Sector111's Tasty Innovations Blog

Single vs Double Shear Explained

2012-01-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

We know the rear toe link joint is a weak point in the Elise/Exige - mostly with track driven cars. There is a misconception that the toe link is weak - it is actually the joint where the stock balljoint meets the subframe. This blog entry discusses how we reinforce the joint, with our new DSbrace and RTD2brace, by placing it into Double Shear.

The easiest way to explain the differences between Double & Single Shear is to think of when you were a child and fighting over a stick or piece of wood with a friend. He grabs one end, trying to pull it out of your hands, the stick starts to go back and forth, you can hear it starting to crack and then you grab the other side of the stick putting his hand in the middle of your hands. He keeps pulling as hard as he can, but you have full control and there is no more tension on the stick. His force with one arm is now dominated by the strength of your two arms. Now, replace the stick with a bolt, and you and your friends arms are metal rods. The same applies to the bolt as it would the stick.

The strength of a Double Shear joint is effectively double of a Single Shear joint. Here is a picture that helps illustrate the shearing actions:

Dry Sump Track Testing & More

2012-01-09T20:14:00.000-08:00

We conducted track testing this past Sat. at Spring Mtn with the Lotus Cup racers. We tested a few products:

S111-Dailey Dry Sump
ETHOS 16x8 & 17x9 wheels
DSbrace - affordable toe link brace
TRACKpipe - track muffler

We made a quick video to share some info:

Overall we had great results with the Dry Sump and are ready to release it to other race teams and shops. Amazingly we ran the car with no oil coolers. Oil temps slowly climbed over the course of the day to about 280degF. Clearly a small cooler will be a good idea when the ambient temps are hot. I think a laminova oil cooler will be perfect and should allow us to delete the front coolers. We think the complexity of a Dry Sump does not lend itself to the average shade tree mechanic. If you are interested in a solution, give us a call so we can discuss your needs.

The TRACKpipe is our new track muffler. We've been running it for a few weeks and have shown sneak peeks of it and sound clips in recent videos like this and this. The sound is not loud and has a great tone to it. We think track guys are going to be pleased with the price and quality.

The DSbrace is our new affordable toe link brace. It uses the same components as our tried and true RTD & RTVbraces. We eliminated the central brace and added lower cost, but still effective, brackets to place the toe link joint into double shear. This product also bolts on with absolutely no modifications to the chassis. This kit delivers the highest joint strength of any solution we are aware of.

The ETHOS wheels ended up coming off the car as we experienced some rubbing at the rear. We ran 245 Hoosier A6s at race ride heights and experienced some rubbing on the outside fenders. We took them off and installed our back up wheels/tires. We think these will work with Lotus that are running flares. They are perfect for their primary application: the Ariel Atom.

We recruited our good friend Dave T. to push the car hard. He turned some of the fastest times of the day with only 211s beating his times. This allowed us to push the car hard and see how it would perform. He turned 2min56s times on the 3.5mile config. Overall it was a long but productive test day for our team.

Dry Sump Dyno Results

2011-12-19T15:57:00.000-08:00

We had the opportunity to dyno our Elise at K&N Engineering this past weekend. This was the first dyno run on her since adding the Dry Sump kit. We expected to make some power but that was not our key goal with the kit. The chart below shows the power that we made. We are are quite happy with the results as it translates to about 275hp at the crank. More track testing is planned for Jan 7th.

We created a quick video of the run:

The sticky cluster needle

2011-12-16T11:29:00.000-08:00

Many of you have had concerns with the cluster needles sticking in your Elise or Exige. There is a trick you can try before taking it in to your Dealer that may fix the problem - especially if it is nothing more than just a stuck needle. Here are the steps:

Open your driver's door

Press and hold the trip button (Located on left side of steering column)

Turn the ignition key on

You should see your needles shimmy or it will cause the stuck needle to fall down. If it works, great! If not, you will most likely need a new cluster, so head over to the dealer.

Lotus Dry Sump Testing 12/6/11

2011-12-08T10:47:00.001-08:00

We have been diligently working on our drysump system for the Lotus Elise/Exige/211 throughout this year. Our last test brought out two issues to sort:

Low hot idle oil pressure
Excessive oil blow-by from the tank venting

We made a few changes to the system and brought The Art Car (akaThe Blue Car) to test at Willow. We recruited our friend Jack, again (Thanks Jack !) to handle the driving duties. Overall the results were good and we were pleased with them.

Since our last track test, we made a couple of changes to address the low oil pressure. We changed the gear in the pump but that was still not enough. So we then disconnected the oil cooler lines/radiators and added a remote oil filter. The pressures still remained low so we began questioning the accuracy of oil pressure readings from the point in the block that we are measuring from. As it turns out, our hot idle oil pressure was actually within Lotus spec. Lotus states hot idle oil pressure at 39 kPa min, which is 5.65 psi.

We redesigned our tank to address the excessive blow-by problem. Our original design allowed oil to creep into the vent line. We had it remade by Petersen and reinstalled it. Space for a tank is the biggest challenge but we managed to keep things tidy even with the new filter location.

One new product we also tested was a 7" muffler that exits above the diffuser. This muffler will be tested over the course of the next few weeks. It sounded great throughout the test.

The weather at Willow Springs Big Track was on the other end of the temperature spectrum than our last test at Spring Mountain. The weather gave us a chilly 55 degrees with just a bit of wind. Jack made several short runs (1-4 laps each) in the morning so we could check the operation of the system and ensure everything was working well. We experienced very little blow by about (1/2oz) while oil temps were stable around 220-240F and most important the oil pressures were quite good. We completed a quick inspection in the garage for leaks and car condition. Everything looked good for a longer session.

After lunch Jack ran a couple of longer 20 minute sessions for us and the results were very promising as well. We had a bit more blow by (approx 2 oz) in the catch can but nothing compared to our first test in September. Oil pressure at idle remains low when rpms drop but were excellent at higher rpm where it is critical. Oil temps rose to 240degF and remained stable throughout the entire 20 min sessions. We obviously had a bit of help with the cool ambient temperatures but were happy with the stability of the temps.

Jack ran the car at moderate speeds per our instructions so we could load the system and monitor it carefully. He did a great job and delivered very consistent laps. Our syncros on our trans are giving up due to an overly aggressive clutch we had previously run earlier this year. This made the 5th to 4th downshift much slower than it should be. We could see this clearly in the AiM data with spikes in the rpms and oil pressures.

We reviewed the data back at the office with Bill Dailey and did not see anything that would make us change the current system. Oil temps were good and oil pressure is fine. We will add another oil pressure sensor to a spot suggested by Bill and compare the readings with the original. We will then be ready to go hammer the car and see if the system can live with 10/10s driving. We'll recruit our good friend and professional ride and handling engineer for this task....oh, and we have a Hewland Dogbox in transit that we need to assemble and test.

Weights Savings in Your Oil Lines

2011-11-30T16:20:00.001-08:00

As many of you know Lotus has implemented a recall for oil lines on federal Elise/Exiges that were manufactured between June'04 & Nov'06. If you have a vehicle that is affected contact your local dealer for service. With that said, Sector111 have some solutions for those owners craving additional weight savings. We know that the innovative ULTRAliteLINES save about 4.2lbs but cars with a single oil cooler can save more than 6lbs and deliver more reliability....here's how:

Lotus use this hardline so that they can use the same oil lines on one or two cooler cars. It keeps their SKUs and assembly process simplified. This hardline and two fittings can be deleted with either our RACEoilLINE or ONEcoolerLINES products. These two solutions provide one continuous line from the engine, along the RH side, across the front to the drivers oil cooler. Deleting two fittings also eliminates 2 potential failure points for an oil leak.

Hardline and fittings from a one oil cooler car represents ~1.85+ pounds alone

(note; we're weighing our lighter fittings instead of the heavier Lotus).

We recognize not everyone wants to delete their freshly installed Lotus lines but some of you may want to eek out just a few more pounds by eliminating the stock RH side lines and fittings.

If you have been data logging your oil temps and have found, like us, that these cars are taking much longer to get to proper operating oil temperature with two coolers, then you might want to delete an oil cooler. If your car is only driven on the street then you really only need one cooler. But we don't recommend blindly deleting a cooler, unless you have been logging temps and know your car is running cool...we'll post up how we've been logging the data in a future entry.

Continuous Improvement - Oil Control

2011-09-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

Oil control on track is a weakness of a stock Toyota-powered Lotus. Our baffled oil pan, the gPAN has been a reliable solution that has kept many, many cars safe with good oil control when subjected to 1+g loads. We initiated a serious dry sump effort to develop the next level in oil control but continued to look at the gPAN to see if slight improvements could be made. Both our dry & wet sump solutions are discussed in this post.

A wet sump solution like the gPAN is truly the best option for most owners as it remains street friendly. I cut my engineering teeth at Pontiac Fiero where continuous improvement was part of our daily mission and expectations. In the 90s, I worked with the Japanese OEMs, while working at 3M Automotive, and saw it applied at all areas of their business. From the Japanese I learned that small improvements, done continuously, can have a big impact over time.

The new gPAN2 is an example of a product that we have been able to improve through small design changes. Our latest improvements are horizontal ledges in the side of the pan. The chart above shows oil pressure data measured from two of our Elises(Nirvana & Blue Car). They were equipped with basically the same modifications: Nitron 46mm Triples, Hoosier A6s, SJ Racing wheels, RACEunderAero, titanQR and KATANA265. The Blue Car had our new ULTRAliteLINES vs. stock oil cooler lines in Nirvana, which may account for the slightly higher average oil pressure. The data is from the Lotus Cup events at Laguna Seca in 2010 & 2011, with yours truly doing the driving. We took laps that were close in time and also compared the g loads (over 1g) to insure we were loading the cars equally. The data is shifted a bit as our Start/Stop point were a bit different for each car so the peaks and valleys don't correspond perfectly.

The variation between the two pans is the most striking difference. Both gPANs do a good job with keeping the oil pressure in an acceptable range - the gPAN2 simply controls the variation better. Will this make any difference to wear and tear on the engine? Hard to say as we don't have the ability to test longevity. The engineer in me says that it must be better as it varies less. Though there would be added cost of material and labor for welding the ledges, I felt it would be an improvement worth incorporating. It was also a big enough improvement that a new name was in order. So we put on our creative hats and came up with... gPAN2...8^)

Dry sump development continues in earnest. We took Blue Car to Spring Mtn racetrack two weeks ago to test her. We first ran her on a dyno to insure we had a working solution then made the trek out to SMMP. The oil tank in our solution is a modified tank from Peterson. Ryan spec'd a design and had it built. He wanted to see how well the solution would work so installed a temporary clear top on the tank so we could view the oil in action. The Dailey pump that we choose includes the air separation stage as external oil pumps can add a ton of air into the oil causing foaming. His separator works amazingly well as shown in our video: Tank in action

We recruited our friend Jack to drive the car at the track in 105deg F weather. He ran the car under specific directions from Ryan so we could check various issues. Oil pressure readings were excellent once we determined the correct oil level. The two issues that we experienced were our breather set-up and low hot idle oil pressure. The breather plumbing from our tank was not adequately shielded from the incoming oil under high revs, so too much oil was getting into our catch tank. You can see a bit of this in the video above. We're now making a change to the vent design. The hot idle pressure required that the pump be removed and tweaked by Dailey. The pump was adjusted after we returned and the tank is now getting modified. We should be ready for testing again soon.

Purple Elise Build Cont...

2011-08-25T12:48:00.000-07:00

We finished Jerry's car this Tuesday and put it onto a transporter. We are really pleased with the results. This Elise started out as a basket case and is now going to be a fun, reliable and fast machine. We had the factory forged wheels painted black and added the graphics for that special race car finish!

The ReVerie 3 Element diffuser and Rear Panel Eliminator add some downforce and aggression to the rear while the Jubu front spoiler added the same to the front. When we introduced the naked rear look to the US, six years ago, we met some market resistance. Frankly it now looks so natural and has become very common! Note the plastic mesh that was installed in the front intakes. These are simply zip tied in place and are far more durable than the stock grills. We think they look better as well. This is also a race car mod - it would not pass muster with the white glove set!

The interior of the car features a Sparco race seat that is wider than normal. This seat just barely fits and is a bit of pain to install. The seat is more comfortable because of the added width. It also requires that the center console be moved over so it is not a good street solution.

The KATANA265 is shown below along with our QWKcans. We believe this is the max power that a stock trans can take with track use.

The Larini Header, Decat & 6" muffler sound great with the HKS intake. This combination is amazing.

The Before and After shown below is an amazing transformation. The wishbones were freshly powdercoated - what a difference they make. I think many cars are old enough now that undertaking this freshening is a worthwhile task. Its not just my OCD kicking in...

We installed new discNOIR rotors to save some unsprung weight along with Carbotech XP12 (front) and XP10(rear). We're running this pad combination on our car (with bigger calipers). The car came equipped with stainless lines so we simply added fresh Motul RBF600. We aligned the car to specs we prefer but the beauty of these cars is how easy the alignment can be tweaked.

I am planning on attending the Lotus Cup event next Friday at NJMP where this car will run for the first time. The car still has a couple of issues to sort but I'll work with Jerry's team to get this car shook down! Many of our customers and Dealers will also be in attendance so it promises to be a great time.

All in all, it was a fun project. This build proved to me why the Elise/Exige will be iconic cars. They are so easy to refurbish and tune. Additionally they are cost effective and too much fun to run on track. As more and more enthusiasts come to learn about these cars, they will become more and more valuable!

I would like to thank my team at Sector111 for all the hard work. We finished a months worth of work in just over two weeks! Thanks Guys and Gal!!!!

The Purple Elise Meets The Track Trilogy of Terror

2011-08-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

As we created our list of parts to add to the Purple Elise, it was clear that the Track Trilogy of Terror would need to be addressed in full. Our Lotus are truly fantastic cars straight out of the box. They are a blast to run on the street and track. But once you take your car to the track, three issues pop up that need to be addressed. We call these the Track Trilogy of Terror: Oil Starvation, Fuel Starvation and Weak Rear Toe Link Joint. Naturally we will be addressing them in this build. The car will receive our gPAN, V2 Fuel Tank with PNPpump - since she is getting a KATANA265, RTVbrace and S99 Toe Pins.

We've been using AiM data systems for the last couple of years after being prodded by our good friend Ralph@V2. The Blue Car is loaded with AiM data recording systems as is Ralph's Exiges. Together we've accumulated some interesting data that shows that you can fix the Track Trilogies with some tasty bits. View the graphs below:

Oil Pressure Data:

Fuel Data:

Purple Elise Track Car Build

2011-08-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, we received a commission to build a track-only Elise by a client in NJ. Jerry requested that we build him a fast, fun and reliable car. He gave us a good budget but a tight timeline, so we went to work without delay. Luckily we knew of a vendor who stocked Tasty Lotus Bits....

We found a partially built spec Elise and bought it for him. This car needed some TLC but had a straight chassis and a good engine. The car was originally used as a Lotus Driving Experience car at Spring Mtn. After taking delivery of the car, we fully inspected it and found that it needed most of the typical wear items replaced. We dug into her in earnest and developed our project plan - 78 hrs of work to get her right. I figured we'll spend at least double that as these projects tend to be motivated by passion...a Balanced Approach was our strategy.

During the tear down, one area that I noticed needed improvement was the steering arm bolts. They were the older Grade 8.8 spec that came on some of the early cars - Lotus uprated them to Grade 10.9 in later cars. By installing 10.9 bolts, this joint, which sees significant load, will be stronger. We have some friends who have installed even higher grade bolts than this. The Grade 10.9 is an excellent compromise with added strength over the 8.8 yet still ductile enough.

The existing cage in the car was not installed to our standard. Unfortunately it was too expensive to fix, so we decided to tear it out and replace it with our new R3cage. Welding can be a challenge but there are experts who can do it properly. We would encourage anyone who is getting a cage installed to first inspect the welding capability of the shop you are hiring. Check out this picture to see an example of a poorly welded cage (as originally found on the Purple Elise). We're very happy with our new cage and will be able to sleep at night knowing Jerry will be well protected.

One of the typical wear points on the Lotus is the a-arm (wishbone) bushings. Under heavy braking, especially with track use and/or sticky tires, these bushes tend to wander. Eventually the wishbone will come in contact with the chassis - as shown below.

Most of the top bushes suffered from this on the Purple Elise so we decided to replace them, with MONOballs along with the ball joints - that we now get from our partner Seriously Lotus. We took the opportunity to get the wishbones powder coated as they were quite oxidized and nasty looking. The corners of the car will be sexy with newly finished wishbones, Nitrons, brake rotors and pads.

The rear subframe was another component that suffered some cosmetic damage. A battery had clearly come loose at some point in this car. The acid made a mess in the trunk and the leaked onto the subframe. This caused the steel to rust. My buddy, Ducati John, lent us an experienced hand over the weekend as he was quite interested in this build. We Scotchbrited the rust off and scuffed up the rest of the subframe. We primered it with Rust-Oleum high temp primer and then painted it as well. The cage was painted with the 'Hammered' finish Rust-Oleum. The subframe was reattached to the chassis and looks ten-fold betta.

Most of the work is being executed by Chris. His race experience clearly helps, as he is cranking through this car at a great clip. He installed a gPAN in the time it takes most people to read the install instructions. More blog entries are coming as we have alot more work to do....anyone note the Larini header peeking out the back? KATANA265 is getting installed....

More Track testing: 2ZZopg, Brake Pads, etc.

2011-08-08T17:21:00.000-07:00

We were at the track again last week for more testing. We pulled our engine and had Bruce Nogrady install our new oil pump gear, the 2ZZopg. We went to Willow Springs to test after confirming that the gear was running fine on the street. We also needed to test another brake pad compound and an improvement to an existing product. My good friend and fast LCS racer, Jack, met us at the track and was our official test driver. Jack has many, many laps on this track and could be trusted to put the car under high loads to confirm the performance of parts we are developing.

Jack ran the car for a few sessions and I ran one session as well. I downloaded the data from our AiM system between each session. The oil pressure looked fine and the car was running well even in the 97degF heat. See graph with data below. The gear is the same dimensions as stock but made from higher grade steel. Since it passed our testing, we added it to our website today. It is now ready for anyone building a motor and looking to upgrade over the stock sintered gear - which is known to break apart under high rpm, oil starved use.

