412 BHP...THAT WILL DO NICELY......

[Artie]

My thoughts exactly Lucas! Lol! Interesting results Dave. It seems an awful lot of work for that power level. My old tired stock engine at 1bar made 308whp. That was before head work, turbo and larger secondary injectors. Impressive numbers still, but I have to believe this engine is capable for more power than that! Dont you think?

[CHANGES]

Hi Artie,

I totally agree it has been an exceptional amount of work , but the rewards are far more than the power figures, If I was after pure power i feel the figure would have been higher but at the cost of drive-ability and reliability.... More in the race engine/car status...

The whole project has been about what can be done to the 2.2 4 pot Esprit . what is its true potential , tidying up the lose edges that were not cost effective for a production car. and seeing what came out at the end......without losing any of the original character .........

The engine and management has been just one part , possibly the most expensive and technical , but equally rewarding... I did envisage 400 bhp as a possibility but with wanting it to also be a daily driver the spec had to reflect that, close would have been nice, 422 average is very encouraging....391 at the wheels... You asked is there more to be had , my answer is most certainly.....my only concern would be at what price.!!!!!

I feel some of the changes such as the sequential injection have helped with the smoothness , In its self it adds no real power benefit but does help iron out a few bumps in the tuning

It is all of these little things that have made it such an extensive job , but also made it what it is.... as i said before its all the little details that add up to make the final product...

Someone asked to see pic of the devise used to operate the sequential timing...well here it is...The old charge cooler pump modified to house the sensor and trigger ..

The fuel system has now been tided up , I lost a bit of boot space, but can still get the golf clubs in.

.

Edited June 23, 2011 by CHANGES

[karmavore]

I like what you did with the trunk. It's a shame to lose the space, but it looks clean.

[mr.oogieboogie]

Flux capacitor

[CHANGES]

FINISHED

Well its been a long journey , quite eventful at times , ...I have now carried out all the test drives and pre use checks...., As i said before i will be brutally honest on the outcome...

My first impression is surprise.. It is so easy to drive not at all lumpy at the bottom , no turbo lag at all just a smooth transition from impressive pull away to out and out exhilaration .

With the window open the sound is incredible, from a pull away rumble to a rasp with revs then a chirping from the turbo on gear change, as you accelerate up the revs the turbo whistle get drowned by the roar of pure power. this is followed by the biggest smile i can remember , that is once my face has gone back into shape after the surge forward...

With the window closed it is surprisingly quiet inside.. the extra sound proof works well...

While the boys at N'hampton Motorsport had it , they reset all the suspension , they did the corner weights giving me a 50/50 diagonal balance with 80kg on the drivers seat.... Now that has made one hell of a difference. ...The power and handling go hand in hand, I can quite honestly say it has never felt this good.....

I will use it for the first time properly on Sunday for the Gaydon super car show.... The official finished launch......

So I present to you the.......... 422bhp Esprit SE (1989)

Thank you all for your interest , feedback and encouragement ......

Dave Lisle....

Edited June 24, 2011 by CHANGES

[DanR]

Despite my skepticism about the accuracy of wheel dynos I think you've done a magnificent job Dave. Now get out there and enjoy yourself with everything you've done.

[karmavore]

Very nice.

[Bibs]

Dave, I want to talk to you at the weekend, make sure you find me

[bosbon_be]

b]I will use it for the first time properly on Sunday for the Gaydon super car show.... The official finished launch......

I wish I could be there, would love to see it in the flesh, lots of questions on how did you do it.

Lovely project.

Peter

[CHANGES]

From Peter........I wish I could be there, would love to see it in the flesh, lots of questions on how did you do it.

Maybe another time. It will be out and about quite a bit ..... l need to bang on a fair few aggressive miles to prove the concept..

Also i will need to find a few volunteers with suitable insurance to give it a blast and give me feedback on their views.....

In the mean time I will try to answer any questions on any part of the project you or anyone has...

[rogerch]

On board video with sound please.

[CHANGES]

On board video with sound please.

Would love to but i need someone with suitable equipment to film , and suitable big kahuna's to sit in the left seat and do the filming.....

Back to road testing

As some of you know i did the run to Gaydon , very enjoyable . nothing major to report , but it was more of a cruise ...... Circa 130 mile round trip on very hot day....

