11 replies to this topic

[mags993tt]

Given the extra grippyness of the AO48's and predicted useage of the VXR was the VXR suspension / hubs or whatever beefed up in any way over N/A or Turbo? Come to think of it is the Turbo beefed up over the N/A? Wondering if I was to stick the VXR wheels and tyre combo on a bog standard N/A setup whether I should expect something to break on track? Assuming it can take it I imagine a trip to scared stiff would be necessary to get the handling balance back - is the N/A standard set up adjustable enough to do this or would the handling ultimately suffer?

[garyk220]

Same set-up on all 3 as far as I know. Lotus and Eliseparts sell an upgraded toe link assembly, since this is a known weak point on the stock suspension, especially when using grippy tyres. Hubs, bearings, etc. are off a Vectra/Omega sized car so should be more than up to the job. I'm expecting to replace bearings etc. at least once every 2 years, possibly every year, depending on wear and the amount of abuse it gets on track. More as a precautionary measure, though I'd expect.

[DJG]

I had exactly the same thoughts so when I was at Scared Stiff I asked Steve about it. He reckons that the grip would be too much for the suspension, not in terms of durability but effectiveness. He suggested a move to Nitrons or similar or a different type of tyre. On the tyre front he showed me a number of road/track tyres that were far less extreme than the AO48s. I think this would be the best set up because if you are still driving road miles then you will get caught in the rain and you don't want to drive like a district nurse every time it's a bit damp.

[speedyK]

Lotus and Eliseparts sell an upgraded toe link assembly,

Quote from Eliseparts site: (LINK)

"Rear toelink Kit

One weakness of the Elise is the standard toelink. If using wider tyres and doing occasional track days then this upgrade is a must. Basically, it uses a stronger toelink bar and beefs up the hub mounting point, we use the strongest rod ends available and wherever possible we use Stainless Steel i.e. toe link bar itself, shim kit etc. The kit comes complete with all spacers and fittings and as an extra, we can supply rod end dust covers which immensely prolong the life of your bearings. Prices are lower for those cars running steel rear hubs (Black) as these will not require the strengthening bracket. For those cars running aluminium rear hubs (Silver/Ali) these do require the strengthening bracket (inc).

Steel Hubs £329.95

Ali Hubs £369.95

Dust Covers (Set of 4) £12.95"

Sounds like a wise move for peace of mind, together with Nitrons or Oehlins. Consensus is that if you go for Yoko A048s, you should upgrade the suspension.

[mags993tt]

cheers for the input - looks nitrons the way to go. now I guess the big question is 4 stud or 5 stud...I think given I have just bought some 5 stud discs it has pretty much made my mind up for me but it would have been nice to have the added weight saving. Still my next bit of expenditure won't be for a while yet so still plenty of time to wear out those discs edited to say: I just noticed that Thorney mentioned in another thread that although the N/A Nitron package now ran the same springs as the Turbo that the damper rates were different. I thought the damper rates were adjustable anyway and why should the Turbo and N/A need different setups - simply a weight issue?

Edited by mags993tt, 03 May 2004 - 03:12 PM.

[Thorney]

Actually I was wrong about that...the VXT kit has 25llb heavier springs on the back to cope with higher weight.

[mags993tt]

Actually I was wrong about that...the VXT kit has 25llb heavier springs on the back to cope with higher weight.

ok - gotcha - and the dampers are the same, right?

[Thorney]

Yep....same dampers.

[Ducati996Senna]

I pretty sure that the Eliseparts toe link kit is for the Lotus motorsport uprights. In that case these are only made for the S1 which has a completly different hub. You cannot put the VX hub in a S1 Motorsport upright. The reason Lotus made this upright was because of failure of the toe link with slick/high traction tyres. The link does not fit into the tapered hole that accomodates the ball joint. The motorsport upright is not a tapered hole. So in addition to the toe link kit from Geary at Elise parts you'll also need S1 Motorsport uprights, S1 motorsport hubs because they have a larger bearing. New discs because its a 4 bolt pattern. Oh and new drive shafts because the are different to the standard S2 and VX. Oh and did I mention that the motorsport hubs aren't fitted with the speed sensors which pick up for both the abs and the speedo. If all of that hasn't put you off S1 and S2 wheel pcd is different. Finally incase you didn't

[Ducati996Senna]

Getting back to the original question. The only difference between the VXR, VXT and N/A is the spring. They all share the same Elise S2 uprights and linkages. So in your case its got no more chance of breaking than on the VXR. In fact probably less because you don't carry as much weight.

[mags993tt]

great info - thanks. the palmer sport chaps did specifically mention that there was a weakpoint though can't remember what it was. imagine that has been upgraded for the vxr.

[Ricky2772]

in my first crash, the rear toe-link broke, and it's a good thing it did, since saved me from worse damage to the other supension parts and mounts. the toe-link attachment at the steel frame side is weak though, a thinn-ish mild steel plate, mine developed a 6cm stress-fracture. deffo it could be stronger, hence my intention to fix it along with a substantial welded reinforcement added... and no, I think the toe-link the VX uses is different (and stronger) than the weedy one on the lizzie mk1...