MarkKassim

Just an update , the Federal system is now on Group Buy under Site Sponsors https://forums.thelotusforums.com/topic/122093-alunox-combined-product-group-buy-for-giugiaro-stevens-esprit-turbo/#comment-1041595

Hi , just an update , group buy up here Mark

321 Stainless Steel Manifolds/Rear Systems This is a combined product group buy for both the Giugiaro and Peter Stevens Esprit for 10 to 12 items. So if you’re looking for a new manifold or a rear system then this will count as an item on this group buy. This combined product approach should help us get the numbers more quickly if you’re interested. For those of you who haven’t seen the upgrades before, a recap on the history of the company and the product: Alunox are an long established engineering company that supply the motorsport industry with tailor made high end exhaust systems, made of exotic materials such as Inconel, Titanium and 321 Stainless Steel etc. They also supply BAC cars with a full light weight for their current production car, the Mono. Alunox took on the job of redesigning the original cast manifold for the 4 cylinder Esprit due to its high failure rate and short life cycle. They are direct replacements for the existing cast items. The manifolds are made from 321 Stainless Steel, a must for turbo applications to provide a fracture proof construction. The flanges are cut out of Stainless Steel and CNC machined to give an accurate fit. The collectors use burns double slip joints to allow movement during the heat cycle accompanied by the pivoting brace mounted at the back of the head. This setup maximises the protection against shock loading. Main Production Process Techniques: TIG welding is used throughout for all for all components along with purge systems for optimum quality, giving a smooth inner surface, high corrosion resistance and complete fusion. All tubes are bent using a mandrel to maintain consistent diameters and maximise flow High precision dedicated jigs used throughout to maintain accuracy and product consistency. Products on offer: Giugiaro Full System The wastegate is a Turbosmart compgate 40 mounted on V-Bands which is included in the manifold kit Giugiaro Federal Full System Stevens manifold Both manifolds come with the fitting kit as below The kit for the manifold includes all gaskets, stainless steel nuts and brace consisting of a fully adjustable turnbuckle for easy fitting. The downpipes are all equal length mandrel bent tubes which increase the pulse tuning effect greatly over the standard non equal length log cast configuration of the original unit. In addition to this flow is also maximized due to the smooth internal surfaces arranged to fit within the space available, unlike the rough flaking internal bores of the original. The collector is a CNC machined single piece for maximum durability and strength. It also offers an option for the Stevens Cars to run an external wastegate. The manifold has been proven to withstand all the temperatures and conditions produced by the Esprit due to the 321 Stainless steel properties. Even at normal driving speeds the exhaust gas temperatures are typically 750 to 850 °C and greater during track use. The manifold is lighter than the original cast unit weighing only 6 Kg. All these attributes produce a durable high quality product with proven gains in both power, torque and turbo lag reduction. It has been dyno tested as seen in the video below on a highly modified Esprit running at 424 BHP and 409 lb ft torque. Further gains have been made since the video was made. Further in-depth technical info on this can be found on Dave Changes thread http://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/topic/55155-exhaust-manifold-design-test-result/ It has also been track tested and driven hard without fail. Look for feedback on the forum about performance gains. Stevens Stainless Twin Rear System Single Exit Rear System Titanium Rear System for Stevens Normal Prices Stevens manifold £1650 + VAT. Stevens Stainless rear system £950 + VAT same price for twin or single exit Stevens Titanium rear system £2000 + VAT same price for twin or single exit Giugiaro manifold and waste gate £2600 + VAT. Giugiaro rear system £1200 + VAT. Giugiaro federal manifold and waste gate £2600 + VAT. Giugiaro federal turbo back rear system £1200 + VAT. Note an additional link pipe will be required if you want the Alunox G car manifold to work with the existing rear system. Group Buy Prices These are the prices I’ve agreed with Alunox as you can see the group buy goes in stages depending on the numbers we can generate. Alunox reserve the wright to end the group buy at their discretion. These prices exclude VAT and do not cover fitting and shipping, I will quote separately. Let me know if you are interested in any of the above and I can put your name down Thanks, Mark

