Lotus Exige Cup 380

[CRM82]

@Swiss380Cup 2:00 at Monza - you think is doable with 380 Cup? For sure I was not pushing to the limit, however I could not see how to get below 2:05 - 2:06.. maybe I am just not good enough for that! 

Racing equipment is definitely something happening soon: will start with gloves, then probably shoes (do you think can improve H&T feeling?) then Hans. Full suite is probably too much for what I do right now.. 

About future track days: I think now the car will sleep for 2 months - maybe 2 and 1/2. First date I see possible next year is again Monza on the 4th of February (there is the UK-day with 2 session only for UK and US cars). If not that, I will find something else possibly mid February.
I never been in Djon, but I definitely want to go next year.. for sure I will get back to Spa, Hockenheim (that is close - 3h) and then we see! Since we are not that far, please contact me if you find good date/location maybe we can combine!

@alias23 Looks like a lot of work and non reversible.. although might be good to do. First I will try seriously with standard pedals.. if I see that I cannot make it, then I will probably go for the upgrade. They look nice, but I will not do the work my-self... looks like too complicate!

[Swiss380Cup]

@Cristiano No 2:00 is what a 991 GT3 RS does.....I don't think it's possible with a 380 Cup.... maybe with an EX 460.... maybe not.... Monza is very fast, so with better Cx, Porsche is better....just because of the fast portions. And the PDK is also a very big advantage....

Vineyard Fancy, the german friend of KT with his EX 460 has done 2:41 in Spa with his car.... 991 GT3 RS are still faster....very hard to catch and keep up. It's not only the power, the whole thing is a damn missile... but what counts most is the pleasure of driving and I love my Exige, really.... the only one which was close to that feeling was a 996 GT3 which I had heavily modified... lightened, tuned up, with the Cup car chassis, carbon doors, etc. etc. etc. ....it was a crazy car and I loved it...

I don't know. Hopefully with the revival of the brand, more auto magazines and enthusiasts will be interested and will run more thorough test and reviews of all the models and we will have more comparisons to discuss about.

I can't waite to see what the german Auto Sport will conclude from its test at the Nurburgring. Apparently it's coming in the December issue.

The best time is anyway the one you enjoy the most... no need to scare or kill yourself. The best is to go progressively, and do not go beyond the point of enjoyment.

Shoes is a must... I'd say more than the gloves.... especially for H&T. But try to change the pedals and get the shoes and have someone demonstrate how to H&T. There're several ways of doing, proper H&T, but also with the side of your shoes...like you twist your foot on the side. I do it this way, it's what works best for me. Some find it easier to do.... You'll have to train.... I also have other stick shift cars, so I can train....but it's not that easy to master, especially when you push hard, brake hard, etc... the best is to slow down and try it and push progressively more..... it's like it is for everything, the more you train the best you master it. Try to find out what works best for you, but again, have a pro explain it to you, though maybe now most of the cars are just sequential and nobody can do it anymore.....

Regarding the equipment, I was traumatized by what my friend told me. And you don't need to feel it's too much. It's just having proper equipment for the sport your doing,  like you have ski shoes, a helmet, etc. etc. or a swimming suit for the beach :):):) And don't forget anything can happen on a race track. So the best thing to do is to be prepared, car in great condition, and pilot properly attired..... 

You know the rule. When something wrong can happen it will always happen at the worst possible time ...

Dijon is a great track. I love track with ups and downs, I don't like "flat" tracks, maybe because I was born in the Alps, I love to go up and down hills  I love "S" also, I love the ones at Monza, before the straight to the Parabolica, love them all... it's like a slalom on ski I guess...

Yes, we'll catch up after winter. My car will sit still until March, usually the first time I go to Paul Ricard, mid-end/march as a  "guest" withe Porsche Club Geneva...but there're many many many track days organized around Europe. You could do it twice a week all year long .....

Cheers.

 

5 hours ago, alias23 said:

@Cristiano you may find my recent review of a pedal upgrade of interest:
https://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/topic/88512-alias23-aka-magpie-my-lotus-journey/?page=4

 

Yes it's exactly the ones I have ordered for my 360 and 380 Cups... but in BLACK..... black pedals in a black car is a MUST... they're better in my opinion for H&T. I also thought that the original pedals where too far apart... though in the 380 Cup I didn't had that feeling, maybe because I got used to them. But I changed them anyway, and I feel better with them...sure that I won't miss the gas pedal.... which happened from time to time with the original one....

