Lotus Exige Cup 380

[PeterSweden]

Top speed / top acceleration is the problem. 
For example, top speed in Kesselchen is 220 km/h with a RACE DRIVER in the 380. I did 211 km/h (logged with Driftbox, so real speed) in my old old M3 E46 with 343 hp. And at that time I had perhaps 200 laps on NS.

And top speed in Kesselchen is depending on speed out of Bergwerk, where he, as a race driver, must be much faster than me. 

Edited December 8, 2017 by PeterSweden

[Swiss380Cup]

@550superfast JMG has to sell cars to stay afloat so the 380 was one of the solutions... regarding the 380 Cup, add the cost of all the carbon and you have the price. But for sure the margin is much better on the 380 in general. Regarding the issues, too few people to do to much job, and you have the results here. They should not let cars go out to magazines like that without double triple checking on the car. But for that you need time and money. We do not even know if the magazine asks the brand or just picks cars they want to check at dealers ????? But for sure PR is very poorly managed.

But KT told me before I make an appointment that they had numerous output issues with all 380 they had in shop, but had the solution, one of them being going for their Ex 390 kit which isn't that expensive and ensures that you get the appropriate number of horses in the stable 

 

[Swiss380Cup]

48 minutes ago, PeterSweden said:

Top speed / top acceleration is the problem. 
For example, top speed in Kesselchen is 220 km/h with a RACE DRIVER in the 380. I did 211 km/h (logged with Driftbox, so real speed) in my old old M3 E46 with 343 hp. And at that time I had perhaps 200 laps on NS.

And top speed in Kesselchen is depending on speed out of Bergwerk, where he, as a race driver, must be much faster than me. 

Yes, on the last straight, say 2 kms, a 30 kmh difference like with the GT3 is 7 s only.... add all the other fast portions and you can do the maths..... but I think 7:40 something would have been a reasonable time and probably it's achievable with the appropriate car. Which is a good time. 10 s less should be easy to achieve, since you seem to know the track inside out you can do the maths. Add an average of 25 kmh in the fast portions and do the maths for the time savings. Than factor in the sloppy gear changes of some portions and you have an estimate.

IMHO the real disappointment is that Lotus lets cars out to magazines without making sure they're in top condition or that they do not manage the PR before during and after the test

[Swiss380Cup]

I can't waite for the 430 Cup test next year. There we should have all a big smile......

[Swiss380Cup]

And I've read in another post that Win911 hit north of 265 kmh in the last straight with its Ex 460. So the 380 Cup should do better than 240

[NW76]

You have to be careful with comps to an EX460 in particular Win911s ... he has the short ratio gearbox ...

From personal experience on track but also on the Autobahn, I can say that the EX460 is pretty much on par acceleration wise with a 991 GT3 even at speeds > 200 kmh.

My top speed at Spa improved by approx 15-20 kphs before/after ... 

[Swiss380Cup]

@NW76 yes, I know but I'm anticipating on my upgrade ....and I already have the close ratio  and according to Mr Koblitschek, my car was the best 380 they ever tested, so I'm starting on a good basis. AMuS should have taken my car to the NOS, not the one they had

 

 

[NW76]

agree ... a sub 7:40 would have been doable ??

[Swiss380Cup]

3 minutes ago, NW76 said:

agree ... a sub 7:40 would have been doable ??

Yes, I'm pretty sure with a proper car, time would have been much better than that. So already I'm happy with the car as it is since being in the range of the GT4 or first GT3s is not a bad achievement, and we all know that the one coming starting with the 430 Cup will be awesome...... Still hesitating to invest in the Ex 460 or buy the new 430 Cup. Will wait for the first test which will come soon. My dealer will receive in February 2 430 Cup, probably an amazing car and than off to KT for a little tune to 475 HP..... should be a cheap one this hike. And I can have my close ratios, LSD and clutch fitted back on the 430.

[lovus]

Lotus should get out of their little world (hethel) and start testing their cars in the "real" world.

It's like raising your fish in an aquarium and then putting it into an ocean...