We continued to test brake compounds with the 308BBK & Front OE caliper relocation set up. We had run the Carbotech XP12 front & XP8 rear at the last two track tests with good luck. We decided to test out the more aggressive XP10 in the rear this time. The car remained stable under heavy braking. Jack even felt it dived less. The added bias to the rear was noticeable over the XP8 but not nervous like the last time I tested different pads at Willow: previous test.

The brackets used to relocate the front caliper have been ordered and are expected to be in stock this week. I think it will be the solution for many of the power junkies out there who are looking for a BBK that still retains their hand brake.

I am very happy with these pads - Ralph@V2 has been swearing by Carbotech pads for years with his racing efforts. We had first tested these pads last year and have recently added them to our stock. Trail braking is great with these pads and amazingly, the dust is low and easy to clean. The only negative so far is that the pads must be bed with care, though we get them pre-bedded to ease this process.

The ULTRAliteLINES continue getting tested along with a couple of new products. We are very pleased with the data that we are gathering. The FuelSafe fuel cell was removed from the car before this test, filter cleaned and replaced. It ran well and remains a great solution though you must monitor the fuel consumption. We are working with them to improve the fuel reading as I had described in a previous post.

The engine was yanked out today by Chris. We take it to Bruce tomorrow to prep it for the Dailey Dry Sump system. Ryan will be done with the tank for this system this month. We will be back to track test it with Dave T. at the wheel. The Blue Car must be ready for LOG31!

Canyon Drive For Fun & Development

2011-08-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

I took my Atom3 out on my favorite local 'development' road recently. This road is one I know well and is quite challenging. It is one of our test loops because of the variation it offers: rough & smooth pavement, tight corners, off-camber, serious elevation changes, fast sweepers, you name it, this loops offers it.

View Larger Map
Even with these varied conditions, I recognized that it is not enough to develop every product we work on. A few key durability tests are difficult to replicate on the street: repeated heavy braking, high speeds, sustained Wide Open Throttle (WOT) & 1+g-loads. We've found the track is the best place for those parts that truly need to see more severe testing before getting released. Clearly there is a reason that most automotive companies have their own test tracks!

Over the years, we have taken many, many clients on this loop and most had an exhilarating experience - while a few had a frightening one! I feel fortunate that we have great roads, much like this one, for basic testing and frankly, for fun. Our cars are made for these roads so 'testing' on them becomes one of the great burdens we must suffer...Next time you are in town, give us some warning and we can take you out on our test loop!

Mitigating Innovation Risk Via Testing

2011-07-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

I received an email last week from a supplier (and friendly competitor) expressing concern about the clamps that we were using in our new ULTRAliteLINES. His concern was based on the fact that Gates, the manufacturer of the clamps, recommends them 'for vehicle coolant hose only'. I very much appreciated the feedback from him as it made me realize that others would also raise this concern - even though we are using it with hose engineered for coolant, oil and other fluids. So this blog entry serves to show our approach to insuring the performance of our product.

We knew our kit was a novel application of these components and did not know of any other companies that were using it this way. These lightweight Startlite hose, clamps and BSP fittings, were so cool (to us geeks) that we wanted to determine if they were fit for use in our application. Since coolant and oil as fluids look extremely similar to each other from the clamp's perspective. The only system differences are a small temp difference (coolant goes to 240F or so, oil to 270F) and the significant difference of pressure (15psi vs 100psi). The material properties are irrelevant to our hose system as neither fluid comes in contact with the clamp since our arrangement is over a barbed fitting, not a reused hose that could have oil on it. Therefore, pressure capability was the only real concern for our testing to investigate.

We felt spending the time and money to conduct track and lab testing would be the right path for this kit. It added 4 months to our development schedule but clearly needed to be done as we knew of no others who run this combination.

Ryan, who developed the ULTRAliteLINES, and I have a combined 25+yrs in the OE and Tier 1 auto industry. I spent 12yrs developing new products at 3M Automotive and subjecting these parts to OE specification and internal tests. Developing lab tests that would predict the lifetime of a part was always a Holy Grailish endeavor. There are committees of scientists and engineers who work towards striking the right balance between real world testing and simulated testing done in a lab. We decided a combination of lab with actual in-car testing would be the best indicator of how the product would hold up. Frankly, thoroughly testing this creative 'joint' would be the only thing that would allow us to sleep at night!

Laboratory tests:

We found a lab in MI that specializes in automotive line and fitting testing. They would be able to subject our kit to extreme conditions we could never replicate on the street or track. We sent them three samples of our kit and had them run two types of tests:

Pressure Proof: 150degC@150psi for 30minutes and check for leaks
Burst: increase pressure until failure

These tests represent extreme conditions that would never be seen in our cars. But by testing in this manner, we can fatigue the product and try to extract a failure. Accelerated tests can help predict potential failures, so extreme conditions are warranted. Since our budget did not allow optimization of this joint, we did not test various combinations. We only tested the configuration that we felt would be the best for our kit.

We created a marketing piece that shows the test results. You can see it here: LAB results. Essentially we passed the Pressure Proof tests and showed a safety factor of 3 to 5 times on the Burst test. This test is quite extreme as it is run immediately after the Pressure Proof test. Basically, the fittings blew out of the hose at pressures that were 3 to 5 times higher than they would ever see - even at peak operating levels. Frankly the test showed that the joint was withstanding 6 times normal operating pressures. As an engineer, this is a comforting margin and insures blissful sleep.

Track testing:

Subjecting parts to the track can be some of the best testing possible. This testing will insure that the cars can run even more reliably on the street. We installed the ULTRAliteLINES onto our Blue Car, a 2004 Elise. We initially ran it at the Big Track at Willow Springs, then at CA Speedway (Auto Club Speedway) and then finally at Laguna Seca. Here is a video from Laguna Seca: Blue@Laguna. We were testing several other products as well but the ULTRAliteLINES were run for a total of 11hrs (including dyno, etc) and approx. 360 track miles.

We used our AiM data system to record key parameters like oil temp and pressure. We also reviewed the lateral acceleration numbers to see how the pressures were holding up with our gPAN. The car showed oil temps of approx 200degF which is well under the 300deg F used in the Pressure Proof testing. The actual oil pressures we logged ranged from the high 40s psi to the low 60s psi. This was a third to half of what was used in the lab testing and far, far below the Burst test results of 344, 452, 565 psi. Ryan's OE experience suggested that a peak pressure of 100psi would be the extreme level experienced by our lines.

Other Considerations:

Proper component selection is key for a reliable system. Each of the parts we chose, come from reputable automotive companies who have done extensive testing. We simply supplemented their work with tests that were specific to our needs.

The Aeroquip Startlite hose has been used for fuel, oil and coolant applications successfully and has been fully tested by Eaton Corp. The braided hose actually imparts a clamping force onto the fittings, much like a 'Chinese Finger Trap' when you pull it. The Lotus twin oil coolers utilizes a fair amount of rubber hose. This became a clear opportunity, for weight reduction, if we used Startlite, since it is 40% lighter than typical rubber hose.

The Gates clamps were the newest and novelist item in our system. They have the ability to dynamically adjust compression based on temp. They also work very well when applied over hose/fitting barbs as they have much more clamp surface area and better conform the hose to the fitting barbs. The Gates clamps also claim to be impervious to ALL automotive type fluids.

Combining all these features made good engineering sense to us. We just need some testing to insure we were onto a good thing...and separate us from the typical approach that is used in the aftermarket.

Options For the Ultra Cautious:

I recognize that some in our community may still want more security. For them, I suggest the tried and true hose clamp. They can easily be added as a secondary clamp over our Gates clamps or as the primary clamp. They add just a tad bit more weight...I suspect Colin Chapman would simply run our kit as is...

Blue Car Testing @ Laguna Seca

2011-07-05T13:10:00.001-07:00

The next round of Lotus Cup took place at Laguna Seca. We brought our Elise out for additional testing:

Oil Cooler lines
KATANA265
Brake Relocation: Carbotech pad test
Larini 8" (ultra quiet)
FuelSafe Fuel cell

The boys had to swap out the trans after our last trackday and refitted the conventional gearbox with the Jubu 3rd,4th & Final Drive with the OS Giken LSD.

Oil Cooler Lines: We ran these lines again this weekend and had no problems. Our kit uses Aeroquip's Startlite hose with BSP fittings and a novel clamping system. Our clamp is very clean and compact which will make installation much easier. Our independent lab testing and the 6 trackdays has made us confident that our solution is ready for sale. We should have them available within a week or two.

KATANA265: Another three days of full throttle track use has us pleased with this solution. The AFRs & EGTs are looking safe and we believe we are ready to release the kit.

We believe that Hp north of the KATANA265 will result in problems with a stock transmission. We've witnessed another racer's 300+hp Exige lose 3rd gear at Laguna. We recognize that the allure of big Hp is hard to resist but we hope that folks will recognize what they are getting into. We are still waiting for a reply from Jubu/Drexler on the status of our Dogbox failure from the Fontana event. I think trans failures will become more common as the cars get more power and run slicks on the track.

Front Brake Caliper Relocation: I ran the car with the Carbotech pads and was very pleased with the XP12 & XP8 in the rear. The car did not have any of the nervousness that I had experienced at Willow Springs during our initial test. The pads work well and can be trail braked easily. They are not very grabby and allow a smoother release. I think that a more aggressive pad can be tried on the rear for sure. We'll get to that next time!

Larini 8" ULTRA Quiet: We ran a stock Exige S muffler to start our weekend to make sure the car was very quiet. Laguna has a very strict noise limit which has resulted in many racers trying different muffler contraptions: see previous post. Our car has several upgrades that would add to the noise like the HKS intake, Larini header/straight pipe and Jubu Final Drive. But with the stock Exige S muffler we blew a 88dB - so were well under the limit. The car felt a bit slower possibly because of the added restriction. We brought a new Larini 8" ULTRA Quiet with a special wrap that quiets the system over a standard Larini8"by an additional 2-3 dB. I wanted to test this system to see if it might be close. We installed it before the last session and went out for a sound check. The car sounds much better but I also knew right away that it was too loud! The car felt much faster going up the hills than before but ultimately blew a 98dB!!! Well, they black flagged me pretty quickly and I returned to the pits. Sound can be a difficult thing to measure properly in track conditions but we are so far over the limit that this muffler will not likely work for other heavily modified cars. This muffler will work perfectly with a NA car and possibly with an Exige S with stock intake/header/cat.

Fuel Safe Fuel Cell: We continued to run the car with the cell. Everything worked fine with the exception of one discovery. The system baffles the fuel in the fuel pump cavity too well. This results in the fuel gauge reading a higher amount than what is contained in the whole tank. Essentially the car can be down to a couple of gallons of fuel and system will trap it in this cavity that holds the pump and the fuel level float. The float will assume that the tank is higher than it actually is. The stock fuel tank has a bleed so that the fuel can slowly level itself when the car is sitting. We've contacted Fuel Safe to see if there is a good solution or drivers will need to monitor their fuel consumption.

Overall the weekend was a great success. We supported two Spec Elise clients along with Blue. None of the cars broke down and I was able to get my times down to 1min43s. I made one shock change that felt like an improvement but did not have much time to tinker with settings. With some coaching (and some new tires)I think I can carve another couple of seconds - maybe even break 1min40. That 'll have to wait till next year or my dreams! Our AiM data collected plenty of great info including the fact that car pulled 1.5gs - so I know we continue to stress the various products well. We have many more items in our pipe so this arduous testing must continue....8^)

The Blue Car Testing at AutoClub Speedway

2011-06-01T05:14:00.000-07:00

We brought Blue to CA Speedway to further test our various new products. We recruited a couple of fast drivers, Brent Bauman and Scott Nogrady, to really put her to the test. The quickest lap time that we recorded was a 1min47.9s lap at the hands of Brent. This time was one of the best during the Lotus Cup race this past weekend. Our goal was to push the various parts hard and see how they would perform.

Since our initial track test, we added the following parts: new Nitron Race Pro shocks, ReVerie 1700mm rear wing & Canards, RACEunderAERO, RACEsills, ReVerie XC seat, Elise CF hardtop, new JUBU Elise race Spoiler/Splitter, forged SJ Racing wheels, and DOT slick tires. The car was superbly sticky with loads of grip and extremely fast!

Both drivers were fully impressed with the car. Brent is a Lotus owner and is recognized as one of the fastest - if not the fastest, Lotus Cup racer. His was quite happy with the car and felt he could lower the lap times by at least a couple of seconds - which would have beat the fastest cars including Andy's 2-11 and Rob's 330hp Exige. But as they say, 'to finish first, you must first finish'! Alas, we suffered a trans failure that cut our weekend short. Regardless, we are quite happy with the overall performance of The Blue Car, so please read on to learn more...

Front Brake Caliper Relocation: We had the 308BBK with stock front calipers relocated to the rear of the car. Previous testing with this set-up and different pads proved that more testing was needed - especially since we lacked enough suitable pad compounds. This time we arrived with new pads of three different compounds from ONE brake pad manufacturer - Carbotech. We installed the XP12 in the front and XP8s in the rear. This combination worked great with no unusual behavior from the car. Brent suggested that we should test an even more aggressive compound on the rear. We'll try the XP10s in the rear in a couple of weeks.

New Aero: We had never tested this combination as the new JUBU Elise spoiler was a new item for us. Our previous Exige had the ReVerie complete kit and performed very well. The JUBU spoiler is a carbon fiber piece that is very aggressive and finally gives us a more complete solution for Elise owners. This spoiler extends back providing a fully flat bottom and eliminates the front undertray. Adding the other aero parts created a seriously stable machine based on the reports of our drivers. We installed a temporary rear wing upright with several inches of vertical adjustment. I knew that we would need to adjust the amount of wing height to dial a suitable balance. AutoClub Speedway rewards good aero but also is a high speed track. Too much drag can be a penalty so setting up the right balance becomes key. In fact, we dropped the height of our wing and lowered our lap times with Scott driving and increased top speed. The balance was improved as well. The ReVerie 1700mm rear wing remains the sweetest wing available and has been copied by others with lesser results. This is one bad mutha! This overall kit will also allow us to test our new Dry Sump kit to over 1.5g+. That testing will take place in July...

Brent has innovated the use of aero in the Lotus Cup and turned very fast times (and influenced others) in his Exige with the same parts on Blue. He has all of these parts but runs a front spoiler of his own design. He is the designer of the RACEunderAERO and RACEsills. These parts are run by several of the fastest Lotus Cup drivers and provide very fast times. His Exige S runs stock power levels yet it's faster than many, much more powerful Lotus. We believe that better aero is a safer and more reliable way to lower lap times.

Nitron Pro Race 3Way: This triple adjustable suspension is the new 46mm piston design that is the pinnacle of Nitron kits. We ran 550lb and 700lb spring rates with this set-up. Both drivers were very pleased with the system. Brent has the standard Nitron triples on his Exige and found this kit to be an improvement. Scott felt that we could stiffen the settings, but we did not get the chance to try it. We've sold a kit to another client that cut his lap times at ThunderHill by over 4sec!

We also offer a more affordable version of this 46mm kit that is legal for spec class in Lotus Cup: Nitron 46mm Race Pro 1 Way. Currently we are running the one way on a Spec Elise that is being campaigned in Lotus Cup. This car won its class in the first two races of this year. Rob loved this suspension and set amazing times.

JUBU Dogbox: Both drivers loved the new Dogbox. Brent commented that the ratios were excellent, and action of the kit was excellent. We installed the OS Giken TR1A clutch and flywheel with a sprung clutch plate (see comments below). Unfortunately we lost 5th & 6th gears on Saturday morning. We've taken the trans out of the car and are opening it up today to see what failed. Testing is not always as successful as we'd like, but will reveal things that will allow us to improve. Finding a trans solution that is reliable is our goal. We will get to the bottom of it soon enough!

OS Giken TR1A: We had previously suffered some transmission failures with the previous version of this system. Sector111 has taken responsibility for this and taken care of the broken transaxles. The old system has a solid clutch plate that does not adequately dampen the forces/shock transferred through the driveline. Though the kit was tested in Japan, we are discovering that it is too aggressive for our street-based trans - especially with the weaker syncros. We firmly believe that most race oriented clutches with solid clutch plates are too aggressive with the stock trans. We've seen failures with other similar clutches and would caution the Lotus community to beware of undampened clutches.

We are working with OS Giken and testing a possible replacement. We installed a special sprung clutch plate in the TR1A for this test since the JUBU trans has no syncros. The action was excellent. Though the trans did fail, we don't believe it is clutch related.

Oil Cooler Lines: The lines were tested to higher loads on the track than before and continue to perform very well. We just received our OE lab testing back and the lines passed with flying colors. We tested the system by running the fluid at 150degC for 30minutes at 150PSI. No failures. We then took these three samples and increased the PSI until we burst them. The failure mode was the fitting coming loose from the hose. It took over 344-565PSI before they failed. Since the stock system will never see pressure this high, we are comfortable with this safety margin. Expect this ultra-lightweight product to be available from us shortly.

Fuel Cell: Again we had good success with the Fuel Safe tank. Copious amounts of fuel are used at this high speed track. This track is the worst case scenario that we have in CA with the huge left hand banked turn that will fuel starve most cars. We ran Blue down to about 1 gallon of fuel and then finally experienced some fuel surge. We're happy with that result and will soon offer this FIA-spec tank. The fuel pressure data logs remained excellent throughout the test and we are happy with the Denso pump and will soon offer a plug and play fuel pump upgrade.

KATANA265: This powerkit is a simple upgrade to out KATANA2. It ran great and will continue to be monitored over the course of the next few track tests. We want to make sure we have safe AFRs and will keep data logging the system under severe track conditions.

Track Testing The Blue Car: Dogbox, Oil Lines, Fuelcell, AiM...

2011-05-01T16:11:00.000-07:00

Mario, Ryan and I spent Friday at Willow Springs raceway conducting our initial shakedown testing of The Blue Car. We had installed several new serious bits on her. The key items we wanted to test were the Jubu Dogbox transmission, our new Oil Cooler lines, FuelSafe Fuelcell, proRAD with relocated Fans, Silicone hoses, Brake caliper relocation and an extensive AiM data system. Performance, Safety and Reliability are our key goals with this car. We believe a car that runs properly and is not broken is a car that delivers the most smiles.