[Jack]

On November 21, 2017 at 09:28, alias23 said:

@Cristiano you may find my recent review of a pedal upgrade of interest:
https://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/topic/88512-alias23-aka-magpie-my-lotus-journey/?page=4

 

DBW pedals… https://www.inokinetic.com/lotus/dbwpedals?category=Accessories 89$US

Been using them for years in all my past S2 Lotus variants.  In the 2-Eleven, I found I only needed to install the gas pedal replacement and locate it closest to the brake.  Made H&T much easier, given my  narrow feet, especially when wearing racing shoes. No need for me to replace the brake pedal for side-to-side adjustment and/or to alter its height 

Also, @Cristiano -- no need to be concerned about the pedals being "irreversible"  in terms of altering their original location/placement … once installed you can easily achieve the same location as factory through the adjustments, whether it be height (removing the supplied shims) or the space between the pedals.  

 

[Swiss380Cup]

So this should conclude the story about the power output from the 380 cars. Komo-Tec has a VLN certified Dyno and were pretty confident that my car would produce the 380 before checking it. It's the case. They added that the first maps had a few bugs, reason why some might not have had it right away, but after a software update they did.... happy to have more torque than OEM either.... 426 Nm that's a nice figure... quite happy with my car anyway

[BAS]

@Swiss380Cup Might have missed it, but can you tel me what it is that you did at Komotec? Was it just a tune?

 

[Swiss380Cup]

LSD, close ratio and clutch, light fly wheel. And check the output on the dyno before doing anything else in spring. So I have winter months to think about a power hike..... now I already feel confident I start from a sound basis

[550superfast]

What happens at 6500rpm? Will it not rev beyond that? Is the car forced back into touring mode?

[Swiss380Cup]

No clue.... but I will ask

So I've asked. Apparently the chart only shows this rpm range. Nothing happens at 6'500 rpm

[550superfast]

42 minutes ago, Swiss380Cup said:

No clue.... but I will ask

So I've asked. Apparently the chart only shows this rpm range. Nothing happens at 6'500 rpm

Any idea why the chart only shows that rpm range (stopping at 6500) ?

I've seen lots of Komotec charts and they go to 7000rpm.

[Swiss380Cup]

6 minutes ago, 550superfast said:

Any idea why the chart only shows that rpm range (stopping at 6500) ?

I've seen lots of Komotec charts and they go to 7000rpm.

Yes this one is a comparison between mine and what an Ex 460 if I do it on my car would look like. I don't know why the other stops at 6'500 but there's no technical explanation just the range which is shown. I guess they can print out another version, but it wouldn't show more than that....

[Nightfire]

3 hours ago, Swiss380Cup said:

So this should conclude the story about the power output from the 380 cars. Komo-Tec has a VLN certified Dyno and were pretty confident that my car would produce the 380 before checking it. It's the case. They added that the first maps had a few bugs, reason why some might not have had it right away, but after a software update they did.... happy to have more torque than OEM either.... 426 Nm that's a nice figure... quite happy with my car anyway

Thank you, It is good to know that all the power is there. What a pity that there is a small bulge between 3000 and 4000 rpm by the torque.

[Swiss380Cup]

@Nightfire Well still 350 Nm at around 2'900 rpm, not bad

[Maxi_z]

On normal cars when on dyno they usually push them a little after the maximum power rpm and you see the power curve going down but they usually do not push it to the rev limiter.

Komotec did probably the same with the 380 and stopped pushing it at 6500rpm not to go to the 6700 rpm rev limiter.

The difference is that on the 380 the 6700rpm rev limiter is at an earlier point than what it should normally be on that engine and the max power is about at the same level of the rev limiter (or maybe it would be even at slightly more rev if the map continues) so the should push it on the dyno at the rev limiter to get the maximum possible reading.

When I went to the dyno in Italy the graphic stop just a 338hp at 6250 rpm and then no more graphic so I think that the dyno user just stopped pushing the car when he saw the first red rev light on the dash.

 

[Swiss380Cup]

59 minutes ago, Maxi_z said:

On normal cars when on dyno they usually push them a little after the maximum power rpm and you see the power curve going down but they usually do not push it to the rev limiter.

Komotec did probably the same with the 380 and stopped pushing it at 6500rpm not to go to the 6700 rpm rev limiter.

The difference is that on the 380 the 6700rpm rev limiter is at an earlier point than what it should normally be on that engine and the max power is about at the same level of the rev limiter (or maybe it would be even at slightly more rev if the map continues) so the should push it on the dyno at the rev limiter to get the maximum possible reading.

When I went to the dyno in Italy the graphic stop just a 338hp at 6250 rpm and then no more graphic so I think that the dyno user just stopped pushing the car when he saw the first red rev light on the dash.

 

Well, the idea was also for me to make sure I got the 380.... nothing else. It's in preparation for a possible upgrade next year. Nothing more than that at this time. Just checking to make sure the basis is ok

[CRM82]

7 hours ago, Swiss380Cup said:

LSD, close ratio and clutch, light fly wheel. And check the output on the dyno before doing anything else in spring. So I have winter months to think about a power hike..... now I already feel confident I start from a sound basis

Do you feel the difference before and after LSD? And, what do you mean with "close ratio"?

Did they made an offer for an upgrade to 430 or 460? The prices on website are for an Exige 350 so I am wondering how much you save starting with a 380..

