DOT Windshields and the Purpose of the 'Frit'

One crucial automotive component often overlooked is the windshield. While developing our 111glass, we learned some new facts about this product. For those of you who love learning more, this Blog aims to discuss two arcane details: Safety Glass Vs Tempered and the Frit.

Safety Glass does not shatter into a 1000 pieces!

The Evolution of Safety Glass:

Departing from the fragility of early tempered windshields, modern windshields embrace laminated safety glass construction. This actually became a requirement for cars in the US in 1937. Comprising a layer of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) sandwiched between two layers of glass, it ensures enhanced safety in the event of breakage as shown in the above image.

1000s of pieces of Tempered glass

Tempered glass on the other hand was originally used on windshields. This glass will shatter into many small pieces and is therefore not a great product for windshields. It is still used on side glass.

DOT Glass Standards and Homologation:

The 111glass adheres to the Department of Transportation (DOT) standards, meeting stringent guidelines for thickness and durability. Produced by a North American OE windshield supplier, it is homologated to comply with both North American, UK and European safety requirements. Correct DOT markings are incorporated, ensuring seamless adherence to local inspection standards.

Foggy Lexan on the preresto 111RS002

Optics play a crucial role in choosing safety glass as it provides superior visibility without compromising clarity, far surpassing the performance of Lexan race windshields. Our original ArtCar had a Lexan windshield as did 111RS002 - until we changed it to glass.

Lexan is great on a race car but the optics for the street are subpar with fogging and scratching challenges that will frustrate the normal street driver.

The Frit: The What & The Why

Beyond safety, the 111glass incorporates Frits. What is a Frit? It is the black dots that you see on the edges on the windshield.

The term "frit" refers to the enamel band applied around the periphery of the windshield. This enamel, essentially composed of glass ground into a fine powder and mixed with various pigments and additives, is applied to the glass in a paste form through a silk-screening process. Subsequently, the glass undergoes heating in a furnace, causing the frit to meld with the surface, establishing a permanent bond.

Our '111' is actually sandwiched within the glass along with the Frit.

What does the Frit do?

1. Promotes Adhesion

The most important aspect of the Frit to enhance adhesion with the glue that holds the windshield to the frame.

2. UV Protection

The Frit covers the adhesive that is used and reduces degradation that comes from UV exposure.

3. Cosmetic Transition

The black dots create a smooth transition from the black to clear portions of the windshield.  This helps to ease the eyes and makes for a more attractive installation.

4. Distortion Reduction

Some windshields, including the Elise, have significant curvature that can cause distortion during the manufacturing process.  The Frit helps to reduce this visually by hiding it.

2ZZGE Water Pump Failures

 We are starting to notice that more water pumps are failing on the 2ZZGEs.  We are finding even cars with low miles are starting to see this issue.  

If you are noticing that your coolant bottle level is dropping, have a look at the weep hole on the pump, as shown below.  The white/pink residue collecting on the housing is an easy way to note that the pump is giving up!

Toyota water pumps are available.  Be sure to get one with the plastic impeller blades.

another leaky pump

Seals may be failing due to lack of driving!  Of course, cars with higher mileage will benefit from a proactive swap.  If you car is over 75k miles, I would budget for a service.

2023 Summary & 2024 Projections

snuck in a 111glass here...

 Another year passes as we continue to make advances!  Honestly, it has been a tough year but your support and some good ole 'nose-to-grindstone' has made 2023 a decent one.  We grew ever so slightly but it certainly took some 'small business hustle' to get it done!  A grey recessionary cloud has been over our heads for the last few years, leaving us somewhat nervous - but we're now slowly, but surely, finding the courage to invest in the future.  I've summarized some of our achievements below and wrap up with projections for 2024 and onwards.  We continue to build this company to support the 111 platform and grow further to become the go-to shop for niche and supercars of all types in the Temecula Valley.

Parts

We introduced 11 new products or production derivations in 2023.  We launched a couple of big items, a few medium items and a few small easy to do bits as well.  The shiftR111 2.0, 111glass and RS343 were probably our biggest new products.  The DOT glass windshield required a huge tooling investment that will take years to pay off but we are glad we made the leap to ensure you have access to a critically important component.  The RS343 turned out even better than we thought!  Our Tcable fixes an ever increasing issue that is plaguing earlier cars with higher miles.  The LEDkit is another tasty bit that makes these cars fun to drive at night - fixing those woeful stock lights.  We reissued the subSTIFFY2 and created a Special Edition ETHOS wheel.  Our Emira  Decat landed before the actual car - at least in North America!