Since the car had been stripped down with all the major mechanical systems removed and then reinstalled, we wanted to do this testing before running her at any serious event. We completed most of the major work on Wed and started her up that afternoon. After fixing a couple of leaks, we let her sit until Thurs.

On Thursday we took her to the dyno to run through all the gears of the new Jubu Dogbox. We figured this would be the best way to see if any other issues may pop up before we got to the track. Sure enough, a couple of items surfaced which we sorted.

This gave us the confidence to head to Willow so we loaded up the trailer and drove up early Friday morn. Overall we had good results and the car ran well with only the brakes being the lone issue that we need to rethink. My comments for each item is listed below:

AiM System: We've run a removable AiM Race system in our previous cars for data logging. We decided to step up to an MXL Pro dash this time and wire in even more sensors to log more critical data. The following data is now being monitored with our AiM system: Oil temp & Pressure, Fuel Pressure, Water Temp, Exhaust Gas Temp, Air Fuel Ratio, Trans Fluid temp In & Out, and more. We logged this data during our test session at the dyno and more importantly at the track. The dash allowed us to program warning lights for several critical areas like Oil & Fuel Pressure. With all the new items we were testing, this became a nice feature to have. The shift lights are another sweet feature that I appreciated.

Jubu Dogbox: The stock trans on our cars is a weak link in track driven cars -especially those with 250+hp. We've been running the Jubu gears for some time with good luck so decided that the Dogbox was worth testing as it does away with the weak syncros of the stock box. Our engine builder, Bruce Nogrady was given the gear stack and he assembled it along with our OS Giken LSD into a stock trans housing. This means it bolts right up to the engine and also uses the stock shifter mechanism. Care must be taken in the assembly of the Dogbox as it is not a job for the average trans shop. We used the OS Giken TR1A clutch/flywheel as the system requires a strong clutch.

Trans fluid temps were monitored but we had no issues. In fact the temps were a bit on the cool side so we pulled the fuse for the transCOOLER pump. A Dogbox can run much cooler than a traditional gearbox and our data hinted this was the case. More testing will be required to determine this with any certainty.

The straight gears found in this kit are strong but are loud. This is a track

solution for all but the absolutely mental. Upshifts can be executed without the clutch. Downshifts need proper rev matching. It was an easy and quick adjustment for me. I've driven manual car since I was 16 and this was my first time with a Dogbox but it was fairly intuitive. Getting into gear when stopped can require a couple of attempts - you also need to shift with some authority and can't be too gentle. Driving this gearbox was simply a blast. The speed of upshifts was startling! Jubu have run this kit all of last year and had great success. I will anticipate that this will be a great upgrade for many track enthusiasts - with deep pockets as it is expensive!

Oil Cooler Lines: The stock oil cooler lines are failing on cars so we decided to sort a fix. Ryan found the correct BSP fittings that attach directly to the factory oil coolers. The innovation in our kit revolves around the weight savings we've found by using lightweight line and a new clamping method. We wanted to run the car on track at elevated oil temps and pressures to see how they would hold up. Our AiM system logged oil pressure between 50-60psi on track with oil temps in 180-200degF range. We suffered no leaks or issues so feel confident to run the car even harder. Additionally we are sending out our fittings/clamp/lines to an independent test lab that conducts testing for the auto industry. I think our kit holds plenty of promise.

FuelSafe Fuelcell: We decided to develop an FIA-spec fuelcell for clients looking for a bag based fuel tank solution. More and more clients are taking street based Lotus and converting them to track only race cars. We still feel our V2 Fuel Tank remains the best solution for those clients who drive their cars on the street as it retains all the factory safety & emissions components. We began working with FuelSafe and after a couple of months of development we landed on a solution that has more capacity than stock AND uses the factory filler system safely. Having proper roll-over protection with the factory filler system is not an easy proposition but we've done it with this tank.

We installed the larger Denso fuel pump that plugs directly into the factory housing since this car features the KATANA265. The factory fuel housing drops in with ease. It requires no modification so is a neat, safe and reliable solution. We measured fuel pressures of 45-55 psi even through fast, 1+g turns like turns 8 & 9. We were very happy with the results.

Front Brake Caliper Relocation: We tested the OE front caliper onto the rear rotor along with our 308BBK. We'd run this on the street and in the canyons with good success. We knew this bias change was dramatic so felt we needed to test it on track as well. Willow Springs is not a hard braking track but there are a couple of corners that require some good braking. Additionally I overslowed the car many times to test the brakes and found that the car's handling became slightly darty and pulled. We started with the same race pads on all four corners and then tried different compounds. None that we tried, worked to my satisfaction. We need to go back to the drawing board on this effort to make it commercially viable.

Silicone Hoses: Our partner Dr. Bruce Lee, in Singapore, commissioned silicone hoses for our cars. We became the lucky guinea pigs to test them out. Since we yanked out the heater core from our car, his system (lacks heater lines) was perfect. Though the stock hoses are not a problem yet, we know that as cars age, it will be a good upgrade. This kit worked fine with no problems.

proRAD with Top Mounted Fans: Water temps are a problem in the hot climate in the southwest. Especially track driven cars that are cranking up power over stock. We found this out, first hand, a couple of years ago and blogged about it briefly here. Our goal, by the end of this summer, will be to offer a well tested solution for clients who need added water cooling capacity. Temps at the track were in the 70sdegF so we did not experience difficult conditions. We'll get a better test later this Spring.

Other: EGTs on the car remained in a very safe zone - between 1000-1400degF. We tested an even quieter Larini8" exhaust. Frankly with the Dogbox whine, it was hard to hear this exhaust. But from the outside, it sounds superb with the Larini header , straight pipe and HKS Intake. This combination sounds fantastic to my jaded ears. Our new cage was a welcome addition as well. We've not added door bars so ingress/egress issues were improved - dare I say even over stock since you can grab the bars for assistance?! The Magnetic Blue paint is striking in the sun and will be enhanced further with a distinctive paint scheme that we are now scheming....We are now ready to push the car very hard with our test driver to see if these bits can hold up to 10/10s driving at the hands of a professional. Stay tuned....

Dry Sump for the 2ZZGE

2011-04-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

Oil starvation is one of the track related issues that must be managed in the 2ZZGE (or any engine) because of the g forces that can be generated by a Lotus. Achieving 1.2+gs is quite common with R-compound shod Lotus. For most racers and trackday folks, our gPAN remains an excellent solution with great results. The gPAN has proven itself in HPDE, SCCA and LCS racing around the US as well as Japan and Europe. But there are a few Lotus that are pulling even higher g-loads thanks to bigger aero loads and stickier rubber. These folks can benefit from a dry sump(Wikipedia explanation:HERE). More and more clients around the world are racing their Lotus and need better oil control to protect their engines and insure they finish their race!
Four years ago I called one of the best manufacturers of dry sump pumps and pans - Dailey Engineering to develop a solution for us. Bill Dailey is a world recognized engineer in this field and (lucky for us) is located right here in town. Bill and I scrutinized our Exige and quickly concluded that it would be very difficult to incorporate a dry sump into a street friendly Lotus because of the oil tank requirements. At the time, not enough Lotus were race-only, so we decided to put the project on hold. Last year we decided to reapproach the project with the intent of focusing on a race only system. Nitron had begun working on a solution that we considered, but we then abandoned it because of certain constraints. Late last year, I called Bill Dailey again for his help and recruited a much smarter engineer than I (Ryan from Secant ) to develop our kit. Ryan's powertrain expertise and contacts in the OE world proved to be invaluable for this effort.

One of the biggest challenges to sorting this system remained the oil tank. The tank must have plenty of capacity and be designed in a manner that the oil feed does not starve during high g-load conditions. The available space in the Lotus is extremely tight so this became a huge undertaking. Ryan landed on a tank concept that is quite novel and would fulfill these needs. We are locating this tank in the engine bay right behind the passenger seat. Several other locations were considered but none filled the needs as well as the spot we landed on.

Bill worked within the space available and redesigned a 2ZZGE pan/pump (see top image) that he had previously designed for a drag application. We met several times to discuss the system, take measurements from our mock-up engine and sort out details. More phone calls, emails and visits followed. We fabbed up some brackets and tanks to confirm some ideas. Naturally a couple of important mtgs were also held at our favorite Thursday evening watering hole to debate certain issues with the system.

We are dry fitting our dry sump system this week in our car. The orientation of the fittings and lines and other details is critical to sorting a complete solution. Clearly, the devil-in-in-the-details! The Blue Car will be the test mule for this system. We will run the car on track this week and confirm the AiM based data logging system along with our new Fuel cell, oil cooler lines, Dogbox from Jubu, and possibly our new race wheels.

One of the benefits of a dry sump system is a slight gain in power. To insure we measure this difference, we want to base line the car without the kit first. We should have the system in the car and running in late May or early June.

"The Blue Car" Build is Underway: Safety, Reliability & Performance.

2011-04-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

Our Blue Elise came to us a few weeks ago in perfect running order. This car is special because it is actually one of the first US-spec Toyota-powered examples ever made. The build date was in 2003 and was classified as an engineering prototype car. This was one of the cars Lotus brought to the LA Auto Show for North American debut of the Elise.

Technically this car can not be driven on the street so we decided to make it into a race car. She came into our shop as a complete car but we changed that real quick. There was no time to waste as this car will serve as our track-only developmental test bed for some seriously tasty bits we're working on. Safety, reliability and performance are our key goals with product development. We plan to extend our knowledge and product offering through testing with this car.

To have the car ready for our May, 6th track day, we have a laundry list of various safety and performance bits that need to be installed. Here's some of what "Phase 1" includes:

Roll cage

Katana265

Jubu Dog-box transmission*

Sector111 Upgraded oil-cooler lines*

Silicone engine pipes*

FuelSafe Fuel cell

Safecraft Fire surpression

Schroth Harnesses & safety netting

AiM MXL Pro Dash + array of data sensors

Nitron 46mm Race Pro Triples

308BBK + front OE caliper relocation

MONOballs

titanQR

SSC Shift Cable

ProAlloy proRAD + fan relocation kit

hubGTC - tilt-up steering kit

CF Big-Bottom Seat & ReVerie XC seat

Mulsanne C passenger seat

subSTIFFY

transCOOLER

RTVbrace

Nitron S99 Toe Pin Kit

gPAN

RACEmounts

raceVIEW Mirrors

ReVerie Canards

ReVerie Arch Louvers

RACEunderAERO

RACEsills

and, believe it or not, MORE!

*new parts to be tested

Skip Barber Formula School @ Laguna Seca

2011-04-09T15:55:00.000-07:00

Driving on the race track takes skill, focus and determination. One of the best ways to reduce your lap times and insure you are employing smart/safe technique is to attend a driving school. Almost every track around the country offer some sort of school that is sure to make you a better driver. I recently attended one of the best schools at one of the best tracks in the country. The Skip Barber school offers several different programs from 1 day sessions to 3 day race schools in a variety of cars - from Mazda 3 to Formula Skip Barber. Lotus Evoras are also in the mix. They run schools at several tracks around the country. I chose the 3 day Race school with the Formula cars. This was the first such school I have attended - I really should have gone to this many, many year ago!

The 3 Day school alternates between class room instruction and track time. We started with class room instruction and then quickly progressed into the car. Our first driving exercise was in Turn 2. The instructors set up cones then had us enter into the corner with the aim of spinning the car - or controlling the car at the limit of grip. We then headed back to the classroom before returning to the track for some lead and follow to learn the line at Laguna. On the last day we also practised race starts and formation. All track time was conducted with safety as the formost objective. Passing was only allowed on certain straights with point bys.

The Formula Skip Barber cars feature a 2.0ltr engine with 5spd sequential gearbox. This was my first time using a sequential box and it was plenty of fun. Clutchless upshifts required a simple lift of the throttle and you were snatching the next gear. That was a hoot. The downshifts still need the clutch and a blip of the throttle for rev matching. This would be another exercise we would practise during the second day. Slipping into a Formula car takes some patience as it is a tight and confined space. Your legs and feet are in front of you at an angle that is far different than what most of us are used to. The brakes lack ABS or a servo assist so you modulate brake with pressure NOT travel.

My instructors were excellent, especially head instructor, Lonnie Pechnik. He's been teaching for ten years with Skip Barber and it shows with his informed approach to students with broad skill differences. He mixed humor with technical discussions to keep us engaged in a manner that was nicely balanced. Rene Villineuve and Ricky Schmidt were also our instructors during this school. Both of these guys were also excellent and provided us classroom instruction and track side critiques. Each instructor observed us at various corners throughout the weekend and would provide us with feedback after each session. I would be remiss if I failed to mention the mechanics. These guys were a helpful and cool crew. The cars ran without hick ups and they also made speedy wheel/tire changes when they were flat spotted - I won't mention how I know this.

My class was small so we received a ton of feedback/attention and plenty of track time. I was tired and sore by the end of Day 3! Prepare yourself for 1.2g+ with these sweet lil Formula cars. I highly recommend Skip Barber and will be pushing attendance to everyone I know involved in this sport/hobby. I want to thank Andrew Shoen, an instructor at Skip Barber, for encouraging me to attend. Thx Andrew! Needless to say, I've already signed up for the Advanced Race School...now I just need to find the time!

Sector111 Educational Video: PCV System

2011-03-28T10:10:00.000-07:00

There are several key areas that we believe need to be better understood with the Lotus powertrain to insure safety and reliability. We’ve employed our in-house engineer, Ryan Kuhlenbeck, to educate the community on some of these important subjects.

1. Oiling/PCV
2. Fueling
3. Forced Induction
4. Cooling
5. Transmission

Ryan had worked within GM’s High Performance Vehicle Operations (HPVO) for 7+ years as a mechanical engineer. Check out the image below and get a feel for his qualifications. Ryan is a partner in Secant Vehicles and was responsible for the mechanical integration on the Lotus Type I Ecotec conversion. As a result, he has been working on the Lotus Exige/Elise for 4+ years. Our QWKcans were developed by Ryan and showcase his thorough approach when engineering solutions.

In the coming weeks, we will focus on these subjects, one at a time. We will cover everything from the basics, failure modes, safe modifications, unsafe modifications and more. We are digging deeper to improve our collective knowledge and to help dispel some of the misinformation that seems to be floating out there. Our goal is to educate the community with the help of a degreed and experienced automotive engineer.

There are a handful of products that Ryan is currently working with us to develop. These projects are in various states of completion and still have some engineering work that needs to be done. Here’s a peek at what to expect from Sector111 this year:

• Dry-sump oil system
• Sequential gearbox
• Dog-engagement gearbox
• Fuel Cell
• Fuel pumps
• Forced Induction: Turbo & TVS
• Gauge Package
• & much more!

Here is the first video: PCV System

Training at HMS Motorsport: Stilo, HANs & Schroth

2011-02-28T13:34:00.000-08:00

Shinoo and I spent this past Saturday at HMS Motorsport in Boston, MA for training on various safety products including Schroth harnesses, Stilo helmets and HANS devices. HMS has been supplying us with our custom Schroth harnesses for the past 5+ years. We needed a refresher for the harness and initial training on the Stilo helmets and HANS devices.

Joe, the owner of HMS, led the training with a great PowerPoint including video demonstrations of some of the most important aspects of on-track safety. Some of you may recall that Joe was one of our first guest speakers at our popular Tech Seminars. You can watch his video here. Since we've been working with HMS, they've begun supplying almost every NASCAR team, half the Grand Am field and the IRL field with Schroth harnesses. This is truly a testament to the quality of these harnesses.

One of the biggest reasons we went to this training was to learn more about the Stilo helmets that we just began carrying. These are some of the highest quality helmets you'll find anywhere. Every driver in the World Rally Championship (WRC) runs a Stilo helmet and they are starting to catch on in NASCAR and various GT & formula series. Having seen these helmets taken apart, its easy to see why they are so loved in such high levels of motorsport. Safety, comfort, style, integration and customization is second to none.
We learned how everything is integrated into the helmet such as communication, water and air. These helmets are ordered and built to spec but we now have the ability to change and add options here at our shop. We also discussed some of the communication options that are available and currently in development. Car-to-car, driver-to-passenger and driver-to-pit options will all be possible and completely integrated in the helmet.

We are now proud to announce that we are a fully trained and certified seller of HANS devices. A part of the day was dedicated to proper sizing, usage and fitment of HANS. HANS are a very important safety device that is now mandated by pretty much ever major motorsport sanctioning body. We will have more info up on our side shortly.

Fuel Pump Removal Video

2011-02-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

Fuel starvation is one of the three common problems with track driven Lotus. We describe all three in our (tongue-in-cheek) Track Trilogy of Terror. We've developed a safe solution, the V2 Fuel Tank, that keeps all of the stock safety & emissions plumbing intact. Ralph at V2 Motorsport modifies stock fuel tanks with ATL baffles to keep the fuel at the pick-up.

One of the challenges of our fuel tank swap is removing the fuel pump housing. It is very easy to do on '06+ cars but can be a bit trickier on the '05. We've come up with a simple process to make this job much easier. In fact Steve and Bill made a little video to show how easy it can be.

We are not supporters of cutting or modifying the stock fuel lines or systems as it creates a failure point in the system that is too risky for us. Most cars that we've seen with fuel related fires had modified fuel systems. We believe in sticking with the systems that have been tested by the factory - particularily on street driven cars.

If track days are in your plans, please either keep your tank more than 50% full or consider running our baffled stock fuel tank from our partners at V2 Motorsports. If you are dedicating your car to track only use and you are looking for added capacity in your track-only car, our ProAlloy RACEtank is perfect. If race compliance is your need, then hold tight as we are finishing up a proper Fuel Cell for maximum race safety.

Correct Brake Rotor Venting

2011-02-17T15:47:00.000-08:00

We often get asked what is the correct orientation when installing directional brake rotors. The correct orientation of the vanes is a subject often debated. I wanted to take this opportunity to clarify it with help from my buddy Martin from Girodisc.

