Lotus fuel mixture in the Alps

[freddy22112211]

Not as far as crossing the States, but fantastic trips in the Elan:
Chelmsford GB - Greece and back.
Ulm southern Germany - Chamonix France over the Oberalp, Furka, and Forclaz passes before the roads got crowded with fast modern cars, climb Mont Blanc, back again to Ulm.
Ulm - Saas Fee/Zermatt and back over the Oberalp and Furka passes several times.
Ulm - Paris Montlhery Oldtimer meeting and a fantastic run back from further south of Paris, through the then virtually empty French countryside, back to Ulm.
Etc.etc.
Shame that lots of the roads to, on, and around the Oberalp and Furka passes (and elsewhere) have been ruined, now wide and boring, most of the great corners made easier.
Gordon

[Foxie]

Have you been up the Zugspitz Sean? It is one of the ultimate cable car runs.Takes about 40 mins.10K ft up. No need to tell you what the view is like.

Not yet ! Checked it out on Google, looks good, on the list for the next trip

More:
Aosta-Courmeyer - San Benardino- Bourg St Maurice - Col d'Iseran (highest paved pass in the Alps, 2770M) - Lanslebourg.... met 3 cars and a lorry on the pass. Unforgettable

[Foxie]

I must admit that we haven't yet got to the USA - but we have taken the Elan to quite a few other places.
Peter

Yes. Alison and Peter have not been to Pluto (yet) but I reckon they've taken a Lotus to further parts than anyone

And returned alive

[alexblack13]

We could go on like this forever by the looks.

Just hope the troops are finding these posts 'inspirational'....

Sean, I always thought that the Grossglockner was the highest pass in the Alps, but I stand corrected (man in ortho' shoes again!).

I used to base myself in a great town called Bregenz you will know it. Super town and great place to tour from. I have noted the other trips you mentioned. I am off again in three weeks!! ..
We are finishing in the hartz mountains this trip. Not too many miles as I am still recovering. We are attending a bike club rally ST1100/1300 o/c. (Honda's..Big ones!!) Held this year in Germany (Braunlage) S E of Hannover by about 70 mls.

Two nights in Rudisheim.Visit to the ring, Bacharach (been there? V nice old town) and a cruise up to Koblenz.Train back to rudisheim. etc etc...

So we need to get a list of who is up for a shortish trip with good visits, nice hotel(s) etc...

I will put up a post soon, asking directly who would like to do this and get a list going.

Alex B....

[Fred Talmadge]

Bought my Elan in North Carolina and drove it home to Texas. That's the longest trip. Otherwise just over nighters, maybe a few hundred miles. Haven't been out of Texas let alone other planets.

[Foxie]

Sean, I always thought that the Grossglockner was the highest pass in the Alps, but I stand corrected (man in ortho' shoes again!).
Alex B....

Alex,

The highest paved road in Europe is a loop to 2802M off the Col de la Bonette (2715M), which is the 3rd highest pass. The highest pass is Col de L'Iseran (2769M) and 2nd highest is Stelvio (2757M)

There are a few more higher than the Grossglockner (2505M)

Col de la Bonette is still on my "to do" list

[garyeanderson]

Bought my Elan in North Carolina and drove it home to Texas. That's the longest trip. Otherwise just over nighters, maybe a few hundred miles. Haven't been out of Texas let alone other planets.

Hi Fred

Probably takes you a day just to get out of Texas?

Gary

[Fred Talmadge]

Probably takes you a day just to get out of Texas? Gary

I don't like driving on the freeways in the little Elan so yea I don't get very far from home.

[alexblack13]

Thanks Sean,
That's the last time I believe the bumph in the leaflets. The stelvio certainly feels higher, esp coming from the south up. Never been over the cols much... as yet

Cheers all,

Alex B....

[69S4]

I'm heading for the alps in my s4 in a few weeks time and despite owning it for over 25yrs and covering over 100,000 miles in it it'll be it's first trip overseas.

I'm curious about the effect altitude will have on the engine (it's on stromberg carbs) as my destination is at 6000ft but some of the local cols (Galibier, Croix de Fer etc) are much higher.

I've been there on a number of carburettored vehicles (as opposed to F.I.) over the years and some suffer really badly from the altitude while other don't notice it.

Stuart

[Foxie]

I'm curious about the effect altitude will have on the engine (it's on stromberg carbs) as my destination is at 6000ft but some of the local cols (Galibier, Croix de Fer etc) are much higher.
Stuart

Stuart,

I've been to 9,000 in the Lotus +2S, on Webers, never had a problem with the carbs. The slower speed and increased load on the climbs meant many stops to cool off when I had the original electric fan.

I have had twin 10" Kenlowes fitted to the wide radiator for some time now, no problems at all. One would probably be enough in the mountains, but afternoon traffic in places like Milan and Valencia put the extra cooling to good use

[alexblack13]

Obviously the higher you go the lower the manifold pressure (Air density/density altitude and all that) = reduced power. Not sure what the formula is but as a rule of thumb I would guess for every 1000' you might loose 5% power poss a little more. Fuel Injected motors will still also loose power unless turbo charged.

Not sure if fuel air mixture is effected or not with strombergs.Think it is with weber/dellrtos... so poss more power loss due to going rich.
Little carb type airoplanes have a 'knob' for mixture control. Allows you to lean it as you climb etc.

What we need is one of the current pilots amongs us to work it out. Anyone who has done Performance 'A' paper out there? you can help... Near on 20 years since I tried it.
(Note the word 'tried'. I never passed it yet!)

I certainly notice it on the motorcycle. When High up I recon'd I was down to about 50% power max, maybe even less!

But what goes up must come down eh. We will be ok....

AB....

[Foxie]

Obviously the higher you go the lower the manifold pressure (Air density/density altitude and all that) = reduced power.

Never better demonstrated than when two guys in a Sprint tried to overtake at +6,500' near the top of the Gotthard. They forgot about the steep grade AND the altitude and only quick evasive action on our part saved them from a head-on with a truck coming down

They bought the drinks at the top

[Ross Robbins]

Stuart,

I have taken my Elan S2 on Webers to the top of Mount Evans on North America's highest paved road which is 14,130 feet (4,300 meters) above sea level and here is what I experienced:

As Alex notes, power drops off as you ascend, and at about 3,000 meters it is problematic on the Webers, but Strombergs and SU's seem to do better. In my Elite with twin SU's I still lose the power but don't experience the rough running from too rich a mixture.

Use a light, progressive, throttle application. The fuel can overwhelm the air available if you "floor it".

As I reached 13,500 feet (4,150 meters) the car was really struggling. It would barely make way in first gear. It almost seemed as though it was fuel starved though rather than rich. In order to make it to the top, I was forced to back up the last 20 meters of elevation or about a quarter mile of road.

Coming down is no problem!

Have fun.

[69S4]

Stuart

As Alex notes, power drops off as you ascend, and at about 3,000 meters it is problematic on the Webers, but Strombergs and SU's seem to do better. In my Elite with twin SU's I still lose the power but don't experience the rough running from too rich a mixture.

Yes, that's the sort of stuff I was wondering about. We have a flat in the Alps at 6000ft and over the years I've been there in a wide range of vehicles - 2 wheels and 4. Some of the bikes have really struggled even at 6k - my Honda 400/4 runs fine up to about 2000ft but by 6000 will hardly run at all but my CCM600 - a motorcycle which came from the factory with a carburation fault so big it it was dangerous to ride is totally happy and doesn't notice the altitude.