Hi Bibs , funny you should mention it , I have one under construction at the moment , just finalizing prices. It will cover Esprit's Stevens, Giugiaro (+Federal ). This time it will cover all the Alunox products in one group buy , shall I put it up under Site Sponsors & FFM Discounts as before. Mark

Hi another update from Alunox, they now have the full system designed for HCI federal Esprit As well as the other full systems for G and Stevens cars . Here are some shots of the new HCI full system which is a 3” Direct replacement for the original. The is built to the usual Alunox standard , Mandrel bends, purge welded and V bands etc. I can get full specs if needed. Alunox can now offer the full systems for the G, HCI and Stevens Esprit and are open to a mixed Group Buy. Could you give me some idea if you would have an interest in this and what model your car is and if it would be a manifold , rear system or full system. This would give us some idea of the group buy quantities and so we can then work on the prices. Thanks Mark

Hi Just an update, Alunox now have a genuine exhaust for the HCI Esprit and can now supply the full system for federal cars in the US and Europe. I will give an update when the someone orders one and we can see the final result Mark k

This is the first time Alunox have done a Titanium rear system for the Esprit. In recent years they have been developing Titanium rear systems for a lot of their customers and I thought it might be time for the Esprit. The main advantage is the weight saving and in the Colin Chapman concept of adding lightness it comes in around 7.4 kg. Titanium maintains its strength characteristics easily at temperatures above 900 degrees Fahrenheit and is less susceptible to rust, dulling and corrosion. Alunox source their Titanium from Kobi Titanium in Japan. It does produce a different sound which I’ve tried to catch in the video further down. The construction process is similar to the stainless steel system using mandrel bent tube, but this time wall thickness is 1mm due to its high strength to weight ratio. The welding process is more complicated for titanium with certain sections requiring a tent full of inert gas (Argon). This is a 3” rear system from the downpipe back being a direct replacement for my existing 3” stainless steel unit. The main silencers are re-packable , hence the rivets on the inner of the tube. When ordering the desired noise level can be specified within reason ,which is set internally by the length of perforated tubing within the silencer. The main downpipe is made of stainless steel mounted on V bands allowing for a CAT or bypass as shown here, an additional silencer can also be fitted in this section if needed. The tail pipe position is adjustable both at the tip and silencer using the clamps which also allows for easy fitting and small adjustments in alignment. There aren’t many exhaust tip options in Titanium but I think the slashed one suits the car well along with the slightly angled pipework coming out of the silencers. The Titanium is very bright almost silver before the heat treatment which brings out the colours. Due to its strength allowing for a 1mm wall thickness it does produce a different sound , if I had to describe it , I would say its more aggressive, raspy and metallic, I’ve tried to catch it in the video below Titanium systems are expensive If anyone would be interested in this system, Alunox are open to a group buy. So this is price is for a minimum order of 12. The system will come with the downpipe from the turbo but that section will be Stainless steel as mentioned. 12 off - £1400 Plus shipping Alunox are willing to mix the configurations if someone wants a single exit Let me know if you are interested or want anymore info Mark K

Thanks , I have updated Loen and he has taken that into account. Sections will be connected using V Bands alowing for options.

Alunox are looking for a rear system (turbo back) from a HCi Turbo to use to develop a Stainless Steel direct replacement. I know this is rare car but if anyone has one and is willing to let Alunox have it for a while, they Will give a discount on the new system. They will also pay the postage each way. If you can help with this you can hold of me or email leon@alunox.co.uk Or richard@alunox.co.uk Thanks Mark

I believe the flange is SS316 , the main tube is SS321 to avoid cracking at the temperatures we run at. The flange is a lot thicker and cracking isn't an issue. I believe this configuration is also used in the motorsport systems Alunox make for other cars.