From Girodisc's website: For maximum airflow and superior cooling, the Girodisc system uses curved vanes. For a curved vane internally vented disc, the geometry of the vanes dictates the direction of rotation. A curved vane disc must be installed with the vanes running back from the inside to outside diameters in the direction of rotation. Your discs will come with labels indicating their correct placement on the vehicle. Orienting the disc in this manner creates a centrifugal pump. The rotation of the disc causes air to be pumped from the center of the disc, through the vanes, and out through the outside diameter of the disc. This greatly enhances the disc’s ability to dissipate heat. Discs installed backwards have very limited cooling.

Many clients wonder if their brakes are good enough. The truth is that most stock Lotus will run fine on track with the stock brakes. The advantage of our lightweight cars is that we don't actually generate that much heat when braking properly. We've tested brakes temps and posted about it last year: see brake temp post. Of course as drivers get faster they realize that the stock pads lack the initial bite they need to be confident when out braking those pesky GT3s. Or when they have burned through their original rotors they start looking for alternatives.

Our discNOIRs, ULTRAdiscs & CUPdiscs all come from Girodisc and therefore use curved vanes to maximize the cooling potential. Now that cars are running higher levels of power, with slicks and serious downforce, we are starting to see more heat in the brakes. Running properly vented rotors, better pads and fresh brake fluid usually is enough to keep a modified Lotus stopping on a dime - repeatedly. We use our AP Rotor paint to see how hot they are really getting - before jumping to conclusions.

But for those who need more, we have more BBK solutions coming.....we are now testing a bracket that relocates a stock front caliper to the rear - especially tasty for clients running our 308BBK or a Lotus Sport upgrade. Stay tuned as we are still mental as ever...

Elise & Exige Racecar Ignition Modification

2011-02-15T12:29:00.000-08:00

For more information on Ryan Kuhlenbeck, click HERE.

Safety Gear for Track Days

2011-01-21T17:28:00.000-08:00

Far too often we focus on performance improvements for our cars and overlook key areas like coaching and even more importantly safety gear that we wear while driving on track. Our Balanced Approach lays out a simple upgrade path for you and your Lotus that helps rectify our often slanted view on faster lap times. This post will be focused on things that you should consider wearing before venturing out on track. Dave Thilenius - 2010 Continental Tire Champion - preaches that you should prepare yourself as though you will crash. He sagely reminds us that cars break and drivers make mistakes - so be ready!

What are the basics that you should consider? Here are the items that I feel should be a requisite for all:

Closed faced Helmet
Racing Suit
Racing Shoes
HANs device or similar
Racing gloves
Optional: Fireproof undergarments & earplugs

I am guilty as most, when I started doing track days with the BMWCCA

in the mid 90s, I simply followed the club's requirements which were a Helmet (Snell rated) and long sleeved shirt and pants made out of cotton. Over the years I added driving shoes and gloves to my attire. But not much more.

Four years ago I began upgrading my gear significantly after attending a Safety Seminar put on by Stand21 and CORE. Stand21 is a 40 year old company that focuses on driver safety gear from head to toe. They work with safety experts in the industry and academia to develop some of the best products. At this seminar, they brought in a professor from Wayne State Univ. to discuss various aspects of safety. I soaked up the info from this seminar like a sponge. Many of you have likely watched our safety seminar video and know that we take track safety very seriously.

I was thoroughly impressed with Stand21's approach and their service focus and decide to upgrade my gear. Their products are approved to the highest standards, FIA, SFI & SNELL. I also learned that they are one of the only companies licensed to produce HANs devices. Their focus on issues like Heat Stress was also important to me as we have serious heat in the summer here in Southern California that makes driving on track a true test of endurance!

From Stand21's Website:

Inside a racing car:
- Temperature can exceed 70°C (158°F)
- Humidity often reaches 60%
- Air flows are very limited
- A driver can expend as much as 400 calories per
hour

I made a decision to begin buying their products, one by one, as my budget allowed. So each year, for the last 3, I have purchased their products. Another key reason I chose them is their custom sizing for their gear. I am short so usually have a hard time finding clothes that fit off the rack. They measured me and built gear that fit perfect - now I just need to stop indulging myself with too much of my lovely wife's cooking!

Here is the Stand21 gear I now own and use:

IVOS Helmet
HANs device 20deg Med - a good compromise for both Elise & Atom
ST3000 suit - custom for my non-average build!
Outside Seam gloves - an Ayrton Senna innovation
HSC Fireproof Underwear - top, bottom, socks & balaclava
Le Mans II Boots

The LeMans II boots are my latest addition. They offer a very narrow toe and a thin - yet stiff - sole. These are key features as the Lotus & Ariel pedal boxes are very tight! The stiff sole is something many driving shoes lack and it is an important feature to reduce foot fatigue. They will customize the boots to your needs as well.

Fire safety is a key area that many trackday enthusiasts overlook. Race cars are required to have plumbed in fire suppression systems for a reason - cars catch fire when run on track! Sometimes they can also explode, as one Exige S did at a Lotus Challenge event last year. The explosion shattered the rear glass as it engulfed the driver. He had an open face helmet and luckily only suffered some singed facial hair. I prefer full faced helmets for this reason (among others). He was wearing a fireproof suit as well. So please make sure you are clothed from head to toe with gear that will protect you!

I watched Boris Said extract himself from his race car at an ALMS race as shown in this picture - he was glad to be wearing a Stand21 suit. It takes more time to extricate yourself from a caged car with racing seat and harness than you may imagine. Our cars are especially small so it makes this a serious challenge. A fire can spread very quickly. Wear fireproof clothing to buy you extra time for these critical moments!

I list earplugs in my required list for a reason. I suffer from tinnitus - which is constant ringing in my ears. Loud cars, motorcycles and music have done me in, so don't suffer the same fate. Use ear plugs to muffle the sound while on track - especially if you have one of those loud pipes! There are some very good ear plugs that still allow you to hear the important noises while reducing dB levels. So don't forget ear safety!

There are many companies that produce good safety gear for all budgets. I chose Stand21 because of their focus, quality and approach with custom fitments. I would like to admonish each of you to invest in the proper gear so that you are fully prepared. Yes, buy safety gear for yourself BEFORE you spend money on Sector111 parts. Driving cars on track is a true joy - just be ready in case it breaks or you make a mistake.

Type 49 Evora at the Dyno

2010-12-20T13:14:00.000-08:00

We visited K&N, the world-renown high-flow air filter & intake company, with our Lotus Evora to see where we are at with our current exhaust setup.

Our car, the "Sector111 Type 49 Evora," has a Larini Sport Evora cat-back exhaust (you can hear the difference between this setup vs stock HERE). This exhaust has been installed and run for a few thousand miles. If the ECU was going to dial back power, it would have done it by now. Here's what we learned...

...Our Evora dyno'd at 253 rear-wheel HP & 240 lb-ft of torque. Compared with the stock Evora's 244 rear-wheel HP (based on the standard 12.5% drivetrain loss), thats an increase of just over 8HP. When you couple that with the 20 lbs of weight savings, this is a nice upgrade.

Evora & Atom Brake Rotors

2010-11-05T16:40:00.000-07:00

We've taken the rotors off our Lotus Evora & Ariel Atom 3 to be sized up for some lighter and better-ventilated two-piece rotors. We love saving unsprung weight. Our ULTRAdiscs & Monolites having been saving unsprung weight for years now on Lotus Elise & Exiges. It's time for the Evora & Atom to enjoy the same benefits!

The pictures below show the Evora's suspension (front & rear respectively) unobstructed by the factory brake rotors. http://www.sector111.com/podcast/GirodiscPODCAST.mp3, the man behind our brake rotor offerings, was impressed with the Evora's OE rotors but says there are great weight savings and cooling improvements to be had. The fronts will utilize a two-piece, floating rotor design like our CUPdiscs & ULTRAdiscs. The rears however may use a different design to accommodate for the drum-style parking brake.

Our Atom 3 is fitted with the optional Alcon racing brakes. These are fantastic brakes that are virtually fade free on or off the track. The rotors however have a lot of weight-saving potential. We'll fit two-piece floating rotors on all four corners which give us a significant loss in unsprung weight.

We'll post the final weight saving figures when we get the finished rotors.

KATANA26X Initial Dyno Results

2010-10-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

We recently dyno'd KATANA2's track-oriented, evil, brother which we have been referring to as "KATANA2track." After dynoing this setup, we realized we need a new interim name. "KATANA26X" will be more appropriate because it's putting down 235hp at the rear wheels. If you calculate for 15% drivetrain loss we're looking at 270hp at the crank. A more conservative 12.5% drivetrain loss puts us at just under 265hp at the crank. The calibration needs a couple of small adjustments until we can officially give it a number. The results, so far, look great!

The KATANA26X kit is similar to the KATANA2 but adds a cold-air intake and a Larini Header & Decat. A larger fuel pump is recommended as is uprating your trans gears as we are now entering gear eating torque territory.

The dyno graph above compares the KATANA26X's rear-wheel horsepower (rwhp) and rear-wheel torque (rw lb-ft) with the KATANA2. The KATANA26X is about 20hp stronger at the rear wheels than the CARB-pending KATANA2.

This upgrade will be perfect for you track-rats looking for more power than the KATANA2. While retaining all of the driveability you've come to expect from calibrations completed by our engine calibrator Steve. We'll have it available soon...and will be sold as a track-only solution.

New Partnership with PB Racing in Italy

2010-10-06T12:34:00.000-07:00

A key strength of Sector111 has been the various partners we've developed over these last 7 years - all over the world. This has allowed us to introduce many new products to this tiny Lotus market. Leveraging the talents and expertise of our partners has been a huge benefit for all of us. To that end, September was a crazy month for me as I traveled all over including NY, MI, VA, England and Italy.

I went to visit PB Racing outside of Milan to discuss some of their new products and brainstorm ways for us to cooperate. PB Racing are a Lotus Dealer and also manage the Lotus Cup series. PB is run by a cool guy, Stefano d'Aste, who has a racing resume that is quite impressive. He and his Engineering Manager Dr. Federico Turrata are true Lotus enthusiasts. Their shop is full of S1 & S2 Elise, Exige and 211s. PB have developed many items for various Lotus models as well as providing development support to Lotus on cars like the 211 GT4.

Racing is a key part of PB Racing. In addition to racing themselves, they manage several arrive and drive clients within the Lotus Cup Italy. This affords them a clear view on what can fail in these cars when subjected to serious race conditions. Similarly, we found our participation in Lotus Challenge in the US has given us even more insight on product needs than regular HPDE days can. Racing against the clock truly requires a different perspective and different products.

One of the items that most racers need are multiple sets of wheels. PB have a very nice wheel that caught my attention. We will be getting a few sets of them as I think they are an excellent solution. These cast wheels are made in Italy and are very affordable. The quality is superb and unlike some other cheaper options, were designed to fit the Lotus. PB have been running them successfully in the Cup series for two+ years with no failures. I like the way they look and think they will become quite popular here. The sizes are 16x7 & 17x8 with offsets that are fairly conservative. We expect the pricing to be less than $1500/set but will know soon once we have the final landed costs.

One key product that they have developed is a TVS supercharger kit for the Evora. They've cast some nice manifolds and are now finishing the brackets and engine mounts. We will get this kit over here soon and will plan to offer it to Evora customers. We will need to sort the ECU tuning for our lovely 91 octane fuel but should be able to use the rest of the kit.

I'm pretty excited as I expect some very tasty bits will be the fruit of this partnership. Stay tuned.

Video Chat with Sector111

2010-10-01T16:34:00.000-07:00

We are always trying to improve our communication with our customers. For clients who can't just stop by our shop, video chatting can provide more clarity to many questions. To this end, we now have the ability to FaceTime & Tango with our customers. If you have an iPhone4, new iPod Touch or an Android Smart Phone, you can get live video support from Sector111 from anywhere in the world for free! If you have a tech, installation or product question, e-mail us at info@sector111.com to schedule a video chat appointment.

FaceTime is a new Apple application that allows you to video chat using the iPhone4 or new iPod Touch and a Wi-Fi connection. FaceTime requires no setup, no new account or no extra charges. Its as easy as placing a phone call and is free no matter where in the world you are.

Tango is new video chat application for Android phones or previous generation iPhones. Tango is also free and downloadable from your phones app store.

Seats & Safety

2010-09-28T12:20:00.001-07:00

I visited Ralph@ V2 Motorsport in Detroit last week and also stopped in and visited Roush Industries. I'm a big believer in safety in our cars and am constantly looking for best practices and learned some new tips from each visit.

Ralph supports two Exige 'S' cars that are being raced in SCCA T2. The cages and seat arrangement in these cars are truly amazing. I wanted to share some pictures of his cars. Seat back reinforcement is becoming the norm in serious racing. We had installed a ReVerie race seat in my Atom a couple of years ago that had it's seat back bolted into the chassis. It was seriously rigid! The cage in these Exiges featured extra gussets and had double door bars that extended out further from the stock sill. He has also installed interior head nets that are a smart solution and becoming required in many series.

As it turns out, these cars set track records at Waterford Hills Raceway this past weekend turning 1min 15sec times. Fast AND safe!

I toured Roush courtesy of my grade school friend, Dennis who happens to be the son of a Roush co-founder. Dennis has been working at Roush since we were teenagers. He was gracious enough to give me a great tour of their museum and race shop.

Roush is an impressive company with extensive capabilities. Many cars that you see on the road feature products that were in part developed by Roush. They have been active in Stock car racing for many years and had quite the collection of cars.

I had the pleasure of sitting inside a Fusion stock car. The seats in these cars are amazing. They feature bolstering and support unlike any other sportscar race series. They are awesomely safe. Climbing in and out through the window was a kick. I suspect more of the features displayed in these seats will trickle their way into other forms of racing. I'm sure we will incorporate some of them for sure. Look for some future cooperation as well between Sector111 & Roush.

Brake Pad Testing

2010-09-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

Here at Sector111, we are always testing something that will make your car handle better, be faster, create more grip to the track or stop quicker. It is the last point that we concentrated on for our last test at Buttonwillow Raceway.

We took a Naturally-Aspirated Spec Elise that races in the Lotus Challenge Series and used it as our test car. This car started with Hawk HT-10 brake pads with stock Lotus rotors.

Our test drivers ranged from one pro racer/ driving instructor (a real expert at Buttonwillow having raced there since the opening of the track), one leading Lotus Challenge Series contender (our fast amateur driver), one mid level driver with very good knowledge of the Lotus cars and the braking characteristics, and one driver that is new to driving Lotus’s in particular on the track.

We were able to test two new sets of brake pad options. The first test of these new pad options was set up around the feel of how the brakes were on the track. The four criteria that we used for each driver was:

Initial Bite
Modulation
Pad Release
Resistance to Fade

Durability and wear characteristics will come later if they are able to pass this first test. Luckily the pads that were chosen for this test all passed and are scheduled to be used in our next stage of development.

Spec Elise Build

2010-09-17T13:31:00.000-07:00

After the Laguna Seca Lotus Challenge Series(LCS) race, one of our clients requested that we build him another Elise for wheel to wheel racing. He was currently running an uncaged Elise SC in LCS that he also drives on the street. He was having so much fun that building a car that was even safer seemed to be a prudent decision. Developing a car that would qualify for the Spec Class within LCS was his request to us in mid July. He also wanted to be able to run at the next LCS event in early Sept. Time was clearly too tight to start from scratch.

To expedite this build, we bought an Elise that was already track prepped but needed some tweaks to make it compliant with LCS rules. This car came from our friends at R3 Motorsports who used it as a school car and also for arrive and drive. It had a cage and fire suppression system already. We stripped the car down to assess it's condition. It had seen some serious track days but was in decent condition. The car had a salvage title so had some minor chassis damage that R3 corrected.

The parts that we changed included the suspension, steering arms, gPAN, brakes, RTVbrace, airbox, hubQR, Nardi F1 steering wheel and added a fifth point harness. Several of the ball joints were torn or worn out so we simply replaced them with some of our components like our Nitron S99 kit. We gave the car a full fluid flush, including our tr ansELIXIR and alignment. We added a set of stellaCORSE wheels from the clients SC. Since the car is not street legal, we had to wait until a track event to test her out.

The car was originally Chrome Orange but the client and his business partner wanted a yellow car. They christened it 'Saffron'. The stripe scheme was our 'Blade' design that was

first developed on our Exige. I'm pleased to report that several client's have copied this design around the country. We chose red and white as these colors were in the client's race suit and helmet. After adding the stickers the car really looked sweet. The 'Toyo' & 'R888' were sprayed onto the tire sidewalls for that finishing touch.

Of course the proof is always in the pudding so we needed to run her to see if she was fast. Steve brought her to the Streets of Willow LCS event. Our client and his partner hired a pro to coach them. The coach is a Skip Barber instructor at Laguna Seca with experience in their Lotus school cars. He was very happy with the car. So much so that he did not want to give it back! He managed to run some fast laps in the 1:32sec range with a safe margin. Saffron ran without a hitch in 105degF track conditions. Ultimately the track race was cancelled as the corner workers were getting sick from the heat.

Our client and his partner were pleased with the car and raved about its performance. We managed to deliver a track ready Elise to them in 1.5months. So give us a call if you are interested in a track focused Lotus, we can build one to suit your specific needs.

New Trailer for Our First Atom Customer

2010-08-19T17:07:00.001-07:00

Our first Atom client requested that we get an enclosed trailer built to house his Atom. We called our friend Chad at CNC Trailers to build a nice 20' trailer for him. Chad and his father build some of the best custom trailers in Southern CA. You can spec in anything your heart desires. They built a stacker for one lucky family that owns 2 Lotus 211s. Each trailer is built from all box tube steel so they are very sturdy.

One cool feature of this trailer is the built in 'basement' for storage. The cabinets and stainless counter are also quite nice. It has been plumbed with air and features a compressor and winch. The awning will also be a sweet way to beat those sunny CA track events. The flush mounted L-track will be a perfect way to strap down the Atom.

This is clearly one of the nicest trailers we've seen. Give us a call if you are interested in getting one for your sportscar - especially your Atom or Lotus.

Metal Shard in Evora Tire!

2010-08-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

Picked up a metal shard while driving the Evora home from Monterey this weekend! This bit decided to lodge itself into my rear tire somewhere along the 605 freeway. I began hearing a repetitive noise from the rear tire that was somewhat quiet yet different from the usual noises. The Evora is nicely insulated but still allows you to feel and hear things that most cars would not allow you to detect.

