Lotus Elise?
12-28-2016, 01:29 PM
#11
There is a ton of cross owners from S2k to Elise on this website, and a lot of threads to go through if you do a search. In a nutshell, the s2000 is the better compromise for street comfort/enjoyment for an otherwise comparable track performer. Elise is the next level to a all out track car, the only thing that exceeds that compromise between track/street usability would be a Ariel Atom.
12-28-2016, 03:22 PM
#12
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My S2000 feels like a caddy after driving my Elise
elise is a road legal go cart
The S2000 can be your only car. The Elise, not so much.
That being said, I have taken it to costco and I drive it to work on a regular basis in the summer
Actually, I drove the Elise more than the S2000 this year, by far.
Its more fun to drive
Few rattles, but you can trace them all down and fix them, if you want to spend the time.
Build quality is good, but different than the Honda. One is massed produced by robots. One hand made by Englishmen.
Toyota engine and tranny makes for easy to find parts and easy maintenance.
My shifter has several mods, and while it's not S2000 levels, it's pretty darn good. Have never missed shifted, never longed for faster or unable to find the proper gear. Knock on wood. Like I said, a few mods to make it happen.
I bought my Elise with mods. So I don't actually know how a stock Elise drives.
Mine has a REV 300 kit. Penske suspension. So maybe not fair.
But take a 25-30k Elise, put 10k in mods, and you got mine.
Is it twice the s2000? Maybe.
Road America was pretty amazing LY.
The s2000 would have been overheating and with major brake fade, so I've been told.
Elise didn't miss a beat, a blast to drive.
Softop is easy to take off and on. About 45s if you're in hurry
i put the hardtop on for the track, in august, never took it back off.
Anyone that says poor build quality, hasnt spent proper time with one.
elise is a road legal go cart
The S2000 can be your only car. The Elise, not so much.
That being said, I have taken it to costco and I drive it to work on a regular basis in the summer
Actually, I drove the Elise more than the S2000 this year, by far.
Its more fun to drive
Few rattles, but you can trace them all down and fix them, if you want to spend the time.
Build quality is good, but different than the Honda. One is massed produced by robots. One hand made by Englishmen.
Toyota engine and tranny makes for easy to find parts and easy maintenance.
My shifter has several mods, and while it's not S2000 levels, it's pretty darn good. Have never missed shifted, never longed for faster or unable to find the proper gear. Knock on wood. Like I said, a few mods to make it happen.
I bought my Elise with mods. So I don't actually know how a stock Elise drives.
Mine has a REV 300 kit. Penske suspension. So maybe not fair.
But take a 25-30k Elise, put 10k in mods, and you got mine.
Is it twice the s2000? Maybe.
Road America was pretty amazing LY.
The s2000 would have been overheating and with major brake fade, so I've been told.
Elise didn't miss a beat, a blast to drive.
Softop is easy to take off and on. About 45s if you're in hurry
i put the hardtop on for the track, in august, never took it back off.
Anyone that says poor build quality, hasnt spent proper time with one.
12-28-2016, 05:09 PM
#13
At my track (The Ridge) my buddy was 5 sec slower with his Stock RE11 Elise then his kw suspended RS3 stock weight S2k. The brake booster lockout on the Elise caused him to overshoot a turn and leave the track, thankfully there was no wall there so im sure his confidence was down a bit after that episode. Elise's have their list of corks that need to be addressed if your planning on tracking one. On the street, you can either live with one or you cant. They are fun though because they get a lot of attention every time you go to fill up at the gas station. A Elise isnt going to have much on the track against a well set up S2k. They prove to be comparable as far as track times and equip level for my 2.5 mile track. It really just comes down to what you like in car character. I prefer a chassis with 50/50 weight balance and drop top myself. I also think a 2600-3000lb car is generally more stable and easier to handle at speed wile still offering the light weight flickability and sharp responsive turn in we all love, vs a 1900-2200 option which doesn't feel so planted and reassuring. I will say the lotus has better downforce out of the box which helps a lot. You think wheel options are limited on the S2000, try looking for a lotus lol. The amount of available room on the s2k to run wide variety of rubber is something I value as well. Something to be said for pure mechanical grip which is limited with a 195/225 tire width room.
Last edited by s2000Junky; 12-28-2016 at 05:15 PM.
12-28-2016, 07:04 PM
#14
You buy an Elise for one reason only, to feel what a sub 2,000 pound sports car handles like. Personally I thought it was a lot of fun, the acceleration is quick but not fast and you will get a lot of attention. Personally I didn't care for the understeer with the stock alignment and I didn't think the stock 190 hp was sufficient so I put a blower on mine to boost it up to 250 hp. I really only used mine for autocross and got bored with it after a few years but it's a good bucket list car and it's nothing like the S2000, it feels like a toy not a real mode of transportation.
12-28-2016, 07:07 PM
#15
At my track (The Ridge) my buddy was 5 sec slower with his Stock RE11 Elise then his kw suspended RS3 stock weight S2k. The brake booster lockout on the Elise caused him to overshoot a turn and leave the track, thankfully there was no wall there so im sure his confidence was down a bit after that episode. Elise's have their list of corks that need to be addressed if your planning on tracking one. On the street, you can either live with one or you cant. They are fun though because they get a lot of attention every time you go to fill up at the gas station. A Elise isnt going to have much on the track against a well set up S2k. They prove to be comparable as far as track times and equip level for my 2.5 mile track. It really just comes down to what you like in car character. I prefer a chassis with 50/50 weight balance and drop top myself. I also think a 2600-3000lb car is generally more stable and easier to handle at speed wile still offering the light weight flickability and sharp responsive turn in we all love, vs a 1900-2200 option which doesn't feel so planted and reassuring. I will say the lotus has better downforce out of the box which helps a lot. You think wheel options are limited on the S2000, try looking for a lotus lol. The amount of available room on the s2k to run wide variety of rubber is something I value as well. Something to be said for pure mechanical grip which is limited with a 195/225 tire width room.
12-29-2016, 08:56 AM
#17
The Lotus has an entire under tray and rear diffuser which create downforce (or at the very least mitigate lift) and the S2k has nothing. There is a difference in aerodynamic downforces at play between the two cars out of the box. But neither come with a rear wing or front splitter if that helps mitigate the definition for you.
Last edited by s2000Junky; 12-29-2016 at 08:58 AM.
12-29-2016, 09:29 AM
#18
The Lotus has an entire under tray and rear diffuser which create downforce (or at the very least mitigate lift) and the S2k has nothing. There is a difference in aerodynamic downforces at play between the two cars out of the box. But neither come with a rear wing or front splitter if that helps mitigate the definition for you.
12-30-2016, 08:51 AM
#19
The Lotus has an entire under tray and rear diffuser which create downforce (or at the very least mitigate lift) and the S2k has nothing. There is a difference in aerodynamic downforces at play between the two cars out of the box. But neither come with a rear wing or front splitter if that helps mitigate the definition for you.
It may have a sealed bottom and a tiny diffuser but it still doesn't make any real downforce 3.9kg front and 2kg rear, might as well put a sack of groceries in the trunk.
Last edited by CosmosMpower; 12-30-2016 at 08:53 AM.
12-30-2016, 11:55 AM
#20
I believe the Evora has more down force than the Elise.