I've spoken to Leon at Alunox , he will do a sports high flow cat for £650 for the same spec , they use the cells in many other cars. They are based in Wrexham Mark

Sorry for late reply, The 2nd gear synchro failed on the transmission which could be down to age but probably due to all my modifications. As I’ve not changed it since I’ve had the car, I decided to upgrade the box to UN1027 from a V8. Dave Lisle help me out by reconditioning an old unit he had, which included the later style selector. I also re designed the existing SE master unit to translate for the later design, which I have posted in a bit more detail under the gearbox section. Then I made a bit of a school boy error I decided to replace the elephants trunk air intake hose between the filter and the turbo for a smother flowing tube of lager diameter which I should have done before the Dyno. Leon made me a stainless steel tube to reduce the diameter from the air box down to the entry size of the Turbo (67mm) with a bend in it to help flow. Instantly the car has now developed a cough on high boost around the 6000 RPM region but by turning down the boost on my POT I could eradicate the problem in the short term which can be seen in the video around Castle Combe last year. After discussions with my tuner John who has now moved from Emerald to another tuning company, he helped me diagnose the problem, basically since the turbo is spooling up faster due to the better air flow we are now blowing out the spark, so by increasing the Coil On Time which effectively is the dwell time for charging the Coils (COP) we can create a bigger spark. I increased the dwell time by 0.19ms and this seems to have helped but it’s difficult to test on the road so I want to power run it again on the dyno to be sure before returning to castle this year. My Video here from castle Combe last year , the boost control pot is on my right. Which brings me to my latest upgrade the Titanium rear twin exit exhaust to replace my existing stainless-steel rear system. Alunox have been developing Titanium rear systems for a lot of their customers in recent years and I thought it might be time for the Esprit. This is a 3” rear system from the downpipe back being a direct replacement for my existing 3” stainless steel unit. The main advantage over the stainless-steel part is the weight saving and in the Colin Chapman concept of adding lightness the rear system weighs in at 7.4kg Its constructed again using mandrel bent tube, but this time the wall thickness is 1mm due to its high strength to weight ratio. The welding process is more complicated for titanium so a tent full of inert gas (Argon) is required. The silencers are repackable due to the riveted design allowing it to be dismantled. I will post again when its fitted with a noise test Mark

My 2nd gear synchro failed and as I have increased my torque output to around 300lb/ft I decided upgrade to a UN1027 to replace my standard UN1016 in the SE. As these are quite hard to find in good working order, Dave Changes helped me out by reconditioning an old unit he acquired. Dave rebuilt all the shaft assembles and crown wheel checking the synchro’s and hubs replacing if showing signs of wear, he installed new drive shaft seals and my original bell housing, so it was ready to install. I bought a new pair of gear change cables to suit the late style V8 cross gate, and routed them as shown If anyone has a shot of a factory setup that would be good, I routed the new cables to keep beds to a minimum. I made new brackets and positioned them on the side of the gearbox. Then came the interesting part of re-designing the Master Unit to work with this setup as the late V8 master units are hard to come by. Taking these two diagrams from the manual I reworked my existing master unit I wanted to make the gear selection as free as possible, so I used a selection of bearing types to cover all the different axis type and load. I 3d printed the bearing sleeve to help guide it along with a groove in the map bearing. I also printed side stop , both in hard plastic PTEG. I wanted to create a self centering action at Master Unit to assist the springs at the gearbox so I have set-up springs on each end of the main shaft to oppose each other and allow a centre position to be set(after working out a procedure) The translation movement can be seen in the video. I have to confess there was a great deal of trial and error with multiply test runs and modifications to put this together, but been running for about a year now and ran at Castle Combe Its holding up well but I am always looking for refinement, I’ve widened the gate 2 or 3 times as I’m afraid of miss selecting on the track ,I did this by changing the pivot point on the bell crank . I find the gate is slightly closer between 1st to 3rd than 3rd to 5th. I got it pretty good now and you can see it in action on my castle comb video which I will post soon Mark K

