The Evora 400 Diaries

[Danelaw]

These  posts are making me paranoid. Are you guys on commission?

 

[JayEmm]

No, Pickle that looks miles off!

[Stuno1]

On 09/11/2016 at 19:06, JayEmm said:

Did I do a video? Of course I did!

I have no idea how the sound came out, because I was wearing ear defenders and there was a LOT of noise in that room, not just from the car. However, one of the guys did mention you could hear the car doing its runs from within the office, two walls away. You could certainly feel it in the air as it reached the high rev range.

@CocoPops I don't know about an Evora shootout, but my local Pistonheads group sometimes do dyno days where everyone gets a power run and it's all a bit cheaper for everyone - like 20 cars at £30-40 a go or something. Maybe Greg would be interested in hosting one next year?

What figures did the car manage?

[Bravo73]

390bhp. 

https://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/topic/82214-the-evora-400-diaries/?do=findComment&comment=681384

[chylld]

I tested a 991.2 911 Carrera 2S on the weekend, which reportedly has 420 hp. I'm thoroughly convinced either Porsche is lying about 420hp or Lotus is lying about 400hp...

[100th_Idiot]

Is the 991 much heavier?

[chylld]

The specs say my 400 auto is 1425kg and the 991.2 C2S 1460kg. However just going by the acceleration and handling response, I would have guesstimated that the 911 is 100-200kg lighter.

[JayEmm]

@chylld when I did the video with the 996 C4S I would have sworn blind it was just as quick as the 400 - despite being 100kg heavier and 80bhp down by Porsche's own figures.

I realised quite quickly a large part of this was the fact the throttle pedal was SUPER sensitive.

I would, to be quite honest, expect the 991 C2S to be a fair bit quicker than the 400. German HP numbers have often been conservative, in the turbo age it's become ridiculous. A lot of people dyno'd the new M5 which was supposed to be around 550bhp at the fly and were getting that figure at the wheel. Same with the M4 - 425 is generally regarded as being quite conservative.

Also, don't forget the 911 has 500nm of torque from 1,700rpm - way more than the Evora.

[chylld]

2 minutes ago, JayEmm said:

I realised quite quickly a large part of this was the fact the throttle pedal was SUPER sensitive.

I would, to be quite honest, expect the 991 C2S to be a fair bit quicker than the 400.

Throttle pedal on the 991s I tested wasn't any more sensitive than my 400's.

Also there needs to be a clear distinction between 991.1 and 991.2. The .1 doesn't hold a candle to the 400 as a package (no torque down low, really rough ride, lots of tyre noise) but the .2 absolutely trumps it. Lotus made a big step going from the gen 1 Evora to the 400, but Porsche made an even bigger step between .1 and .2.

That said, yes either 991 C2S will monster a 400 in a straight line and on track.

[JayEmm]

Given the fact that when I specced a C2S to my "ideal" spec it was £109K - I have no problems with that. I have issues using the Evora's performance anyway, but I would appreciate more mid range grunt. It's a bit flat.

 

[chylld]

I imagine the price gap in the UK is similar to Australia... here a 400 costs $200k and a 991.2 C2S to my minimal spec is $300k.

Actual cost of ownership is not that different though as the Lotus simply doesn't have the market depth to recover the same initial spend %. Specifically, going by Australia's used car prices, a Lotus here loses 30% of its value in its first year, whereas a Porsche only loses 22%. So depreciation cost is $50k for a Lotus Evora 400 and $66k for a 991.2 C2S. In that light, I'd say that the porker is equal or better bang for buck.

[JayEmm]

But, at the end of the day, driving the Evora around I constantly feel like I am in something special. Not something that has ever happened to me in a Porsche. And I do really like them. But there is a reason Lotus had my money this time round!

[chylld]

The 400 is definitely more special inside and out; I don't see that changing no matter how far the 911 comes.

Especially at low speeds the car is an occasion to drive, much more so than the 911, Huracan and Vantage. Not quite as much of an occasion as a McLaren though

I think tracking my 400 has put things into perspective. I'm not the best driver out there but I'm already starting to feel the limits of the car on street tyres. The 400 (with Lotus here in Australia providing pitcrew support during trackdays) is the best learning tool for me right now, but once I reach its limits I have to make a decision: start messing around with track tyres and suspension changes, or switch up to a faster car that is just as easy to live with on a daily basis.

[JayEmm]

Have you put Cup tyres on it? Everyone I know who tracks their car raves about them. Tracks also have a way of making even pretty quick cars feel slow, unless you get to McLaren levels of performance

[chylld]

Very tempted to put PSC2 on them (only R-spec that will fit directly) but the car is my daily and I don't want to use up expensive rubber on the commute.

The ideal solution (albeit an expensive one) is to get a separate set of track wheels, but the Evoras use such weird wheel sizes (19x8.0 5x114.3 ET55, 20x9.5 5x114.3 ET69) that finding aftermarket rims is a largely futile exercise. The best bet might actually be to find a set of unloved gen1 Evora 19/20 wheels...

[JayEmm]

The 400 looks great on S1 wheels actually

[DaveC72]

Are there unloved S1s?

The diamond cut 19/20" wheels are like rocking horse dung - and I really wouldn't recommend them for track work, as they're a bit *cough* precious when it comes to abuse.

Might be worth keeping an eye on the motorsports auctions website that @CocoPops linked ages ago.  There's usually a set of 18/19"s going there (I'll try and find the link later when not on a mobile).

[chylld]

Just unloved S1 wheels, not S1 cars

18" fronts won't fit on the 400 unfortunately (brakes are too big)

[DaveC72]

That's a pisser.  Guess it's an eBay hunt or aftermarket then. 

[JayEmm]

YouTube still appear to be processing lower resolutions, but this is public now.

 

[chylld]

Very well done video JM!

I'll see if I can get my laptimes down next month at Sydney Motorsport Park on stock Pilot Super Sports. I was lapping 2:19 (Brabham circuit) while a GT4 was lapping 2:12... he absolutely dominated me in the corners due to some combination of stickier rubbier (GT4 uses Pilot Sport Cup 2s) and driver skill. See how close I get while I work on the latter before upgrading the former

[JayEmm]

Thanks @chylld. Seven seconds is a fair difference. The GT4 has a large amount more downforce than the 400, which should make itself known on track. It's stiffer too, much stiffer - again, great on track. Those tyres will help aswell, as will the weight difference. SMP looks like a technical track, lots of corners - tyres are going to be making a significant contribution there.

I'd love to know the centre of gravity difference for the two cars. The Porsche's engine probably has a lower COG, but then the Evora doesn't have much metal up high.

[Gashead1105]

Good video James. Looked like you wanted to buy a GT4 though after that, I wasn't sure he was as keen aim the 400. Committed porsche guy by the looks of things though!

[JayEmm]

It's a really great car, I just cannot stomach paying over the odds for a Cayman that should not be a limited edition car. The other James was very complimentary about the Evora, we had a discussion later which was off camera and he said it was a very hard car to fault - considering he's someone who has had a string of German cars you would think that is high praise. Likewise him saying the Evora's interior was not an issue - it's a reason oft cited for people not liking the car, but not every Porsche owner feels the same!

Also, I seem to see Cayman GT4s fairly regularly on runs but the Evora is still a genuinely rare car that starts a lot of nice conversations with petrolheads

[Neal H]

Last weekend I was in B&C's showroom admiring the gorgeous Essex blue Exige 360 Cup in their showroom. I then visited a local Porsche dealer and they had a Cayman GT4 in there with 75 recorded miles. £105k price tag. The GT4 was very nice, but no way was it £105k nice!