Three quarters of this metal part was in the tire. It took some effort to remove and luckily the tire did not lose any air. The Evora has the tire pressures on display in the dash. This allowed me to monitor them during the remaining 70 miles I had to get home. I was concerned as it was 100+degF which can be severe for tires - especially ones with torn tread blocks!

I returned home with not issue. The Pirellis held up well. Time to get a new rear tire...

Save 26+lbs from your Evora

2010-07-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

We've installed a new Lithium Ion battery from Braille - the Intensity 480R into our Evora. The stock battery weighs in at close to 37lbs while the 480R only weighs a bit over 10 lbs. It is a simple way to shed some weight from the back of the car. So in keeping with the 'Light is Right' philosophy, we've decided to offer this cool battery.

Unlike the B2015 battery we sell for the Elise/Exige this battery has the same footprint as the stock battery. It is classified as a Group 48 battery and uses the factory mount. It is an easy install and only requires a small tweak to the opening of the stock connectors. They essentially need to be opened up to fit over the Braille posts.

One cool feature this battery has is an integrated Shut Off switch. This allows you to shut the battery off for extended storage. Just remember not to completely close the hatch or you will need to employ the same tactics we needed to get into our Evora when it was delivered with a dead battery... We were quite happy with the weight savings we managed with the new Larini exhaust but this battery saves us even more - albeit at a price.

Laguna Seca: Ariel vs. Lotus

2010-07-13T17:40:00.000-07:00

One question I am often asked is what is quicker on the track a Lotus or an Ariel? We spent 3 days at Laguna Seca (LS) this past weekend to help answer this ever-burning question. We put our Atom3 & Elise to the test this weekend by comparing my own laps and by reviewing the actual times put down by the fastest Ariel & Lotus drivers. Luckily for us, both the West Coast (Atom) Adventure and the Lotus Challenge Series were both being held at LS.

We brought up our Elise which was now sporting several new upgrades including: Nitron 46mm shocks, Wider forged wheels from SJ, Race Diffuser & Side Sills from IMRP, A6 Hoosiers, & a new BOE muffler that was designed to meet the strict noise requirements at LS. We also continued acquiring data on our gPAN and transCOOLER products.
Our new Atom3 was also getting wrung out with new SJ forged wheels shod with Hoosiers A6s. The fronts were 205s and the rear were 245s. We had to remove the fenders to clear the rear tires. The stock muffler remained on the Atom3 to insure we did not suffer any noise problems. We had moved the brake pedal pad over to the left to add some clearance with the accelerator - it was noticeable improvement for me.

I spent the first 1.5days running the Atom. Frankly it took me at least half that time adjusting to the quickness of this machine. Even though I had tracked my Atom2, this car required new changes to my driving style. The shifter is very close, almost too close. I required a serious recalibration as a result. I ran the stock sized Yoko A048s initially, then switched to the A6s and saw my times dropped 2 seconds. The grip was awesome and put a real strain on my neck muscles. I had a passenger during my fast lap so am sure that I could run a quicker time solo. The A6s were a strong recommendation of my friend Darin - who is a very talented Atom driver (more about him later). The oversteer that I felt at corner exit with the A048s was almost completely eliminated with the A6s. Larger tires on the rear of this car clearly helps. The Atom should not be a track newbies first car. It responds much faster than other street cars and requires your full attention at all times. Ultimately I ran a 1min46s lap.

Project Nirvana has come a long way since we first bought her a year ago. In fact, LS was the first track that we had run our Elise at. It was cool to come back with Nirvana in it's current state of tune which included our Katana2 (CARB-pending). We ran her initially with R888s on Monolites and then switched to the wider SJs with the A6s. The SJ wheels are 16x8 in front and 17x8.5 in the rear. Clearance was a concern so we took things carefully. We chose to run conservative ride heights (120mm & 125mm) and added additional camber at the track (2.6deg & 3deg). The added aero was newly installed and were proven parts run by many LCS racers. She looked super aggressive and utterly bitchin' with these new upgrades. Nirvana was pure driving bliss. I was very happy with her performance and made some adjustments to the new Nitrons. Unfortunately our sessions were quite short on Sunday so I did not get to optimize the settings. Regardless my best time was 1min47s. I'm sure I could drop these times given more laps.

So clearly I was able to run faster in the Atom than the Elise. I think superior acceleration of the Atom shines on a track like LS with its big straights. But the lack of downforce and quick reaction made it a handful for my modest skills. It delivered a rush that is incomparable. The Elise on the other hand was a much more 'relaxed' car to drive. It reacted much slower than the Atom and did not punish my sometimes ham-fisted moves. My confidence level was clearly higher in the Elise as a result. Interestingly enough, I believe the Atom made me a better Lotus driver. So the Atom wins the 'faster-lap-with-the-same-driver' contest.

Comparing the fastest times posted by Atom & Lotus drivers revealed a similar result. The quickest Atom was driven by my friend Darin who posted a 1min33s time with his NA 245hp Atom2. He posted his video as proof: DP workin' LS. See his aggressive line through the corkscrew pictured here. Another friend, Andy K. cranked out the fastest times in his Lotus 211 with a 1min36s lap. Clearly both cars can be driven at paces that are downright scary fast but the Atom seems to be the faster car. Another interesting fact is that the Atom can be driven on the street while the 211 is track-only.

Do the faster laps make the Atom the better of the two? No, the Atom works better for the driver who wants to feel everything NOW and capable of dealing with it! That makes it better for some but not all. The Lotus is more gentleman-like in its response and easier to drive fast. Both are lightweight cars that deliver driving enjoyment beyond the typical sportscar. I guess I should pinch myself now as I get to drive both...

Forged Wheels for the Atom3

2010-06-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

I had great success with the SJ forged wheels from Japan on my Atom2. These wheels are built at the same factory as our Monolites & stellaCORSE wheels that we sell into the Lotus market. The quality is superb and they are ultra lightweight. Forged Al is almost as light as cast magnesium (Dymag wheels) yet stronger and much more affordable. Reducing unsprung weight is our mantra around here and these wheels will save 16lbs off the complete stock cast TD wheels. This fitment has a different PCD than found on the Atom2. I ordered 1 set to test and received them last week.

Steve installed wheels onto my Atom3 and they clear the Alcon calipers easily. The offset on these wheels are super aggressive. They will result in tires that sit proud of the fenders - like in my Atom2. Compared to stock, the rear track is widened more than the front as a ratio . The rear wheel is also now 8" wide vs 7"(stock). The front wheel is slightly narrower at 6.5" vs 7" stock. I believe this may be the perfect tweak to dial out some oversteer for drivers like myself.

We will install wider tires (most likely Hoosiers) and run at Laguna Seca in two weeks. I will report back after completing our test.

Evora Sport Exhaust from Larini

2010-06-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

The stock exhaust on the Evora is very quiet as it needs to meet strict noise requirements in many countries - especially in Europe. Naturally we want something a bit more aggressive. We had the boys at Larini send us a prototype Sport exhaust for our Evora along with a Decat pipe for the third stock cat.

The first noticeable thing was the ease of removal for the stock exhaust compared to an Elise/Exige. Once we hefted the stock exhaust out we immediately put it on our scales.

The stock exhaust was 38.45lbs. The Larini weighed in at 18.38lbs - a 20lb weight savings. The stock Cat pipe weighed 6.2lbs and the Decat pipe only 2.95lbs. Removing this last cat does not trip the MIL as it is located after the O2 sensors. This is a 23.3lb weight saving off the rear of the car! We have a Lithium Ion battery coming that will shave off a similar amount.

On start up there was only a slight increase in idle and a noticeable tone change when revved. Driving it on the street and highway showed that it is a gentleman's (or gentlewoman's) exhaust. It sounds aggressive as you rev up the engine yet it is dead quiet while cruising. The sound is very deep and muscular. We like it a lot and it suits the nature of this car.

This system came with an Oval tip but it also available with a Dual Tip. We are also planning to get one that sports a special heat resistant coating that will be white. One Evora customer, Craig, has requested black tips which we should also be able to accommodate.

Evora Pre-flight Checks

2010-06-15T13:34:00.000-07:00

After taking delivery of our new Lotus Evora, we found out the battery from the factory had gone bad. So, before initial take off, we called Lotus of Long Island to see if they've seen this issue before. They had in fact experienced a handful of cars delivered from the factory with bad batteries.

We promptly sourced a Deka battery to replace the dead OE one. Their 69 series 691MF was an exact replacement and fit perfectly.

Now that the Evora had power, we had to make sure the one touch window controls were programed properly. To do this, we made sure the windows were up and held the switch in the up position till a click was heard. We then lowered each window and held the button for 2 seconds until it clicked again.

Our Evora Has Landed!

2010-06-09T12:32:00.000-07:00

We received our 2010 Lotus Evora this week from our friends at Lotus of Long Island. After test driving the car I was convinced that Lotus has another hit on their hands. As we have done on the Elise/Exige, we want to be a part of this success story by developing products that enhance this fantastic car.

Here's a basic list of parts we will developing for the Evora:

Exhaust - Larini Sport exhaust is due next week
Forged Wheels
Lightweight brake rotors
Brake pads
Lightweight battery
Car covers
Floor mats
Interior/lifestyle bits
...and MUCH more!

Wasting time is not our style, so, we invited HRE to visit us and get wheels under development. Roy from HRE stopped in yesterday to take critical measurements from our Evora. HRE produces very high-end wheels for many sports cars. They offer multi-piece and single-piece forged wheels of superb quality. We're known as wheel snobs and these guys meet our standards. An added benefit is the fact that they are located 30 minutes away.

The OE Forged wheels that came on our car with the Pirelli P-zeros tires weighed 43.5 lbs (front) and 52.6 lbs (rear) each. Our goal will be to offer wheels in this range - and possibly even lighter.

Dave Wins Again!

2010-06-08T10:04:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to our ride & handling engineer, Dave Thilenius, for another 1st-place finish in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge in his #74 Compas360 Honda Civic Si! Dave and his co-driver, Lawson Aschenbach, extended their ST class championship lead to 13 points with the win at Watkins Glen in upstate NY. You can watch the exciting race when it's broadcast on Speed Channel June 13 @ 1:00 PM Eastern (check your local listing).

Dave & Lawson will look to stretch that lead further on June 19 when GRAND-AM heads to Mid-Ohio. Good luck, gents!

Brake Rotor Paint Testing

2010-05-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

We recently tested our Katana2 Elise with ULTRAdiscs and Hawk HT10 brake pads and ran some new Temperature Indicating Paint. We used 500, 750, 1000, and 1200 degree F paints for our first test. We painted the front and rear rotors.

REAR

FRONT

As you can see in the pictures, we only burned off the 500deg F paint in the rear. This means we are getting our rear brakes hotter than 500deg F but still less than 750deg F. .

REAR

We burned the 750deg F paint in the front. This means we burned past 750deg F on the front but not up to 1000deg F.

FRONT

For our next test we are going to narrow down our paint choices to get a better indication of actual temps we are running. This is a fairly simple and easy non-intrusive way to find out where you are in the heat range of your braking system. It is a smart approach before spending money on a BBK or venting. You might be amazed that the stock sized system with better pads, rotors and fluid might be enough to keep your brake temps in check.

My Monticello Motor Club Visit

2010-05-11T17:13:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of visiting Ari Straus and his team at the Monticello Motor Club in Monticello, NY. This country club racetrack is relatively new and located about 90min outside of New York City. The location is truly beautiful with green rolling hills and natural terrain that offers excellent elevation changes.

They were running the full 3.5mile config during my visit. This track is very technical with some great long straights as well. It is an excellent track for the Lotus,Ariel,Solstice or Sky. In fact they had a track prepped Solstice GXP available for me to blast around in. This car was one of the Solstices used in the TV show, Set-up. I fully enjoyed running around the track and only wish I had my own car to really get comfortable. A new club house and hot pit garages were under construction and are expected to be complete in June. They also have plans for condos with garages.

I also spent a fair amount of time with Mike Reed, Monticello's Chief Engineer. Mike is a fellow Lotus owner with a Series 1 Exige in his garage. This Lotus is one of my favorites and remains on my short list. Mike has a team of techs who maintain and upgrade many different cars at the club. They have several Lotus that they manage including, Elises, Exiges, Cup cars and 211s. They also have an Atom, plenty of GXPs, Ferraris, Porsche, Radicals and much more. It really is a track rat's wet dream. Mike has been a Dealer of our products and is a guy you can trust to sort your machine. Plus he may just be faster than you as well around the track...

We discussed plans to hold a joint Monticello/Sector111 event late this year. We are going to try to have a track weekend in early Oct that will also include a time trial and possible race. We know that the Lotus enthusiasts in the surrounding area are itching for an event. We are going to do our level best to make it happen....

Balanced Approach - Safe. Reliable. Performance.

2010-05-05T09:04:00.000-07:00

In the past 6 years, we have talked with literally thousands of Lotus owners & have tracked these cars our selves. We've used these experiences to develop an upgrade path that will ensure you avoid unnecessary lost track time and costly breakdowns. We believe taking a balanced approach to tuning your Lotus is the safe and reliable way to gain performance and lower your lap times.

Click on the image below to view the full-size "Balanced Approach" chart. Of course, give us a call if you have any questions. (951)296-6762.

Rules to Live By on Track

2010-05-04T07:25:00.000-07:00

My good friend, Grand Am racer, classmate, and driving instructor, David Thilenius, has some rules he presents to all his students. I wanted to share them with all y'all.

Here are Dave's 10 governing principles for driving on track:

1. Don't die.
2. Don't die.
3. Don't die.
4. Don't die.
5. Don't die.
6. Cars break.
7. Driver's make mistakes.
8. Driving at the limit is not like riding a bike. If you don't do it regularly, you will forget.
9. Sooner or later, you will crash. Prepare like you are going to crash.
10. The driver is 100% responsible for everything that happens to the car he is driving.

Dave will be with us at the next Lotus Challenge race at Spring Mtn coaching a couple of drivers. Come out and meet this recent Daytona Grand Am winner. Did I mention Dave is also the Ride & Handling engineer for us and Secant?

Nirvana Built Engine Swap

2010-05-01T15:03:00.000-07:00

The boys just finished removing Project Nirvana's Katana2 engine to make room for our new built n/a power plant. We are leaving the Katana2 engine untouched so its ready to go for our pending CARB test.

This new engine, built by renowned Toyota engine builder Bruce Nogrady, will feature our Sector111 Stage I built head and stronger internals. Our goal is to have Nirvana up and running by the end of the week. We'll break her in this weekend and run her on Buttonwillow next week to really see how she performs. Once the engine has proven itself, we will add a TVS blower and get Steve to calibrate her with a goal of 275hp.

Atom3 Canyon Drive - The Shock & The Awe

2010-04-25T20:17:00.001-07:00

This morning, I drove my new Atom3 through several canyons and popular mountains roads for the first time. Rice Canyon/Mt. Palomar - both grades, Mesa Grande and up to Julien were the roads of choice. This was the longest I had driven it, so I enjoyed getting to learn it's style. It is a different beast with both Pros & Cons vs the Atom2. Yes, it is still as scary and lovely as the Atom2.

At a quick glance, the Atom3 is visually hard to differentiate from an Atom2. As you look carefully, the differences begin to emerge, especially in it's unique tubular chassis. The US built Atom3 is almost identical to its UK built cousin. One key area is that they now share the K20 Honda powertrain - which is a glorious bit of kit. The 9k redline is pure unadulterated bliss. This Atom sports the 300hp powertrain - dare I say it feels faster than my old Atom2? This may be partially due to the fact that the Atom3 is 100+lbs lighter.

Shifting the Atom3 is absolutely righteous. Honda makes a fantastic gearbox and shifting can be confidently executed with your finger tips. The gear knob feels a bit too small and the gear ratios feel almost too tight. The car revs so quickly that you are constantly shifting - did the Atom2 make me a bit lazy? Nah, I think slightly taller gears could do wonders for the usability of the Atom300. I suspect the gears may be perfect in the normally aspirated versions.

Sounds emanating from behind me are a bit more subdued. The supercharged whine is the loudest thing you hear. I'm hoping that it will pass Laguna Seca as we are holding the West Coast Atom Meet at LS in July. I'm still adjusting to the driving position with these new adjustable seats. The 6pt. anti-sub strap had me singing soprano so it will need a tweak before I drive her again! The hand brake is definitely in a worse position than the Atom2 - though it is easier to install and service.

We had taken this car to the Streets of Willow last Thurs for our Track Day and had the dampers set at the factory track settings. Our bumpy canyons demand softer settings to prevent my fillings from rattling out of my head! I set the adjustable Bilstein suspension to 3 in the front and 4 in the rear. The compliance of this car is excellent which is surely due to the improved bellcrank/pushrod/damper alignment. It soaked up the rough roads very well. Oversteer is easy to induce with the right pedal. I needed to adjust my inputs accordingly as this car felt more responsive than my last. I will play with suspension settings a bit futher as well to tame this beast to my liking and suit my modest driving skill. It really is the closest thing to a formula car for the street.

The small Aero Windscreen/Kickers are a sweet little addition. I am surprised at how well they divert the air. They also kill bugs fast (if I may borrow a lame ad slogan from Porsche). They kept my helmet visor quite clean and my head from experiencing too much buffeting. I also ordered the much maligned side panels. I love 'em - especially as I left around 7:30am when it was still cool out. The panels reduce air intrusion into the 'cabin' which is quite welcome when it is nippy out.

The Atom3 is wicked fast, like the Atom2 and every bit as titillating. A fair amount of concentration is required to drive it quickly. This car rewards a smooth and focused driver. Yes, I am love again.

Atom 2 Windshield Upgrade

2010-04-20T10:56:00.000-07:00

We recently retrofitted an Atom 2 with the new Atom 3 Windshield upgrade. With a couple of parts from the guys at TMI, we moved the brake and clutch fluid reservoirs above the steering column. This puts the reservoirs in the same spot as the Atom 3. The reservoirs needed to be moved so that you can install the windshield wiper motor and washer fluid reservoir.

Some Atom 2’s will have to be modified further if you have the fire extinguisher bracket welded directly into the chassis.