Driving the Tail of the Dragon was a hoot!

R&D

We completed the tune for the KATANA3 and have been really happy with how it is running.  Kits are shipping in early Jan.  A related development is advances we have made with tuning the ECU.  Our partner, Brent@Xclusive Tuning has advanced our abilities to the point that we believe we are the leaders in our control and understanding of these ECUs.  We continue to learn more and will be attempting CARB certification for the KATANA3 this year.  The Evora Stage II tune that we developed showed a 40hp bump and promises even more.  A couple of new Nitron innovations are coming.  We have been testing a new 46mm Single on our 111RS and will release it this year.  Their Emira solutions are also coming together.

Service

We serviced over 100 cars in 2023.  Cars from all over the country have been sent to us for work.  At the time of this writing, we have cars from CA, TX, OR, GA and SD.  We're proud to work on these cars and flattered that owners are willing to send their cars across the country to get our form of TLC.  We want to see these modern Lotus on the roads for decades to come and continue to invest in our service capabilities to ensure we can meet your needs.  To that end, we've added another excellent technician who hails from Ferrari of SanDiego.  Jorge joins Carlos to give us a team that can service sportscars of all types.

Collision

We repaired a dozen cars in 2023 that needed collision work.  Keeping these cars on the road is important to us.  Bringing a few back from being totalled warms our enthusiast hearts!  

111RS #002

Cars

We finished another 111RS and started two more builds in 2023.  These cars are getting real attention from drivers looking for a pure driving experience.  Our comprehensive upgrades enhance the cars and are winning over many owners.  As we find new improvements, we have been incorporating them into each build.

Equally important is that we restarted production of our Drakan Spyder.  We had secured all the remaining IP that we did not own, during COVID, but it took until last year for us to gather the resources to restart production.  Cars #8 & 9 are in build.  Supply chain challenges remain the biggest hurdle as we discover certain parts are no longer available - the steering rack has confounded us much of 2023 but we have a solution in the works.  We plan to build up to 6 more this year if the Lightweight Gods remain smiling...

Drakan #9

Another new project that we've managed in 2023 is selling an ICE to EV conversion for a Jag XKE.  We partnered with Electrogenic to offer their bolt-in solutions for several classic cars.  I believe there is a market for these products as most people are getting accustomed to the ease and reliability of EVs vs ICE - especially in old cars that often sit broken.  These conversions are breathing new life into cars that have otherwise been languishing unused.

Events

We hosted or attended over 10 events in 2023 not including the cars & coffee events!  From Miami, to TN to Detroit to Fremont along with England and more.  It was great to meet up with many of you and see your cars.  One of my great joys with this business is getting to hang out with like-minded car folks.  The Tech Seminar we hosted with Brent was our first where we allowed clients to attend on-line.  Expect more of these in 2024.

  

2024 Projections

We will be doing more of the same in 2024 that we accomplished in 2023.  

We are shooting to deliver 3-6 111RS in '24 and 6 Drakans.  EV conversions are in our gun sights with one already booked in for Feb.   We will expand our Service offerings into more sports cars with the goal of becoming the best shop for supercar service in the Temecula Valley.  

I plan to travel as much, maybe more, to see many of you.  LOG will be in Austin this year and we will be there with a 111RS.  I'm sure another trip to England will happen along with a much overdue trip to Japan.  A trip to Canada is possible along with my hometown, Detroit.  West Coast Lotus Meet will be held so a NorCal trip is guaranteed.  At least two Tech Seminars and a new HQ Warming Party (see below) are planned along with a Track Day or two and possibly a Wine Run.

We've identified several products that we plan to develop and introduce in 2024.  Our goal to keep the 111 cars on the road helps focus what parts we work on.  Expect some sexy items and a few more mundane items.  Emira parts are high on the list as they begin deliveries.  We sold our first tasty bit in 2004 - 20yrs ago!

The biggest recent development is that we should be in a building of our own.  We have found a building and opened escrow in Dec '23.  We will share it with my other company, Brand Assassins, as they need space as well.  Assuming the SBA loan process goes smoothly, we should be holding keys in March!

Needless to say, 2024 is going to be a fun year.  Delivering high quality parts and service remains our key mission and we appreciate all of you who continue to support us!