Hi Guys, the charge cooler has changed slightly from the link you have there , its now more compact It is about 3 time the volume of the original and maintains the same flow layout, so fitting is quite easy. The water hose connections come at the standard size which i think is around 16mm. However Alunox can supply with larger ones as shown here at 19mm . I can only speak from my own experience , it did hold up well with new BorgWarner 6258-G turbo on the dyno running higher flow and boost. I don't have a photo of the original unit as yet but I will try and get one. The standard unit will be a direct replacement for the original, built to the same dimensions. Mark K

Hi Guys, I've been in touch with Ben about another group buy for the Esprit 321 Stainless Steel Manifold if anyone would be interested. The prices Ben posted earlier in this thread are still current. These are the details of a group buy if we get the interest 30 units in total - mixed G Car and Stevens Fitting kit - All gaskets and Stainless nuts included G Car GB price including TurboSmart external wastegate £1650 normal list price £1950 Stevens car manifold - £1150 normal list price £1350 Rear system G Car 2.5” - £650 normal list price £850 Rear System Twin Exit Stevens car 2.5” £600 normal list price £750 - based on min 10 units Rear System Twin Exit Stevens car 3” £780 normal list price £950 based on min 10 units Special requests for T4 flange for turbo upgrade can be included in this GB, I will get the GB price on request Also the Charge Coolers can be in a separate group buy Standard charge cooler £500 normal list price £750 - based on min 10 units Uprated charge cooler £700 normal list price £1100 - based on min 10 units I will get more info on the standard unit as this is new, I believe it has the same dimensions as the original charge cooler. All prices are plus VAT and postage If you have an interest in any of the above let me know and I can create a Group Buy thread. For anyone considering the Alunox 321 SS manifold for the first time, they have been around now for about 10 years with no reported failures. Mark

Thanks guys for your great feedback, your comments are much appreciated. The transition is unmodified but the clutch is uprated, Dave helped me out with the specification of this putting together some of his old parts. The pressure plate and friction plate are AP capable of holding 330 lb/ft. I may be pushing my look if I go much further with the transmission. Mark K

Hi Robin, Yes that is a twin scroll manifold and if you have the normal Alunox manifold it is also a twin scroll as Barry has stated. My particular manifold design has been adapted in the final section (Collector) for the T4 turbo instead of the standard T3. This is the size of the T3 Flange vs the T4 Flange Sorry its not the best picture, the Collector design has been enlarged to match the bigger port sizes of the T4 flange. Hope this helps, Mark

Hi Thomas, Yes it is an expensive dyno that can hold static loads and so tune each speed site or cell in turn. During part of the video you could hear him holding constant RPMs while he dialled in the speed sites. I think this formed part of the base mapping Later on the power runs he tunes the Boost control. I'm not running a Knock sensor so its pretty much tuned under load avoiding detonation (knock), so it may not be as close minimum you are looking for. I forgot to mention I am running a wide band lambda sensor and EGT sensor (PLX) Just out of interest what ECU are you running. Hope the table helps Mark