We also upgraded the car to the Atom 3 side mirrors. These use a 1-hole mount and now are part of the windshield panel mounting. They secure the outside corners of the dash panel. On our Atom 2, we removed the old mirror bracket that was riveted to the chassis as it was no longer needed. The other 3 mounting points are the same as the stock dash panel.

After installing the windshield, we were able to fit the new style bonnet to the car. This new bonnet has some really nice sharp lines. The fit and finish is very nice.

Project Nirvana Update - Transmission Upgrades

2010-04-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

Steve & Rick have just complete our various transmission upgrades on our Project Nirvana '05 Elise. The transmission itself received our 3rd & 4th Gear + 5.0 Final Drive kit. Steve worked with Bruce Nogrady, our engine builder, to build this transmission. This setup will give us shorter and tighter gear ratios that suits this engine. We'll be testing this setup at our Track Day on the Streets of Willow on April 15th. We believe our car will benefit tremendously on this tight track with this new shorter ratio box.

We also installed a few new tasty bits from OS Giken. Their STR clutch & flywheel combo & OS Super Lock LSD were both added to Nirvana's drive train to deliver more strength & grip. The STR clutch & flywheel have been balanced together & offer a much higher strength solution than stock. Thanks to a larger throw-out bearing, this setup maintains the same pedal feel & engagement point as stock making it the perfect solution for cars driven on the street & track. The clutch now has a cool Ducati-like sound...

OS Giken's OS Super Lock LSD has been a favorite amongst the LCS's fastest drivers. Its patented pressure ring design allows it to lock 100% & it does it progressively. There's no "on-off" locking like some LSDs. The OS Super Lock's innovative & compact design allows it to house a greater number of friction plates (12 total). Jack & Brent have both commented that they are able to get on the power sooner with this LSD.

This weekend we will be putting on the 500 break-in miles required for the clutch & flywheel so the car will be ready for heavy track duty on April 15th at our Track Day.

Transmission & LSD Install

2010-03-30T17:19:00.000-07:00

We are installing the Jubu 3rd, 4th & Final Drives into Project Nirvana along with an OS Giken LSD & STR Clutch & Flywheel. We want to run this config at our upcoming track day at Streets

Initial disassembly has begun which includes, the left rear suspension, exhaust system including cat and removal of both CV shafts. 3 out of 4 engine mounts have to be removed as well. In order to disconnect the transmission from the engine, the starter, clutch slave cylinder and the shifter cables must be removed. We are anticipating this job will take a full 10hrs to complete from start to finish - excluding gears/LSD assembly within the transmission. Be sure to drain the transmission before removing the CVs. Don't ask us how we know. Thanks go out to Ralph@V2 for tips.

Note the 85a durometer trackMOUNTs that we have installed. We tested these nounts at the last LCS race at Buttonwillow. The car shifts fantastically. Performance was exceptional. The street driving does suffer from increased noise vibration & harshness (NVH). I suspect any OE engineers who work on NVH might faint if given a ride in Nirvana - but the race drivers will clearly be in heaven...

OS Giken LSD Feedback

2010-03-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

One of our AutoX friends, David Smart is running at the National level with his Lotus. He is running the OS Giken LSD for the first time. He wrote me with his initial results:

Shinoo – Quick feedback from my first event with the OSG SuperLock diff. This weekend we ran the SCCA Texas National Tour in Mineral Wells. My co-driver and I went 1^st and 2^nd. The track was approx 1.5 miles long with a variety of course elements. The course also had a few bumpy sections which the diff handled well under 100% lock. The Torsen was notorious for allowing wheel spin in bumpy sections.

We found that the car behaved like it was equipped with an open diff on corner entry. At mid-phase and corner exit I was able to quickly transition from neutral to oversteer to get the rotation I needed. Other good news, I didn’t hear a peep out of the clutch packs all weekend.

Overall, good results!

Thanks,

David

Katana2 Dyno Results - preCARB Results

2010-03-02T11:04:00.000-08:00

We completed our Katana2 street & track tuning with Steve from Secant last week and took the car to the dyno to see what kind of power we are making. Our #1 goal with the Katana2 is to achieve CARB approval and get the coveted EO# so that it is a street legal solution. Peak power was not our ultimate goal, just a safe and clean solution. We know that getting CARB approval is a difficult process, but we've taken on this challenge to help us produce better product. Most importantly, we have clients who want a CARB approved kit that allows them to legally drive their Lotus on the street.

We tested our Elise on a Dynapack dyno. This dyno attaches right to the hubs and eliminates any of the issues that come from wheel/tire variation or slip in rollers, etc. The results shown above are marginally higher than what we achieved with our Katana (see chart below). The two runs shown were after a half dozen runs were completed on the car, so it is possible that the car may make a bit more power. Additionally, once the CARB testing is started, the tune may need to change to meet their tests. The final results may change so we will post up our final numbers once we achieve them.

The chart below is our original Katana dyno chart. Of course please recognize that the results are from different cars and different dynos.

Overall I am pleased that the Katana2 dyno looks nice and flat along with making a bit more power. The butt dyno confirmed this with smooth power at the track and on the street. Steve's tune feels really OE-like. You can see the dip we had in the Katana that is now tuned out. The addition of the larger airbox is helping us, but we are still limited by the use of 91 octane. Frankly, this level of power is excellent - the car feels nicely balanced. We know that the engine/transmission internals can live with this level of power. An important point to make is that these dyno numbers are taken at the hub so you should account for a 12-15% powertrain loss to compare with dyno figures usually quoted by the manufacturers. I think it is safe to say we are in the Exige S240 to S260 range of power.

Ultimately we will develop even more powerful versions of the Katana - including one that uses the latest generation of supercharger from Eaton, the TVS. Our CARB application is completed for the Katana2. We will complete the info for the KatanaTVS and submit the whole package this week. We're looking forward to hearing from CARB to get to the next level of this process...stay tuned.

Of course, if you are a current Katana client and do not care about CARB, call us, we can offer you the airbox and ECU tune to turn your Katana into a Katana2.

Katana2 Track Testing at Big Willow

2010-02-22T13:17:00.001-08:00

We have been busy working on a new Katana package that we will be submitting for CARB approval. I stated the goal of delivering a street legal supercharger kit at the launch of the Katana and after many years of trying - we believe we have a solution. Track testing was the last part of this development. This is an excellent place to run a car at high rpms, speed and actual loads to determine how well the car is tuned. Project Nirvana Elise has been our test mule for this new kit. Tuning was conducted by our friends at Secant Vehicles. I am happy to report the Elise ran smoothly and swiftly this past weekend at Willow Springs with the Lotus Challenge Series.

We secured the services of our good friend (and recent Daytona winner!) Dave Thilenius to run the car hard on track. Nirvana was running with old R888s but Dave still managed to crank out a bunch of laps under 1:38 with the best being 1:35.94. A new GUT aero kit was also added to Nirvana since we last ran on track. We subjected the Katana2 to a total of 10 run sessions from Friday through Sunday.

Riding shotgun with Dave on a session was Steve from Secant Vehicles. Steve is a mechanical engineer with over 15 yrs of engine calibration experience. He has worked for Roush, Bosch and even Lotus Engineering in calibration positions. Steve has taken many cars & aftermarket power kits through CARB and knows the process well. He has tuned our new Katana2 kit to meet these standards. If you seen his work on the Secant Type I you can attest to the OE-like quality of his work. Steve has also developed our Atom2 tune and are very happy with their work.

I also enjoyed driving duties when we started track testing on Friday. Steve monitored the electronic equipment and data logged engine parameters as I ran through his commands; go slower, hit the rev limiter, try to detect second cam, and go faster! By the end of the day, we landed on a tune that ran wonderfully and safely on track. I had my friend Jack Fried - an accomplished LCS racer and 211 owner, drive the car late in the day. Jack has owned many of the Elise variants and has tons of track seat time in them. He was very pleased with the performance and commented that it ran even better than the Katana that was on our last Exige.

The car runs very nicely with an excellent idle and around town manners. The mornings were in the low 50s and warmed up to the high 60s. Getting a car to run well on the street AND track while still meeting emissions is a significant challenge. The car accelerates very smoothly and the second cam is hard to detect.

All out power is not our goal with the Katana2. Again our plan is to secure a CARB EO number so that our customers can run their cars on the street. The biggest difference with this kit is that we have added a new airbox. Since supercharged cars are more sensitive to intake changes than exhaust changes, we required a new tune. Our original Katana tune was tested but did not pass all the CARB required emissions tests. We are now preparing our CARB application....stay tuned for updates!

Canyon Run with my Atom2 - Aero Test

2010-02-15T08:07:00.000-08:00

I had the chance to run my Atom2 this weekend to test out the new aero package. We installed the TMI sourced front factory wing on my Atom a couple of weeks ago. Now that we are an official Ariel Atom Dealer, we will offer this solution to clients. It attaches to a bracket that bolts to the frame at the nose. This bracket also secures the front tow hook. We had commissioned a rear wing design from Steve@Aerosim and had it built by ReVerie. The rear upright was complete and we had it powdercoated black. The wing is a dual element design that Steve spec'd for us. This rear wing will be an Atom2 offering only.

I took the car to Palomar Mountain, which is a road frequented by sportbikes, sports cars, RVs, trucks and the local police. I took a couple of fun back roads that are usually empty and unpatrolled to get to Palomar. The weather was in the low 70s. The Atom was extremely fast and pulled like a banshee. We had added Tom@Unique Fab's in-line radiator for the intercooler. I could detect no heat soak related slow down. It was hard to keep the car at full throttle for any length of time in the canyons. It was fast and ferocious. The increased rev limiter (now 7100 rpm) allowed me to stay in gear on certain corners - though the car makes enough torque that you can leave it in a higher gear. Since the car revs so quickly these added rpms make a huge difference.

The aero had the car feeling nicely planted. The front fenders can cause some slight lift at high speed. I usually remove them at the track to eliminate this issue. They were not removed as I was driving on the street. I also made some small adjustments to rebound on the Nitrons to deal with some of the bumps. The downforce was truly confidence inspiring. I also had side panels which reduced cabin buffeting and kept me from freezing in the morning. Overall, I was very happy with the result.

Further tuning will be done at the track...hopefully this weekend at Willow Springs.

The Thrill of Victory & Cold Hard Reality of Maintenance

2010-02-04T15:15:00.000-08:00

Our new Nitron parts were put to the test this past weekend at the Lotus Challenge Races. Michael proved that he could go fast with these parts on his Cup Exige - he won the Time Trial, beating even 2-11s. We had checked this car completely after our setup day the previous weekend. After three days of hard running the car suffered a mechanical failure. Though we did not support this car during these 3 days, we regret not having checked it. Race parts need attention. You must check them at frequent intervals to ensure they are in good operating condition.

Michael led 6 laps of the wheel to wheel race when the failure occurred. After the car was brought back to the pits and we all cursed our luck (and each other), we found that the lower wishbone had separated from the front upright. We discovered that the Titanium threaded pin backed out half of the way and then wobbled itself loose enough to tear out the remaining threads that held it into the upright. You can see how this occurred in these pictures. After reviewing these pictures with Guy@Nitron, he also agreed with our assessment.

The last picture shows the other upright and how it is also backing off. Steve took this picture as we were scrutinizing the failure. We had marked these joints with a paint line to allow for quick visual checks. Clearly the line had moved - if this had been caught, we could have tightened the joint and averted the failure that manifested itself in the race.

The car is now in the hands of R3 Motorsport who will be managing it for future races. We are bringing replacement parts up to them to get this steed back to it's winning ways. We will also conduct periodic review of this car to see how the parts are holding up.

As we all take street cars and run them hard on track, we will need to be more attentive to additional maintenance. The cars are being taxed beyond the scope they were designed to contend with. Race parts, by their very nature, need even more scrutiny. This cold, hard lesson teaches us all that we need to check each critical nut & bolt before any track event.

Colin Chapman apparently said that if his race cars broke as they crossed the finish line, he did a perfect job in designing them. Since we are only racing for bowling trophies, we surely don't need to take such risk! ;^)

Nitron Build - Track Testing @ Buttonwillow

2010-01-25T12:38:00.001-08:00

We completed initial testing of the Nitron upgrades at Buttonwillow this past Saturday. We hired a professional ride & handling engineer and Koni Challenge racer to help us with set-up. Dave Thilenius (see pic below) has a Formula 2000 championship and over 20 years of racing and OE set-up experience. Our team also included Rick, Steve, myself and Allen from LPL. Dave has helped us with other projects including the Secant Type I & II track testing.

We set up the car with mid level settings on the Nitron GT3s. We installed 650/800lb springs on these dampers. The Nitron uprights and steering arms allowed -3deg of camber all around. We dialed in a little bit of Toe Out at the front and Toe In at the rear. Caster was maxed out per Nitron's recommendation. Ride height was set at 96mm/100mm with driver weight and a full tank of fuel. The brakes were AP 4pots on all four corners with Hawk HT10s.

One last minute addition was the ReVerie Exige Spoiler and Canards. We added these to improve his front end grip and balance as he had a huge rear wing.

Dave started the day with a quick 3 lap session to bed the brakes and get a feel for the car. He brought it back and we pulled all the wheels and checked all the critical nuts and bolts. Everything looked good so he went out for a few laps. We checked tire pressures and temps in the hot pit to see how the tires were working. Dave gave us his input and we decided to make one change - which was stiffening Low Speed Compression to address a 'lazy turn-in'. As the morning progressed we continued this sequence and made other changes to the car.

Dave began cranking some quick laps in the low 2 min range. Ultimately he managed a 1:59min which was very quick in the conditions we had. With new tires (we ran on old slicks), Dave was sure we could shave another 4sec from his time. His conservative driving made it clear to us that 4 sec could be achieved. He was driving a client's car so 10/10s driving was not in the test plan. Overall he was very happy with the car and felt it was a quick car. He commented that the car now had real race car brakes as they worked very well.

By 1pm the client, Michael, was itching to get into the car and drive it. He went out and completed a few laps. The car was very different from before so he spent some time adjusting to it. His best time of the day was a 2:00min lap. Michael was very happy with the handling but was less enthusiastic with the brakes. The car originally came with the Lotus Sport AP 4 pot calipers which we moved the rear. The new APs on the front are the same size as the AP brakes we offer. The HT10 have a very aggressive initial bite so we will test a less aggro pad - Pagid RS4-2. I suspect once Michael gets used to these brake pads and the overall brake system, he will switch back to the HT10s.

Overall we had a good test session. The car ran with no mechanical trouble. We were able to test the viability of these new Nitron parts and run the car at very low settings. The key feature of this kit is the ability to run under 100mm ride height and maintain the suspension geometry. The fact that the car never bottomed out or 'digested' the wheel liner made us even happier. It performed very well and should be even quicker with some further development and/or seat time.

Nitron Build - Saving Unsprung Weight

2010-01-19T18:21:00.000-08:00

We're almost finished with the installation of Nitron's tasty new bits on Michael's Cup car. After weighing both the stock parts and the new Nitron bits we found that there are significant weight savings to be had with Nitron's uprights. Over 10 lbs of unsprung weight were shed with the full set of four uprights.

OE Front Uprights (pair)=24.4 lbs vs. Nitron=17.3 lbs

OE Rear Uprights (pair)=23.8 lbs vs. Nitron=20.1 lbs

We'll publish more weight saving details later!

Nitron Rear Toe-link

2010-01-15T13:29:00.000-08:00

Today, we installed the Nitron Rear Toe-link kit to the Cup car. We utilized the Lotus Sport toe-link brace to anchor the Nitron kit to the chassis. We also test fit our RTD/RTV cross brace with these toe links to confirm compatability. Nitrons provide the capability for finer adjustments and tuning of the rear toe.

Nitron Uprights, brakes & Steering Arms

2010-01-14T17:07:00.000-08:00

We've dry fit the all of the major components to the front and rear passenger side of Michael's Cup car. Everything fits like a glove. These Nitron bits look even better installed on a car. The uprights and steering arms have been machined to such high detail that everything has fit perfectly so far. Check out the eye candy below!

The Nitron Build Begins!

2010-01-14T11:45:00.000-08:00

We've just started the installation of all Nitron's new suspension bits on an Exige Cup car belonging to Michael W., one of the racers in the Lotus Challenge Series. Michael's Cup car will getting the following Nitron components installed:

Nitron Front & Rear Uprights
Nitron Rear Toe Link Kit

Nitron Wishbone Inner Bearings

Nitron Complete Big Brake Kit with AP Racing calipers

Nitron Brake Hose Kit

Nitron Titanium Caliper Studs

Nitron 18mm Spherical Bearing adapters

Nitron GT3 Triple Adjustable Suspension Kit.

These components will lower the Cup car 25mm without changing the suspension geometry thanks to new front & rear uprights that position the wheels 25mm higher than stock. This kit will also shed unsprung weight through the use of light materials & premium construction techniques. CLICK HERE to read more about Nitron North America & these components.

Check back here for updates on the progress of our installation of these VERY tasty bits!

Another Secant Type I Conversion

2010-01-13T08:26:00.000-08:00

We completed another Ecotec conversion on a Lotus Elise last month. Secant Vehicles Type I powertrain package delivers 280hp and an unbelievable 241 ft-lbs of torque. The car is superbly fast and absolutely docile to drive around town. The complete character of the power delivery is changed as the torque band is so smooth and flat. The car features a supercharged 2.0 Ecotec, professionally built for us by GM Racing.

Fred, the owner of this Lotus California edition, is extremely happy with the conversion. He, along with us, love the discrete, OE-like look of the swap. The engine bay is somewhat boring as it is too OE!!! Very neat and clean. There is nothing Fast & Furious about how this engine bay looks - but the car does do 0-60mph in under 4secs.

For those of you who are looking for a nicely engineered power package for your Lotus - this is one to consider. The dash works correctly even though the powertrain is managed by an OE Delphi controller. The car runs like an factory calibrated car.

Thanks to the engineers at Secant for another excellent conversion! Give us a call if you are interested in a conversion that delivers Viper-like acceleration!

Transmission Solutions Preview

2010-01-05T18:13:00.000-08:00

Transmission failures have become a more common issue on track driven cars. Much of the failure has bee attributed to torque generated by supercharged cars but some of the blame may be coming from transmission fluid that is getting destroyed by high temperatures. We have been working on solutions that will save the tranny and want to preview them here.

