W31SSN Exige 350

[W31SSN]

Quite a few people have messaged me over the years asking about the different mods I have done to the car so thought it was time for a build thread. A little background first. I had 2008 Cayman S Sport which I loved however the horror stories of the IMS issues and other oil related issues scared me from tracking it much. The plan was to find something that both my dad and I could track regularly but still drive to and from tracks without having to worry about trailers etc. This led us to B&C and to Jamie who helped us into our first Lotus, a 350 Sport in Essex Blue. We collected her in June 2016 and haven’t looked back.

IMG_4728.HEIC

Brakes

After our first few track days we realised the car had so much more potential. Our first step was the brakes, the stock pads just weren’t up to scratch, they overheat so quickly, so they were changed to Performance Friction 08. Next came bigger discs, we opted for the Seriously Lotus big front disk upgrade which combined with the new pads really transformed the car.

We recently added the Elise-shop Aluminium rear brake discs, will report back on how they go.

Suspension

The next step was to address the handling, most of the forum guys rave about the Nitron 3 way setup, so that’s what we went for. Hoffman’s did the sourcing, spring rates and install along with a track geo setup. I have to say pound for pound this is the best upgrade you can do to these cars, the grip available from a properly setup suspension is incredible. It’s more comfortable on the road than stock but a few clicks at the track and it stiffens right up and the grip is mega.

 

Big Wing

To compliment our new brakes and suspension some carbon trinketry was required. We decided on the Eltech Italia race front splitter and rear wing. They arrived within a few weeks and the quality was very high. We felt the front splitter needed some extra support so ordered some carbon support rods from a company in the US. We then sourced an aluminum bar and steel bracket to attach it to the front towing post, then cut the hole in the front grill. I drove our car back to back at Spa with a friend of ours 350 (their car was identical in parts and Hoffmans setup just without any additional aero, our aero definitely made a difference both in lap time and feeling. Through the faster sections it just felt more planted, giving more confidence to push on.

 

Battery

The next step was to add a little lightness in the rear by removing the existing battery, there are a number of well tested lithium battery options, but who wants something guaranteed to work, no fun in that. After many hours researching I decided on the Aliant YLP 30 battery sold by Deamon Tweeks. It cost £265, weighs 1.7kg a solid saving over the stock battery and bracket at 19kg. The next problem was how to attach it, the existing bracket is heavy and will not accommodate the new battery so some fabrication was in order. I managed to source an aluminum plate cut to the exact dimensions of the battery, then glued a thin layer of foam for padding then strapped it with two heavy duty Velcro straps. I check it now and again and it hasn’t budged an inch. It is on trickle all of the time in the garage but it has had about 12 days off the charger whilst the car was being transported back from Portimao and sat in a warehouse for a few days, pleased to say it fired up first time.IMG_4728.HEIC

Clutch

We then enjoyed the car for a few years, taking her to Portimao, Ascari, Spa etc. However, it always felt underpowered and the heat soak at tracks like Portimao and Spa was very noticeable. We had a great day at a LOT Goodwood day, however the clutch let go just after lunch so that was the end of that. The Surrey Exige’s guys recommended speaking to Back On Track in Guildford about a new clutch and having them increase the power. In the car went to Sam and Jez for a new 410 spec clutch, flywheel and Komotec gearbox cooler. The old clutch had shattered, not very impressive given the car had only done circa 5k miles, but the added weight of my 105kg (bulk) ballast probably did not help.

Power

Next step was power, after much deliberation and chat on forums and groups it was down to either the 430/410 supercharger package or the Charge-cooled TVS1900, in the end we went with the SSC CCTVS1900, Komotec y-pipe and manifolds, Moroso baffled sump and SCS Delta ECU. The car was delivered to BOT on March 11^th with the hope it would only take 4 weeks or so for everything to arrive, but this was not to be (thanks COVID). The supercharger and original SSC manifolds and link pipe were sent in two boxes, the supercharger sat in the depot in at Sydney airport for over 4 weeks, then enjoyed a short stay in Europe for another week or so and the manifolds disappeared never to be seen again. BOT waited another week or so as SSC said they were en-route, this turned out not to be true so more lost time. BOT then ordered the Komotec manifolds and link pipe, no problem they said, will be with you by next week, sadly this was also not to be, they had run out of stock so had to have them made and shipped – another few weeks lost. Eventually they arrived and the car is off to SCS Delta for fitment of the ECU and tuning on Monday (12^th July).  Sam and Jez at Back on Track have been fantastic throughout, calmly explaining the situation at each step, despite me calling/texting every other day asking for an update. It was a series of unfortunate events completely out of their control.

I will report back once the car is back from the mappers with hp figures and more importantly what it feels like going from 350 hp (ish) to approximately 500hp!

Some pictures wouldn't post, gave the error that they were larger than 9.77mb, which they aren't. I'll keep trying but any advice appreciated.

[TonyKL]

I think every time I went to BoT your car was always up on the ramp waiting parts.  Guessing you finally got the 2bular exhaust!

[Arun_D]

Love this car. I'll be eagerly awaiting your feedback on the TVS/ SCS work.

