Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

+ a 6 speed gearbox
A Honda S2000 is about 1,500 kgs.
An Elan +2 with Honda engine + gearbox i think would be 1,000 kgs max.
The problem then would be to beef up transmission and chassis. 240 bhp on tap.
Alan

hi Guys
I've not touched the project for a long while now but I am gradually thinning out my collection of cars and hope to be back on it soon.

Cheers
Dave

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Another way to install the F20 and a 6 speed box.

mickmade wrote:

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Another way to install the F20 and a 6 speed box.

That looks quite wild! Is that a sequential box or something?

Yes, its a 6 speed Elite L200 sequential gearbox.

If you enjoy driving a conventional transmission is way more enjoyable than a sequential box. The Honda 6 speed is a beautiful thing.

Honda 6 speed manual is fine in a S2000.
But in an Elan on 13" wheels, 1st is too short , and 6th is too long.

mickmade wrote:Honda 6 speed manual is fine in a S2000.
But in an Elan on 13" wheels, 1st is too short , and 6th is too long.

1st is too short and 6th is too long??
I can understand both 1st is too short and 6th is too short but not 1st too short and 6th is too long.
Is it for racing or on road?

I believe the OP recognized this problem and used a different differential/ ratio than the standard Elan and S2000 to bring it down to a usable ratio

2cams70 wrote:

mickmade wrote:Honda 6 speed manual is fine in a S2000.
But in an Elan on 13" wheels, 1st is too short , and 6th is too long.

1st is too short and 6th is too long??
I can understand both 1st is too short and 6th is too short but not 1st too short and 6th is too long.
Is it for racing or on road?

Whether for racing or the road, using the F20C/6speed with (Elan) stock tire sizes and stock diff ratio makes 1st almost redundant as that engine will get to 9000 rpm in 1st in a blink, sometimes resulting in a crunch to 2nd if your timing is off in the slightest.

I kept the diff which came with the car (was planning on changing the rear end but never got round to it) went up a wheel size to 14" but kept a reasonable profile tire and that gave the car a THEORETICAL top speed of 149mph.

Not really practical and not possible due to running out of road and courage WELL before that mark.

Well before. And my car weighed 508lbs more than an Elan...

My issue, if I had one, would be how the extra weight of the S2000 ensemble affected the balance of the Elan, fortunately for me I found the extra 200+ lbs of the S2000 to be beneficial as the front end felt much more planted than with the stock motor trans - oh and I set it back right against the firewall which also helped the balance in my car.

PS car was a Mk1 Cortina GT so we are not talking about a piece of refined engineering here, whereas the Elan was and is all about all the right bits in the right place so that the car HANDLES almost by instinct, the Cortina, not so much.

Regardless, I say go for it; full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes and all that

Using a manual standard Caterham 6 speed box and a Sierra 3.92 diff on the F20
engine gives you ideal ratios for both a track and road car. ( the sequential shown had those ratios, coupled to the bellhousing the combined weight was less than 25 klgs, almost half the weight of the Honda gearbox)
The beauty of the s2000 is the best 2litre
standard engine avalible.
Not the gearbox if the combo is to go in an Elan

mickmade wrote:Using a manual standard Caterham 6 speed box and a Sierra 3.92 diff on the F20
engine gives you ideal ratios for both a track and road car. ( the sequential shown had those ratios, coupled to the bellhousing the combined weight was less than 25 klgs, almost half the weight of the Honda gearbox)
The beauty of the s2000 is the best 2litre
standard engine avalible.
Not the gearbox if the combo is to go in an Elan

I cant imagine it was a cheaper option, or an easy conversion though

Slowtus wrote:

2cams70 wrote:

mickmade wrote:Honda 6 speed manual is fine in a S2000.
But in an Elan on 13" wheels, 1st is too short , and 6th is too long.

1st is too short and 6th is too long??
I can understand both 1st is too short and 6th is too short but not 1st too short and 6th is too long.
Is it for racing or on road?

Whether for racing or the road, using the F20C/6speed with (Elan) stock tire sizes and stock diff ratio makes 1st almost redundant as that engine will get to 9000 rpm in 1st in a blink, sometimes resulting in a crunch to 2nd if your timing is off in the slightest.

I kept the diff which came with the car (was planning on changing the rear end but never got round to it) went up a wheel size to 14" but kept a reasonable profile tire and that gave the car a THEORETICAL top speed of 149mph.

Not really practical and not possible due to running out of road and courage WELL before that mark.

Well before. And my car weighed 508lbs more than an Elan...

My issue, if I had one, would be how the extra weight of the S2000 ensemble affected the balance of the Elan, fortunately for me I found the extra 200+ lbs of the S2000 to be beneficial as the front end felt much more planted than with the stock motor trans - oh and I set it back right against the firewall which also helped the balance in my car.

PS car was a Mk1 Cortina GT so we are not talking about a piece of refined engineering here, whereas the Elan was and is all about all the right bits in the right place so that the car HANDLES almost by instinct, the Cortina, not so much.

Regardless, I say go for it; full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes and all that

I've had my Elan up to 234kph (on a race track) - SCCR box, 3.77 diff, 8,200rpm in top gear (slightly enhanced twin cam). And yes, it was scary.

I've had my Elan up to 234kph (on a race track) - SCCR box, 3.77 diff, 8,200rpm in top gear (slightly enhanced twin cam). And yes, it was scary.

As long as you remember to breathe, all is well.

I’ve driven the S2000 and that Honda 6 speed has a beautiful shift feel. It would be a shame to lose it. A sequential transmission may be good on the track and for bragging rights but not so good on the road and for general enjoyment. Honda definitely understand how to build enjoyable cars. With EV’s coming on stream they are rapidly becoming a minnow in the industry. I hope they can survive.