Mike.Mc

I've used a mix of tyres for road and track use. More recently Yokohama A048 LTS and Dunlop Formula R. I fitted a set of Toyo T1Rs to a spare set for wet track use and was very surprised at their performance in the wet and dry with regards to their price. The side walls are maybe slightly on the soft side but all in all not bad indeed. I run them at 22-23psi front, 24-25psi rear. My next set will be the Yoko AD08Rs also though as I think they have a stiffer sidewall and better grip in the dry. I hear the Toyo R1R are quite comparable also.

Just thought I'd post a little update after all the advice I received. I recently removed the calipers and flushed them all out, replaced all of the front caliper seals and rebuilt with new nipples and pad retainers, cleaned and regreased the rear caliper sliders and renewed pad retainers, reused the rear discs (about 1000 miles of use) and fitted the Elise Parts two-piece front discs, new set of Pagid RS14 pads, flushed brake and clutch lines out and refilled with Motul 660 DOT 4 racing fluid. I drove up to Castle Combe and used my first session to bed the discs and pads in as per instructed by Pagid, then allowed to cool. My next session I brought everything up to temperature carefully then with fingers crossed worked them hard.. Success!! No juddering, heat spots, glazing or warped discs. Massive improvement indeed and especially during my later fast sessions. Everything has obviously gotten hot but has a nice even colouring with no dreaded heat spots. When I have time I'll fully rebuild the rear calipers with the new seals I've already bought, but as my car has done little mileage and is dry stored for 6 months of the year the calipers were in remarkably good shape really. I would like to upgrade at some point as I still feel the rear is under braked, but for now I'm more than happy. My only slight moan would be the horrendous squealing from the pads during slow road use! It's like dragging your nails down a blackboard through a megaphone! I'm not sure what was the actual fix but thanks again for the invaluable advice.

So far that's 3 I've managed to attend in a row, and actually the most track time as my brakes held up and there were fewer cars in the queues. To be honest with regards to track use, the weather didn't make a difference to me. I quite enjoy the wet as it's more of a challenge and easier to find the car's and my own limits a bit quicker! I thought it mixed the sessions up too with a wet start and warm dry finish. I do however agree that the environment off the track wasn't anything exciting. I appreciate the weather will put off the fair-weather Lotus drivers and understandably keep some of the classics at home warm and dry, but it would have been nice to have some more trade and auto-jumble stands as I'm a sucker for buying something shiny! Thinking about it though, most of the hill climbs or car shows I attend recently seem to have less to look at off of the track so it's not just Club Lotus. Just an idea (probably going to get shot for this..) but if the numbers are declining or even just not consistently high enough, how about opening the invitation to another British sports car club such as the TVR, MG or Triumph etc.. I would rather share the day with other car enthusiasts with their cherished motors and keep the cost down than to attend a normal track day with a portion of self entitled 'track day heroes' in bargain bangers..

I'm still proper chuffed with my PS4. Will be better when the prices of games and accessories falls somewhat. So far I'm in for a Game PS4 premium pack, extra controller, Sony controller dock and vertical stand, BF4 Premium, and more stuff but I'll stop now as I'm starting to realise that I could of bought something Lotus themed with that.. Gotta love the toys!

I really should visit this forum more often! Usually I start scanning the pages scratching my head with the Elise apart in the background.. But now as it's sat slightly neglected due to my PS4 and BF4 I can still chat about that ok here! Very multi functional indeed! In short, as a fan of BF3 on the PS3 I'm most impressed with BF4 so far and the China Rising maps are a good improvement also. The maps are much more interactive and one you get your head around the guns and accessories progressions it makes things a little easier. I did also buy COD Ghosts but was very disappointed and sold it after a week and completed the campaign. I was very surprised with the graphics, gameplay and originality of Killzone which also utilises the controller functions more. None of the games on the PS4 will push it until the true next gen games are out till June/July time. Tomb Raider will be the best graphically so far which is out 31/01/14. I'm personally looking forwards to Driveclub! Fingers crossed my steering wheel still works..

Wow that is a saving and a half! If you wouldn't mind finding out a price for me that would be much appreciated! Both the two-piece and standard for a comparison please. Cheers, Mike.

Thanks again for the advice as it's been a great guide! I MOT'd the car yesterday and had a play on the brake tester. No problems and passed the brake test with flying colours! 93% brake efficiency which would have be more if the car didn't jump out of the test rollers! Different story when at the track though.. During a track-day, especially the last one, I was trying to be kind to the brakes by using the first lap as warm up for the brakes and tyres before engaging warp drive. I am quite a 'late-braker' and was always impressed with the previous stopping power with the car especially after fitting the A048 tyres. My favourite part of Combe is seeing how late you can brake after the Avon Rise leading into Quarry! 125+mph to I guess 60-70mph during a slight left heading towards a barrier certainly raises the pulse! It was the feeling of doing the above on a cobbled stone road that put a stop to my track duties that day, and my pants use by date. After the chequered flag I do a 60-70mph cool down lap in 5th gear without touching the brakes. Once in the paddock I leave the car in gear with the handbrake off but must admit I do not move the car every now and again whilst not in use. As GT111 said, I don't want to spend unnecessary money on the brakes especially when it could just be a simple and affordable fix. I've put the idea of using another pair of AP calipers on the rear to bed as I found out that a hydraulic handbrake is illegal for road use if it is the only parking brake available. There has to be a mechanical handbrake in place. So, I will now just rebuild my existing calipers, replace my aging master cylinder, fresh DOT 4 fluid and replace front discs. One thing I would like some past experience on is between my two disc options. Either Elise Parts own two-piece discs http://www.eliseparts.com/products/show/21/1/aluminium-belled-discs-s1/ for £300 inc. VAT a pair. Or the cars original Lotus Motorsport discs which have now been superseded by a grooved design for £266 inc. VAT a pair. I like the idea of a two-piece disc but worry about the quality of the steel rotor considering the AP discs are £642 a pair. I also prefer grooved discs as opposed to drilled even though I have never experienced cracking with the Lotus Motorsport OE drilled ones. I am happy to see they have switched to grooved though! Finally I have now, with your help , narrowed my pad choice down to either Carbone Lorraine RC5+ or Pagid RS42. I am starting to lean towards the CL RC5+ choice but again, I am basing my choices on others experience with them and online write-ups. Thank you all again and hope you enjoy the sunny weekend. I'll be down Tregrehan Hill Climb and Car Show on Sunday so might see some of you there. If you see a silver Elise with blue brake discs, come and say hello!

Typical.. Who were they sold through?

I wish I spent some more time researching pad choice before I forked out for the Brembo ones! I haven't had any problems with them and they've only been on the car for 400 miles and half of that was up the motorway and back for the track day! Going by a few suggestions for a good fast road/track day choice and with reference to http://wiki.seloc.org/a/Brake_pads I think the Pagid RS 4-2 Blue, or Mintex 1144 would be a good choice. They also are recommended for my future discs. With regards to the calipers, I like the idea of the APs all round unless there is a good reason why not. Especially as I can add in the parking brake. With the available bias adjustment I could add slightly more to the rear, and a little more again for the wet. And I guess another plus would be taking advantage of the quick pad change with calipers in place. I could swap for more aggressive track pads at an event easily, then back to road pads for the trip home! Thanks, Mike.

Again, thanks for the replies everyone and the PM's Bentzion. Based on advice I have decided to upgrade to the two-piece discs from Elise Parts, matched with my existing new Brembo Sport pads, renew master cylinder and will replace the fluid for AP's own best DOT 4 fluid. Also I will be checking and rebuilding the calipers. Which presents me with the opportunity to have a little switch around! I think the front AP calipers are a cracking bit of kit, but the rears seem a little under powered and awkward with the combined handbrake when it comes to swapping pads out compared to the fronts. (Only my opinion) I could either rebuild existing calipers with above mentioned parts. Or replace rear calipers with matching AP front ones with available conversion bracket. Change handbrake to a hydraulic one with ratchet mechanism and fit to match standard one. Plumb the brake line from master cylinder on pedal, through a bias valve, through handbrake master cylinder and split to rear calipers (Same as my 205 rally car). I would of thought that would provide me with a base 50/50 brake split and adjustment to increase bias to front, a better handbrake when needed and the same pads all round that can be changed much easier during an event as calipers stay in place. If I wanted to increase disc diameter I would only need to make eight matching spacers to raise calipers. Also I can ditch the handbrake cables! Has anyone tried this? Would be quite affordable by sourcing the parts on eBay and I don't like the idea of throwing money at big fancy calipers when the standard AP parts should do me fine! Your advice would be appreciated again. Cheers, Mike.

Hello all and thank you for the warm welcome! I think I was actually back-up for the Sport 135 spot in the magazine. I offered but said it would be quite the trip for me from Cornwall so would have to travel up the day before really. They replied and said they had found a closer car. I'm glad you reminded me as I meant to buy that issue! I would have an emotional break down indeed if I parted ways with the car! My Dad bought it new in 1999 and when he got back into bikes I couldn't see it go so bought it from him. Considering I always drove and maintained it for years before my eventual purchase it feels like I've had it for a very long time! I would certainly like to go to a Bedford day. I enjoy maintaining her but she definitely gets used! I'm a bit apprehensive to attend any more track-days at the moment as I keep having a overheating brake problem (posted in another topic). I would eventually like to compete in a few sprints and hill climbs with both the Elise and my 205 when time and funds allow, but for now its back into the garage to service the brakes. Our Club Lotus area is not extremely busy due to the long and thin nature of the region meaning there's always a few who would potentially have a long drive to meetings. We've had a few good speakers though which draw a larger crowd but there's always a need for more! Next time we have a speaker I will post it in the South West events section of the forum to extend the invitation. Thanks again, Mike.

