Gadgets

Freefaller said:
Good point - didn't think of that - though do they not get hot when you put the heater on full blast?
Click to expand...

Not sure how other people have done it but i'm going to get some blanking disks and seal the vents off with just enough room for the gauge to be mounted in, i mean its such a small cabin no need for center vents and the extra air will just come out the side ones :)

I will post some pictures once i've done mine :)
 
Sorry to hi-jack the thread, but here's what I'm in the process of doing...

wholedash.jpg


gauges.jpg


Looks a bit better now... these pictures are a few weeks old.

I haven't blanked out the vents yet, but will get around to it before the gauges are wired in permanently. They're at the perfect viewing angle and look really smart when lit up at night.

If you're worried about the gauges heating up when the heater is running, just set it to blow air onto the windscreen/footwell area. No hot air will get up to the centre vents then.
 
Last edited:
Nice tidy job there. :p

I had a bloomin smoked gauge. Got so ****** off with not being able to read it very welll during the day I took the glass screen off. Looks far better now.

Oh and pillar mount for the win. Can still see the gauges, and use my vents. ;)

gauges.jpg


fiatdash.jpg
 
Bug One said:
Nice tidy job there. :p
Click to expand...

:D It's getting better every day... and the centre console is getting retrimmed anyway, so it'll be pretty smart when it's all done. Will probably spray it black when it's smooth just to hide the filler until I can afford to get it retrimmed.

I did think about getting an A-pillar gauge holder, but for 3 gauges, it'd take up a hell of a lot of room and stick out like a sore thumb. I wanted it to be part of the dash.

I do like yours though. Never seen the Coupe's dash before and I like it a lot!
 
Good old pininfarina. ;)

I really liked the dash of my Rover. I sprayed it all to remove the wood and then sprayed the centre console to match. Looked really smart after that.

roverinterior.jpg


How about spraying the gauge surround and the temp dial surround the same red as you've done the wooden trim on the dash. Would look good colour coded.
 
eidolon said:
I've got a steering wheel, some pedals, seats and a gearstick, what else do I need?

Glovebox - nope
Electric windows - nope
Aircon - nope
Airbags - nope
Power steering - nope
Etc....

Having an Elise really does make you re-evaluate what you actually do need in a car. I used to love my gadgets but I honestly don't miss any of them now.
Click to expand...
i thought airbags were compulsory.
how does the Elise get around this?
 
The_Dark_Side said:
i thought airbags were compulsory.
how does the Elise get around this?
Click to expand...


Airbags are not compulsory on any vehicle, it is just manufacturers use them to help get a pass in various crash test legislations, it makes life easier for them to have them fitted when they can.

IIRC In the US they do have airbags on the Elise, probably because of their litigationary nature.

On an Euro Elise the steering wheel is smaller and further away from the occupant so in the crash testing we did for Lotus on the Elise, they could get away without an airbag because of a bit of jiggery pokery.

Basically as the regulations state that the drivers seat must be in the mid position of its logitudinal travel when tested, Lotus made sure that the steering wheel was far enough away that the occupants head missed the crown of the wheel in the crash test, or at least only just brushed it therefore not giving a high HIC (Head Injury Criteria).


EDIT
Have just looked up the info, the early Elise did not have an airbag because no one made one small enough for the steering wheel. Later models do have airbags as Lotus have now found a company that can fit small airbags.
That is why they can now sell the cars in the states, because there it is law to have an airbag fitted, here it is not yet compulsory.
Early model Elise can not be sold in the states.
 
Last edited:
Bug One said:
Good old pininfarina. ;)

I really liked the dash of my Rover. I sprayed it all to remove the wood and then sprayed the centre console to match. Looked really smart after that.



How about spraying the gauge surround and the temp dial surround the same red as you've done the wooden trim on the dash. Would look good colour coded.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I did like your centre console. Think mine would look a bit gash in red though ;)

Funnily enough, the red paint I used on the heater controls is the same as the wood strip on the dash. It's just because the heater control is lower down, it doesn't get as much light in the picture and thus looks darker. In real life, the wood trim and heater vents are pretty much bang on to match the seats.

I guess I could spray the gauge surround red. Perhaps mask off a portion of the console so that it has a black border around it... although I'm not sure if that'll work.

Can't decide on anything until it's been smoothed in properly.
Click to expand...
 
Entai said:
Airbags are not compulsory on any vehicle, it is just manufacturers use them to help get a pass in various crash test legislations, it makes life easier for them to have them fitted when they can.
Click to expand...
well i stand corrected...said the man in the orthopaedic shoes.
 
I have to say, having next to no gadgets in my car has made me re-evaluate my thoughts on the subject, i'll be happy if my next car has Central locking, as the only gadget i really have at the moment is electric mirrors.
 
The_Dark_Side said:
well i stand corrected...said the man in the orthopaedic shoes.
Click to expand...


That's no problem, we are here to serve,...... said the waiter to the tennis pro :o

That is also why you can't fail an MOT with an airbag warning light showing, because you don't legally need the airbag fitted at all.
 
Just a satnav in mine (Garmin Nuvi 300), standard Honda CD player so no MP3s for me:(

Edit- actually the satnav does play MP3s but the speakers aren't good enough for music, there's probably a way of connecting the satnav to the cars speakers but I can't be bothered with it:p
 
Last edited:
Got an Elise so what Eidolon said!

I do take an ipod, ipaq with tomtom5 on it and a bt gps though.... As well as climbing kit and some shades!
 
The current Lotus product range all now have the ugly steering wheel from the VX220, with airbag
icon13.gif
.

Ditto the Elise comments. Although I do have a tomtom ONE.
 
Entai said:
That is also why you can't fail an MOT with an airbag warning light showing, because you don't legally need the airbag fitted at all.
Click to expand...
isn't that going to change though?
a bit like the spare tyre thing.
no fail to have no tyre, fail to have a tyre thats illegal.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom