350 vs 380 vs 410

[Jcx]

13 minutes ago, SW_Mike said:

Hi Jcx, I'm really keen to hear your views as this is where I've struggled to crystallise the real differences between 350, 380 and 410, drawing from forum posts and YT videos.

What does the extra £10k-£20k for a 410 buy that I can't simply achieve from buying a 350 + adding 3-way Nitrons? 

On aesthetics I can make my own judgement (and yes it is nicer, but not £10k+ nicer) but what would the 410 offer in terms of feel, enjoyment and overall experience that I couldn't achieve from a 350? Are there major mechanical differences that mean the 350 is a substantially inferior car?

Thanks in advance

 

 

 

 

I suppose to some extent if viewing ££ alone it will depend how long you will realistically keep a 350 or 410. 
 

with my 350 I did think about the various costs to upgrade along the lines of a 410. But I concluded that £10k spent on a 350 to add carbon and nitrons and other bits would be largely money lost when resold.  IMO a 350 with £10k of additions is not - when resold - worth £10k more. In fact it’s prob not even £3k more.  So if you plan to sell it after a few years I’d say the extras are money lost.  But if you keep forever that’s a moot point. 
 

the 410 is almost identical to the 430. Same cup chassis. Same suspension. Same geo. Same seats. Same brakes. Same wheels. Same tyres. Same engine. Same clutch with lightweight flywheel. The 410 has less aero Than the 430 and fewer horses by tune. I think that’s all. Oh and the 430 is the most rare. 
 

The 410 feels so different than the 350 to me. The 410 is much louder. And just feels so much more special in a way I can’t quite describe.  
 

my best advice is to go and try a load of cars. Test drive as many as possible. I too am an ex biker and the 410 is most like my R6 than any other car I have driven. 
 

m good luck. 

[Tex]

Actually quite a few differences in 430 to 410  from above 

430 Has

T45 Steel Rollover Hoop 

6 Variable Position Traction Control 

Different Front Clam

Optional A Frame with Harnesses 

Optional Built in Fire Extinguisher 

Battery Isolator

Thinnner/Lighter Rear Glass

Ti Exhaust 

Larger Rear Wing with endplates

3 Way Nitrons with different tuning/springs 

All 430’s cane with 3mm rear wheel spacers but not always fitted to the 410 or 420 

Almost 50% more downforce.

A couple of more less significant items as well, but all adds to a fairly significant difference imo. 

 

[Jcx]

Thx Tex. I was led to believe by a Lotus Dynamics Engineer that the 430 and 410 shared exactly the same suspension despite what the press releases said about the 410 being better suited to road driving. 

[Tex]

This may well have been true to some extent.

The Cup430 stayed unchanged until the Cup430 FE came out however the 410 evolved and changes were made in options and otr cost.

The Cup430 has too stiffer springs for road use and most certainly some 410’s had less harsh suspension.

When my Nitrons were serviced they were different to a 410’s albeit not to any road advantage, I wanted softer settings and really should have replaced the Lotus spec internals with Nitron generic 

I will next time 

[Jcx]

Interesting. Where did you get them serviced?

[Mickle]

41 minutes ago, Jcx said:

I suppose to some extent if viewing ££ alone it will depend how long you will realistically keep a 350 or 410. 
 

with my 350 I did think about the various costs to upgrade along the lines of a 410. But I concluded that £10k spent on a 350 to add carbon and nitrons and other bits would be largely money lost when resold.  IMO a 350 with £10k of additions is not - when resold - worth £10k more. In fact it’s prob not even £3k more.  So if you plan to sell it after a few years I’d say the extras are money lost.  But if you keep forever that’s a moot point. 

Having bought a 350 just over a month ago, I completely agree! Test driving a few and really looking at the changes you get with each model is the best way to go. That's before taking options on each car into account, I really wanted one with an AiM dash already, as they're not cheap!

