RS343, KATANA3 & shiftR111 2.0 Calibrations and Testing

 We've made some good advances recently with product development.  This Blog will discuss a few of them.  The KATANA3 has made more power than we expected, shiftR 2.0 has passed our testing and RS343 have passed an even stricter JWL spec.  Our DOT glass windshield is also moving along nicely.

shiftR111 2.0

We wrapped up approximately 1000 road miles on two shiftR 2.0 prototypes in two different Elises.  We installed a proto onto our ArtCar2 and ran it for 100 miles at Spring Mountain.  See quick videos below and HERE.

The kit is working out well.  We found a couple of issues that we are addressing with some design and build changes.  Failures during testing can be frustrating but help make the product better.  We've kicked off production parts and expect to see them later this Summer.

KATANA3

Brent came in to do some tuning on our KATANA3.  Here's a quick video of him during his last visit: HERE.  On this visit, he was keen to try some new injectors so we tested them out.  They are modified OEM injectors and really delivered a significant improvement.  Brent landed on 233 hp at the wheels.  This is more the 10hp more than we achieved with KATANA2.  See the dyno below.  We will let the car settled in and check it again.  Then we will start the CARB process to see if we can release a truly street-legal solution.

We plan to release our KATANA3 later this Fall.  The windshield tooling investment delayed our ability to get this on the market sooner but we will get there as soon as we can afford to!

RS343: Monolite II

Our new Monolite IIs have passed the latest JWL spec testing.  Our Supplier sent us these pictures of the sample wheels undergoing the various dynamic tests.  We will get the test samples sent to us shortly.  Production parts are in process and expected later this Summer.  

DOT Glass Windshield

We met with our Supplier on a recent visit to Detroit.  They are making good progress on the windshield.  Our DOT glass windshield will be a direct replacement for the OEM.  We're investing in the tooling to encapsulate the glass with a plastic molding that runs along the a-pillar and header (see below).

We are on track for an August delivery.  We will have them in individual packs along with bulk packaging.

One innovation that we are attempting is to add protection to the leading edge of the windshield.  This is a vulnerable portion that can crack - more than one hapless clam removal has resulted in a cracked windshield!

Emira Test Drive: Impressions

 

Last week, I had the pleasure of properly driving a new Lotus Emira on the roads surrounding AutoEurope (Lotus of Detroit).  We've known Tom Schick for 20 years and have been doing business with them as long.  They are one of the best Lotus Dealers in the country and every bit as enthusiastic about the brand as we are.  Tom and his crew were willing to show me the ropes with the car - in fact this car has more tech than any previous model so it was great to get a proper orientation.

Overall the car is really fun and a nice enhancement over the Evora 400 or GTs.  Dynamically I would say it is not better but the interior and technology make it a great evolution.  In fact, I would say the car is an evolution not a revolution.  It should appeal to a broader audience than any previous offering from Lotus so hopefully will bring more sales and new clients into the Dealers.  

So let's talk about performance impressions and then I will list some interesting creature comfort/convenience items that caught my attention.

Driving Impressions:

The car has supportive seats that are not race buckets.  The steering wheel is fully adjustable for rake and reach.  This is important as the steering wheel to shifter is not as perfect as an Elise but can be dialed in to fit the driver fairly well.  Pedal box is shifted to the center of the car so be prepared to adjust your feet.  Driving shoes are important as the pedals are close - not nearly as tight as the Elise.  Doc Martins are not your friend when driving an Emira in a spirited manner.  The side view mirrors are excellent and superior to the Evora.  The steering wheel shape is odd but I imagine I would get used to it.   The digital display is not really great as I would prefer to see needles (even fake) sweeping around a gauge.  But it is intuitive and easy enough to monitor rpms and speed.

The car handles well and is a proper GT.  Steering feel remains true to Lotus.  It is comfortable, this car has the Touring (Sport) Suspension.  I would not want the Sport Suspension if I lived with rough roads like I drove around MI or frankly in CA.  Brakes stop well.  I could take this car on road trips with pleasure.  The handling would make hustling her through canyons a blast.  On this test drive, I was able to find some joy on freeway exits/on ramps and a few twisties.  She put a smile on my face.

I was just informed (6/16/23) that the car I drove had the Sport Suspension not the Touring.  The tires were the Eagle F1 - which are the Touring tires.  Touring might then be the perfect choice for those who live with rough roads.  Or a consideration would be to get a second set of rims and mount the F1s to them to help 'soften' a Sport Pack car.