Alunox Manifold with EFR 6258-G Twin scroll Turbo upgrade for the 4-cylinder Lotus Esprit After some research into different turbo upgrades available on the market, I decided to go with the BorgWarner EFR 6258-G Twin Scroll unit supplied by Van Der Lee Turbo systems (Jaap), to replace the Esprit’s single scroll turbo charger. One of the biggest limitations of most factory single-scroll turbo system is the restrictive nature of its log or compact unequal-length exhaust manifold. The design characteristics of both Manifold and Turbo were honed with collaboration between both Van Der Lee Turbo systems and Alunox engineers. Bringing the two companies together allowed me to get a twin-scroll (pulse) turbocharger system yielding maximum efficiency. Divided or "twin-scroll" turbos and manifolds have emerged as the preferred design of many of the top tuners and even OEMs. To list some of the advantages of the twin-scroll (or two-pulse) verses the Single-scroll (or constant pressure) turbo systems: Superior scavenging effect Better pressure distribution in the exhaust ports and more efficient delivery of exhaust gas energy to the turbocharger's turbine Allows for greater valve overlap Increased turbine efficiency The engineers in BorgWarner's Advanced Aftermarket Product group created a wish list of every notable design characteristic when designing the EFR (Engineered For Racing) Series. They used materials that had never been combined into an aftermarket turbocharger. They delivered quick boost response, powerful performance and reliable durability. The EFR 6258-G has an Aspect Ratio (A/R) of 0.8 and a low inertia 58mm Gamma-Ti (Titanium Aluminide) turbine wheel weighing 50% less than typical units. The turbine wheel is optimally matched with the FMW compressor wheel for maximum response and fast spool up. So effectively we have a twin scroll manifold matched to our twin scroll turbo, designed for flow and pulse tuning. For the Esprit the firing sequence is 1-3-4-2 and the conventional single-turbo arrangement has all exhaust manifolds connected together at the exhaust turbine. The twin-scroll turbo splits into two separate paths and exhaust flows hit the turbine blades independently. This prevents the two exhaust streams to interfere with each other. I found many Video references on YouTube for Twin Scroll Turbocharging but this one seemed to explain the principle. This is the resulting design shown on a 910-series engine block. The manifold is made from 321 Stainless Steel, precision TIG welded in a dedicated jig giving a fracture proof construction. The flanges are now CNC machined cut out of Stainless Steel to give an accurate fit, the collector uses a burns double wall slip joint to allow movement during the heat cycle whilst and maintaining a seal to provide maximum pressure to the turbo. The system is also being protected against shock loading by the pivoting brace mounted at the back of the cam carriers.This particular manifold has a further upgrade in terms of its T4 flange and larger collector Other modifications include Bosh Coil On Plug ignition system 4 x 750cc Fivo Injectors sequentially fired – removed secondary injectors Cam sensor using housing of old Charge Cooler water pump (Flux Capacitor) Emerald K6 ECU Electric Charge Cooler water pump Upgraded Alunox radiator set – main rad,charge cooler, oil coolers, condenser. Alunox 3” twin exit rear system I was introduced to Emerald by a friend who knows Karl the designer of the K6 ECU, so I supplied information about the flywheel pattern from the Lotus manuals and oscilloscope traces. Karl then added an option in the software for the Esprit. This allowed me to re use the existing crank sensor. The car has been tuned at Emerald by John Lamsley and I have made a few trips over the years at various stages of modification to the Esprit. It quickly became apparent he was on top of his game and has a lot of experience as he could quickly diagnose problems and provide solutions. Karl was also available for technical support when needed. My first trip was in 2015 was after installing the K6 myself and base mapping it to run a bit rich with retarded timing. It was a long journey to Watton in Norfolk from Wrexham at 50 MPH. It was enough to get there which we then spent a day on the dyno going through all the base mapping and boost tuning. My clutch started to slip so the full potential of the standard T3 with the Alunox manifold wasn’t realised, the following results where obtained. System 286 BHP / 291 lb/ft Torque Since the clutch started to let go we had to leave it there but after speaking with John, more could have been gained with this setup. It would be interesting to compare results if anyone has dyno data on the T3. So returning to the Dyno with an uprated clutch (after discussions with Dave Changes) and the new EFR setup, the car had to be completely re-mapped due to the dramatic change. Initially we tuned without any boost from the turbo to get the base map set up, the car made 170 BHP with no boost which was about 30 BHP greater than the previous setup, which was mainly gained due to the larger collector ports of the T4 flange giving an overall increase in flow. Dyno Run Video at Emerald in Watton Torque and Power Figures on new BorgWarner EFR 6258-G T4 Turbo The graph show the figures for two maps overlaid, look at the orange line showing Torque, at 2000 rpm it is double. I was held back again this time the wastegate actuator failed to hold pressure at high RPM. But some impressive figures where achieved early on 270 BHP was made on only 6 PSI boost. Also the Boost response is instant with this setup completely transforming the driving experience of the car. This was my last dyno visit for now which yielded 340 BHP @ 1.2 bar, the graph was taken just before got that figure. The Turbo is capable of 1.7 bar but due to the fact the car is running stock internals, and after further discussions and the sharing of data with Dave (Changes) on the limits of this I have held off turning it up for now. Dave must have the most first-hand dyno data on an Esprit that I know of, and so after exchanging graphs and knowledge gained over the years through experience, research and development, these two additional modifications were made for this dyno run Turbo Smart dual port actuator and MAC 4 port wastegate solenoid The new actuator set up consists of a TurboSmart IWG75 Twin Port unit allows pressure to be applied to both sides of the diaphragm so it can be held shut as well as open. The MAC4 solenoid control takes the PWM signal from the ECU and translates it into a differential pressure control across the diaphragm. PNM Plenum spacer 25mm The Plenum spacer has helped at higher RPM allowing for a steady rise in Power /Torque, which is also noticeably smoother when you are driving over the 4.5K RPM. The gains at Castle Combe Lotus Track day where noticeable this year with the instant throttle response with greatly reduced lag coupled with the new speed/Torque characteristic of the engine. This uplifted the track experience, the extra torque and where it was delivered made it possible to maintain 3rd gear as appose to 2nd in many corners. Further development I’m at the point now where I could just turn up the boost but again benefiting from Dave’s R&D I want to look at the valve timing with Vernier pulley wheels and some fine tuning of the intake system, so I can optimise the speed torque characteristic of this 2.2L lump. Mark k

