Lotus Emira Track Experience

[Leonard]

no sorry, Im not an Evora driver....
im sure someone else can oblige .... i mean the general interior is better, although the evora wasnt bad from what I saw, just a bit dated of course, but decent stitching I felt and decent seats, better even...
Both are raw cars that want to be driven...and will egg you on to driving them.. As mentioned, I doubt there will be many too regretful of their purchase, if they ever actually get in their cars....

Carrying those Sparco seats over and trimming them impeccably would have been great

 

[VL3X]

Carrying those Sparco seats over and trimming them impeccably would have been great

Those carbon backs and stitched Lotus crest

 

[Leonard]

Those carbon backs and stitched Lotus crest

Mmmmmmmmm carbon

 

[BeHappy]

Mmmmmmmmm carbon

Now it would of been special with some carbon - imagine if it had had a nice carbon roof like the M3/M4, carbon front and back where the black is mmmm

 

[JXJ]

So I haven't read all the comments below, but one of the instructors also told me +others that rhe suspension stiffened up dependent on the driving mode selected. This we all know not to be true so I wouldn't believe everything your told (despite it coming from someone representing Lotus).
When he walked away, we looked at each other and said... That's not true!
Anyway these instructors are self employed race driving instructors with good racing backgrounds. But they have not been sitting at home studying the details of the car. All of us on here will I'm sure know more about it than they do!
It's a shame as you feel you've no idea who to believe at the moment.

To me though (present at LDA on 3rd August), all ride heights looked identical. Personally I thought you could see a greater amount of body roll from the tour suspension in the chicane. But I didn't drive tour so can't comment on handling.

The ride heights looked pretty much the same for me too!

 

[emiraspain]

The ride heights looked pretty much the same for me too!

Maybe my eye sight or recollection of the day, but blue car looks like a smaller wheel gap to me, even at that distance and its the Sports set up, not sure which of the others was sport, but 100% one of the yellows was tour. Its so hard to see black tyre against empty space, hence also black.

This particular instructor, as I mentioned, was the primary guy, more so than Gav it was implied, who set up the GT4 race car, so he should know more than most and not just a guy who comes in for a few days and does track days, you would hope.
Again, I´ve no idea, but the cars there were 100% different in their wheel gaps between tour and sport, I saw it with my own eyes and these were cars running not just showroom cars that can have any height you want. I put my fingers into the gap as did he and there was a difference and he said it was meant to be that way.

Maybe they were set up incorrectly for the center, maybe the guy is misinformed, as they are preproducion cars and now maybe things have changed, anything is possible, but seems unlikely at the same time. As stated you cannot trust anyone at this stage or too many details around the car, but I trust what I witnessed and actually drove myself and I repeat, there was hardly if any discernible difference to driving them.
I cannot say any more, other than he was also at great lengths to illustrate that around the track there was really no noticeable difference between the tour and sport.
Its a never ending discussion that will only potentially be resolved when the cars are at the dealers and thats IF LOTUS explain fully every detail to the dealers, which I cannot see happening either. However, you would hope they send a tour and sport to each dealer and then you can see how the final cars are set up

 

[TomE]

The majority of UK dealers will have both Touring and Sports demo cars, built to full production spec. So we’ll know for sure by end of the month.

 

[Leonard]

The majority of UK dealers will have both Touring and Sports demo cars, built to full production spec. So we’ll know for sure by end of the month.

You mean next month

 

[kitkat]

You mean next month

End next soon.

 

[TomE]

You mean next month

I’ll remain positive (or naive?) and go off info last week from Lotus and dealers. So, some of us might know by the end of August

Keep an eye on the weather forecast, I’m sure the cars are going to start arriving just as this long spell of dry sunny UK weather turns into thunderstorms and floods!

 

[digilotus]

End next soon.

The reason so many of us are upset is that we’re assuming that soon means shortly. There’s a big difference!

 

[Leonard]

I’ll remain positive (or naive?) and go off info last week from Lotus and dealers. So, some of us might know by the end of August

Keep an eye on the weather forecast, I’m sure the cars are going to start arriving just as this long spell of dry sunny UK weather turns into thunderstorms and floods!

Get your winter tyres bought now, always cheaper

 

[GetawayDriving]

I’ll remain positive (or naive?) and go off info last week from Lotus and dealers. So, some of us might know by the end of August

Keep an eye on the weather forecast, I’m sure the cars are going to start arriving just as this long spell of dry sunny UK weather turns into thunderstorms and floods!

I’ve heard the Esprit used to perform quite well under water, maybe there’s hope for Emira.

 

[lion shf]

Does anyone have an opinion on installing 18” wheels over the brakes. This will be my only car and I’ll drive it in our mild winter (15” of snow a year)

 

[Leonard]

Does anyone have an opinion on installing 18” wheels over the brakes. This will be my only car and I’ll drive it in our mild winter (15” of snow a year)

I'd imagine caliper clearance be very tight looking at the photos

 

[lion shf]

I'd be suprised if they fit. But
I'd imagine caliper clearance be very tight looking at the photos

What do 19” snow tires cost lol. These are factoids I don’t share with my wife as I slowly talk her into this

 

[Leonard]

What do 19” snow tires cost lol. These are factoids I don’t share with my wife as I slowly talk her into this

I think 19s are the new 18s so not as bad as they used to lol

 

[lion shf]

I think 19s are the new 18s so not as bad as they used to lol

19 inch snows seem wrong somehow
18s look the business
.

 

[kitkat]

I think 19s are the new 18s so not as bad as they used to lol

Shouldn’t be an issue on most 18”, rotors and calipers aren’t that big. They’re a 4 piston AP racing 370/350 disc? I run a 6 4 piston 380/380 disc under an 18” with plenty of clearance to spare.

 

[Leonard]

19 inch snows seem wrong somehow
18s look the business
.

Always nice having a bit more sidewall as well in case of unplanned slides towards curbs..