austen_wrx

I've currently got an S1 elise with a few mods, sticking out about 150bhp. Its nippy and is brilliant to drive, but i hanker after a bit more power after having scoobs and an M5.

I went out in this earlier this week:-
AUDI CONVERSION

My elise is now booked in for the end of March!!!!!!

What a conversion!!! The car is awesome!! It would eat my previous cars!! And best of all i get that wonderful turbo sounds again, but this time even better as the intake and intercooler are about 3 inches from your ear!!!!!

cat7

stop being a nancy boy and get the 300, you know you'll just end up buying it anyway.

austen_wrx

LOL!! You are so right!!!!

The last few 250bhp cars have been sticking out 270 after being mapped at Emerald anyway. Saying that the 300's are now sticking out 330-340!! Thats using a scoob IHI turbo, new injectors and manifold. I'll save that mod for when i get bored of the 270bhp!!!

Anyway, BMW w@nker, you stop mincing and buy yourself one!!!! You know you will end up doing it once you have been in mine!!!

GrahamG

Nice! I can imagine that will fly when it's done!

RobEvo5

iTrader: (9)

Throwing a spanner in the works - But if you like the Elise what about selling the Elise and buyer as VX220 Turbo. They can be had for about 14K now., allot with stage 2 converstion circa 240bhp out of the box so to speak. Easy to maintain and Vaxhaull will still work on it.

They also do a stage 3 conversion crica 280bhp.

But I must admit the 250bhp Elise would be mighty temping for me as well. But you would need to keep it as you will never get anything like back what it will owe you, whereas the VX220 turbo would see you a reasonable return if you decide to change.

Just some friendly thoughts - You seem a bit like me and always want to chop and change and try something new. The harsh ride will eventually wear you down no matter how fast it is. IMHO.

Brendan Hughes

Doesn't David Brown have an Exige Audi?

billythekid

I have driven the Blink Elise with 240ish bhp and it was verry quick indeed...

LG John

RobEvo the only problem here is that the VXT is 930kg and the bog basic elises are 730kg. Even with the 40kg weight penality the Audi/Elise would be significantly lighter (about 18%). Stage 2/3 VXTs are becoming quite common and return 250bhp and 0-100 in about 10 seconds but you are about £3.5k for the stage-3 chargecooler set up. To go further you need to spend a fair bit more. I can see a lot of merit in this conversion: buy an S1 with good bodywork (or better yet with a blown engine) for £8k or less and then get the 300+ set up for around £12,000. For £20k you'd have in the region of 330bhp and 770kg which is around 8s dead to 100mph according to letstorque. That's fooking fast for not crazy money and it should be reliable as the VAG unit is strong and these elise running-gear is its primary weak point.

All that said buying a VTX that's already been Stage 3'd for say £17k is cheaper, easier, newer and not that much slower.

austen_wrx

cheers all.

There are converted early S2's up for sale at £20k at them moment, so considering that my 1999 S1 with the conversion would easily be adverstised at £16k, so yes i lose a 3 grand, but hey don't all cars lose money. The residuals on the VX are terrible compared to the Elise, and as SB says, the elise is a fair bit lighter and more of a drivers car.

The harsh ride won't get me down as i don't use it as an every day car, i have a VAG tdi for that

And one other major reason for not selling the elise, apart from loving it, is that the missus has said she will leave me if i buy another vehicle, as i've had 13 in 18 months!! She doesn't like the elise but hates me spending money on cars, if i swap the engine she will never know!! LOL!!!!!

LG John

I can see this ending in tears

SiDHEaD

All very well but the Elise looks a lot lot better.

Looks to be a beast of a conversion!

austen_wrx

LOL, she never new about any of the mods on the scoob, not even the visual ones as i fitted all the big ones (interior, spoilers, splitter and wheels) at my mates house, where i had been storing them, the day i picked the car up from the dealers !! She never drove it properly so didn't notice the remap either!! LOL!! She also never knew the horrific garage bill i had with the M5, put it like this, she thought it was a few hundred rather than 4 figures!!!!!

She never drives the elise, she has never seen in the engine bay (and probably never will), so as long as i, or any of my mates don't tell her, everybodies happy!! LOL

I suppose i had better get her the engagement ring i never bought her, just to try and quash my guilt!! LOL

austen_wrx

S1 elise is a classic

stilover

Remember reading in `Evo` Magazine about a company that puts the 2.7 Bi-Turbo V6 RS4 engine into an Elise. They tuned it too.

Now that is a quick Elise.

nisr227

Nice conversion, as long as you keep the car for a good few years and use it on trackdays etc.

How the hell does your misses not know you've spent so much on mods? Surely she knows how much you earn and will wonders where it goes when she asks for a new wardrope or something and you say no.

Mine knows when I've put a tank of fuel in, and moans at me when I want to take it for a spin at the weekend to use some of it up! Maybe joint accounts are not the way to go

RS4 tuned engine in an Elise, that will be a handfull! - **** me!

Squizz

Austen, that's quality! You star!

Hope you decide to use it on a trackday sometime next year and gimme a ride!

cong

they also do a vtec engine elise

WHEELSHOP0_0

That will be a monster,

And just as tricky to control

LG John

That makes less sense now that the 111R is on the scene. The vtec they use is the CTR engine (197bhp) and the 111R has 190. I presume the f20c (s2000 (240bhp)) engine isn't used because of the longitudal mounting. This VAG unit conversion addresses the only niche in the elise market - lack of a turbo unit for modding. The VX220 has that but the elise hasn't.

greg.g

Austen

Are you bringing the misses to donnington on sunday?

jameswrx

iTrader: (4)

Have you been in a civic type r engine'd conversion?

I've been in one with the type r lump and sorted suspension and brakes, was a real nice car and seemed quite controlable. Can't help thinking turbo'd elise is going to be frantic, but in some way a bit too serious for the elise and possibly less fun in the bends?

Deep Singh

Looks good. Can't think of another track day car for £20k that could keep up with it

jjones

westfield cosworth turbo

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Wouldnt a 300 bhp Elise end up going from a reasonably quick, fine handling mid engined sports car to a scary evil pant filling monster ?

Just wondering, never driven one, modded or otherwise but was thinking it could end up a bit too lairy or do they handle it.

hades

Similar lines, I've encountered a lightweight Fisher Fury with the Nissan 200sx Turbo engine, hybrid turbo etc running well over 300bhp in possibly less than 500kg. Total cost was I believe under £20k, and it's about the only car I've ever encountered that could reel in sports bikes over the 60-130mph region.

My brother's Fury with a "mere" 180ish bhp in ~550kg cost more like £10k to get on the road. Variable dampers at track settings, it fairly easily outcorners standard Elise's on the track. Never had it formally measured, but probably 10 point something seconds 0-100, in the right hands I'd expect it to beat a 250bhp but otherwise standard Elise round a track.

However, that's not really the point. A 250bhp+ Elise will definitely be much faster than almost anything, and you're well into the realms where driving ability is more important than a few more bhp. There are also several reasons why a converted Lotus is much preferable to an ultra-fast-on-the-track type kit car

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

8-10K!

vindaloo

How far do you go before the power delivery becomes more important than the headline power output though?

For something as featherweight as an Elise, I'd want it controllable.

J.

Tasberley

nutter.

Proby521

iTrader: (1)

Very nice. Im jealous. I had a modded S1, running about 150ish, and I must say I loved it to bits. The only reason I sold it was to fund a house deposit. I also built a 'Blade engined Westie. 456Kgs, 140ish bhp. This is without a doubt the best car I have ever tracked. Awesome fun, but 250bhp Elise will be a great track toy.

Proby

Proby