One of our first projects was a transmission cooler. Last year after seeing data of transmission fluid temps that were exceeding their recommended operating ranges we sorted this cooler. After confirming fitment and

operation on our Nirvana Elise we sent it to Eric, the owner of Suspension Performance. He installed it on a client's 211 and initiated track testing on tracks like Laguna Seca and Infineon. Eric found a drop of 40deg F with the cooler and was especially pleased with the constant temperature that was maintained by the system even when it was sitting in the pit after a session. Our solution features a radiator and pump that keeps the fluid in continuous circulation. The kit also adds additional fluid volume that clearly helps keep the temps in check. We are working on a novel approach to mounting it under the car.

New gears that are stronger have been developed by a partner of ours in Austria, Jubu Racing. Martin from Jubu has sorted several great solutions, including new 3rd, 4th gears, Final Drive and a 6spd Dogbox. We received the 3rd & 4th gears and will begin our testing. These crowned, straight cut gears are larger and stronger than the OE helical gears as shown below. Ratios that have been chosen have been great in track use in Europe. We expect them to work well for our application as well.

The work continues to keep sorting these Lotus for more and more track focused fun!

Nitron Upgrades Have Arrived!

2009-12-23T11:22:00.000-08:00

We just received Nitron's latest bits for install. We will be installing these onto an Exige Cup car that is getting campaigned in the Lotus Challenge Series. Running extremely low ride heights, which is desirable on a race car, results in poor performance with the stock Lotus geometry. The Nitron uprights will allow for a 25mm drop in ride height while still keeping the geo working well. We will be moving the stock Lotus Sport AP calipers to the rear with this kit. The race spec AP Pro 5000+ calipers are getting installed on the front. We will run Pagid Rs14s to start.

This close up shot shows the quality of the machining on the uprights. Amazingly they have the ability to eliminate all of the mill marks completely - but then the parts look like cast bits!

We post up our progress soon.

New Lotus Shifter System

2009-12-18T08:58:00.000-08:00

Shift 'feel' is one of the weak links in the Lotus. The throws are long and sloppy. Earlier OE shifters were recalled when it was discovered that heavy handed shifting would break them. We offered a sequential shifter to help address this issue but it was expensive and the install was onerous. Tim at Innovative introduced me to his completely new shifter solution a year ago. He has been working closely with Brent as well to sort in a more comprehensive package. It has gone through several significant changes in this last year.

The latest version is now ready for testing. This package will include everything: shifter housing & mechanism, gear knob, cables, and new brackets and linkage in the back. Parts are being machined to very high spec so we expect very good shifting feel. The length of throw and height of shifter are all adjustable allowing each driver to tweak this system to their liking.

This kit is getting installed in a couple of race cars first to test durability. Expect a limited release soon thereafter.

Oh, yes, I am very excited about this one!

BTW: That is a ReVerie XRC FIA approved seat that is very wide. This is the solution for those clients with larger waists who want a superbly safe racing seat for their Lotus.

Atom Tune & Dyno Results

2009-11-15T19:10:00.001-08:00

We got the Atom back onto the K&N dyno after making all of our tweaks to the powertrain and ECU. This was the dyno that originally revealed two years ago that my stock Atom was making 260hp at the crank. We could now test it on the same dyno and find out if we made any true gains.

We've been blogging about the mechanical upgrades we have been making to my Atom. You can see these posted in previous months on this Blog. The following items were changed:

Smaller pulley & belt
Larger injectors
Intake
IC radiator - inline with original
ECU Tune with 7100 redline for 91 octane

All other powertrain internals

remained the same. Our partnership with Secant was key since they are Ecotec experts with the ability to properly tune the stock ECU. This allowed significant changes to the poor tune that came with our cars. We know that many Atoms are blowing up exhaust systems - an issue incorrectly attributed to poor quality exhausts. As it turns out the EGTs were out of control and annihilating exhausts thx to the poor tune and mechanical configuration.

The Secant team was able to achieve 280hp & 241 ft-lbs of torque with this engine in their Lotus powertrain swap. This is the safe limit for a track driven, stock LSJ engine with 91 octane. People have achieved more but at the expense of powertrain reliability. I wanted to sort a package that could be run reliably, on the track, without the headache of frequent engine rebuilds.

We hoped to achieve the same power levels that Secant sorted with the Lotus. As it turns out, we nailed it. Three runs were taken at K&N and realized Horsepower of 278-281 (stock 262) & Torque of 240-248 (stock 229). This was with 91octane - we know with

race gas, more can be achieved.

A key part of the tune is the smooth power delivery from down low all the way to 7100rpm. The original tune showed a serious dip in power from 2500-3500 - this was eliminated with Secant's tune. The higher rpm limit also helps tweak out some additional power though the new tune makes more power everywhere. The car felt faster and now the dyno confirms it!

One interesting aspect of Secant's Atom tune is the changes to the lower rpm pedal progression. The original tune created a car that was very jumpy in around town driving at lower speeds. We've all had to endure slipping the clutch to get the Atom to drive smoothly at slow speed. The magic of comprehensive ECU tuning allows the tuner to 'slow down' the pedal at the low speeds and make it much easier to drive. You can also drive the car at slow speeds with no input to the accelerator - something Steve called 'Paddock Mode'. In fact we got stuck in a traffic jam where I was able to use this 'mode' to its fullest.

Contact us if you want your Atom tuned to deliver a safe level of power. We can supply all of the mechanical parts to get your Atom to run safely. And now, we have the data that shows we make real and safe power!

My friend, Jerry, the owner of K&N, invites our local car club to visit his huge facility for a yearly visit. I want to thank him and his gracious staff for the great tour of their business. K&N has a significant R&D lab that flow bench tests all their products and conducts serious MAF trials. These guys are definitely in a different league compared to their CAI competition. Naturally our intake features a K&N filter!

gPAN - Baffled Oil Pan Testing Results

2009-11-12T15:56:00.000-08:00

Oil starvation is one of the 3 issues that must be fixed on any track driven Lotus. This problem has spun rod bearings and/or killed pumps. Sorting it has been on our development list for a long time. Like with our fuel starvation solution, we've tried to address problem at the source - the pick up. We had originally considered the Accusump but data collected by Ralph@V2 has shown that it is not effective. Keeping the oil trapped around the pick up became the right approach for us. The gPAN is essentially a baffled oil pan that we believe will fix the issue.

To confirm the gPAN's performance, we ran our Elise with the final version on track this past weekend and collected oil pressure data. We have been working diligently to get the fitment and ease of install correct. Our Elise has been running with a gPAN for over 1 month with no leaks. We installed an AiM data logger along with an oil pressure sending unit to log our performance. The car was run on Spring Mountain at the last Lotus Challenge race and West Coast Lotus Meet. Conditions were perfect and we ran with R888 tires.

After running a few sessions, we down loaded the data. The oil pressure ran quite consistently around 50psi with 3 different drivers over several sessions. We looked at the data closer coupled with lateral g data to look for potential starvation. Turns 1 & 2 are a fast right hand and then a left hand sweeper. This is a severe area of the track that should cause serious oil starvation, but our results show a constant >50psi of oil pressure. See the graph below from this area of the track.

Based on these results, we are confident that we've sorted a good fix for the oil problem. We should have them available by the end of the year.

Track Surface Differences - Choosing the Right Suspension

2009-11-04T06:54:00.001-08:00

I am amazed at how smooth the tracks (and roads) are in England. My last track day at Bedford Autodrome along with a previous visit to Brands Hatch and Donnington confirmed that conditions are much better than what we experience at many tracks and roads here in the US. I have also been to Fuji and driven on Twin Ring Motegi in Japan so know that they also enjoy smoother conditions.

Why is this important? Suspension set up. With the bumpy conditions found on various tracks and roads we run, a compliant suspension is key. Too high a spring rate will create a car that does not soak up the irregularities. Good rebound and compression adjustment becomes key as well.

To that end, we have kicked off three new spring rate packages that you can select when ordering your Nitrons. Our experience has also shown that aero plays a significant role in spring choice. Early this year, while testing Nitrons with 525/650lb springs - it became apparent that the high downforce ReVerie kit on our Exige could use some more spring. We installed 550/700 and the car ran like a dream - it sucked up the bumps and ran the curbs like never before. Nothing seemed to upset it, even on our bumpy tracks (Willow & Buttonwillow in this case).

Rebuilding shocks last week at Nitron showed me the amount of options that exist in tailoring a suspension system INSIDE the shock! Choosing the correct valving to match your spring rates is a critical part of a sorted kit. Working with Ralph@V2, some select Lotus Challenge racers and of course, Nitron UK, we will be working to refine our kits to meet our US needs. And since Nitrons can be rebuilt/revalved by us, we will be able to tweak your kits to meet your specific needs.

Nitron Testing at the Bedford Autodrome Track

2009-11-03T06:19:00.000-08:00

Ralph from V2 and I were in England last week getting training at Nitron. Guy Evans, Nitron MD, was our gracious host who along with his staff, provided us the needed training to start up our Nitron North America program. This team answered our unending questions on the rebuild, revalve and upgrading of Nitrons. After an intense week of info overload, we had the chance to do some testing at the Bedford Autodrome. This former airbase is now a great facility that can be rented for testing or for training. They offer an excellent program that gets you into several awesome cars and onto the track. We ran the 3.8 mile track config. Learn more about Bedford: HERE

We brought Nitron's newly rebuilt 111R (Elise). They bought this crash damaged car and have begun making it into their newest test vehicle - the N2. It featured a roll cage, CF seats, Nitron Single Adjustable suspension, Nitron toe links, Nitron brakes and a brand new R888s on TD cast wheels.

This was the first shakedown trip for the car so we drove carefully at first (of course the rain helped). But quickly we found the car was well sorted and a fun track day companion. This picture is of Ralph working his smooth style to the max...

Driving on a new track while shifting with my left hand added to the challenge. I also had to use quite a few towels to better fit my short self into the fixed seats that were positioned for 6ft+ Guy. After my first stint in the rain, I got the chance to get settled. The second stint came after lunch with a drying track. More fun and more speed. I started getting the line down and started linking several of the corners like a track regular and began passing quite a few of the other cars. I was not 100% with my left handed shifts but that will come with more practice. Luckily, I don't have this issue in the US. 8^)

Atom Rear Wing Strut is Finally Done

2009-10-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

Steve came by the shop with the finished rear strut assembly. A few tweaks were made and the wing bolted on. We set the slot gap to 10mm. Additional wing adjustment was available for the main wing on the strut. We set this fairly conservatively. We had installed the front TMI wing a month ago. The car has the look of the current gen F1 cars with a large front spoiler and narrower rear wing. The dual element wing from ReVerie looks fantastic. It is an excellent design and should prove to be very efficient.

The struts are a work of art with a trailing edge that is almost too sharp. Steve built them on his own mill and will build them to order for us. Final production versions will have a tumbled and

anodized finish. Since these will be custom ordered, we can anodized them to colors chosen by the client.

We took a quick trip with the car around our test route. It had already gotten dark but we had to drive it! The added downforce was clearly evident on a fast bend on the route. Now we need to get this car to the track to dial in the suspension.

I spent some time driving it on Saturday. We were dialing in our new 7100rpm tune with Steve from Secant and the car ran well. The added downforce adds a high level of comfort as the Atom felt fully planted.

Nitron Uprights and More

2009-10-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

Guy and his engineers have been busy developing some new products that stretch beyond his normal line. He has developed a line of race focused products that complement Nitron suspensions. New front uprights and rear uprights have been built with several key features. These will also take new brakes that have been developed for race use. New toe links with a novel new design have also been sorted. See the Nitron website for more detail on these items: Click Here

Nitron, Sector111 and Simply Sportscars have embarked on a global Technical Partnership that will strive to develop even more serious products for the Elise/Exige variants. Our goal is to sort out products that will be track and race focused with ultimate performance. Expect us to embrace the Lotus mantra of performance through lightweight so that we can extract every possible ounce of performance.

We have also made an investment in service for Nitron suspensions in the North America. A shock dyno has been ordered and will allow us to rebuild and revalve Nitrons to spec. Ralph at V2 Motorpsorts will be our partner in providing the service that will be required for anyone running these race shocks. Expect an even more comprehensive and customizable Nitron offering from us - with complete service.

Stay tuned for more detailed information.

ReVerie CF Exige Hatch Update

2009-10-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

Simon@ReVerie just sent me this pic of the near complete carbon fiber hatch. They are very light at 5.5lbs. He still needs to fit the rear slats in the intercooler portion of the lid. 1/4 turn fasteners will be included. Pulling weight from the top of the Exige is something that is not only noticeable - but fully benefitial. Of course they are built to the typical ReVerie quality: prepreg and autoclaved. Properly light and stiff.

We will have them priced at $2500 and expect to get them by the end of Oct.

ULTRAlightweight - ULTRAdiscs

2009-10-06T12:50:00.000-07:00

ULTRAdiscs have proven themselves on and off the track since 2005. A key reason for the success of the ULTRAdiscs is the gain in performance they bring, especially through weight reduction.

These ULTRAlightweight two-piece, floating rotors will save you 10 lbs of unsprung weight (weight not supported by the suspension, i.e. wheels, tires and brakes) by using strong and light materials and an innovative design.

ULTRAdisc’s two-piece design allows the hats to be made from strong and lightweight anodized aircraft 6061 T-6 billet aluminum. The floating rotors themselves are made with a high-carbon iron that is perfectly balanced for strength and lightweight.

More weight was taken off by designing each ULTRAdisc to be corner specific - we can claim to be the very first to develop this innovation for the Elise/Exige. As many of you know, Lotus uses one part number for all four brakes. The front and rear brakes are the same rotor even though the brake pads are of different size. The ULTRAdisc rotors are tailored to match the swept area of the smaller calipers in the rear and the larger calipers in the front. This correction eliminates 3/8” of heavy unused rotor surface per rear wheel. This alone saves 6 pounds of rear unsprung weight!

Adding power will make your faster in a straight line but reducing weight, specifically unsprung weight, enhances nearly every performance characteristic. By sticking to Colin Chapman’s philosophy of “simplify and add lightness,” you can improve acceleration, braking and cornering grip at the same time.

ULTRAdiscs will not only give you greater stopping power, but the loss of unsprung weight will give you more precise steering inputs and better turn-in characteristics.

All of this weight savings and durability has made ULTRAdiscs a favorite of the fastest Lotus Challenge Series drivers. Brent B.'s high-power, high-aero, race-winning Exige to our low-power, no-aero Project Nirvana Elise run ULTRAdiscs with excellent results. Reducing unsprung weight will improve your Lotus's performance no matter how it's setup.

Sector111 Podcast- Martin from Girodisc

We spoke with Martin, Principal at Girodisc, about our ULTRAdiscs and all sorts of other brake-related issues in the newest Sector111 Podcast. Martin talks about how and why he started Girodisc, the history of cross-drilled brakes and why manufacturers still offer them & what makes ULTRAdiscs so good!

CLICK HERE to listen to the Sector111 Podcast

ULTRAproven - ULTRAdiscs

2009-10-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

We developed ULTRAdiscs with Girodisc over four years ago. Since then, ULTRAdiscs have proven themselves in almost every manner possible. We combined Martin @ Girodisc’s years of automotive engineering experience (5 years of which were spent at Porsche Engineering Services) and our knowledge of the Lotus Elise/Exige to develop the perfect OE replacement brake solution, the ULTRAdiscs.

ULTRAdiscs have proven their performance and longevity on the street and race track since 2005. It’s the rotor of choice for the fastest Lotus Challenge Series competitors. ULTRAdiscs have been run on the track with fantastic results on cars with high power and massive downforce as well as on N/A cars with no aero. ULTRAdiscs have been proven time and again to deliver regardless of car setup or track.

The race track is a great place to test the performance of products. The extremes of track use are hardly ever duplicated on the street. However, actual street miles are just as hard to duplicate. ULTRAdiscs have spent just as much time proving themselves on the street as they have on the track. The Sector111 Spyder took a set of ULTRAdiscs over to 30,000 miles and still had life left in them! No other rotor on the market can say that.

ULTRAdiscs are the only aftermarket rotors to have been proven on the road and track for as long as they have. They were developed back in 2005 to be lightweight and longlasting. After being put to the test for over four years, we have proof these rotors will deliver!

When it was time to upgrade the brakes on our Project Nirvana, there was only one rotor up to the task: the ULTRAlightweight, ULTRAlonglasting and ULTRAproven ULTRAdiscs.

raceVIEW Install Tips

2009-09-28T08:22:00.001-07:00

We just installed raceVIEW mirrors on Project Nirvana last Friday. These carbon fiber side view mirrors actually save 2lbs of weight plus reduce visual 'weight' as well. The car looks far sleeker now with this addition. Improved forward vision is another bonus as the clunky stock mirror stalks are eliminated opening up your view as your strake those apexes. It's been awhile since we installed raceVIEWs so we refreshed our memories and found some new install tips to share with you.

1. Masking tape is your friend.

We used it to hold the new bolts to our allen wrenches during install
Cover painted areas that you are working on to minimize scratches

2. Use the 2 wrench method to install base plate

Rick came up with the idea of using 2 wrenches to hold the bolts in place while lining up the base plate plate. This works like a charm to line up to the threaded sections of the base plate

3. The angle of the bottom bolt is extreme

This bolt is hard to see when peering through the hole but this picture gives you an idea of how the wrench must be angled

We did not install the new bolts in this location on our last Exige as it was blocked by metal plate. The raceVIEWs never loosened up on the Exige even after 3.5yrs of use. We left them off of our Project Elise as well to see if it will stand up. We did use some serviceable threadlocker on the bolts. We expect it will be fine as our kit is much lighter than the stock mirrors so 2 bolts should be fine....are we channeling our inner Colin Chapman? ;^)

Sector111 Baffled Oil Pan

2009-09-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, engine oil starvation is a real problem for track driven Lotus Elise/Exige. In high 'g' turns, the oil can stand vertically in the stock oil pan starving the pick up and as a result, the rest of the engine. We have been working with a local oil pan specialist to develop a high quality baffled pan that will put the issue to rest.