In my case, going for the 350 made the most sense, as I was happy with the performance and my wish-list is only a few common reversible parts. However, if you want the charge-cooler (power), nitrons and all of the carbon that's where it starts to make more sense to jump in at the deep end with a 410.

Really nice to see this thread has woken up from it's brief hibernation! Here's hoping I get to drive mine in the sunshine for the first time ever soon... 😄

[Jcx]

Gorgeous colour @Mickleis that Daytona Blue?! 💙

[Mickle]

Thank you, it is! That's an impressive eye.

I'm really fond of Military Grey too, especially with the yellow accents on your 410.

[Jcx]

Back at you. Military Grey looks so good on the road. But the strong colours like Daytona look fab everywhere! 

[JamieF]

20 hours ago, Rambo said:

Good shot. I think the Exige looks fantastic from that angle 👍

Thank you, I can't ever seem to get it bang on like the pro's do!!

[Space Hopper]

Spent 6 very comfy & cosy hours driving home for Christmas today. It’s amazing what you can squeeze into an Exige. My wife even discovered a potting shelf! 🤦🏻‍♂️🪴🌺🏎️🚀🧡🎅🏻🎄

 

[HXT]

Really simple and short answer here from my experience.

Buy the best car you can.

I test drove a 250 Cup Elise, not that impressed to be honest.

Then a 350, brilliant.

Then a 410…….bought one.

Enjoy the search which is half the fun……

[Rambo]

I think the old adage "buy the best you can (afford)" applies to most things, particularly cars 👍

[Jcx]

So true guys… buy the best you can  

I don’t see nearly as many 410s getting tuned or having parts swapped out as I do with 350s etc. it’s the same with all cars… 

[MrD]

I own my car for 2 years now and I took it in 2 long european trips no problem. One thing is for sure, the cabin noise on the motorays is not fun - I always drive with noise cancelling ear buds but apart from that, no issues at all. My car (V6 cup) is equipped with CF seats with minimal padding, no problems. Boot space as mentioned above is decent, more than enough for a 10 day trip for sure.

The main differences between a 410 and a 350 is the suspension, the chargecooler and the loud exhaust (a negative for some) - CF is down to the individual albeit the boot is truly a work of art (expensive work of art).

Purists would suggest that they can feel the extra weight of the chargecooler which is that big chunky metal square piece sitting on top of the engine. Its location would probably enhance the weight drawback but I haven't driven a 410 and tbh I doubt I could personally tell.

I've driven a lot of 350s and V6s however and the difference between them and mine is astounding. The V6 cup comes with 2 way Nitrons and is 70Kgs lighter (mine is 100Kgs lighter as I chopped the battery for a Li item saving 13Kgs, lighter valveless exhaust -7Kgs and forged wheels -10Kgs). If the 410 is anything like my Cup then it definitely worth the extra premium over the 350.

Worth noting that you can fit the Alias23 induction on all 3xx cars which would release a LOT of power and supercharger noise - that kit is epic assuming it's compatible with the ECU version making the car as quick as the 410.

Happy hunting!

 

 

[Paul_D]

19 minutes ago, MrD said:

The main differences between a 410 and a 350 is the suspension, the chargecooler and the loud exhaust (a negative for some) - CF is down to the individual albeit the boot is truly a work of art (expensive work of art).

I would say the other potentially 'noticeable' items would be the lighter forged wheels (with wider 285 tyres) and the gearbox oil cooler on the 410. But if it's for road use only then these aren't as important, certainly not the gearbox cooler.

19 minutes ago, MrD said:

Worth noting that you can fit the Alias23 induction on all 3xx cars which would release a LOT of power and supercharger noise - that kit is epic assuming it's compatible with the ECU version making the car as quick as the 410.

