Exige V6 cup | FerrariChat

Exige V6 cup

Discussion in 'Tracking & Driver Education' started by boxerman, Jul 27, 2016.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. boxerman

    boxerman F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    May 27, 2004
    18,652
    FL
    Full Name:
    Sean
    Anybody run one of these on Loti on track. Interested in some impressions as thinking of getting one..
     
  2. rlips

    rlips Formula Junior

    Jul 29, 2011
    959
    New Jersey, USA
    I run an exige 255 cup on track, I have well over 100 days in the car. What would you like to know?
     
  3. sburke

    sburke Formula 3

    Dec 21, 2010
    1,273
    Lake Norman, NC
    Are we able to get the exige v6 cup here in the US?

    Lotus of Greenville, Sc has had a new 2012 Evora gts forever, they would probably work a solid deal on.
     
  4. Aedo

    Aedo F1 Rookie

    Feb 22, 2006
    3,616
    Perth
    Full Name:
    Steve
    They have been available in the UK for a while now - lots of information on them over at forum.seloc.org which is the UK Lotus forum.

    Sure - has been available for a while - eg: 2013 Lotus Exige V6 Cup Like New 400 Miles $69,900 - LotusTalk - The Lotus Cars Community
    :)

    I want the Exige Roadster - test drove it last year and still drooling!
     
  5. GuyIncognito

    GuyIncognito Nine Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Jun 30, 2007
    91,697
    yes but it's not street legal.

    the Evora GTS would be an awesome entry level car into pro sports car racing...PWC GTS or Conti GS. a few already race in PWC. I'm surprised it's sat at that dealer so long.
     
  6. boxerman

    boxerman F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    May 27, 2004
    18,652
    FL
    Full Name:
    Sean
    The 255 is a very different car, more like my Elise.
     
  7. boxerman

    boxerman F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    May 27, 2004
    18,652
    FL
    Full Name:
    Sean
    Yeah in Europe ando. Seloc it's pretty much people running stock cars with stock pads on the occasional track day, so unfortunately not much substantive info on what's required to run one of these properly on track. Ie what you really need to know.

    Whereas on the earlier series of cars there is near endless info and known parts upgrades.
     
  8. Aedo

    Aedo F1 Rookie

    Feb 22, 2006
    3,616
    Perth
    Full Name:
    Steve
    OK - got it. I've been reading up on it as I want one... but I've been focused on road use so hadn't read much on the track side.
     
  9. sburke

    sburke Formula 3

    Dec 21, 2010
    1,273
    Lake Norman, NC
    Yeah the gts isn't street legal either, probably the reason it's sat so long.

    Cool car
     
  10. ProCoach

    ProCoach F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Sep 15, 2004
    5,464
    VIR Raceway
    Full Name:
    Peter Krause
    wirewheel.com, Hayes Harris, is a great resource for info on these cars.
     
  11. boxerman

    boxerman F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    May 27, 2004
    18,652
    FL
    Full Name:
    Sean
    #11 boxerman, Sep 30, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Got the v6 cup. Yeah its a pity you cant run them on road, because they drive nicer there than a 997.2 gt3. Motor is less exotic than the Gt3 but close power wise with more low down Tq, its also turbine smooth, who knew what greatness beats in the heart of a minivan.

    600 track miles so far. The reality is there is a drastic difference in the car between R compounds, and the car lowered (beyond what would work on street, lotus track spec) and running slicks.
    It feels in its dynamics not too dissimilar to a single seater, just a bit bigger and heavier.Its def not a Gt car made into a track car as so many are today, more like a honed and amped up small car.

    Compared to the elise its more of a workout because steering is more direct and heavier and the speeds mean all the g forces are greater and evryhting happens much quicker. You arrive at corner 20 mph faster can go deeper brake later carry the same speed or more though the apex and exit with way more, partialy due tot he pwer and very much due to the front end.

    The biigest differences to an elige, the front end works so the speed into and especialy out of an apex is just so much more. The power aided by the tq feels like a lot more than 100% more. It easily eats a cayman Gt4 for example.

