Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

My +2 Zetec will be on the Club Lotus stand, hall 11 next to the main area for Dream Rides, the floor should be relatively clean for scrabbling around on to look underneath . I'm expecting this area to be pretty busy, last year it was jam packed with people waiting for rides.

I'm dropping the car off on Thursday and coming back on Sunday to collect it, so most likely I will not be around, but talk to Brian Clarke who should be on the stand if you want to start doing contortions looking at the suspension

A real interesting debate. I installed a lot of Spyder products into my new Lotus chassis when it was built up some 20+ years ago, & apart from front anti-roll bar bushings I don't think that I've had to replace anything else. The springs / shocks / drive shafts etc are all TT items.

Personally I don't get involved with the technicalities of my car (everybody knows more then I do) but when driving under extreme track conditions (far more onerous than should be attempted on the road) I do know what works.

What mustn't get forgotten is that the way a car handles is not just down to the rear suspension set up (the front & rear need to work in harmony) plus the driving style of the pilot has to be dialled in to the whole package. However, in my experience, the ideal is to keep the rear wheels vertical under all conditions (& hence the maximum tyre / surface contact) & the pic below shows perfectly how a stock Lotus chassis with a carefully set up rear end (no rear anti roll bar) reacts when abused under fast / hard cornering.

The angle taken up by the suspension is obvious (& a bit extreme imo - don't do this on the public road) but both rear wheels are pretty perfectly vertical.

The original Lotus design, when complimented by top quality components & careful set up, appears to work fine?



PS - but if only I could keep the car as level as a modern Lotus, how good would that be?

Dave, (or Maulden7, sorry my memory says your name is Dave?)
I do enjoy watching you driving your car, your setup is most obviously superb and the speed you take through corners is tribute to your committed driving style and faith in your machinery. It's great fun watching the Elise's and anything else jumping out of the way!

Here's my S4 following Tony Penzoti's BDG engine Sprint, both have a similar Spyder chassis with the twin rear wishbone setup. Tony's car appears to cornering a bit flatter, but this is due to lower cornering speed, you can see from the 2nd photo which is just before the bend that I was catching him which he blamed on a fuelling problem Needless to say we were both trying and I think the wheels look pretty vertical.

Now here's a thought for those who would like the Spyder suspension dimensions; well they usually have a nicely built up Zetec chassis etc. on display at most of the exhibitions & most likely this weekend at the Classic Car show at the NEC.

Why not take a tape measure, note pad & pencil to take the needed measurements?

I'm sure that nobody would mind

Now where's that Taxi got too

dont pinch the car off .....drive wider line and late apex and you will have less body roll ...

twincamman wrote:dont pinch the car off .....drive wider line and late apex and you will have less body roll ...

Thanks Maestro,
That would never have occurred to me

Don't close your eyes or you will miss the bleeding obvious

bleeding obvious or not ----he still is off line and doesnt know it . he has the car pinched down way to hard and early there Stirling...looks like you could both use a weekend at a good driving school ....ed

Hi Julian!
are you still there? Stick with it

Cheers
John

Spyder fan wrote:My +2 Zetec will be on the Club Lotus stand, hall 11 next to the main area for Dream Rides, the floor should be relatively clean for scrabbling around on to look underneath . I'm expecting this area to be pretty busy, last year it was jam packed with people waiting for rides.

I'm dropping the car off on Thursday and coming back on Sunday to collect it, so most likely I will not be around, but talk to Brian Clarke who should be on the stand if you want to start doing contortions looking at the suspension

Great, I will take a tape measure Probably be back here on Saturday eating my words

twincamman wrote:bleeding obvious or not ----he still is off line and doesnt know it . he has the car pinched down way to hard and early there Stirling...looks like you could both use a weekend at a good driving school ....ed

Ed darling!
Who is "he" that you are referring to? Mr Melville is irreproachable in his driving skills, so Shirley you are referring to Mr Penzoti or myself?

Shame on you for throwing down the gauntlet with no intention of seeing it raised against you! uncouth Bounder that you are

stevebroad wrote:

Spyder fan wrote:My +2 Zetec will be on the Club Lotus stand, hall 11 next to the main area for Dream Rides, the floor should be relatively clean for scrabbling around on to look underneath . I'm expecting this area to be pretty busy, last year it was jam packed with people waiting for rides.

I'm dropping the car off on Thursday and coming back on Sunday to collect it, so most likely I will not be around, but talk to Brian Clarke who should be on the stand if you want to start doing contortions looking at the suspension

Great, I will take a tape measure Probably be back here on Saturday eating my words

No need to eat your words Steve, I think it's a good debate and worth looking into, as per Mr Maulden7 I don't really understand what goes on under my car, I just know that some clever blokes whom I have slipped a wad of ?20 notes to have done a good job!

I'm sure Burnie Ecclestone is just ringing your phone off the hook . Sadly I could not renew my national license of 30 years as one cannot race while on blood thinners . And an uncouth bounder is the nicest name I have ever been complimented with in my whole life .They are usually far more pointed and go back a few generations .....thank you ..ed

Guys suspension set up is not that hard .its all about the tire footprint on the road ,common geometry applied with a protractor and a string in a straight line .Its all very simple tire caster and camber ..toe in..bump..and tire pressure ....if a bounder like me can understand it than you can and save big money doing things your self .I don't (or didnt )trust any one to set up a car I intended to drive in anger , the hired guns don't have to fix the car or me when a setting is wrong and "sorry" won't fix any thing Unless your one of the gentlemen whose knee never touches the ground get involved! I would rather have to listen to a Celine Deon album than pay some one to set up my car ...Ed

twincamman wrote:Guys suspension set up is not that hard .its all about the tire footprint on the road ,common geometry applied with a protractor and a string in a straight line .Its all very simple tire caster and camber ..toe in..bump..and tire pressure ....if a bounder like me can understand it than you can and save big money doing things your self .I don't (or didnt )trust any one to set up a car I intended to drive in anger , the hired guns don't have to fix the car or me when a setting is wrong and "sorry" won't fix any thing Unless your one of the gentlemen whose knee never touches the ground get involved! I would rather have to listen to a Celine Deon album than pay some one to set up my car ...Ed

"Near Far.... Wherever you are!

Bump and grind or bump and steer darling!

"darlin" makes me keep my back to the wall and my soap on a rope