What became noticeable was the engine fans did not turn on till 96' and off at 87'... This is not suitable and will be a simple reset to do..... I also noticed that when i stopped in traffic the engine temp went up quite quick, .. this lead me to believe the ambient heat in my enclosed engine bay was to high.....This i have addressed by improving the flow through the naca ducts on the floor...... On test yesterday this worked so well that on a high speed runst the engine temp dropped 2' to 80'......

Another observation was when it was hot the gear selection was very notchy especially on 1+2....not nice, Although it was adjusted to the factory settings i have now readjusted out of spec and it is much better...if still a bit notchy but may play some more later......I am interested in any info on what others have done to improve the quality of selector mechanism..

The air con is working but not really cold enough , so will call the man in to check the charge.....

I managed to give it a good high speed shake down on a road i used to use to test the tarmac set up on my rally cars.... This road is twisty with bad cambers sweeping bends and undulations, plus a couple of lou lou bumps to upset the stability....The rally cars would often lift a wheel or two and have a twitchy rear end just to keep you interested.... The Esprit is a different animal.... I was not holding back , very impressive.. it rode the bumps so well and did not get unseated on the testy bits. Having the extra power to drill it through the bends was oh so good with amazing traction.....

If i am completely honest when we achieved 400+ i was expecting it to be spinning the wheels under power all the time.... but no the opposite , the traction is fantastic , it give you a felling of stability and control. ....The brakes are good too, no fading to speak of , and that's with just fast road pads. this may change as they wear down.....

Here is the Geo i am using....

[rogerch]

That's really good info. A bit more info on the weights, how they were measured and under what circumstances, would be interesting.

[Bibs]

Any decent motorsport outfit will have corner weight scales.

[mangel]

Brilliant Dave,

Car was mega impressive on Sunday, paintworks and shut lines were awesome!

One question though

'Have you done the Headlights yet?'

[red vtec]

Having seen and spoken to Dave, I can assure you this man really knows his stuff, this is not an esprit with a few bits bodged on, the whole execution is amazing.

Chris

[DanR]

...Another observation was when it was hot the gear selection was very notchy especially on 1+2....not nice, Although it was adjusted to the factory settings i have now readjusted out of spec and it is much better...if still a bit notchy but may play some more later......I am interested in any info on what others have done to improve the quality of selector mechanism...

Second gear selection tends to be the most fractious one. No doubt you've already replaced the rosejoints and bearings. I see you still have the LH side position for the translator mechanism. Lotus had four attempts to improve the shift quality. Moving the mechanism to the RH side is worth considering. Those cables end up with wear and slack especially as they do the "s" over the gearbox. If you don't swap sides get cables made of a higher quality that the OEM ones. Marine cable makers (for the outboard motors) may be able to sort something out that is smoother and minus the slack.

Whenever I adjust a translator I hold the cross shaft in the mid-position and make sure the geometry of the angles and cable connections are 90degs. If there is to be a bias with the 90degs do it towards the forward gear planes. Once that's set fine tune everything.

Moving the battery to the opposite corner may even up the corner weights a little more but unless you're eking out the best lap times possible it won't matter on the road.

[CHANGES]

That's really good info. A bit more info on the weights, how they were measured and under what circumstances, would be interesting.

Roger The weights were taken so that the front o/s and the rear n/s added together were the same as the opposite diagonal . this was done with an 80 kg weight in the drivers seat. The weights were adjusted by tweaking the preload on the springs using the height platform. setting the ride height at the same time... when set correctly with the damper rates you gain lateral control with cornering stability making the car flatter through the bends , less roll and correct dynamic weight transfer ensuring maximum traction in all scenario's

Toby... On the h/lamps....no... But i did go out in the dark for the first time the other day..... the new lamps i have are much better than the old ....still not cutting it though...i can see new bulb kit with ballast coming soon ...Anyone fitted any yet.? feedback please..

Danny....Thanks for the info on the selector mechanism... I will play a little more with what you suggested in mind....But alas i feel one of my design 'Changes' coming on , already drawn up some alternatives , I want to be able to change gear fast without that spongy feel....more of a click ..click.. type change... don't think it will be straight forward, It will need both ends redesigning but worth having a go at... Has any one else looked into a new design...Feedback appreciated...

