Planned upgrades for next year.

[smee]

I have had my standard 1997 S1 for almost 4 years and love it dearly. I'm planning some upgrades for next year and would be greatful for you opinions on my list whether or not there should be any additions or subtractions.
- upgraded clutch hose ( I still have the red plastic one)
- upgraded gear linkage kit
- electric fan switch
- oil gauges
- sport 160 throttle body
- lightweight fly wheel (eliseparts)
- upgraded toe link kit (elise shop)
- CR box (where and which one)
- LSD (used?).

Rest of car is standard early S1 MMC with alloy hubs except for S2 billsteins and carbon airbox. Budget not there for spare wheels and 888s but could swap if more important. I've done a couple track things this year and have really enjoyed them. These modifications would be an alternative to buying an mx5 which was my other option.

Thanks.

[CubanGav]

Shall I be first........?


Honda!!!

[CubanGav]

Not the most useful of posts

[roadboy]

If you want a close ratio box you need a B4BP.

Alternatively if you want an LSD (I personally wouldn't bother unless you really want to do doughnuts) then you'd be better off buying a B6BST from a Rover 200 BRM.

I wouldn't recommend sticky tyres. They just increase the cost and wear on everything and decrease the fun (IMHO) on trackdays.

Oh, and I wouldn't bother with the 52mm TB either.

HTH

Dan

[tut]

Agree with Dan. The three best upgrades that you can do on an S1 are a C/R gearbox, decent shocks, and good tyres. This will transform it. Forget about LSD, waste of money.

Proviso to the C/R gearbox is if you are doing lots of M/W miles, standard 5th is better, but for track or proper roads the C/R gives a useful 4th and 5th that you can feel.

tut

[campbell]

I've had a 52mm TB for several years and I liked the effect it had on initial throttle response. And the fact that it doesn't stick, like the placcy one did

Not sure what the fan switches and oil gauges are for?

[robin]

I have had my standard 1997 S1 for almost 4 years and love it dearly. I'm planning some upgrades for next year and would be greatful for you opinions on my list whether or not there should be any additions or subtractions.
- upgraded clutch hose ( I still have the red plastic one)

That's a must in our hot Scottish weather Seriously you should get it replaced as one day you will end up stuck on a burning hot M25 in stationary traffic and no clutch which is a right PITA.

- upgraded gear linkage kit

Only if you've got problems with the existing gear change and you cannot resolve them by cleaning and realigning the mech. I've resisted fitting this stuff in the past and normally get good results just be cleaning/greasing and realigning.

- electric fan switch

Makes sense for all those hot summer track days. Or do a couple of cool down laps Seriously on a race car I think this is a really good idea, but on a road car doing the odd track day I don't think it's worth it. That said a DIY job is cheap and does no harm (probably ) so there isn't much reason not to fit this.

- oil gauges

You're better off not knowing how hot the oil is. Change twice as often as you should and be happy

- sport 160 throttle body

It's worth switching to an all metal throttle body as they seem to suffer less from sticking. I'm not convinced that the bigger throttle body will make the engine make more power. What is worth doing is removing the shoe from the back of the throttle plate as this makes the throttle response sharper (and is free).

- lightweight fly wheel (eliseparts)

These make the car a little less driveable in traffic and whilst the flywheel obviously saps power from the engine during acceleration, if you do the sums I'm not convinced it's worth fitting when retaining the standard 7,000 RPM limit (especially with stock cams that actually top out in the early 6,000s). For an 8,500 RPM engine it's a more compelling argument ...

For a car on standard cams you're probably going 3.5K-6.5K in each gear when pressing on. Your standard flywheel gains 30KJ over that interval. A lightweight one would be no less than half that.

In second gear you can get from 3.5K to 6.5K in around 3 seconds. In 3rd it's more like 5 seconds. In 4th you need a calendar So taking the worst case of second gear you're losing 30KJ/3s = 10KW = 13BHP. In 3rd its more like 30KJ/5s = 6KW = 8BHP, etc.

With the half weight flywheel you divide those numbers by 2, so 6.5BHP, 4BHP, etc. So the gain is something, but not that much, especially in the higher gears.

To make an equivalent 10BHP gain by switching flywheels you need to be looking at 8,000 RPM I think ...

Of course there is the faster engine spin down argument, but I've never found that to be an issue on track yet.