[Exx]

How is it to drive on road with this MEGA splitter ? 😅

[W31SSN]

@TonyKL I got the Komotec manifolds and y-pipe and kept the stock backbox.

@Exx Haha not too bad at all to be fair. Luckily the front isn’t set too low so it can get over most speed bumps. 

[Exx]

So the car is running with OEM ride height ? I would like to change mine too but with OEM suspensions and splitter i m already touching some bumps

[Tex]

5 hours ago, W31SSN said:

@TonyKL I got the Komotec manifolds and y-pipe and kept the stock backbox.

@Exx Haha not too bad at all to be fair. Luckily the front isn’t set too low so it can get over most speed bumps. 

Are you running this Komotec kit with the cut out for the baffled sump ?

[W31SSN]

@TexDo have the baffled sump and the Komotec pipes, but don’t believe it’s been squashed. 

[Tex]

I don’t think KT have yet found a way to fit pipes over a baffled sump without compresssing them 

Just an observation !

[Hangar 111]

It is only the larger bore exhaust that has this problem. It is clearance to the gearbox that is the issue, rather than the sump.

Not KT manifolds and Y-pipe  in the images above - flat flanges with pressed gaskets rather than OE type machined flange with crush ring gaskets, suggests they are from Scotland.

Dave

[Mark030358]

That’s nothing like my 2bular I’m afraid.

[Hangar 111]

The image of the exhaust fitted to the car?  I don't mean the one posted by Colin.

[W31SSN]

Update: I now have the car back, and what an upgrade the new supercharger is!! SCS Delta did a fantastic job on the ECU and tune, in 'normal' mode it has approx. 350hp, in 'Sport' it has the full 486hp and 556 torque but slackens off the traction, in 'Race' it has the full power but with no traction control at all. SCS said the supercharger had way more to give but the car ran out of fueling, any more and it would require a new fuel pump and bigger injectors.

Even in full power mode it is incredibly drivable and happy to bumble around at low rpms around town with no stuttering or any inclination the car is anything but stock. When you floor it, the car comes alive and just pulls and pulls in every gear, seemingly never running out of grunt whilst making the most incredible noise.

The only problem now is it's too loud for (most) trackdays with the standard 350 backbox, there are a few options out there; Hangar111 produce and very nice looking box for reasonable money, however they have not yet tried it on cars with more than 460hp. So we decided to go for the Komotec option as they run it on their EX530 car. Despite it being ugly as sin, sometimes function has to win over form. This will be installed in around two weeks, so I will do a before and after video with decibel readings then.

Very happy with the overall package that Back On Track have put together for me, their install was immaculate, as was their patience! So big thanks to Sam and Jez at BOT, if you are in the UK and looking for big horsepower upgrades, be sure to give them a call first.

[Arun_D]

Sounds an absolute blinder, Nathan, especially with it remaining useable around town. Looking forward to seeing this in person one day, I still can't get my head round what these CC TVS1900 installs feel like.

[W31SSN]

Well if you’re ever in the Weybridge area, give me a shout and I’ll take you for a spin. 

[tactical lizard]

Hey excellent upgrades carried out there! I had a run in with some 460 cars at donnington and you can see the difference 50hp makes.

Do you know if the komotec exhaust is straight through? 

[Tex]

This is the KT  full system minus the Lotus exhaust valve manifolds which is attached to the HJS Cat in pic
 

The KT track Silencer does without the switchable valve/ manifold I believe 

 

[tactical lizard]

Thanks for the info, do you know about the actual trackday silencer?

I'm looking for a straight through one. The lotus version is expensive.

[W31SSN]

Update: The Komotec Quiet Track exhaust has now been fitted, it sounds great, louder and deeper at idle however the drone on motorways is erm….. awful 😝. But I’m prepared to put up with it in order to attend track days.

BOT weighed both exhausts and the KT is about 4kg lighter than the existing 350 back box. 

Video of noise comparison to follow.

 

[W31SSN]

Had a fantastic first (with upgrades) track day at Castle Combe with B&C. The new Komotec quiet exhaust measured 96db which is great. 
 

The car ran faultlessly, just need to re-calibrate my driving as their is so much more torque, it just keeps pulling and pulling, can’t wait to get the car to Spa. 
 

The only slight issue is the increased power, free’r flowing manifolds and exhaust mean the car is spitting flames! Despite looking cool and all, it started melting the rear bumper. Luckily Merlin Motorsport are on site at Combe so went and purchased some gold heat tape to try and protect the plastic trim.

Trying to figure out if the 430 Cup bumper is shorter than the 350 and less prone to instant combustion. 
 

[Alfiste16]

Very nice project !!
Do you have any video ? (especially for the sound of your new exhaust pipe)

[Diablos-666]

I have this exhaust fitted too, it’s so much quieter compared against the 2bular exhaust, but still has  a nice burble.

I have a video but not sure how to upload it here.

 

 

[Hangar 111]

On 29/09/2021 at 22:10, W31SSN said:

The only slight issue is the increased power, free’r flowing manifolds and exhaust mean the car is spitting flames!

That's unburnt fuel in the exhaust - are you running a cat?  If not, you'll probably have to live with it.  If you are, then mapping, and your cat won't last.

Dave