📓 Journals Manual DV Collected from Hethel

[VL3X]

One of the concerns I often hear about black cars is how quickly they show dirt, more so than with other colors. Are you finding that to be the case with the DV color?

Oh, I'm sure! This is true with any dark colored vehicle. Whites and silvers can look better longer since they hide dirt and lite surface marks better.

 

[Emirahep]

Very nice , this car is perfect

Why my knob is not satin finished like yours or others I saw here ? XD

No idea ! Found it more scratchy today. Definitely going to work on a solution. If anyone from Lotus reads this - machine the gear knobs properly ! And get proper QC on it folks !

 

[Emirahep]

One of the concerns I often hear about black cars is how quickly they show dirt, more so than with other colors. Are you finding that to be the case with the DV color?

Yep for sure - dark colours always show the dirt worse. Best cars I have had for not have been silver or grey. But it’s part of the charm as well (at least I say that now - haven’t actually washed it yet ! Going to invest in some new long reach kit for the holes and vents !).

 

[Bilbao-Emira]

Sounds like we thinking along similar lines. I will hop on the M40 and do a few junctions soon. Whether I feel like long distance touring will in large depend on whether the car/steering follows the slight camber on a motorway/autoroute. It certainly does on A/B roads.

And also whether the seat gets softer. Still find it quite hard although position/adjustment is excellent.

I did around 1200 kms in motorway in 3 days, quality of the road quite good, yes need to keep some attention on the steering, but I ended as relaxed as in the DB9, so for me GT enough on long trips

 

[eclat2emira]

I did around 1200 kms in motorway in 3 days, quality of the road quite good, yes need to keep some attention on the steering, but I ended as relaxed as in the DB9, so for me GT enough on long trips

Yep, that was my experience, definitely GT enough with some minor compromises on cabin noise and lively steering, small price to pay given what the engine and steering contribute to the experience when pressing on...

 

[Emirahep]

A few junctions on the M40 today to try the steering on the motorway and put a few more miles on the car.

I agree with above comments that the lively “sports car” hydraulic steering is a key part of the appeal of the Emira. And it is liveable with on the motorway.

But I really concentrated hard and reckon the reason why it needs so much attention even on the motorway is there is a tiny amount of slack dead ahead. All cars have this to a greater or lesser extent but most don’t have such quick steering as the Emira. So when you naturally add a slight steering input to get some feel or to make a slight correction to car position it can often be more than is needed so you then might have to make a slight correction the other way.

The car doesn’t follow the slight motorway camber (which is good news) like it does on A/B roads, but I don’t think you can relax with a loose hand on the wheel.

I’ll post about Rev Hang on that thread. It’s very noticeable.

Can’t get the tracker to work - will post on that thread.

On a few dead straights at circa 60 mph in 4th I tried to recreate the “Torque Yaw” I mentioned from my trip back from the factory. It’s definitely a thing. If you accelerate hard in the right gear the car “yaws” to the right and if you lift off suddenly (or depress the clutch when accelerating hard) the car “yaws” to the left. Anyone else experiencing this ?

Still loving the overall drama of the car and considering issues others have had I feel lucky I have had no gremlins beyond the wiper issue (assuming I get the tracker working).

One thing I noticed going into the sun today was the reflection of the styling “stripe” on the top of the instrument cowl. Very noticeable and right in my eyeline. Tried to take a photo below.

Still finding the steering wheel a lesson in form over function. The strange depth, variable thickness around the wheel and being off centre mean it is much harder work than needed. I am not good enough to try to drift a car but trying to do fast hands with this wheel would be interesting !

 

[GetawayDriving]

Still finding the steering wheel a lesson in form over function. The strange depth, variable thickness around the wheel and being off centre mean it is much harder work than needed. I am not good enough to try to drift a car but trying to do fast hands with this wheel would be interesting !

I spent time with Emira on the skidpad and managing that wheel felt a bit like juggling pancakes.

(Sorry, flapjacks)

 

[VL3X]

One thing I noticed going into the sun today was the reflection of the styling “stripe” on the top of the instrument cowl. Very noticeable and right in my eyeline. Tried to take a photo below.

A few others have mentioned this too. I think this happens in many different vehicles and depends on the angle of the sun, but I suppose it might be more prominent in the Emira due to that metal (?) stripe (which I believe acts as a vent for the gauge screen).

 

[Emirahep]

A few others have mentioned this too. I think this happens in many different vehicles and depends on the angle of the sun, but I suppose it might be more prominent in the Emira due to that metal (?) stripe (which I believe acts as a vent for the gauge screen).

Yes, you always get reflection of the dash in the screen in any car. My point was exactly what you say - Lotus have put a “styling” stripe made out of what looks like metal sheet with holes in it (like the mesh over the front vents). It looks great from the outside and is part of a theme of grills on the car BUT it makes for one hell of a reflection right where the driver looks through the screen !

 

[Emirahep]

Same here, no issues at all with the Alcantara steering wheel

I am not sure I am describing it well. I will take a photo and do a better job. It’s not exactly a sharp edge it is the seam between the inner part of the wheel (which feels like plastic but I think it hard leather) and the outside rim of the wheel which is either softer leather (in my case) or Alcantara.

 

[Emirahep]

A few thoughts on the Emira key !

