Sat in a Lotus Elise for the first time ever. I am surprised I fitted in it (I am 6ft 3), although there has to be a more modest way of getting into the thing. I think it was an Exige I sat in. I couldn't do long hauls in them though. The sales guy was quite nice, handed me every brochure, and said if I wanted a test drive to come back with my driving license!
I'd be too scared though with all that power!!
I havn't had the opportunity to drive one yet but i imagine they aren't too hard to drive, they dont have that much power afterall they are just very light. Plus they have tonnes of grip so theres no need to be scared of them.
Be scared of TVR's and Nobles lol
Mid-engined = hard to drive!Originally Posted by staffsMike
I'd agree it will be different to Front engined rear wheel drive but I dont see whats hard about it..
Like any new car you take it easy until you're comfortable driving it..
The Elise/Exige are very unforgiving if you do loose traction at the back wheels - Same with the VX220 et al, didn't someone off here have a VX? I bet they span that at least once.
Tom Scott,
Scancom.co.uk/HEXUS Liason
Sold my Lotus Elise a couple of years ago, Mk1 in inferno red with magnolia leather seats.
Had a scary incident on a roundabout in the rain.... fortunately nothing else was on the roundabout at the time. Completely lost the back end and had no control whatsoever. Wasn't even pushing it.
Recommend if you buy one, go on a Lotus track day - learn how to drive the car properly.
Did do a run to Yorkshire from Essex whilst I had it and if faired okay. Comfortable enough aslong as you have the seats with the extra padding, used to only be standard for the 111s seats in the mk1 but think they are all better now in the mk2.
Great car, Great fun..... if your happy to get wet! (They all leak) and pay out for hefty service prices and price of tyres and discs / pads.
Check out forums on www.pistonheads.com for more info.
Rev
Last edited by Rev_Hill; 09-08-2007 at 02:07 PM.
Mid engined doesn't make it difficult to drive, it means it's difficult to safely find the limit. For 99% of the driving you'd be doing on the road this wouldn't be an issue, unless it's wet and you're being a pillock.
schmunk (09-08-2007)
I hope your not implying something there ??Mid engined doesn't make it difficult to drive, it means it's difficult to safely find the limit. For 99% of the driving you'd be doing on the road this wouldn't be an issue, unless it's wet and you're being a pillock.
Think the majority of people would say its a dry weather car only.
REV
Not at all Rev, though I do find it difficult to believe that with a decent set of rubber all round even in the wet an Elise isn't all that difficult to drive - speaking from experience on Silverstone South in the wet in an Exige. Yes, I ended up off at one point, but yes, I was being a pillock.
I'm not saying its a difficult car to drive, a very involved drive but that is what you expect.
I was going around a mini-roundabout in heavy rain and the back end continued to slide out as I turned. I certainly wasn't going too fast, really surprised me!
Anyway, as with any sportscar you have to respect it, otherwise you'll end up backwards in a ditch - like a friend of mine (who is a pillock) who parked his elise 111s in a field after a wrestiling match with an s bend
Aquaplaining.....now there's some wet weather madness!
Rev
push any car too hard and you'll spin it. I watched some one spin a Focus ST on a wet roundabout!
I have a Mazda Roadster (MX5) and in the wet its a bit tail happy at times, any small car with rear wheel drive needs to be given a bit of respect in bad conditions
□ΞVΞ□
The ST has lift off oversteer though - classic boy racer syndrome on roundabouts as they enter at speed then have to lift off to avoid someone ahead/realise they've gone in a bit hot..weee
Like to see someone oversteer in an Astra diesel though
SilentDeath (11-08-2007)
Got one handy? ..i'll show you
Like to see someone oversteer in an Astra diesel though
But the MX5 is front-engined and engineered to be a little tail-happy. It's meant to be an awful lot more forgiving than an Elise as well.
Mid-engined cars are much more finely balanced with different positioning of the key masses within the car. It makes it inherently more stable BUT also much more difficult to balance on the limit.
In extreme circumstances cars will tend to pivot about the heaviest mass, usually the engine and in a mid-engined car that means all four wheels will be heading in different directions! (Front engined pivot around the nose)
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Yes - that's a much better way of putting what I meant.
One wonders if you should be finding the limits on wet or dry public roads
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