I've just done a second track day in my Emira and I'm starting to develop opinions, some good, some bad.
I'm coming from an Elise, which I've had since 2008, and tracked more times than I can count. My Elise is set up really well; Nitron suspension, LSS supercharger, harnesses, LSD, all the standard reliability improvements, etc, and I've got a LOT of seat time - 3 engines worth.
So far, I've only had the Emira at Laguna Seca. Once on a cool, dry, windy day and once in the rain, but it cleared up in the afternoon.
My Emira is the V6 6MT, with touring suspension.
First track day:
- Goodyear F1 Supersport tires (I destroyed the fronts)
- EBC SR11 pads
- Brand new, OEM brake fluid
(best lap, 1:45.2)
Second track day:
- Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 LTS (OEM sports tire)
- EBC RP1 pads
- Brand new Castrol SRF brake fluid
(best lap, 1:43.9)
For comparison, the best I've done on my Elise is a 1:38.9 on Yoko A005, and a 1:42.0 on Toyo R888R. I am still learning the Emira., though. it's lines are different. It's a big, fast sumo wrestler compared to the nimble runner that's the Elise.
The first day was my first time ever tracking the car. I heard that the OEM brake pads don't hold up, so I put in some EBC SR11's, and figured fresh factory fluid would be ok. The fluid didn't hold up and the pads were too powerful. The F1 Supersports are good for 3-4 laps, then they get too hot and greasy, but boy is it fun.
You can toss the Emira around just like you can toss an Elise, however, comparatively, the feedback is lacking, and at the limit through a corner, you get a "floaty" feeling, where the Elise feels like you are stuck on a rail. I didn't know if this was due to the tires or the touring suspension, so for my second track day, I bought a set of Cup 2's, since I completely destroyed my fronts in that one track day, and they were definitely better. More grip, more heat tolerance, slightly better feedback, but the car remains "floaty". I think a stiffer suspension would improve this feeling, however, the level of grip is quite high despite the soft suspension. I don't think a better suspension would improve cornering much, just the feel.
The second track day, it was pouring wet (which makes for great pictures!), and in limited grip conditions, I actually loved the car. It's very predictable at the limit, and I had it in the normal track mode, with some level of ESC enabled, but I never felt it engage, since I'm used to driving an Elise, and I've learned not to get it into situations where you need saving. You can decide whether you want understeer or oversteer with corner entry and throttle. In a slippery turn, the back wants to be in front, just like in an Elise, but if the track is dry, it has an understeer tendency, so my guess is that this has to do with the big difference in tire width between front and rear. Rain is the great equalizer and it changes everything.
In an Elise, with its tiny brake pads, your braking limit is the force the brake can produce if you are running good tires. In the Emira, it's clearly front tire grip. When I first ran with the SR11's, I really couldn't modulate the braking very well. The slightest tap of the brake, once hot, would cause ABS to kick in because the Supersports couldn't manage the torque generated by the brakes. The second track day, once the road dried, the less aggressive RP1 pads were a nice pad. For the first half of the session, the brakes are wonderful, but then, as they get really hot, they start to overwhelm tires again. It's a strange feeling; either the initial brake torque becomes astronomical, or the car decides to "assist" your braking in some way. I've done this a lot, I know how to trail brake, and I had a difficult time trail braking this car becuse the initial brake part is too high, it just makes you slide in a turn.
Brake fluid is important. The OEM brake fluid, even when brand new, results in a spongy pedal. Castrol SRF didn't have this issue.
Heel-toe is kinda difficult. I'm now getting it successfully 4/5 times, and it's less of a heel-toe, and more like using the outside of my foot on the gas, and the inside on the brake (I've got big feet).
I've ordered a set for forged wheels and Dunlop Sport MAXX Race tires, but they didn't make it in time for this track day. I will run them next time and see what difference they make.
One big downside I encountered is throttle linearity, but when coming off the throttle! There's that little supercharger bypass valve solenoid you can see working in the window, and sometimes it decides to close when you are letting go of the throttle, and that makes the car feel like the engine turns off. Once it opens again, there's a surge of power. This isn't good, you want linear throttle when you are managing a corner with throttle steer, and it seems somewhat random when it happens. I don't like it.
I'm on the fence about whether to keep running this suspension, or go with some nitrons. I don't particularly enjoy very hard sprung cars, and it doesn't really help with grip, more with feel. I'm half considering the Nitron FastRoad setup, which will probably help turnin quite a bit, but I doubt it'll help cornering forces.
Looking in AIM RaceStudio, on a slightly damp track, I got more linear and lateral acceleration on the Cup 2's than the Supersports, which makes sense. The Cup2's are still super comfy on the street. I don't want to compromise the streetability of this car.
It could use a bit more camber. I've worn the outsides of the tires quite a bit more than the insides.
I think the Emira can be quite a bit faster than the Elise. I'm comparing a nicely tuned up Elise to a stock touring Emira. It'll never feel that nimble though.
The seats suck for the track. I was flopping around inside.
