Evora Sport 410

[JayEmm]

You'd be amazed what a difference a pair of proper seats makes to the 400, or any performance car for that matter. 

The next time I get my 400's geometry checked I will probably have it adjusted to 410 specs. If you haven't had yours checked @pickle it is worth doing - a small adjustment makes night and day differences with these cars I have found

[pickle]

Yep, had mine checked and corrected a while ago. 

If you get chance have a drive in a 410. I was very sceptical about just how different it could possibly be when compared to the 400. Everything from the brakes to the engine map seem turned up a notch. Would be interesting to see a full list of detail changes for the car. It's much more than different seats and geometry changes.

[Snoopy1969]

@pickle Brakes ? really? I believe they are the same, maybe a result of "Feeling" relating to the other, stickier, tires?

[pickle]

Interestingly the car I drove had Michelin PSS on so it was a like for like comparison. The pads definitely felt like a harder compound though and a firmer pedal feel. It was most noticeable in stop start traffic so I wouldn't have thought that it was weight related. 

I was surprised myself as I'd have thought that a change in pad material or set up would have been advertised by Lotus. This was one of the early 410 and a previous press car, so maybe it had a few quirks (e.g. it had all the speakers, including a sub woofer and reversing camera in place but also the blanking plate instead of the head unit). It would be really interesting to hear the thoughts of others, especially @blindsidewho has recently swapped from a 400 to 410.

Even at idle the car had a different character. Sounded meaner with possibly a higher rpm, this might just be a difference due to the IPS rather than something 410 specific.

[Bravo73]

It's interesting to read different peoples' perceptions of driving the 410. Recently, we have had comments about different brakes, a different gear shift throw and a different engine map. However, ironically, these are all identical to the 400!

[JayEmm]

If I could find someone willing to let me have a 410 for a review, I would of course publish it for all to see. And be sincerely grateful to whoever. But there isn't even a dealer near me with one sadly.

When I'm next at the factory I will see if I can pick some brains regarding the car but having tried other flavours of car with different seats, it is amazing just how different that extra communication can make the whole car feel.

[pickle]

1 hour ago, Bravo73 said:

It's interesting to read different peoples' perceptions of driving the 410. Recently, we have had comments about different brakes, a different gear shift throw and a different engine map. However, ironically, these are all identical to the 400!

I wonder whether it might just be a case of comparing a car from early in the 400 life cycle with something much more current. I'm sure that there will have been minor revisions since mine was built. 

Surely the engine map must be different though, how else would the extra power have been released? Bear in mind that I'm not technologically minded 

 

[Neal H]

The differences are achieved by witchcraft, there's no other logical explanation!

[C8RKH]

A special witch with the Lotus DNA

[Bravo73]

1 hour ago, pickle said:

Surely the engine map must be different though, how else would the extra power have been released? Bear in mind that I'm not technologically minded 

Is there actually an increase in power? Or just a difference of interpretation...?

[JayEmm]

The difference between 400 and 410bhp is what most manufacturers would consider a margin of error anyway

[pickle]

Excellent. I'll ask for a 410 with 420bhp in that case.

[French Frie]

It is supposed to have a different output ... a bit like Exige 360 Cup vs a 350   !

[blindside]

6 hours ago, Bravo73 said:

It's interesting to read different peoples' perceptions of driving the 410. Recently, we have had comments about different brakes, a different gear shift throw and a different engine map. However, ironically, these are all identical to the 400!

It helps a little to have experience of owning/driving a 400 & 410 back to back.

I did nearly 8,000 miles in my 400 in just under a year. That included a lot of 'spirited' B road driving, some track days and daily motorway driving. In short the car got a lot of use and I loved it. Around 400 miles in the new not yet run-in 410 is not enough time to draw an objective comparison.

However, it is enough time to make some general comments that can confirm (or refute) the motoring press hype and other well informed opinion; in particular Jonny's excellent video in Richard's 410. The 2 cars share exactly the same brakes & drivetrain but handle and perform very differently. Of course that could all just be down to trick Cup 2 tyres but that's not my impression. ?

 

 

[chylld]

16 hours ago, JayEmm said:

The next time I get my 400's geometry checked I will probably have it adjusted to 410 specs. If you haven't had yours checked @pickle it is worth doing - a small adjustment makes night and day differences with these cars I have found

I've had my front camber adjusted to -1.5 (from -0.5) which is pretty much the limit with the stock 400 hub geometry. It is a lengthy job though as the techs need to constantly chase back-and-forth with toe and caster. My dealer is currently testing some prototype hubs that allow camber adjustment to be both independent of toe/caster and have a wider range.

The new camber is not noticeable at all on the road but is night and day on the track. The car understeers so much less especially on corner exit as you roll on the power. Wonder what the 410's camber settings are?

[French Frie]

A new video about the 410, from a guy who seems to know what he's talking about  :

 

[franjipane]

Absolutely incredible looking car, saw this one at Bell and Colville.  

[pickle]

That's really useful. Especially finding out that the IPS is actually shorter geared. It really helps put my drive in Central's demonstrator into context. Thank you. 

I'm intrigued to know what colour Lotus refused.

 

[JayEmm]

My bet would be on Motorsport Green...

Or perhaps Renault Liquid Yellow?

[Neal H]

7 hours ago, chylld said:

The new camber is not noticeable at all on the road but is night and day on the track. The car understeers so much less especially on corner exit as you roll on the power. Wonder what the 410's camber settings are?

-0.9 according to this

 

[Snoopy1969]

@pickle 

@JayEmm

As @The Pits has shown the liqiud yellow Evora GTE in his vid my bet would goes that direction... ;-) but I believe I have read somewhere that Lotus would not do esp that Color due to difficulties to produce it anymore (but I might be wrong, old men tend to this...)

by the way @The Pits : the former GTE of @TBD is within the  rebuild process, new front clam etc., have seen it last Weekend, looks poper nice, new wheels, still needs to be painted, I guess the outcome will be awesome 

[pickle]

Looks like Howards Lotus are getting a purple 410 in this week. I wonder if it'll be amethyst. Could look absolutely amazing.

[JayEmm]

Had a quick sit in the 410 at Silverstone today. Gorgeous looking car, but I cannot get on with those seats. I think they're actually pretty bad. I'm generously proportioned as most of you will have seen, and all that happens is I get stabbed in the thigh by those seats.

I have still yet to take a 410 out on the road (hoping to later this month) but I am not confident how well the seats will hold me in place

[chylld]

I suspect your Cobra seats are better than anything Lotus has ever put in their own cars.

My old Evora S' Recaros were fairly decent, with the 400's Sparcos a step down from those. I recently sat in an Exige Sport 350 SE which has the same CF buckets as the Exige Sport 380 but thought they were horribly uncomfortable, possibly because I'm slight of frame and simply didn't fit their shape at all. Also had decent seat time in a standard Exige Sport 350 which was slightly less uncomfortable.

I tested a Porsche 718 Boxster on track and found the standard seats to be quite excellent. They were comfortably padded and supportive, but also transmitted plenty of feedback and gave me the confidence to push in corners where in my 400 I need a 4-point harness to hold me in place.

[JayEmm]

Porsche have used Recaro for some time, I suspect all of their seats are Recaro, just in different trim levels.

Even Cobra were very praiseworthy of Recaro's product. The main issue is for people like McLaren etc... if you're not ordering 100,000 seats they aren't that interested in doing anything fancy