Need more low end torque

[86esprits3]

Hi everyone. I am back after being gone for a few years. I used to own a 1986 esprit hci, sold it. Now I have a 1993 S3S. Real nice, but it suffers the same problem as the other one, and probably all esprits. They are embarrassingly slow off the line. I mean, my ford explorer suv is faster till the turbo kicks in.

 

Is there anything I can do to make it faster? I really do not want to go to a corvette...lol. I drove an elise, and while that was not neck snapping either, it was actually too stiff to drive. I wonder if I need a newer model, or a v8 esprit.

 

For an exotic, this baby should be able to do a burnout, and it will not.

[jimblob]

1993 S3S 

[86esprits3]

oops! I know it is  a 1993. S4   Did they make a s4s in 1993? I have to look.

1993 S4, and I am sticking to it..lol!  My mistake

[60N4.7]

Green dot pulley

Lotus (or other) race chip

Remove cat

Alunox headers

[86esprits3]

I see you did it on your car. Ok....was it a noticeable improvement?

[jimblob]

you just bought a new s4? I bet you a pint your charge cooler is not working

[CarBuff]

We will need PICS or VIDEOS of the burnouts you do....

[AdamDE]

you just bought a new s4? I bet you a pint your charge cooler is not working

 

I second that, having recently bought an S4 too.

 

Green dot pulley

Lotus (or other) race chip

Remove cat

Alunox headers

+ Electric Charge Cooler

 

Also, I had a rattling turbo wastegate... fixing that helped the low end too.

[dodge1979]

There's a thread in the esprit chat section about realistic tweaks and wat you get for your money along with pitfalls and actual dyno results done throughout stages of work. Unless you want to go down the route of daves 424bhp..best take a look at it to get a real heads up..

[Dave Freeman]

Done all the Kenny west mods and more except the green spot pulley.

Re chipped

Electric charge cooler

Force air for turbo

Stainless manifold by Alunox

De cat

4 point exhaust out let, free flow

Goes like a bat out of hell, wheel spin 1st, 2nd and occasionally third.

Well worth all the effort. Not sure of the BHP or 0 to 60 time but I have to say the mods make the car feel much quicker from rest and little or no turbo lag.

Would recommend the changes.

Edited May 28, 2014 by Dave Freeman

[60N4.7]

There's a thread in the esprit chat section about realistic tweaks and wat you get for your money along with pitfalls and actual dyno results done throughout stages of work. Unless you want to go down the route of daves 424bhp..best take a look at it to get a real heads up..

 

 

Looked but could not find.. link to the post you refer to?

[dodge1979]

just brought it back up to the start of the esprit chat section for you..

[AdamDE]

Thanks. I also struggled to find it. So here's the link for anyone else:

http://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/topic/51879-rolling-road-results-of-a-tweaked-s4a-realistic-expectation/

[rogerch]

If you think it's slow there's probably something wrong with it.

I'd start by checking compression, timing, the hole freescan thing. Check what you have before you start to change anything. Get your base line right first.

Mine is an 88, on Delortos, and sure ain't slow. It was when I first bought it, the standard of work done on it was "oribble.

[86esprits3]

Who makes a race chip for this car? I thought the computers where pretty generic, and the chips where not replaceable.

haha, not a new s4.... a used, but new one for me. I bought it last year. How do I check to see if chargecooler is working? I was pretty knowledgeable with my 1986 hci, but this is a little different. Actually a lot! I have a weird valve sticking out of the intake manifold. I will get photos.

[Bibs]

After a run, the top of the chargecooler should be cold to the touch, not even a little warm.

[Jacques]

And this may sound obvious, but take a look on the hoses on the inlet and outlet on the vhargecooler. Mine were reversed, so it never got cooled. After I corrected it, a lot of horsepower came back

 

Cheers,

Jacques.

[dodge1979]

And avoid putting chips into the Ecu...theyre not the way forward. Theyre made by a conner in germany who cant substantiate his claims and refuses to use a dyno to test them. I mean..the idiot claims #7 can give you up to 400bhp with a kn filter...wat a load of rubbish. Its seriously delusional and really doesnt work like that...

[jonwat]

Who makes a race chip for this car? I thought the computers where pretty generic, and the chips where not replaceable.

 

ECU Performance Chips

[Simon350S]

Kato didn't update the article with any facts post chip trials.

Many posts have been written here about the chips supplied by those identified in this thread already, generally all stating the same. The company selling is full of s**t. This goes hand in hand with upgraded clutches etc etc...

These are not my personal views as I've not got a chippable esprit, but this isn't a new subject matter.

[dodge1979]

And yet people are still fooled into it..still..these companies only want your money and market products towards owners who may not know any different which is a shame. Each to their own..

[sailorbob]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with chipping the cars when done properly. After all it's only what Lotus themselves did with the S4S and GT3 to improve performance

[jonwat]

And yet people are still fooled into it...

Each to their own..

Well, I put the high torque chip into my S4s & it would spin the wheels in third on a good, dry road which it wouldn't before :-)

[dodge1979]

its the age old argument...and just too indepth to go into yet again with the reasons..yes I agree derek that remapping can be advantageous but the delco ecu cant be done. so just wacking boost and fuel in isn't the best way to gain reliable performance..its a rough and ready way that used to be done to RS turbos because they didn't know any better back in the day. And the S4s had different turbo, valves etc so was flowing more air..which is the whole point. its the basics of engines. you need air velocity and fuel and the right combination to create sustainable reliable power. wacking up boost and trying to choke the engine with it, when it hasn't been changed or set up to flow more air in significant quantities is just pointless.

 

John, You may be able to spin the wheels. but all that means is your not actually using the power you've got your just loosing traction. That is not an indication of power or a smooth torque curve or ADVANTAGEOUS gains. It doesn't show reliability or anything. Yes you may feel an increase in torque but actually what have you gained? Have you done a before and after dyno run at a reputable company to see whats going on? If you did, youd be surprised and youll find a lot more out...

 

Without repeating the details of the 412 thread to explain it that's the basics. But each to there own there is no 'one opinion only thanks' otherwise wed have nothing to talk about