engine cover delete - options

[Danelaw]

If I run without the standard engine cover, then I can also take out the metal support bar and save some weight. As far as I can tell the engine cover is just there to hide the plumbing, but it may also limit water splashing onto electrical connections and parts - any thoughts on this?

Has anybody experienced any issues with running without this cover?

One option to dress the engine bay on my S (and perhaps protect electrics) would be to use the front cover piece from the v6 Elise. but I don't know how this attaches and whether I need any parts that are not on my engine - has anybody done this and if so please could you advise what is involved?

 

[PaulCP]

Not sure you will feel the effect from the weight saving  but can't see any problem taking the engine cover off, bearing in mind that all Evora S1 which left the factory during at least the last 6 months of manufacture didn't have one fitted

[Danelaw]

The weight savings are incidental really, but in total now I've saved over 30 kg with a nerdy, almost Chapman-like, attention to small savings here and there. I particularly don't like weight above the waistline that serves no purpose and the engine cover seems to be such a part - unless anybody thinks differently?

Having said this I think the v6 Elise covers are perhaps worthwhile for the aesthetics and possibly keeping electrical parts cleaner and dryer, but I've no idea how it attaches and I'm some way from a dealer to go and have a look.

I didn't realise the last S1 cars came without the engine cover, but that gives me more confidence to leave it at home.

I've also wondered about painting the Harrop supercharger or spraying it with one of the wonder materials that should stop is getting that powdery aluminium corrosion look. I've seen a picture of a supercharger that was I believe sprayed red on the car by somebody in the US and it looks to have been successful, but I'm not sure I'd go that route. The Elise supercharger being painted black is an improvement. If it had been McLaren it would have been a buyer option - take a look at their latest car configurator it's like a never ending menu of choices!

[Bibs]

JMG didn't like the engine covers so ordered them removed. It's just a cosmetic thing, nothing more. 

[Danelaw]

Thanks Bibs. I'm starting to like JMG - seems to have his head screwed on right.

Now I need a few ideas to make the engine look smarter...

[C8RKH]

I think you can get away with it on the S as the Supercharger is there. Though the black one from the Exige is much nicer than the stock S silver one.

However, on the NA. Hmmm, the engine through the window just looks shit to be honest. The Exige panels in carbon plus the Komotec Carbon CAI would be a good improvement though and probably enough to let the cover go.

Now I'm interested in if the two little Exige covers would fit in an Evora too. Come on, anyone intelligent out there who knows / can work it out? 

[2011 Chrome Orange]

Julian73 on another forum painted his SC and added at least one Exige cover (he also has a BOE CAI).

here's a photo..

[Danelaw]

That's along the lines of what I'm thinking, but I could do with knowing how that front cover was/is attached.

Also, my supercharger doesn't have lugs for mounting a badge so that's probably not an option - but is excess weight anyway...

[Bibs]

http://deroure.com/diagrams.asp?TBL=6190&MAK=1&MDL=40&SMA=0&SMO=0&ST=&SC=0

[Danelaw]

It comes to about GBP80 to get the Exige front cover and fittings/bolts assuming there are three 'retention bolts' and 'isolators' for that cover alone. Another GBP18 for the 'Lotus Performance' badge. 

I'll need to look at my engine again to try to work out where the bolts go and check I don't already have these occupied in any way that would cause problems.

[Bibs]

Remember you'll get 10% off from a selection of dealers as an FFM

[2011 Chrome Orange]

He mounted the badge to the supercharger using high temp RTV adhesive. He cut the cap screws short, bonded them to the cover, then dabbed the corners and put globs of RTV underneath. That way, he can remove it if he ever wants to go back to stock.

 

Here's a picture of another Evora S with both covers installed.

[Brendonian]

Amazing! It's almost as though nobody noticed my post a few days ago

 

[Brendonian]

If you want to fit the front Exige cover, you only need 2 of the 'Stud Special M6' (part 8 in the DeRoure diagram above).

You'll probably also find there are already some other the cover retention bolts in the top of your engine, doing bugger all. (Part 14 in the diagram). They looks like a bolt head with a short stem on the top, and a ball on the end of that. The ones on my engine had a black plastic ball, and the new ones I ordered from Lotus are just a one piece metal item, but exactly the same shape/size. The ball on the end is a push-fit into the isolators (part 9).

Anybody interested in fitting this cover to an N/A should be aware that without the supercharger, the cover appears to sit too far towards the front of the car, revealing some of the messy wiring it's there to hide, and covering the nimbus heat shield at the bulkhead. I wasn't happy with the appearance, so I made 3 small metal brackets to offset the cover to the rear by about 5 cm.

[series_one]

John - will you share how you lost 30kg? 

[Danelaw]

10 hours ago, Brendonian said:

Amazing! It's almost as though nobody noticed my post a few days ago

 

Sorry - somehow I missed that, but later this evening I'll search it out. Thanks.

[Danelaw]

1 hour ago, series_one said:

John - will you share how you lost 30kg? 

I have a more than nerdy almost accountant like spreadsheet and I've weighed every bolt and washer I've changed, but the big items are:

Battery to 8x MultyMighty Lithium - saving 13 kg

Replaced battery tray and revised battery fittings to Aluminium - saving over 1 kg

Exhaust tailpipe to Topspeed - saving over 13.5 kg, I'll be selling this when I fit the Swindon exhaust, but not sure when I'll get around to fitting that as it was going to be last Sept, then Xmas, then Easter...

ICE swap from Alpine 505 to Parrot Asteroid Smart - saving 2.7 kg 

I've also saved around 5 kg so far in changing some steel bolts and washers for titanium or anodised aluminium. I also saved 4.5 g in changing the 5 interior festoon lamp bulbs for LEDs. With eliminating the engine cover altogether I'm very close to having taken 40 kg out of the car, and this now makes me reluctant to put more back. The result is that I've started thinking about whether I can smarten the engine appearance without adding the Exige front cover...

[series_one]

5kg in bolts! thats massive 

 

Details of the swindon exhaust would be very interesting.  

 

Well done, very impressive result so far!

[Danelaw]

To date it's just over 180 bolts I've changed - just a few at a time. Most only save a few grams, but some are weighty monsters. All add up slowly but surely.

The Swindon exhaust is a development they did for the GTE project and other engine work. It is proper headers, but keeping the original siting position for the 2 cats, and then the combining Y-pipe and rear cat delete pipe. It is a larger bore system which I've measured at around 70 mm so similar to the bore used by some other replacement systems. I will have to get a custom tail-pipe made as I didn't buy that part from them. The exhaust I bought is new and unused, but the only tail-pipes they had were modified original Janspeed boxes that had been used on their dyno testing and are now no longer available.

I got a Swindon cold air intake too, but that only saves a small amount of weight as it is large.

I did want to buy some Swindon cams and con-rods but at this point the 'NO' from my wife caused my ears to bleed so I had to be content with the engine breathing parts.

[Brendonian]

If you don't want to add the Exige cover, you could consider tidying the wiring up a bit. You'd need to cut the loom and extend some of the wires to get them running in a more aesthetically pleasing position, so that's more committed than me.