Edited December 8, 2017 by lovus

[Mark030358]

@Nightfire Jokkee had the same issue with that of low power on his 380 Sport. However I read somewhere on this forum that early 380's had a bug with the ECU programming. Can anyone confirm this statement?

As basically your right you should be able to...

thanks

[DK7]

Why Lotus sell a 380hp Exige with real life ~340 hp....thats the problem and frustrating!!

sorry but this, the fact its a kit car and the higher new prices, i would always buy a GT Porsche for that money.

Exige 430 + 130k€ gaga.:) 

better buy a cheap 350 and modify it!

[C8RKH]

@DK7 was the kit car comment really necessary? 

Very insulting to the ladies and gentlemen at Lotus who have a proud heritage and tradition of engineering excellence. When you see the Exige chassis and the engineering and design that has gone into the Exige when it is being built on the production line I can assure you it is every bit as good as anything Porsche can do from an engineering perspective.

[Seriouslylotus]

9 hours ago, C8RKH said:

@DK7 was the kit car comment really necessary? 

Very insulting to the ladies and gentlemen at Lotus who have a proud heritage and tradition of engineering excellence. When you see the Exige chassis and the engineering and design that has gone into the Exige when it is being built on the production line I can assure you it is every bit as good as anything Porsche can do from an engineering perspective.

This

Also don't forget that dyno run could be complete tosh ( haven't we seen b/s like this before many times)

My 360 is bang on the money power wise when tested properly.

I assume a 380 when test properly will also produce the correct power.

[NW76]

1 hour ago, Seriouslylotus said:

This

Also don't forget that dyno run could be complete tosh ( haven't we seen b/s like this before many times)

My 360 is bang on the money power wise when tested properly.

I assume a 380 when test properly will also produce the correct power.

Pretty sure Sport Auto knows what they are doing ... likelyhood that they are off <1% ... likelyhood that THAT 380 Cup is not making the claimed power 99%... looks like that 380 Cup had the same issue as @Jokke Vlo s car ...

I must admit ... this is a shame for Lotus. They are not professional about their PR ... a bunch of amateurs in that regard ... this hurts the brand at least in German speaking countries ...

I can only recomend each 380 owner that only has the slightest doubt to get the car on a professional dyno to see if it also has a „software issue“ ... 

By the way ... you can see how much potential the car has on the video but due to the lack of power the laptime is toast ... 

 

[vd9]

11 hours ago, C8RKH said:

Very insulting to the ladies and gentlemen at Lotus who have a proud heritage and tradition of engineering excellence.

I personally can't see anything insulting in a kit car reference. It is certainly not a "full on normal car" and I have no problem with that. Many of the kit cars are engineered super well and represent the great pieces of automotive "science". I actually think that Exige is one of those and am quite happy to drive one.

[CRM82]

Lotus can only blame itself for all these negative comments: they build a 120k euro car and do not organize a proper test day at the nurburgring to fairly prove what their car can do???

Who cares about this Heather circuit lap time: NOBODY!

On top of this the 430 cup out just 6 months after the 380 cup with several 380 cup unsold. 

Do they read this forum? They should...

[Barrykearley]

This thread is in danger of tuning into a penisheads Porsche catagory willy waving nurburg ? ring farce.......

[DJW]

Well I can definitely feel the extra power of my 380 over my previous 350 and V6S, so assume my mapping is ok.

Shame about the the laptimes, but the only thing that matters to me, is do I enjoy driving the car.  Answer is a resounding YES

[NW76]

The review overall was VERY positive and Chr Gebhardt even outs himself a fan of Lotus (despite the Mathey Racing Helmet) ... the critical part is were they discuss the lack of power, which doesnt look good on Lotus ...

The Aero seems to work but in connection with the lack of power the increase in drag  leads to the fact that the car is slower in several areas of the track than the V6 S tested in 2013 ... also he confirms my feeling about the Cup 2 tires ... they are too hard for the Exige, the Trofeos work better... 

Talking about slow ... the GT4 in comp was almost 20 km/h faster on the main straight ... 