@Swiss380Cup by the way: I had a look at the Lotus Cup Italia, and the best lap of an Exige at Monza is a bit above 2:05: I guess they used the 380 Race and slick tyres. So probably with a Cup 380 and with Cup 2 tyres is around 2:07 -2:08.

 

 

Edited November 29, 2017 by Cristiano

[Swiss380Cup]

@Cristiano Same price for the 380 for the Ex 460-430, etc. Couldn't really try the car with LSD on, since I drove mostly Autobahn, just before the snow, so I'll find out in spring...now the car is in storage, went straight from KT to storage in Geneva

The different gear ratio, means more démultiplication like on a bicycle gear box betwen 1 and 15.... the OEM are meant to go up to 315 km/n whereas on an Exige you just need max 280.... so they shorten the ratio, since also 4 and 5th gear are quite long.. now you have 61 km/h in first gear, and the rest up to 280 something more or less spread evenly betwen 2 and 6...

Look at the charts on KT internet site...it's self explanatory...... it's a little bit like having more power, the car accelerates more agressively.... I've always had that on all my cars... most of the time 6 is for cruising on hiway and sparing fuel..... so it needs to be "shortened" a bit

http://komo-tec.com/Shop/Exige/MK3-Toyota-V6/Getriebe/Achsuebersetzung-verkuerzt-Exige-S-V6-Evora-S.html

 

Basically for the Ex 460 it's same parts, same amount of work whatever the car. They change the intake manifold add cooling, exhaust manifolds, race cats, etc. all the same, no différence in parts and work

But I'm waiting to see the SSC TVS 1900 charge cooled version which should be released soon by SSC, or buy the 430 Cup, in the end, it's the same price if I add the upgrades to the 380 Cup price

[CRM82]

@Swiss380Cup I see. Actually I was very surprised about the length of the 6th gear on my Exige: In Monza I never used it.. probably I will not use it anywhere.. a part from highway.

I am not sure about doing any change right now.. Car is very good and I think the best use of money I can do is track days and improving my driving skills!

Also, in Switzerland is always a problem with car modifications, and probably you lose all value when selling.

[NW76]

5th and 6th are too long for (optimal lap time) track use, no question. But I am pretty much were @Cristiano is: I will not touch the gearbox, clutch and LSD until either the gearbox or the clutch is gone anyway. On the one hand I hope it will be a long time until either happens but on the other hand I would love to have the short ratios, lightweight flywheel, sports clutch and the LSD ofcourse ;-) ...

Cheers

Norbert

[Swiss380Cup]

@NW76 Well if you want you’ll have.... but it’s beat to do all at the same time.... open the box just once.... close ratios and lsd can also be put in the next car.....

@Cristiano you’re right anout the car and track days.... regarding modifications ther’s a crowd of amateurs after this breed.... I had an outstanding heavily modified GT 3 and all my tack friends wanted to buy it..... it has to be performant and well done and cared for afterwards... but I’m a maniac for that 

Also changes have to be improvements of the original, better parts, etc...

[NW76]

Antoine: I would just hate to do it and then have the gearbox or clutch blow up a month later... btw: how many labor  hours was yours?  ... I better not start thinking about this further... I have not much planned for the winter, this could be dangerous... 

[Swiss380Cup]

@NW76 16 hrs total... BUT LSD and ratios are an improvement and you’ll just put it once... and the clutch and flywheel is not that expensive... less than the OEM according to my dealer... and you open the box only onece.....

[CRM82]

1 hour ago, NW76 said:

Antoine: I would just hate to do it and then have the gearbox or clutch blow up a month later... btw: how many labor  hours was yours?  ... I better not start thinking about this further... I have not much planned for the winter, this could be dangerous... 

Yep.. and 1st year all is under warranty - if you don't change.

[NANO]

13 hours ago, Cristiano said:

@Swiss380Cup I see. Actually I was very surprised about the length of the 6th gear on my Exige: In Monza I never used it.. probably I will not use it anywhere.. a part from highway.

I am not sure about doing any change right now.. Car is very good and I think the best use of money I can do is track days and improving my driving skills!

Also, in Switzerland is always a problem with car modifications, and probably you lose all value when selling.

@Antoine, I also think it a little like a Cristiano... in fact, it is not easy to test modified cars in Switzerland and ride on the road with modified cars ...

[Swiss380Cup]

Well, nobody looks at the internals of your cars......you don't see anything from outside.... I've had all my cars tuned for 20 years.... a clutch is a clutch a flywheel a flywheel , gear ratio a gear ratio, LSD = LSD...etc.

It's not like you put giant wings on the side of the car....??

I had once a Porsche GT3 with the suspension of the GT3 Cup race car.... you couldn't tell unless you'd ride in it.....on bumpy roads.... on track it was a killer machine...

[Maxi_z]

new trackday tyres