Lotus Emira Turbo Tuning

 

Brent has been tuning the Emira Turbo and getting good results.  The car has three modules that can control the power: ECU, GCU & CPC.  We initially focused on the ECU after getting it unlocked.  This is done out of state by a trusted vendor.  We can then tune it.  

Brent's Tech Talk

The first tunes felt like the car was making good increases.  Putting the car back on the dyno revealed we weren't making much more than stock.  Torque is what most of us feel during acceleration.  Our initial tune made an additional 10 ft-lbs.  Interestingly, another Emira Turbo client was able to try this out and he noticed that difference.

A few additional days of tuning uncorked more, much more.  See below.

We will release the car to the client who will drive it and give us some feedback.  We can make additional changes as needed.  The OBDII port has been unlocked through our service so in the future or plan is to be able to flash through this port.  For now, we are bench flashing the ECU.

The CPC module is getting attention now.  It is not like the CPC modules found in the AMG cars so we have some work to do to unlock it.  These modules also control full output and will be key to making more power than what can be achieved with the ECU alone.  

Project 996 Road Rallye: Part 15

We've made some great progress on the 996RR with the exterior almost complete. The arrival of the wheels/tires plus the completion of the bodywork allowed us to start bolting the car together. 

One of the more controversial ideas that we have is to use bed liner on the fascias and the rockers.  These areas get alot of stone impact and are prone to be damaged with canyon/track use.  This car's fascias/rockers were pretty rough and in need of paint so we chose to bed liner them instead!

I believe 'form follows function' and decided to add ventilation holes to the rear fascia where the exhaust/mufflers reside.  It allows heat to flush out the back more effectively.  I have not seen anyone in the Porsche community doing this so I suspect we may get some push back...

We first did this on the Elise by opening up the rear of the car to expose the exhaust.  This application is not as aggressive looking but still something that not all folks will like - we think over time, people will get on board with this idea.

Of course we decided to pull out the heat shielding as well to save some weight.  We lined the inner fascia with heat shielding that we have used over the years on our race car and Drakan builds.

Here are some graphics ideas that we rendered.  Final concept is TBD...

Yes, I like the Mobil Pegasus!

New Rear Brake Caliper Testing

The stock rear brake caliper has been replaced with a 2 piston caliper that resembles the stock front.  This one has a smaller piston so the brake bias should be acceptable.  

Since we have installed a brake bias adjuster in place of our ABS module/block, we have the ability to further tune the bias.  Recent testing at the track proved we should be able to dial this in.

As we have written in the past, Black Ice Mode, is one of the weaknesses of the stock ABS system.  This is not a great performance biased ABS system so we have been defeating it for years on our track cars - first on our ArtCar1 with great results.

KATANA Bracket Revision

 We are always looking to make improvements to our parts based on feedback - often times our own techs will develop ideas from installing our parts.  The nose bracket we developed with the KATANA3 has now received some TLC and attention as a result.

We've added an additional notch to the bracket that eases clearance and improves fitment.  A small change but a good one!

Project 996 Road Rallye: Part 14

Yes, the front wheel styling is different from the rear  - a bit like our Drakan!

 The Braid wheels have arrived and they look amazing.  Of course we had to weigh them.  Our wheels are 102.2lbs (all 4 wheels) vs 108lbs for the stock 18" rims.  Our front wheels are considerably lighter but the rears are heavier.  

We chose two different wheel styles as discussed in a previously post. Our Drakan Spyder was the first car that I've used different wheels - front to rear.  We chose the light weight option that adds some additional machining to the face of the wheels to shave off more weight.  

Frankly I am happy that the fronts are so light as that will help with feel.  Braid are known to produce strong wheels - which is more important to me for a car that must negotiate broken road surfaces.

Since we went with the 'inch-down' on these wheels, we are looking at tire options that will work.  I've decided not to go with bigger diameter wheels as the additional tire sidewall height provided by the smaller wheels should be enough to meet our compliance needs.  I expect the turn-in to be a bit slower but thanks to the GT3 swaybars, we should have improved turn-in response anyhow.