Seats & Safety

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

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

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 transELIXIR 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

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!

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

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

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

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

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.