    Part of the speed available is that the brakes are in another world as is the stability. You dont get that skating on ice tippy toes feeling of an elige, there just are not those hand in heart moments. If anything is less on this car comapred to an elise its that intial turn in is slightly less rapid, but that may be down to the longer wheelbase, and my need to adjust to the heavier steering.

    If the elise even with modded suspension and brakes felt like as good as any road car could get on track, this car feels like a track car that is about as civilised as any real track car can get on road. As its track only in usa we will slowly move it further in the track direction, which i am good with as to seriously track we all know the car needs to be dedicated to that.

    As to mods, this car needed only a track alignment and slicks. The rest is all there, including baffles pan, oil catch tank, brakes seats harnesses fire cage etc.

    For sure you could buya used radical that woudl smoke it for less. But a radical is an open car and driving to its capability is more than a few notches up the ladder, radicals need lost of maintanace too.

    Heres the thing about the exige, I feel like I an just scartaching the surface of this car, I can spned years getting into it with light mods along the way. Its turn key, reliabe(so we read) and consumables on par with an elige. Tires may wear a little faster pads are $800 not $600 and the rest dosent reall differ. So i figure $600 per day in consumables vs the elige 4-500.

    Mods that people do. Well one can dump the Nitron DAs and go for Ohlins with stiffer springs which the cup racres do, thats 6k. teh gearbox has two final ratios one for 1-4 and the other for 5-6. 5 and 6 are road gears and too tall,a nd there is a mod for that. i woudl say the shocks and gear ratio would combined make it feel like a leap upwards in performance again.

    The of course as with loti you checkbook can lighten it to your hearts content, the first 45lbs was easy for me, that came from lipo battery and forged wheels 3500. the next 65 lbs can add up to another 6k which also includes more aero for 30% more downforce, maybe one day.

    At the end of the tunnel one can add 100hp by intercooling etc for close on 10k. So somewhere around 30k in bits along the way you can probably add another 50% performance to the car of more.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  12. ProCoach

    ProCoach F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Sep 15, 2004
    5,464
    VIR Raceway
    Full Name:
    Peter Krause
    What kind of data?
     
  13. boxerman

    boxerman F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    May 27, 2004
    18,652
    FL
    Full Name:
    Sean
    Last time out, spent one 30 min session with coach in car to get things bettr. He too said Data aquisition should be the very next step. What system do you recomend?

    For completly non scientific data, in the elsie which "I think" I know well, in 30 mins I can put 2/3 a lap on well driven spec miata. In this car which i ma just getting to know I can lap same miata in 15-20 mins.
     
  14. Midnight Oil

    Midnight Oil Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Jun 29, 2006
    1,070
    I loved the aim solo dl and smarti cam combo I had.

    Congrats on the car, looks awesome. I will be interested how it fares after some intense tracking.

    Have you been running it with gt3's and gt4's as you state it much faster?
     
  15. ProCoach

    ProCoach F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Sep 15, 2004
    5,464
    VIR Raceway
    Full Name:
    Peter Krause
    Yep, the smartycam/solo DL combo is the best for ease of use. Will ping you.
     
  16. boxerman

    boxerman F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    May 27, 2004
    18,652
    FL
    Full Name:
    Sean
    Cant say its "faster" than a Gt4, its certainly quicker round a track and you can hunt one down with relative ease.. GT3 is in another league power wise, but then it takes a whole lot of experience/skill to extract all a Gt3 has to offer, so a reasonably driven exige can give an ok driven Gt3 a scare.
     
  17. boxerman

    boxerman F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    May 27, 2004
    18,652
    FL
    Full Name:
    Sean

    Thx looking out for your ping.
     
  18. Dino V

    Dino V Formula 3

    Sep 21, 2005
    1,140
    Chicago
    Full Name:
    Dino
    Congrats and enjoy! Now show us some more pics!
     