I can also vouch for this. I was at a track day at Hethel in summer. There was a guy there with a 350 which had the Alias23 kit on. He also had forged wheels and Nitrons fitted. We were a similar ability and did a fair few laps together. In the morning, they was basically no difference in a straight line between his 350 with Alias23 and my standard 410. (We took turns leading and following) It was only in the afternoon when we were out that I noticed a bit of a difference and had to back off when following now and then. It was a scorching hot day, and I assume he was starting to suffer with heat soak. 

[GoldenGun]

To balance a few of the views above…. I only really use my car for road use (haven’t tracked it and not planning to).  Mine is a 350 and I have driven the 350/380/410.  
 

The 410 definitely felt quicker but the 350 is more than enough for my needs/skills.  Aside from bragging rights in the pub, I definitely don’t need anything else in terms of power.  If I can drive the 350 at 5/10ths, I would guess I’d only manage 4/10ths in the 410. 
 

the one thing I did miss in the 350 was noise, and I addressed that by replacing the exhaust muffler and downpipe with the parts from a 410/380 which were a plug-&-play enhancement.  
 

In terms of budget, I could have purchased a 410 but just happened to stumble across a lovely 350 and have not looked back.  I would love to own a 430 (for bragging rights!!) but can’t say I feel the urge to swap for a 410.  Not trying to provoke any arguments, just providing another point of view. 
 

in fairness, this probably says more about my skills as a driver than anything about the cars!

Edited December 22, 2022 by GoldenGun

[Jcx]

I love that we can have this exchange in good spirits. We are all car fans and all lucky to have discovered the ‘Lotus’ difference. There are no bad exiges. Although I suppose the best ones are the ones we get to enjoy! 

[FF]

On 21/12/2022 at 00:52, Tex said:

Actually quite a few differences in 430 to 410  from above 

430 Has

T45 Steel Rollover Hoop 

6 Variable Position Traction Control 

Different Front Clam

Optional A Frame with Harnesses 

Optional Built in Fire Extinguisher 

Battery Isolator

Thinnner/Lighter Rear Glass

Ti Exhaust 

Larger Rear Wing with endplates

3 Way Nitrons with different tuning/springs 

All 430’s cane with 3mm rear wheel spacers but not always fitted to the 410 or 420 

Almost 50% more downforce.

A couple of more less significant items as well, but all adds to a fairly significant difference imo. 

 

In addition the 430 has as well adjustable ARB's front and rear and the different rear clam with the aero openings.

[JamieF]

On 20/12/2022 at 22:21, Mickle said:

Having bought a 350 just over a month ago, I completely agree! Test driving a few and really looking at the changes you get with each model is the best way to go. That's before taking options on each car into account, I really wanted one with an AiM dash already, as they're not cheap!

In my case, going for the 350 made the most sense, as I was happy with the performance and my wish-list is only a few common reversible parts. However, if you want the charge-cooler (power), nitrons and all of the carbon that's where it starts to make more sense to jump in at the deep end with a 410.

Really nice to see this thread has woken up from it's brief hibernation! Here's hoping I get to drive mine in the sunshine for the first time ever soon... 😄

Lovely 350 that. Let’s be honest, no matter what variant you go for it’ll still be an incredible car. They are brilliant and utterly addictive. I cannot wait for my first blast in spring with the roof off. 

[Rambo]

Why wait until Spring? I was out in my M100 last week with top down and -9° C 🥶

[JamieF]

I’m too OCD about the mess grit/salt makes on the car. The bells etc were all cleaned, painted and other bits protected before winter and hopefully get some more mountain biking and winter climbing done with no Exige distraction!! It’s also tucked away in a specialist storage facility, out of sight out of…..

[Rambo]

Life's too short for grit and salt. You can't take your Lotus with you 🙁

[JamieF]

That is true. It’s just too cold this far north to enjoy it properly in winter.

[Rambo]

You're missing a trick Jamie. Scotland's roads in winter are just fanastic. After all, you are just a custodian of the car. The problems will be someone else's down the line. 

Get it out of storage and enjoy it 😉

Honestly, believe me, it's just fantastic.