Dave

[rogerch]

Thanks Dave, yes I was interested to know if the 80 kg ballast was the effect or it had been compensated for. Sorry to be so inquisitive but few people go to these lengths, so I'm always interested in the results when they do.

[mangel]

Dave,

I know this should be in the spotted section but......................Did I see you on the M6 on Monday around lunchtime headed south?

If so then you were about 5 miles behind a red 458 Italia. The reason I know this was as the 458 went passed I thought 'holy mother of god that looks good and sounds awesome'.

Then I saw the esprit and thought 'holy mother of god that looks good and sounds awesome!' which was nice!!!

[DanR]

...I want to be able to change gear fast without that spongy feel....more of a click ..click.. type change... don't think it will be straight forward, It will need both ends redesigning but worth having a go at... Has any one else looked into a new design...Feedback appreciated...

Dave

Knowing you, you'll probably see it as a challenge and overcome it.

The box isn't capable of that click-click type change. The syncros have their work cut out for them. There's a retarder spring on the second gear selector fork to enable more time for the syncro to bite. Also the gap between the lower ratios is wide which adds to the work for the syncros. Converting to "dogs" if only for 1st and 2nd could do it as well as revised ratios. Have a look into that.

Also converting to the final edition Lotus did for the shift mechanism would be the best short of designing something along similar lines. Maybe a combination rod and cable. The rod to operate the cross shift since the inertia would be low and a cable for the gear gates.

[CHANGES]

Maybe a combination rod and cable. The rod to operate the cross shift since the inertia would be low and a cable for the gear gates.

Danny , Have you got a spy cam in my office.. ..My exact thoughts rod and cable... ..I thought if i split the duty of the cables and used one to shift gears and the other the (cross shaft ) neutral via a rod ass, it would reduce the twist error in the translator.. and give a more precise selection of gears...The gearbox end is a doddle , but changing the orientation of one cable at the gear leaver end is proving a little taxing...Space being the limiting factor...

It is not a problem making the system small, its just that doing so introduces resistance forces which contradict the purpose of the modification...more thought and mock up assembly required me thinks..

Thanks for the info on the retarder spring . it is useful to know if i get something sorted then find i still have a delay into 2nd.

I must say that a c/r straight cut box would be magic in these motors , it would change the whole driving experience.. But alas to much wonga...!!!!

If you have any other ideas you want to share. I'am all ears.

From Toby.. .Did I see you on the M6 on Monday around lunchtime headed south?

Yes it was I . a bit noisy in'it..!!!!

Edited July 7, 2011 by CHANGES

[rogerch]

Just for some pie in the sky, I had thoughts (dreams) about an electronic solenoid system. Not clever enough to work it out myself, but a numeric or sequential keypad and a bit of programming, should be a doddle

[hardluck09]

hi guys im Randal BUT I USE hardluck09 as my life has been full of hardluck ,TO THE SUBJECT i really really like it ,of course im new into LOTUS and now own a LOTUS ESPRIT and id like to learn a lot of ways to look after it and even learn more about the engine i have so any advice lads feel free ? IM not a dimp as i used to race bikes in all our IRISH ROAD RACES and can understand a lot of engineering and i like the look of the said engine although id think the cost would be out of my league ,the DYNO CHART looks good but as we know thats a DYNO ,NO WIND,NO VIBRATEING PARTS AS GEAR BOX MOUNTINGS,SHOCKS,ROAD SURFACE ETC I DRIVE my esprit as much as possible thats why if any members can educate me id be gratefull as FORE WARNED IS FOREARMED ,BUT A BEAUTIFUL ENGINE YOU HAVE BUILT IMMETERIAL OF RED,BLUE,BLACK HOSES Thank you for letting me see your development Randal

[CHANGES]

Update

Just approaching 1000 mile mark....mostly quite aggressive driving... Extremely impressed with the performance, power / handling.. Still not happy with the gear change 1st to 2nd and 3rd to 2nd when hot... still looking into that....

The g/box i have fitted was delivery miles only when i got it. but old stock.. When it gets warm on a ''thrash drive'', the change gets notchy in all gears more so bottom end , but on normal driving its only notchy around 2nd. When cold its not that bad really just a little slow 1st to 2nd which Danny explained... Does anyone know if this is normal for a new box and is there a running in period for them.?