Some cool photos from a wet track:
I'm coming from an Elise, which I've had since 2008, and tracked more times than I can count. My Elise is set up really well; Nitron suspension, LSS supercharger, harnesses, LSD, all the standard reliability improvements, etc, and I've got a LOT of seat time - 3 engines worth.
So far, I've only had the Emira at Laguna Seca. Once on a cool, dry, windy day and once in the rain, but it cleared up in the afternoon.
My Emira is the V6 6MT, with touring suspension.
First track day:
- Goodyear F1 Supersport tires (I destroyed the fronts)
- EBC SR11 pads
- Brand new, OEM brake fluid
(best lap, 1:45.2)
Second track day:
- Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 LTS (OEM sports tire)
- EBC RP1 pads
- Brand new Castrol SRF brake fluid
(best lap, 1:43.9)
For comparison, the best I've done on my Elise is a 1:38.9 on Yoko A005, and a 1:42.0 on Toyo R888R. I am still learning the Emira., though. it's lines are different. It's a big, fast sumo wrestler compared to the nimble runner that's the Elise.
The first day was my first time ever tracking the car. I heard that the OEM brake pads don't hold up, so I put in some EBC SR11's, and figured fresh factory fluid would be ok. The fluid didn't hold up and the pads were too powerful. The F1 Supersports are good for 3-4 laps, then they get too hot and greasy, but boy is it fun.
You can toss the Emira around just like you can toss an Elise, however, comparatively, the feedback is lacking, and at the limit through a corner, you get a "floaty" feeling, where the Elise feels like you are stuck on a rail. I didn't know if this was due to the tires or the touring suspension, so for my second track day, I bought a set of Cup 2's, since I completely destroyed my fronts in that one track day, and they were definitely better. More grip, more heat tolerance, slightly better feedback, but the car remains "floaty". I think a stiffer suspension would improve this feeling, however, the level of grip is quite high despite the soft suspension. I don't think a better suspension would improve cornering much, just the feel.
The second track day, it was pouring wet (which makes for great pictures!), and in limited grip conditions, I actually loved the car. It's very predictable at the limit, and I had it in the normal track mode, with some level of ESC enabled, but I never felt it engage, since I'm used to driving an Elise, and I've learned not to get it into situations where you need saving. You can decide whether you want understeer or oversteer with corner entry and throttle. In a slippery turn, the back wants to be in front, just like in an Elise, but if the track is dry, it has an understeer tendency, so my guess is that this has to do with the big difference in tire width between front and rear. Rain is the great equalizer and it changes everything.
In an Elise, with its tiny brake pads, your braking limit is the force the brake can produce if you are running good tires. In the Emira, it's clearly front tire grip. When I first ran with the SR11's, I really couldn't modulate the braking very well. The slightest tap of the brake, once hot, would cause ABS to kick in because the Supersports couldn't manage the torque generated by the brakes. The second track day, once the road dried, the less aggressive RP1 pads were a nice pad. For the first half of the session, the brakes are wonderful, but then, as they get really hot, they start to overwhelm tires again. It's a strange feeling; either the initial brake torque becomes astronomical, or the car decides to "assist" your braking in some way. I've done this a lot, I know how to trail brake, and I had a difficult time trail braking this car becuse the initial brake part is too high, it just makes you slide in a turn.
Brake fluid is important. The OEM brake fluid, even when brand new, results in a spongy pedal. Castrol SRF didn't have this issue.
Heel-toe is kinda difficult. I'm now getting it successfully 4/5 times, and it's less of a heel-toe, and more like using the outside of my foot on the gas, and the inside on the brake (I've got big feet).
I've ordered a set for forged wheels and Dunlop Sport MAXX Race tires, but they didn't make it in time for this track day. I will run them next time and see what difference they make.
One big downside I encountered is throttle linearity, but when coming off the throttle! There's that little supercharger bypass valve solenoid you can see working in the window, and sometimes it decides to close when you are letting go of the throttle, and that makes the car feel like the engine turns off. Once it opens again, there's a surge of power. This isn't good, you want linear throttle when you are managing a corner with throttle steer, and it seems somewhat random when it happens. I don't like it.
I'm on the fence about whether to keep running this suspension, or go with some nitrons. I don't particularly enjoy very hard sprung cars, and it doesn't really help with grip, more with feel. I'm half considering the Nitron FastRoad setup, which will probably help turnin quite a bit, but I doubt it'll help cornering forces.
Looking in AIM RaceStudio, on a slightly damp track, I got more linear and lateral acceleration on the Cup 2's than the Supersports, which makes sense. The Cup2's are still super comfy on the street. I don't want to compromise the streetability of this car.
It could use a bit more camber. I've worn the outsides of the tires quite a bit more than the insides.
I think the Emira can be quite a bit faster than the Elise. I'm comparing a nicely tuned up Elise to a stock touring Emira. It'll never feel that nimble though.
The seats suck for the track. I was flopping around inside.
Some cool photos from a wet track:
