My first RWD and turbo car

I simply can't believe anyone could be this stupid :confused:


Unfortunately the wrong way to do it is pretty instinctual, an Elise starts to understeer and the first thing most drivers will do is add more lock and stamp on the brakes, what I was taught on driver training (and probably the only reason my car remained on the road) is that to correct understeer in an Elise you need to remove lock to get front end grip again. It feels very unnatural and it was one of the many things that taught me what a pants driver I am when it all goes wrong.
 
:confused:
VX220 - Lotus worked on by Lotus & styled/engined by GM
Elise - Lotus designed/styled with a Rover engine popped in the back.


Unless I have missed part of the story?

It's usually used in jest... The Z22se engine was designed by Lotus for GM.

I simply can't believe anyone could be this stupid :confused:

You can't see how it is done? Driver steers into a corner but the car continues straight on and they now have less space to complete the same turn so add more steering lock. Just watch Top Gear SIARPC section for full lock understeer into the grass.

I must get on a walshy day soon. :)
 
How much of a lotus does that make my VX? :p

My engine is a Lotus designed GM block bought from Lotus (via a Vauxhall Specialist) with a Lotus designed SAAB head and sump.

:p
 
Completely different cars from my experience. The NA has a reasonably light engine in the back with a pretty linear power delivery whereas the turbo has a big hunk of iron in the back with laaag, wham power delivery - not great mid corner.

If you think the VX is the best balanced car you've driven, try and Elise/Exige and prepare to question the laws of physics. The VX handles well but it's no Lotus. Whoever thought that fitting 17s all round with 175 tyres wants shooting. (unless it was somebody at Lotus having a laugh at Vauxhall's expense)

I'll give you that, I've not driven the turbo.

I haven't driven an Elise, but I have driven an S1 Exige on track. The Exige had hugely more more grip and as a result was harder to reach the limits of the car, since you were going that much faster! Still a fantastic car though. I should be out in a S2 Exige soon, so I'm looking forwards to that.

The feedback I had from some of my friends who were S1 elise owners was that the VX was a little easier on the limit, in part because the vauxhall engine had more torque and was more flexible than the rover.

If you're not up to anything tomorrow please pop along to North Weald and show me how it's done. There will be a lot of people who will be happy to be shown how to sit with big tail out angles in an Elise/Exige/VX through a high speed lefthander.

If that's an offer I'd be more than happy to :D

The only times I've come close to binning my Elise on the road have been through understeer. I think Mr Walsh explains why so many cars are binned through 'oversteer' very well, the understeer is (not) corrected by added more and more lock, eventually the front end grips and has far more steering lock than is needed causing the back end to break away which is interpreted by the amateur driver as oversteer.

You are absolutely correct about this. It's an incredibly common mistake even among experienced drivers.

Driver: "Oh that car has terrible snap oversteer, its undrivable"
Instructor: "You are actually generating too much understeer. Carry less speed into the corner and use less steering "
Driver "LOLWUT?"
Instructor :rolleyes:


Following MikeHiow's comments - I'm off to buy a Proton.

To be fair on Mike, since the VX was even built on the same production line as the Elise, and taking into account the engine, his tongue in cheek comment isn't that far off!
 
It's quite simple...

Elise - Lotus car, Rover engine.
VX220 NA - Lotus car, Lotus engine.

The fact Vauxhall put some crap wheels and a badge on it is neither here nor there given the context of my comment ;)
 
It's quite simple...

Elise - Lotus car, Rover engine.
VX220 NA - Lotus car, Lotus engine.

The fact Vauxhall put some crap wheels and a badge on it is neither here nor there given the context of my comment ;)

Does that mean the old Seat Ibiza has a Porsche engine.

By your logic many engines would be Ricardo engines then...
 
Does that mean the old Seat Ibiza has a Porsche engine.

By your logic many engines would be Ricardo engines then...

No, it would mean the engine was more Porsche than another engine that wasn't developed in colaboration with Porsche.

Similarly, the 2.2 engine found in the VX220 it more Lotus than the K-Series which was not developed by Lotus.

Thus -

Elise S1 111S (which is the NAs VX220's closest counter-part IIRC) was built by Lotus, has Lotus chassis and Rover engine

VX220NA was built by Lotus, has a Lotus chassis and a Lotus developed engine.

I'm failing to see where the confusion is :)
 
No, it would mean the engine was more Porsche than another engine that wasn't developed in colaboration with Porsche.

Similarly, the 2.2 engine found in the VX220 it more Lotus than the K-Series which was not developed by Lotus.

Thus -

Elise S1 111S (which is the NAs VX220's closest counter-part IIRC) was built by Lotus, has Lotus chassis and Rover engine

VX220NA was built by Lotus, has a Lotus chassis and a Lotus developed engine.

I'm failing to see where the confusion is :)

You said the VX220 engine was a "Lotus engine". It is not, it's a GM engine that Lotus helped to develop. Lotus do not manufacture or even build the engine.

Lotus did their own development work on the K series, making the 190bhp VHPD engine, so is an Elise with a VHPD engine more of a Lotus than the standard car?
 
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