Not the most important part of the car or driving experience, I know…

It’s large
I like it has For the Drivers on the side
It the top and bottom are black and shiny - not a recipe for staying non scratched and so I won’t be connecting any other house keys to it
As posted by other ops it is very easy to accidentally press a button when in your pocket
The ring to connect anything else to it is recessed and difficulty to put anything through - certainly won’t accept a normal split key ring
I treated myself to a green Lotus key ring to go with my new green Lotus (from factory shop)
It’s lovely but hard to attach for he reasons above - I ended up taking the split ring off the key ring and using the little cord from the Scorpion tracker fob
You can set up what happens with the unlock button in the car menus - I have one press opens both doors. You can also have one press just opens drivers door and two presses needed to open both
There is nowhere obvious to put it in the car except the cup holders. Too big to sit in my pocket for a long drive

 

[Eagle7]

The amount of dirt showing on the back of the car in this photo indicates there's a good deal of suction forming behind the car when air flows over it. I wonder if a Gurney Flap would help alleviate some of that? I remember awhile ago seeing a photo of a prototype test car in Europe that had a Gurney Flap on the back of the rear deck lid. That might be something the Advanced Performance Division could develop and market.

 

[Wonza]

A few thoughts on the Emira key !

Not the most important part of the car or driving experience, I know…

It’s large
I like it has For the Drivers on the side
It the top and bottom are black and shiny - not a recipe for staying non scratched and so I won’t be connecting any other house keys to it
As posted by other ops it is very easy to accidentally press a button when in your pocket
The ring to connect anything else to it is recessed and difficulty to put anything through - certainly won’t accept a normal split key ring
I treated myself to a green Lotus key ring to go with my new green Lotus (from factory shop)
It’s lovely but hard to attach for he reasons above - I ended up taking the split ring off the key ring and using the little cord from the Scorpion tracker fob
You can set up what happens with the unlock button in the car menus - I have one press opens both doors. You can also have one press just opens drivers door and two presses needed to open both
There is nowhere obvious to put it in the car except the cup holders. Too big to sit in my pocket for a long drive

View attachment 25428
View attachment 25429View attachment 25430

Be careful with the collar on the black cord. Sharp edges from the metal collar. Sharp edges together with keys in pocket will scratch up the keys.

 

[Wonza]

The amount of dirt showing on the back of the car in this photo indicates there's a good deal of suction forming behind the car when air flows over it. I wonder if a Gurney Flap would help alleviate some of that? I remember awhile ago seeing a photo of a prototype test car in Europe that had a Gurney Flap on the back of the rear deck lid. That might be something the Advanced Performance Division could develop and market.

View attachment 25436

I think the dirt on the back is mainly from the vents. Whether it’s functional or not is debatable but basically the rear tyres project all the road water and debris through the vent.

 

[Wonza]

Yes, you always get reflection of the dash in the screen in any car. My point was exactly what you say - Lotus have put a “styling” stripe made out of what looks like metal sheet with holes in it (like the mesh over the front vents). It looks great from the outside and is part of a theme of grills on the car BUT it makes for one hell of a reflection right where the driver looks through the screen !

The glare on the windscreen isn’t ideal. Apparently the metal mesh is ventilation for the digital dashboard underneath.

 

[Eagle7]

I think the dirt on the back is mainly from the vents. Whether it’s functional or not is debatable but basically the rear tyres project all the road water and debris through the vent.

That looks like an opportunity for a screen mesh of some kind on the wheel well side of that vent.

 

[Johnson]

The amount of dirt showing on the back of the car in this photo indicates there's a good deal of suction forming behind the car when air flows over it. I wonder if a Gurney Flap would help alleviate some of that? I remember awhile ago seeing a photo of a prototype test car in Europe that had a Gurney Flap on the back of the rear deck lid. That might be something the Advanced Performance Division could develop and market.

A Gurney Flap could make it worse, pulling the low pressure zone closer to the car. Then there’s also the risk of losing the Coanda effect over the bootlid, disrupting the laminar flow.

Any flat-backed vehicle is going to experience low pressure suction. I did some wind tunnel testing on the old Honda CRZ and the suction was nuts (although, ironically, that pocket of turbulence smoothed the overall slipstream dramatically). I guess we could just drive really slowly?

 

[Wonza]

That looks like an opportunity for a screen mesh of some kind on the wheel well side of that vent.

Yes some sort of angled louvre on the wheel side to minimise dirt but not to stop pressure build up in the arches or blank them out from the back, I’m not sure if they are functional.

 

[Superman]

Yes, you always get reflection of the dash in the screen in any car. My point was exactly what you say - Lotus have put a “styling” stripe made out of what looks like metal sheet with holes in it (like the mesh over the front vents). It looks great from the outside and is part of a theme of grills on the car BUT it makes for one hell of a reflection right where the driver looks through the screen !

I noticed this on my test drive, and did mention it in my writeup on the test drives thread... Looks like it is something we are just going to have to get used to. Probably (and hopefully) only really noticeable in certain conditions.

 

[Cachaco131]

A few thoughts on the Emira key !

Not the most important part of the car or driving experience, I know…

It’s large
I like it has For the Drivers on the side
It the top and bottom are black and shiny - not a recipe for staying non scratched and so I won’t be connecting any other house keys to it
As posted by other ops it is very easy to accidentally press a button when in your pocket
The ring to connect anything else to it is recessed and difficulty to put anything through - certainly won’t accept a normal split key ring
I treated myself to a green Lotus key ring to go with my new green Lotus (from factory shop)
It’s lovely but hard to attach for he reasons above - I ended up taking the split ring off the key ring and using the little cord from the Scorpion tracker fob
You can set up what happens with the unlock button in the car menus - I have one press opens both doors. You can also have one press just opens drivers door and two presses needed to open both
There is nowhere obvious to put it in the car except the cup holders. Too big to sit in my pocket for a long drive

View attachment 25428
View attachment 25429View attachment 25430

Do they sell covers? Would come in handy to avoid scratches and accidentally pressing buttons.