The exhaust is every bit as sweet as the V6 Evora S/400/GT.  This car offers 3 distinct exhaust levels based on Touring, Sport or Track settings.  Each setting opens the valve in order to get more sound.  It works well and I suspect most people will not be opting for a sport muffler.  Though the 3.5ltr can be made to sound even more exotic so we will be obligated to comply!

There is no point in comparing this car to an Elise/Exige.  Apples and Oranges in my humble opinion.  The 111 platform is a go-kart while the Emira is a GT.

The bottom-line with this car is that it works like proper sportscar should and could be used daily.  If you have a 400/GT there is no reason to trade for one of these unless you daily your car.  Keep reading why you might want to trade up Emira instead...

Modern Features:

Lotus have incorporated many thoughtful features into the Emira that will appeal to clients looking for a car with modern tech and features.  I would say it has less than many modern cars but much more than any other past Lotus (not including upcoming EVs like the Eletre).  I like the interior design alot.  It is clean and modern,  I think it will age well (design-wise).

The center stack display looks like a tablet and has many options to customize the car for a specific driver.  Some of the features are duplicated with actual buttons or knobs on the center console or with buttons on the steering wheel.

Cell shelf along with duplicate buttons

Here are a few items that caught my attention:

plug in your cell

• Cell phone shelf with slot for charging cord

• Additional USB ports in the center console
• Charge port on the side of the Rear View Mirror to plug in your radar detector or other accessory
• Kef stereo that sounds great!
• Cubbies in the door
• Large shelf behind the seats for bags
• Trunk that can accomodate golf bags
• Passenger airbag shut-off switch in the glovebox
• 'Exposed' shifter mechanism
• Seat position presets

Charge port

Rear shelf and 12V outlet

Passenger airbag shut-off

Break-in, Testing & Failure: KATANA3, shiftR 2.0 & More

 

Testing continues with various new parts we plan to introduce.  We had some wins and one failure.  Running parts on our cars first is our mantra so our clients are getting the best experience.  Though this has not been 100% successful, it has kept us in good stead.

Let's start with the failure - new fuel pump.  Last year, we had trouble sourcing a Denso pump that we had been selling for years on cars making 300hp.  We decided to test out a new pump, from another OEM supplier, Delphi.  This pump was fitted to our last Outlaw and run for nearly a year, on the road and track.  It ran in our Outlaw that we ran up Palomar Mtn Hill Climb last year.  We transferred it to our latest 111RS to continue racking up miles.  Unfortunately it failed almost immediately.  But the 'failure' snuck up on us.  The car ran fine under 6000rpms - which is where we were running it for a 100 miles or so while we broke in our newly built Mountune engine.  Once we started dipping into the second cam, the car would hesitate.  We data logged and saw the AFRs going lean.  It took us a bit to get it figured out but swapping in a stock pump solved our problem.  The funny thing is that the Delphi pump is actually made by Denso.

The KATANA3 on our car is running great.  I hammmered the car up and down the mountain and our back canyon roads.  Our Calibrator, Brent, is coming in a couple of weeks to do some final tuning.  We will get it onto a dyno then and see how she is doing.  The engine still has less than 500 miles on it and it would be ideal if she had over 2000 miles before the dyno.  That is not likely this time so we will probably dyno her again later this Summer.

I'm digging the all silver colorway- with the cherry on top!

The shiftR111 2.0 version that has been in my car is doing fine.  We made a couple of tweaks as there was spring related issue that we had noticed and the reverse lock-out.  As it turns out, we were able to sort out the lock-out with shifter cable adjustments.  The spring issue was related to us not torquing the CG mechanism fully.  Sorted.

So far I don't feel any negatives with this kit.  The overall feel is better especially since the reverse lock-out works super smoothly.  This is a HUGE improvement over our previous version but tempered by the fact that you really don't use it that much.  Regardless, it now works better and each time you select Reverse, you will do it smoothly.  Shifting into each of the gears feels as good as with our original, if not marginally better.  The bearing design is technically superior so it should feel better...

Chillin' at the RSF Cars & Coffee

I am running a set of Nitron 46mm Singles on this car with softer springs than we used to run.  The car feels really good but we can make it even better.  I think we will call our man Dave T in for some Ride & Handling work.  Especially with Nitron setting up their North American operations here in town, we will be able to develop a kit suited to our over rough canyons.  

This car is also running the OS Giken LSD.  What an awesome bit of kit!  We introduced these back in 2010 and they have been favored by all the fastest guys.  It still amazes me how it allows you to put the power down sooner - especially on our bumpy roads.  This is really a must have for any pushing their Lotus hard - especially if you are about to get your gearbox rebuilt.