Hello. The Club Lotus Castle Combe day is probably my favourite car event of the year. I also think it's a massive shame more people don't have a go. Going for a spirited drive on public roads offers more risk than a track day if you drive within your limits. Public roads contain too much traffic, speed cameras, pedestrians, angry cyclists and lads in hatchbacks who insist on chasing you around because they have blue sidelights and lowering springs.. The track days offer a better road surface, people (hopefully) driving the same way, free recovery off of the track if problems arise, and if you want to push a bit more there's plenty of run-off to find your limits! I already can't wait for the next one, especially if my brakes will survive the day! p.s. In Alex Carter's video, that's my Nan and Dad he let's cross the road in the beginning, and Mark B's picture of the cars queuing for the parade mine is the silver S1 Elise. I have a hoard of pictures that I will sort through and post to a gallery soon. Cheers, Mike.

Hello all. I'm new to the forum so had better introduce myself. As the user name suggests my name is Mike, I'm from Cornwall and I own a S1 Elise Sport 135 which has way too much time spent on it! The car is a massive hobby for me, both driving and maintaining. I've lost many an evening in the garage tinkering as I'm sure most will understand! When I'm not fiddling with every nut and bolt you can imagine I'm normally out for a B-road blast and the occasional trip to Castle Combe. I also attend the Club Lotus South West monthly meetings. The car has a lot of sentimentality so I won't be changing anytime soon, but there's always room for another hopefully. An Elan for the girlfriend maybe! Not for me at all.. Cheers, Mike.

Hello Ramjet and sorry for missing the Introductions thread, I will on there straight after. A massive thank you for your time Bentzion for your time and advice. I will also PM you later. Regarding your feedback, I do use the two piece (sandwich) discs which measure about an inch wide. I believe they are Lotus Part Number: A111J0141F. I was surprised they managed to get quite so hot with such a large cooling void in the middle for such a light car. http://wiki.seloc.org/images/2/22/A111J0141F.JPG Pad wise I wasn't sure what to go for and the advice from many was varied. The stock pads that were fitted to the car new I found quite good actually. After that I was suggested to try some of the EBC range but I found them to be quite poor. Not great in the cold, bad squeal, accelerated disc wear and when used hard they over heated and glazed both pad face and discs. To be blunt, I found that a lot of advice comes from people that might not venture onto the track where the brakes receive punishment the public road will never provide! I then tried the standard Brembo pads which were a huge all round improvement. Last year at Combe, when I had similar problems, I thought I just used the pads outside of their intended use so went for Brembo's Sport range as full race pads would be over the top for me.http://www.eliseparts.com/products/show/22/1150/brembo-hp-sport-brake-pads/ Up until Combe I found them to be spot on and I'm not pointing the finger at them to be the cause of the problem either but I'm open to suggestions for different ones to try. I'm going to buy all relevant parts to rebuild all four calipers as they have never been done and will replace the fluid with a 5.1 variant then. I tried the Castrol SRF from recommendations and saw it on Elise Parts and other sites with a glowing write ups. My clutch slave cylinder failed recently so that might have been the fluid attacking those seals. http://www.eliseparts.com/products/show/23/14/castrol-srf-brake-fluid/ Basically I don't want to have to needlessly upgrade the brakes as I'm sure their ability is greater than mine when everything is working as it should, but if that is what's needed then again, I'm open to ideas! After the drive with the Lotus test driver in a standard Elise I was totally impressed with the factory standard set-up and considering it was on the track more often than not from 9am to 5pm it was still going (and stopping) strong. Once again, thank you for your time and advice and until it's sorted I'll just carry on banging my head against the wall. Cheers, Mike.

Hi. I'm new to the forum and have been browsing the pages to find and answer to my problems. I have a S1 Elise Sport 135 which comes fitted with the cross-drilled iron discs as fitted standard to the S1 Exige and other Sport Elises. My problem arises on track days at Castle Combe. At the 2012 Club Lotus day I managed to warp my front and rear discs. They were admittedly old and worn so this year I returned with new discs all round, new Brembo Sport pads, Castrol SRF brake fluid and the already fitted Goodridge SS braided hoses. After running everything in for a couple hundred miles prior to the track day all seemed well. Yet yesterday at Combe (25/05/13) I started to feel the tell-tale signs after 7 laps. Even when my girlfriend ventured out for her first track driving experience after I had let the car cool it was still noticeable after a few laps when brake temperatures increased. When I went back out in the afternoon 4 laps was enough to throw the towel in. I pulled a front wheel off and you could see the hot spots on the disc with a lot of blueing even inside the webs. The orange S3 Elise S which was impressively hammered around all day by Dan from Lotus suffered no such problems on it's standard brakes so I'm at a loose end really.. I am admittedly a little hard on the car and the Yoko A048s allow heavier braking but I'm sure they should survive a lot better! Any advice would be hugely appreciated. Mike.