  19. Flash G

    Flash G Three Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 24, 2006
    35,113
    Hollywood Hills
    Full Name:
    Christopher
    Good write up. I am seriously jealous. If only they were street legal!

    Enjoy it!
     
  20. boxerman

    boxerman F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    May 27, 2004
    18,652
    FL
    Full Name:
    Sean
    2 ways to look at it. On one hand this car is so sweet on the road, that track only might be missing half the fun. On the other hand if you seriously track then having the car be streetable too means you are compromsing too much in terms of track setup dynamics and performance, spend enough time on track and sooner or later that compromise is just not worth it.

    Of course then you need a truck and trailer. If youre into the track, and all the homeweork involved in terms of loading unloading etc then its a whole other thing and quite cathrtic and absorbing. Plus after a day at the track being in a nice comfy truck coming home(esp if there is traffic) is way better than being in a stiff riding noisy car you just spent the day buzzing around in.

    Then of course you need a lift at hone, so fluid changes etc are easy.

    Plus at the track the goal is going faster, unlike the street where one is always a bit nervous of consequences and holding back.
     
  21. sburke

    sburke Formula 3

    Dec 21, 2010
    1,273
    Lake Norman, NC

    Such an awesome track toy!

    Would love to own one, cannot justify that much money on a track only car. Envious of those who pull the trigger though!


    I've had a few Lotus over the years, love the brand and can't wait till Evora 400 hit the used market...


    Have you driven an Evora to compare against your cup? The impressions of an Elise you painted are dead on!
     
  22. boxerman

    boxerman F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    May 27, 2004
    18,652
    FL
    Full Name:
    Sean
    #22 boxerman, Oct 8, 2016
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2016

    I drove an regular Evora. Its a great car, but 3000lbs makes it something very diifferent to and elige or v6 exige. The power steering was great, but once again make it different to an exige.

    What impressed most about the evora was the ease/comfort with which street speed could be acheived on unfamilar roads. The compliance of the suspension, directness of the steering and motor meant one could imediatly set a pace just not possible in a regular car like a 991 or m4 or for that matter elige, not to say the evora was not rewarding at all speeds because it is, but speed also comes easily. Unlike almost any other car I have driven, when the surpface is mottled and evora doesent bounce all over the road. Useable and entertaining. I drove one back to back with a v6 cup on street. The cup car was more intimidating, less easily acessible but more focussed and had a lot more to give, in fact much more than could be deployed on street. Bumps you might barely notice in the evora and certainly wouldnt upset it, you would need to cope with in the cup car, but on track that same hardness in the cup is an asett.

    I am sure there are many cars that have more ultimate speed on paper than an evora, but on real roads with less than perfect surfaces, blind corners, traffic lights etc an evora is probably quicker than them all. Something magical about it, a car one inately understood without having to learn. It reminded me of E30 or E36 BMWs which were similarily instantly acessabile. It struck me as the ultimate daily. By the same token there is no doubt that one could initialy go faster on track in an evora than an exige v6.

    So I pondered an evora 400 for the same money and a cayman Gt4. But in the end my primary purpose was track and in that enviroment the v6 cup is that much more car, that much more hard core, more singular in purpose, and that much less weight.

    Of course if one were going to have only one car to dance with, the evora or gt4 would be the choice hands down.

    An evora would entertain on street at all speeds, would present no discomfort for daily use, and still be driveable to and on the track.

    Cayman Gt4 and 991 Gts maybe offer something similar but the evora just seems more exotic and would probably be quicker on normal roads. If any lotus is a rational choice its an evora, yet it still has a lot of the magic.

    If I had the money for both, and or needed a daily car(my commute is by rail) its hard to think of something that could put a smile on ones face while being so relaxing to use as an evora. Yeah the porche probably have marginaly "better motors" and better build but you would be surpised how close an evora is in these two measures, and its ahead in many others that count if driving joy is your thing. Given the toyota motor its probably mechanicaly more reliable than a porche, and certainly orders of magnitude less expesive to maintain.

    You can buy a regular used evora pretty cheap and add the supercharger.
     

Share This Page