 4 attempts only to be asked for 'more smoke' and to slide closer to the camera . You don't often get asked stuff like that on a trackday, in fact LoT would have sent me home after just one of those slides! But we had the track to ourselves. A real treat. Track was very slippery though and inconsistently so. Good job we stuck to 75% eh Bibs?

I think we did a better job than Pistonheads managed all the same.

[V6Cup]

Thanks for the vid.

Do we know if they have done something to the exhaust? I'm sure that sounds a bit more 'growly' than my Cup?

 

 

[Bibs]

Tyre invoice came through today Jonny

 

[The Pits]

10 minutes ago, Bibs said:

Tyre invoice came through today Jonny

 

Good job they were only Corsas

[JAWS]

1 hour ago, V6Cup said:

Thanks for the vid.

Do we know if they have done something to the exhaust? I'm sure that sounds a bit more 'growly' than my Cup?

 

 

Apparently, it now uses the Auto's Silencer as standard on both variants which seems to have a deeper bark.