 

Btw the Headline is: PURE FUN 

[Nightfire]

On 7.12.2017 at 17:26, Swiss380Cup said:

Ok now I have to invest in the 430 Cup or the Ex 460 or SSC TVS 1900 charge cooled when it's out... and I'll be happy 

 

You drove the 911 and now a 380 Cup why not GT4 the cost to buy the car are about the same as the 380 Cup and is a lot faster. I'm seriously considering whether to sell the Cup 380 and buy a gt4. I'm too fond of lotus, it takes a lot of money to bring the 380cup near a gt4.

[NW76]

The Lotus is a lot more fun to drive and cheaper to maintain if you track it regularly ... 

If you go for the EX460 you will get GT3 performance for what a set of brakes will cost in the Porsche ?

 

[Nightfire]

I'm not so sure you must also include the resale value and that will be a catastrophe at the 380 cup because the car is a blender. It is probably cheaper if you drive through the city and throw the money directly out of the window.

[C8RKH]

If you prefer the Porsche just piss off and go and get one and find a Porsche forum to talk about it on - this is to those who keep harping on how the GT4 is better, cheaper etc.

The "kit car" reference was a slur, a throwaway, and the poster knows it. The Exige is no more a kit car than any other car. 

We have established that some 380 CUP cars do seem to have a mapping issue which looks like they are pushing out less power. But then we have also established that some cars are pushing out full power.  I agree that Lotus, when presented with "FACTS" should investigate and maybe a recall is needed of all 380 CUPS to allow the dealers who have the facilities to check the cars out or maybe Lotus sends an engineer. We are not talking about a huge number of cars here but for the sake of reputation it should be done.

We've said before that lap times, especially at the NS can be affected by a huge manor of things and we also know that lotus does not "prepare" test cars in the way other manufacturers do for the NS tests.

I hope you are all happy with your Lotus. I truly do.

[Swiss380Cup]

17 minutes ago, Nightfire said:

You drove the 911 and now a 380 Cup why not GT4 the cost to buy the car are about the same as the 380 Cup and is a lot faster. I'm seriously considering whether to sell the Cup 380 and buy a gt4. I'm too fond of lotus, it takes a lot of money to bring the 380cup near a gt4.

I had 3 GT3, of which 2 RS and 1 Turbo S..... and to me Lotus is the MUST in terms of fun, and race like feeling. And regarding the performance, I'm not sure the GT4 is that better. We all know here what the weak points of the car are, one of them being the heat soak. Besides, it's an amazing car for the price and a very fast one too. Mr Koblitschek from Komo-Tec said that regarding the Nurburgring, the Exige is not the car for this type of track. The chassis, suspension, etc. are much too stiffer for it. On top, the car used was not at its best regarding output. Mine works just great. And with a TVS 1900 or the Ex 460, it has nothing to be ashamed against the most powerful track weapons around. The fun, and somehow exclusivity of this car. How many Porsches, Ferraris, McLaren, etc do you see out on the street. What I find is that the Exige attracts a lot of sympathy on the road, and you seldom drive across another one. The problem is that for this type of car, why bother having a saloon interior.....I don't car about radio, stereo, insulation, whatever....... If you make these kind of comparisons, so why buy a GT4 (there are almost 30 for sale 2nd hand in Switzerland), and not a 2nd hand McLaren 12 C, you can go on like that forever.... personally I considered all options, McLaren, Ferrari, Porsche again, etc etc.... Almost bought a Radical RXC 500, but frankly I didn't had the "guts" to do it. To go from point A to point B, I prefer the train, my Smart Brabus and my Mini JCW, or whatever.... for the FUN of driving LOTUS is on top......

13 minutes ago, Nightfire said:

I'm not so sure you must also include the resale value and that will be a catastrophe at the 380 cup because the car is a blender. It is probably cheaper if you drive through the city and throw the money directly out of the window.

As soon as you buy a car, you through the money out of the window. In today's world a car is useless most of the time and stays idle in front of your home or in the garage..... And for fun, the price is the last of the considerations. You can buy a 2nd hand Lada if you want to spare money.....or a bicycle, even better