Hi Guys , I can ask the question ,all can say is the bigger the numbers the more we can bring down the price. Mark K

I have now fitted the plenum expansion plate, the install is easy as there is good access.I’ve ran the car hard at Castle Combe at the weekend and noticed it feels like it has more torque at high RPM and delivers it is smoother, which would be due to the better flow distribution across all four cylinders The spacer is made from aluminium and has been machined to follow the contours of the plenum. The bolt holes have small counter sinks for easy location when fitting. The top section is angled to allow better flow into the plenum. The kit includes stainless steel hex head bolts and washers along with a pair of gaskets. The exiting support bar which bolts onto the engine mount can be retained, I offset it at the mount by using an addition nut. Overall it was an easy mod with a 13mm spanner. The Plenum is now available to Pre-Order here on PNM's website: http://www.pnmparts.co.uk/lotus-plenum-extension-9090 It's available as a kit or just the plate, priced at £169.95 + VAT for the plate and an additional £29.95 for the gaskets and bolts (kit) plus delivery. PNM have agreed to give a 15% discount to this group buy which will apply to the plate and kit, I will PM the discount code to the you guys on the list which is valid until the 10th June. The discount is open to another 5 if anyone else is interested. Delivery charges are calculated on the website including shipping overseas. Mark K

Just an update, I will firm up prices and contact info soon. The first is here which I will fit this week The kit includes two gaskets and stainless steel extended bolts The top section is angled to improve flow into the plenum. Mark

Hi Andy, I asked the same question when I upgraded the charge cooler to approximately 3 times the volume. I was told its so small you dont notice it , and after driving with the bigger Charge Cooler I didn't notice any increase in lag. This is only 25mm deep , I've seen on other forums bigger spacers. I hope to have an updater from PNM this week. Mark

Hi Chillidoggy , I have a dyno result before and I plan to Dyno again after I fit it. It may be difficult to interpret the results due to my other modifications. I believe it increases VE at higher RPMs. My tuner at Emerald is very good at explaining the Dyno results I will ask him. Dave Changes will have the a lot of dyno info on this. Mark K

Hi guys, I’m in the process of ordering a 25mm plenum expansion spacer from PNM engineering, Pete is having these made. It will come as a kit including gaskets and extended bolts. I can’t give an exact price at the moment, but it will be around the £150 + gaskets and bolts, possibly less if we have the numbers. If anybody would be interested in this modification could you add your name to the List. 1) Mark K