- upgraded toe link kit (elise shop)

If not fitting sticky tyres there is no reason to fit this, IMHO.

- CR box (where and which one)

I've done the opposite - went from S2 CR box to S2 111S box and have now ended up with standard S1 box .... I like the 5th gear cruise more than I care about the 0.1 second that the longer 3/4 ratios cost me on track.

- LSD (used?).

I would avoid the LSD myself. Horrid on the road and only really relevant on track when you have a lot more power (or really rubbish tyres ).

All IMHO of course.

Cheers,
Robin

[smee]

Thanks for the advice. LSD was with autotesting in mind but perhaps not worth the expense. I would be looking for a CR box with a long 5th for motorway but would that be a dreadful gap between 4th and 5th? Do you get upto 5th with a CR box in an elise at KH? Dan I've heard that 2nd is too short but is that nonsense?
Switch on the fan was so I could turn it on in traffic or at trackdays classic car stylee and throttle body wss to prevent sticky throttle rather than perceived performance. WRT the gauges does anyone here have them? Just like the idea of having oil temp and pressure if tracking more regularly.

And Gav I've always wanted a duratec but that would cost more than the car

Thanks

[roadboy]

Everything Robin says makes sense to be honest and better explained than my post.

Interested though, what makes you say the LSD is horrid on the road? The TorSen LSD in my box isn't even noticeable on the road?

Dan

[smee]

Thanks Robin, sorry we must have been typing at the same time. Flywheel seems inappropriate now, I like how you are saving me a lot of money. Same for LSD, thought it would have been essential but will bin that idea. I had a shot in Hambo's elise and loved his homemade kit rather than the transit van type shift in mine.

Thanks again

[robin]

Interested though, what makes you say the LSD is horrid on the road? The TorSen LSD in my box isn't even noticeable on the road?

Dan

I just assumed that on roundabouts, French motorway intersections and so on where you can build up a lot of wheel speed differential between the rear wheels, if you trigger the LSD to lock then the car will just push straight on. Of course if you have a TorSen (and perhaps they all are?) then maybe it's a non-issue as long as you're not actually slipping the inside wheel?

I've never driven one, just heard one or two mumblings ... so would bow to your real life experience!

Cheers,
Robin

[robin]

Thanks for the advice. LSD was with autotesting in mind but perhaps not worth the expense.

For autotesting I would fit a hydraulic handbrake Dom would be the man to comment on what's most useful here - LSD might well have a place?

I would be looking for a CR box with a long 5th for motorway but would that be a dreadful gap between 4th and 5th?

No, there are some hybrid gear sets that give you a close 2/3/4 and then a middling 5 and these are perfectly usable. I think you'll still get 120mph-ish in 4th and for most tracks with 120BHP that's going to be enough.

Do you get upto 5th with a CR box in an elise at KH?

I don't. It's been 4th in every box combo I've had I think.

Dan I've heard that 2nd is too short but is that nonsense?

The (much hated) S2 111S box has a longer second gear that means it does ~70mph at 7,200 RPM I think. If fitted to a car with standard cams (i.e. non-VVC) you really notice the drop into 3rd and you really feel like you have to take it all the way to the limiter in 2nd otherwise it bogs down in 3rd. So for fast road/track use I think that longer 2nd is too long without some engine mods to better utilize it. The standard second is not that much shorter - ~60mph IIRC - so if it's "too short" there isn't much gap between that and what's "too long". I think the 2nd gear is the same effective ratio in CR and normal boxes?

Cheers,
Robin

[r10crw]

Ive the UCR and dont get into 5th at Knockhill with 190bhp. Standard CR from Exige S1 would probably suit you best.
Agree with the LSD comments, makes the car a little more twitchy and only really beneficial with high power and tight corners, as long as you have good suspension and its properly setup it wont be needed
Oh, and the last time I had oil gauges I just looked at them constantly and worried

[Dominic]

Thanks for the advice. LSD was with autotesting in mind but perhaps not worth the expense.

For autotesting I would fit a hydraulic handbrake Dom would be the man to comment on what's most useful here - LSD might well have a place?

The only mod here was lots of air in the rear tyres ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zraBWVZddHM

I don't think an LSD is essential. Hambo can't always get a full 360 before the car grips, but mine seemed happy to doughnut all day. Maybe the 50PSI in the rears helped.

Mine does not have a hydraulic handbrake; I find the standard one works fine.

[Andy G]

good effort Dom