Tex’s Lotus Exige Cup 430

[GFWilliams]

53 minutes ago, Tex said:

Just received quote from Lotus Dealer for the replacement of discs and pads all round  £3,600. 
 

Seems pretty steep !

Source the parts from @Seriouslylotusand you can upgrade to larger discs and better pads while also saving some money.

https://www.seriouslylotus.com/braking/exige-v6-343mm-upgrade-alcon-front-brake-disc-rota-s

[Tex]

Yes, will take a look at these discs,  but having tried the Performance Friction pads previously I found them noisy and they whistled on the road.

They were though good on track !

[jbs]

On 01/06/2018 at 18:49, Tex said:

Took delivery of my Cup today and very quickly broke the engine cover release lever, so all my luggage remains locked away. I know it’s been covered before but it really is a pretty weak design.

Looks like a trip back to the dealer !!!

Main point really was to establish a thread for the foibles on a new Lotus.

I had air bag delete which included the harness brace, but it would appear the plastic cover behind seats gets removed showing all manner of Cables. I was assured this was normal but would appreciate views on this. Looks a bit naff really but maybe it is the only solution

Also Really would have liked the switchable exhaust button, as on my 380 and will look to see if this can be retro fitted.

Will up date again once I retrieve my luggage and start to enjoy the car for the reasons I bought it.

 

Is it true that if you opt for the harness bar, it's the dealership that has to install it after the car has been registered, and that the part is sold as "track only" from Lotus ?

 

[Tex]

The full A frame harness bar that comes with the pack is factory fitted. You then apply for the Schroth harnesses post sale which your dealer supplies.

I know some folks opt for the half harness which is a dealer fit or whoever you prefer to

[jbs]

Thank you.

[Tex]

Had these new wheels delivered and just applied C5 Gtechniq ceramic wheel armour. Good product and easy to apply.

Rears weigh in at 20.9kg on Cup 2s with Fronts at 16.4kg.

My identical original OEM’s are 21kg and 16.5kg on worn Cup 2’s though 

Will keep these for just road use now.

 

[EldonZ]

@TexWhat are the widths?

Thanks,
Eldon

[Tex]

285/30/ZR18 97Y XL Cup 2’s  

215/45/ZR17 91Y XL Cup 2’s  

7.5J x 17 ET26

10J x 18 ET32

[Tex]

I am considering changing over from Cup2’s to Pirelli Trofeo R’s but it appears you can not obtain them in OEM sizes as below :

285/30/ZR18 97Y XL Cup 2’s  

215/45/ZR17 91Y XL Cup 2’s  

7.5J x 17 ET26

10J x 18 ET32

The equivalents are 225 fronts and 295 rears. Clearly a size up but not necessarily any wider to foul the arches as Michelin’s do appear to come up larger against Pirelli on other sizes 

So if anyone has any  experience would be good to know 

[Martrack]

Trofeo-R in OEM proper sizes are available since around mid-2020, see this topic :
https://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/topic/107089-semi-slick-tyres-for-sport-410-cup-430-and-some-others/
They do not seem to be available everywhere online, at least I found the official dealer in France which sells them :
https://ivalto.com/boutique/
You should then find them in UK for sure 👍

 

[Tex]

Much appreciated 

[FF]

I purchased in Italy and fitted the Trofeo R with proper size last month on my 430 CUP. Very excellent tires as always.

[Radek Koch]

Do you make some changes in camber or something else?

Thank you

[FF]

I adjusted the camber - 1,4 at the front and - 2 at the rear for the moment. This was the same setup I was using on the previous V6S I had that I am using as a start point now.

Now I am trying to find a proper setup for the suspensions on track

[Tex]

Out for a brief spin in my Cup 430 and local lad wanted to take a picture. 
 

I’m no expert but looked pretty good to me 

[EldonZ]

@TexWhat is the color of your car?

I'm trying to decide what green to wrap my Cup-R in.

Thanks,
Eldon

[Tex]

Vivid Green

[Tex]

Anyone had their 3 way Nitrons serviced yet ?

[Tex]

Good day out at Silverstone and the first time I had been on the International Circuit.

 

[Tex]

A big shout out to Simon at Meteor Motorsport who has just returned my newly serviced 3 Way Nitrons. 
 

Excellent service and turn round times and sound advice too on the over stiff OEM springs. 
 

I have kept with the OEM springs even though  they are over stiff at 1,100 as had no time to wait for alternatives.

In any event Simon gave me his settings based on the 1,100’s and his experience.  At Donington last week i had the opportunity to try them out and it handled better than ever. 

I may still switch to softer springs at some point but in any event the car did feel transformed on track 

[Martrack]

14 hours ago, Tex said:

In any event Simon gave me his settings based on the 1,100’s and his experience.  At Donington last week i had the opportunity to try them out and it handled better than ever.

Compared to the factory settings ?
Of course feel free to share, if possible
Many thx 👍

[Tex]

Never seen any settings for track from Nitron or Lotus and not sure why there would be as it is a personal preference. The settings I used were tested at Donington and I imagine good for Silverstone and and other fast circuits.

There are of course road settings given by Lotus which are what the car is set at the factory and these are on the firm side so usually best to soften them slightly. 
 

 

[Martrack]

And then by how many "clicks" (compared to the factory spec) did you soften front/rear high/low compression & rebound for track use at Donington ?
So that it could help others
Thank you again 👍

[Tex]

4 different settings.

Factory, My Road, My Track and Simon’s Track.

All personal preference and worth experimenting yourself but perhaps a good benchmark 

[Martrack]

Tex, thank you again for your experience sharing 👍
Last question, still using default anti roll bars and chassis heights settings ?