Project Nirvana has been on our lift for some time to dial in our pan. After several tests, we finally have the first article on the car and onto the road. Oil isolation is a key objective with the pan. We spent significant time insuring the size of the oil isolation area and pick up location. The first picture shows the engine without the stock oil pan. You can see the stock pick up in this shot.

The second picture shows us test fitting a 'skeleton' of the pan to confirm clearance and dimensional fit. This shot gives you a peak inside at the trap door openings that help contain oil close to the pick up. Essentially you create a cavity within the pan that isolates the oil even in high 'g' situations.

Though our pan has more oil capacity than stock, this was of lesser concern as stock cars have plenty of capacity thanks to remote oil coolers. Based on our experience quality of the fabrication and features became a higher priority of us. We want a solution that fixes oil starvation first, is fabricated to a high standard and fits correctly without additional machining. You can see that the welds are beautiful and can be found inside and out with our solution. Additionally we use high quality/performance drain plugs with 0-rings. Our pan mated to the engine beautifully.

We identified a few additional changes that will be incorporated into the final pan. We are now testing ours and will plan to release it as soon as we are complete.

I've been driving Nirvana for a few days and so far no leaks....

Tesla Evaluation @ Sector111

2009-09-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

Tasty Bits for the Tesla are back on track. We originally began working with Tesla's accessories group 2+ yrs ago. Product development was put on hold at Sector111 last year when Tesla shut down this group. The success of the Roadster, has now renewed interest in offering some tasty bits for this sweet little machine. Many Tesla owners have already bought our microMIRROR - in fact Martin Eberhard (Tesla Founder) was the first.

We recently began working with James at EV Components who convinced Eric, a Tesla Roadster owner, to come down to our shop and let us go over his car. It turns out Eric and I 'knew' each other as he had sent me the picture of the Tesla with our stellaCORSE wheels last year. We had developed these wheels in the exact fitment for the Tesla. I hope we can get enough interest in these wheels as the OE forged wheels as supposedly very $$$$$$. Now that the stock wheel appears to be a cast wheel our forged solution will be dramatically lighter which should help the Roadster in many good ways. 8^)

Though we have 220 at the shop, we learned that the 2 different types of outlets we had were not the same as the various connectors Eric brought. This required a trip over to the local hardware and electrical supply store to build a new connector. Eric built the new connector while we proceeded to disassemble portions of his Roadster. Recharging was critical as he needed to get back home which is 100+miles north of here!

We test fit various parts onto the car as well as took measurements. Our Carbon Fiber Hardtop actually fits. The weave on the top is quite different from the roll bar cover that is on the car. This is an aesthetic consideration that can be addressed with new CF fabric. We built our top to be a lighter version of the stock Elise top with a focus on use with track oriented cars. It appears that some Tesla owners are taking their cars to the track so we looked at our various parts to see what might also work on track. We inspected the brakes and suspension and found some opportunities.

We also looked into various lifestyle products that could make the Roadster even easier to live with. The trunk is quite large by our standards but the interior - like the Elise -lacks much in the way of storage. There are several opportunities that we found.

We capped the day off with a quick drive. I was given a ride, 2 years ago, on a visit to Tesla's R&D center in SF but this was the first time I had the pleasure of driving one. At that time I remember saying that the Tesla felt like a sailboat while the Elise was more like a motorboat. The lack of sound - except for the wind whistling - is a serene experience that still reminds me of sailing. The Roadster accelerates almost as fast as my Atom. It really throws you back in the seat - as Eric demonstrated! This car came equipped with the AD07 tires in the same sizes as the stock Elise. During my drive, I could feel the added weight of the batteries as well as the under steer that was dialed into this package. The ride is very comfortable and overall feel is great! This car is a blast and I'm sure the owners are having plenty of fun cruising and commuting in these capable machines.

Thanks to Eric for graciously taking time to share his fantastic machine with us. This is definitely a glimpse of the future.

Ralph from V2 is Flyin'

2009-09-08T08:58:00.000-07:00

Many of you know we have been offering several new innovations from V2 Motorpsorts. The owner, Ralph Provitz is an accomplished driver and engineer. He has decades of experience in both arenas and has earned a Spec Miata Championship as well as running Sportbikes at Daytona. He has been riding or driving some sort of fast machine since a tender young age. yes, he is certified.

He has finally begun shaking down his '06 Exige after months of preparation. Ralph bought this car last year and has been meticulous in his set-up. Several new items were developed from this process including: V2arms, V2linx, V2mounts and the V2 Fuel Tank. The paint job was even designed by him - it is truly unique and bitchin'. Ralph is running the Nitron Track suspension. These are the double adjustable solution we offer. Additionally he is running our Larini 8" exhaust as this track is very strict with the noise limits.

Ralph spent the weekend at Waterford Hills Raceway in MI. This local track is a fairly short track that is favorable to good handling cars. Since his Exige does NOT have a supercharger, good handling and braking is key. He ran 1:15.2 with some heat cycled Hoosier 'A' compound. This is a very fast time for a car that is not yet complete in its development.

Here are some fast times from other cars on this track.

BMW E46M3	1:16.325 (Yoko slicks, coil-over)
Spec Miata	1:18.827 (Lap record set by Alan Faitel 9/2003)
Dodge Viper	1:22.000 (approximate for stock Viper V-10)
ITS 1972 Datsun 240Z	1:18.288 (Nationally Competitive ITS 240Z)

Ralph is coaching and prepping a few cars/teams in the DTW area. His talent has delivered some very competitive drivers and cars. I admire his approach to product development and testing. His ability to drive cars at their limits and then understand what is happening is a key strength. He will be testing out our new baffled oil pan for performance as well as other new innovations we are sorting.

I am glad to have him on our team. Expect more superb products from this partnership!

Atom Power Upgrade

2009-09-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

We have slowly been upgrading components on the Atom to get it to match the Secant Type I powertrain. 280hp/241 ft-lb power output is the target. I secured a new intake and additional radiator for the intercooler system from Tom@Unique to help us get there.

We installed these bits along with a new Laminova endplate that reroutes the coolant through the intercooler in a manner that achieves improved cooling efficiency. Removing the Laminova tubes takes patience and a gentle touch - neither of which I have much of. This picture shows the stock end plate with 2 hose connections. The new endplate has 3 connections to help flow coolant quicker.

We have a larger water pump that we looked at switching but choose to stick with the stock pump for now. The additional plumbing and wiring required for the new pump dissuaded me from tackling that task at this time. Tom & Ryan from Secant assured me that the stock pump should work well.

The new ic radiator from Tom is plumbed in-line with the stock radiator. The coolant now runs in this manner: pump ->1st rad -> 2nd rad -> IC -> pump. I will need to modify the plastic cowl a bit to clear the front frame that supports the rad. The polished frame reveals Tom's hotrodder roots. The welds on this unit are excellent. Nice work Tom!

I'm anticipating much improved cooling and reduced heat soak issues. The new radiator gets high pressure air as it is positioned in the stock location for the intake. We got creative with the hose plumbing and connections and have sorted a neat configuration. The downside is losing the original intake snorkel - but form must follow function!

The stock intake was discarded in favor of Tom's intake. It delivers air in a nice straight shot - unlike the convoluted stock intake. The MAF should also be much happier. We installed this without difficulty. The filter resides just below the remote oil cooler and appears to block some airflow to this rad. Since oil temps have never been an issue for me, this seems like a fair trade off. Nothing comes free.

We swapped out the in-line fuel filter which of course required a special tool. The # of trips I've made to the store is maddening with this upgrade. 8^) I bought a smaller belt as well since the new pulley is smaller. Though the tensioner appeared to take up much of the slack, it was not enough for the stock belt. NAPA is close so I simply bought a smaller one as replacement.

Steve from Secant arrives on Friday to begin the tuning...

V2mounts - Secure & Safe

2009-08-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

I have never been very happy with the mounting options for remote reservoirs on our Lotus. Most suspension companies provide zip ties or band clamps and leave you to find creative places to mount your canisters. The typical place to mount the canisters is the lower a-arms. Though this works, getting the reservoirs tight enough so they don't move during adjustment is tough. Plus they are located in an area that feels vulnerable to road debris. Ralph@V2 came up with a creative solution and sent me a couple to test out.

We installed them on Nirvana last month and ran it at Laguna Seca. Since I only had 2 brackets, I mounted them on the front under the chassis by riveting them. This resulted in a super stiff solution. Reaching in to adjust them was a

snap. We left the rear canisters mounted on the a-arms without the brackets. These remained much less secure as they would move slightly during compression adjustment. On some reservoirs the adjustment is very subtle and any movement can cause you to miss a 'click'. My other concern is adding additional weight to the suspension arms - it is clearly the wrong place.

We decided to order a small batch and assemble a kit we are calling V2mounts. The rear mounts can be installed in a few different locations:

Rear triangulation tube
Rear toe links
Lower a-arms

We like the Rear Triangulation Tube that extends down from the Roll Bar. On the Exige, this is an easily accessible part of the car. Ralph has mounted them here with sweet success. On the Elise it is a bit of a challenge. We've mounted them here BUT upside down on Nirvana. I will run it this way for some time to see how it works. Since most of us don't mess with compression adjustments on

every track outing, this should be less of an issue. Of course the engine will be hot so you have to watch your hands and arms...

I will be using them on my Atom as well to secure my Nitrons. I suspect they may work well on other performance cars.

New Wheel Studs & SS Brake Lines

2009-08-27T07:29:00.001-07:00

We installed a set of our new BULLETstuds onto Project Nirvana. I've used these on my previous Elise and on our last Exige. I love this kit as it makes wheel changes a snap. The quality of the kit is excellent and we have finally sourced some black nuts to keep it discrete. Another key advantage is that it eliminates the need for the Lotus wheel bolt key AND locking key. The lock key was prone to failure and worth eliminating ASAP.

We also installed some new stainless steel brakelines from Girodisc. These are a good addition to any track oriented car. New stock lines are usually adequate for most but over time they begin to deteriorate and soften causing additional softness to an already soft brake pedal.

The red lines add some additional flash to our wheel well area. They also come in a more subdued silver color. You can find them: HERE

Now we need to bleed the brakes....

V2 Fuel Tank Installed on Nirvana!

2009-08-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

We installed the V2 tank on our Elise. The install went smooth. The pump was lodged in quite tight but we managed to extract it intact. The tank is in the car and ready. We are installing a new baffled oil pan so the car is not yet ready to fire up. We will do that later this week and check for leaks.

Atom Intake

2009-08-19T09:34:00.000-07:00

I am eliminating the stock intake on my Atom as it is far too convoluted. The the MAF is located in an area that can not deliver laminar airflow. To meet the aesthetic requirements of the central intake, Brammo developed the twisty intake for the Ecotec cars. I will replace it with a simple 'filter on a stick'.

Tom@UniqueFabrication has already sorted an intake so I have asked him to build one for me. He is also building an inline intercooler that I will install to help with the heat soak issues that plague our Atoms.

Steve@Secant has my ECU and is working his calibration magic. We have already installed the smaller pulley and larger injectors. The tune they have developed for the Lotus Type I will be the base for the Atom. We are confident that this engine can

be safely tuned to 280hp/241ft-lbs.

I had inspected my fuel gaskets and found that they were deteriorating. I am replacing them as part of this overall power upgrade. In the picture, the left gasket came out of the fuel filler neck and the other came from the pump side. Almost everyone is suffering from this issue so please inspect your fuel tank gaskets. Contact TMI for the correct gaskets.

Atom Rear Wing Progress - Strut Fitment Ver2

2009-08-08T12:49:00.000-07:00

Steve from Aerosim stopped in yesterday to fit the latest version of the rear strut. He came out a month earlier and we learned a few tweaks were in order. This version fits well so he will machine the second piece along with the horizontal brace.

These pix show the aero features like the knife edge along the trailing edge of the strut. Notice how the struts are hollowed out but not completely cut through for weight savings while maintaining better aero. Can you tell that Steve worked on the aero on the last Lotus F1 car?

The rear wing is the dual element carbon fiber wing from ReVerie. It is super stiff, strong and a ridiculously light piece. This 5.5lb wonder is properly made from prepreg carbon fiber and autoclaved.

I am opting for the TMI front wing for my Atom. They've sorted a cost effective solution so I will have their front solution with our rear wing. We'll spend some time dialing in the balance as soon as I have them on the car.

ULTRAdiscs Love You Long Time & Now For Less!

2009-08-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

It appears we have made our 2-piece ULTRAdisc rotors almost too good!

We are getting awesome mileage out of our ULTRAdiscs. The Spyder had over 30k miles on ULTRAdiscs - lots of road and track use. Phil@BOE recently informed me that he has gone through 3 sets of ST43s pads (which are brutally aggressive on rotors) on his front ULTRAdiscs and they remain in great shape with plenty more life. His stock OE rear rotors don't appear to be wearing near as well. He also mentioned that a competitive rotor was destroyed by one set of ST43s.

These brakes have been very successfull in LCS. Several of the fastest competitors are running ULTRAdiscs or its big bro the CUPdisc. In fact Brent, the winner at the LCS Laguna Seca event runs ULTRAdiscs. Of course Nirvana is sporting them as well.

We worked carefully with Girodisc 4 years ago to sort out a high end 2-piece rotor. Martin@Girodisc clearly did a great job as we've had nothing but positive feedback from these rotors. The 10lb weight savings, true floating design, corner specific solution and now proven life has made this rotor the best solution on the market. Learn more about these rotors here: Info Sheet

Some of our features have been copied by competition but none have delivered a solution that is as feature laden or has years of track proven history. No reason to gamble with your brakes, our ULTRAdiscs have kicked asphalt for longer than any other solution.

To make things even better, we've ordered 50 car sets to get our cost down. We are reducing our price on a set of 2 to $600. A full car set can now be ordered for $1200. This is a remarkable savings over the original price. Fear not, we're keeping the same spec. We firmly believe you will not find a better, longer lasting rotor on the market.

Nitrons Cleaning Up at Laguna Seca

2009-07-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

Nitron had an unbelievable showing last week at Laguna Seca for the 5th round of the Lotus Challenge Series. The fastest cars in the field were running Nitrons in various configurations. Nitron equipped cars grabbed 5 podiums in the time trial and a 1-2 finish in the club race while posting the fastest times of the week.

One of the most exciting examples of the performance these suspension systems provide was displayed during the club race on Thursday. Brent B., running with the Nitron Race triple-adjustables, and Kevin M., running the Nitron GT3s, had a ten-lap battle that was amazing! Laguna Seca has about three or four good passing areas but, if you make a move off line, you can quickly get yourself in trouble. Despite this, Brent and Kevin really pushed themselves to the limit.

Brent's Exige is HIGHLY modified with extensive aero and Kevin's Exige is running a stock aero setup. Differences in aerodynamic downforce have a significant effect on the suspension system. The adjustability of the Nitrons makes it easy to get the correct suspension settings no matter what kind of aerodynamic upgrades you've made.
In the time trial, Brent came in first, followed by Kevin. In the Forced-Induction class, Andy K. placed first with his Nitron Track double-adjustables, followed by Tim H. running the Nitron Sport Pro single-adjustables. Project Nirvana also made the podium in the stock normally aspirated class running on the Nitron GT3s.

During the week at Laguna Seca, the Nitrons proved they could be extremely fast no matter what car they were bolted to. High-speed or banked corners will bottom out any car running aero and stock suspension as Andy explains in our latest podcast live from Laguna Seca.

The flexibility of Nitrons also allows you to drive your car to and from the track. Andy, running the double-adjustable Nitrons in his Exige S, and Bill, running the Nitron GT3s in our Project Nirvana Elise, both drove the 400+ miles home from Laguna Seca with no problem. Bill was shocked (pardon the pun) at how amazing compliant it was on the highway. We left the suspension at the setting we used at the track and felt no need to soften it up at all. A key reason for the ride compliancy is the Low Speed Compression adjustability. Though triples seem like a race-only solution, they can also be very comfortable on the street as well.

Whether you're a serious racer, enjoy the occasional track-day or just like spirited runs on the twisties, we have the Nitron suspension setup for you. Call us at (951) 296-6762 to get the perfect custom spring rates and shocks for you and your car!

Carbon Hatch from ReVerie - BSK Style

2009-07-22T16:54:00.000-07:00

I am excited to report that ReVerie will soon introduce a rear tailgate/hatch for the Exige. Simon has licensed the design from BSK in Japan and will introduce a hatch made to ReVerie standards - which means very light & very stiff.

The OE tailgate weighs approximately 20lbs. The ReVerie version will weigh much less. The added venting, particularily at the exit of the intercooler, is designed to help extract hot air.

Brent was running a BSK tailgate at Laguna last week. See pic above. It is a serious race piece that looked bad to the bone. We've placed a small order with ReVerie and are looking forward to getting them. Contact us if you are interested.

Many of you know that ReVerie carbon fiber (CF) products are the lightest and strongest CF parts we sell. ReVerie uses prepreg, carbon fiber and autoclaves each part for the best performance. I know of no other CF parts supplier, in the Lotus market, that goes to these lengths - F1 & aerospace processes - to produce CF. Watch our CF Tech Seminar with Simon Farren to learn more: HERE.

Laguna Seca Wrap Up

2009-07-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

We finished off the LCS event with aplomb. Everyone was smiling and having a great time. The weather was spectacular and the competition was friendly yet focused. The LCS guys are serious about their cars/results but still take the time to help each other. This type of camaraderie is truly a wonderful thing. I'm sure, as Jim continues to spread the series, across the country, Lotus owners elsewhere will experience this first hand.

On Friday our LCS run group included other Advanced Drivers that were not necessarily competing - one of which was JoeRacer from LotusTalk. He is running an Exige 'S' and cranking some quick times. I think he would have placed on the podium for sure if he had entered our Time Trial. Several prepped race Porsches and Vipers also joined us. Power is definitely an advantage on this track as a new Viper SRT-10 showed me by leaving me in its wake.

My goal was to get the car under 1min50 - which I finally managed to achieve in the last session and last run! Better late than never. My best final time was 1min49.589. Nirvana ran flawlessly so I was very happy with her. My skills and seat time need some additional sorting. All in all, I am happy as this was my first time with this car and on this track.

The picture above came from Carlos Oliveros who sold us a CD with some great Hi-res shots.