📓 Journals Adding Lightness

[kitkat]

The warning lights are no longer on my car. I have the JUBU resistor plugs which work perfectly on my UK spec car and Greg says he has sorted it now too.
I'm not sure if my factory has done an ice grey set yet. but I cannot see a problem there. Leather colours are easier than Alcantara to match.

Don’t think that’s the case for Greg, he’d have told me by now. For the US spec car the passenger airbag srs light is still an issue. They’re different from the UK cars.

 

[Eagle7]

Come on Eagle, do the seats. I would lay money down that you find it makes way more difference to your driving experience than all the wheels, exhausts and light batteries combined. Every time the dealer gives me a courtesy car I hate it. You sort of bounce up and down on the cushions, the spine collapses into a hole in the lumbar area and you fly off the sides when you corner. And you sit right up high like a pimple on a pig's bum.

As much as I admire your seats, they are gorgeous, I'm setting my car up more for a street sports car than all-out track car. I'm never going to take mine to the track, and I'm not going to be doing track speeds on the street. At my age I just have to be realistic and accept that those days are gone. Even still though, I'm thoroughly enjoying my car.

After looking at the seats, where I think Lotus made a mistake was in stitching the leather for the bolsters and seat bottom together so it's one continuous piece. That makes it impossible to do anything with the seat cushion without pulling the seams apart. After I get everything else done, I might look into seeing if I can get the seat leathers separated, so the side bolsters and seat cushion are separate. That way the seat bottom foam can be replaced with either thinner, or maybe softer foam which I'm guessing might allow a reduction in sitting height by up to 1 inch. I haven't looked underneath the factory seat to see how much room there is below the cushion, but I would expect there's at least some leeway there.

 

[Steve Tillett]

I only use my Emira on the roads. It is hard to make people believe the comfort until they have used them but they are way more comfortable than the OEM cushions. I’m 64 with a medical condition that eats the bones away. Two hours in the original seats crippled my back. However, with my seats you do not notice a long journey. I see what efforts you are going to make your car better and I see nothing that will change the dynamics of your driving experience more. There are basically only two compromises other than the cost. You can’t flop into the seat and they don’t fold forward to make it easy to get a case behind the seats. But you get used to lowering yourself in and you actually have more space behind the seats, because they are two inches thinner. I would love you to try them one day. I’m certain you would be amazed.

 

[FST]

I only use my Emira on the roads. It is hard to make people believe the comfort until they have used them but they are way more comfortable than the OEM cushions. I’m 64 with a medical condition that eats the bones away. Two hours in the original seats crippled my back. However, with my seats you do not notice a long journey. I see what efforts you are going to make your car better and I see nothing that will change the dynamics of your driving experience more. There are basically only two compromises other than the cost. You can’t flop into the seat and they don’t fold forward to make it easy to get a case behind the seats. But you get used to lowering yourself in and you actually have more space behind the seats, because they are two inches thinner. I would love you to try them one day. I’m certain you would be amazed.

Steve we are biassed when you make these assumptions, afteral you are the brand behind tillet seats so when you say something we take it with a pinch of salt because you are promoting your business. However, I am not saying it is untrue what you claim here. But let other tillet owners make these assumptions because when you make it it comes across a little bit weird like promo stuff. I yet have to see one in the middle east and test one.. there is none available how about that?

 

[Steve Tillett]

Steve we are biassed when you make these assumptions, afteral you are the brand behind tillet seats so when you say something we take it with a pinch of salt because you are promoting your business. However, I am not saying it is untrue what you claim here. But let other tillet owners make these assumptions because when you make it it comes across a little bit weird like promo stuff. I yet have to see one in the middle east and test one.. there is none available how about that?

Yes I know. Sorry if any post I write comes across as a sales promo, but I am a Lotus enthusiast too and I've worked hard at getting this right.

 

[FST]

I have no doubt about that. And I believe you have a great product. I just need to sit in one to make the call for myself thats all.

 

[RyanGphoto]

Ok Ok.. Go check out the Tillet thread.. Sorry I brought it up.. I don't want to hijack Eagle's thread.. Sorry about that..

I have heard from several other people say (in other cars) that his seats are pretty amazing.. I wish I could sit in one for an hour driving to test before buying myself... but I might just bite the bullet one of these days.. Might only do the drivers side to keep the folding part on the passenger as I use the rear shelf a TON for work stuff.

Ok back to ON topic..

 

[Steve24]

Ok Ok.. Go check out the Tillet thread.. Sorry I brought it up.. I don't want to hijack Eagle's thread.. Sorry about that..

I have heard from several other people say (in other cars) that his seats are pretty amazing.. I wish I could sit in one for an hour driving to test before buying myself... but I might just bite the bullet one of these days.. Might only do the drivers side to keep the folding part on the passenger as I use the rear shelf a TON for work stuff.

Ok back to ON topic..

I’d seriously consider buying provided all warning light issues are taken care of (Aussie spec car), but If I did buy I’d only be able to do the drivers side as my wife would have me shot at dawn if I got rid of the heated OEM seat…

 

[crashprash]

I’d seriously consider buying provided all warning light issues are taken care of (Aussie spec car), but If I did buy I’d only be able to do the drivers side as my wife would have me shot at dawn if I got rid of the heated OEM seat…

FYI, removing airbags (stock seats have built in side airbags) is an instant defect in Aus. If it weren't for this I would've replaced the stock seats (and stock steering wheel) as well

 

[Eagle7]

Yes I know. Sorry if any post I write comes across as a sales promo, but I am a Lotus enthusiast too and I've worked hard at getting this right.

No worries. I was not in the least offended or concerned. I know who you are and thought the conversation was fine.

 

[Eagle7]

Well just got back from the dyno, and here's the image I know people want to see, so I'll post it up now. Other stuff will come later.

As you can see from the dyno (this is on a hub dyno), the hp increase was modest, about 6 hp compared to the dyno run after the Eventuri install, but the biggest gain which is what I feel, is the torque increase, especially at the lower rpms. I still have the 3rd cat (didn't delete it), and this is on Map 1 with 91 octane Shell V-Power gas.

As far as gains go, for all the things I've done, the Eventuri actually delivered the best improvement for hp and torque. However the JB4 has definitely improved things, especially the torque up to about 4,700 rpm. The amount of torque stock at 2,520 rpm was about 205 lb ft, but as you can see the JB4 has increased that by about 30 lb ft at 2,520, which is what I felt the first time I used Map 1. (The line that says Aerie was for the titanium muffler which only added a modest amount of torque at low rpms, but nothing extra at the higher range.)

Overall, between the Eventuri and the JB4, I have 22 more hp compared to stock, and a lot more torque at the lower rpms. Using the stock drivetrain loss factor of 7.6%, in order to get 391.3 hp to the rear wheels the engine has to be delivering 423 hp at the crank. Again, this is on 91 octane. People who have 93 available report much better numbers. I asked the guy at the dyno shop if there was any place that had 93 and he said no. All the guys there, and all the builds they tune for are using flex fuel E85 ethanol. There are two places that have E85, and Burger has an E30 flex fuel upgrade option which I might look into. Right now I want to get the CCB brakes installed as my next thing to do.

Something else that doesn't show on the dyno is the sound. I've noticed, especially the last few days as the ECU has adjusted to the JB4 tune, the car is really starting to sound great. The exhaust tone has changed from a boomy roar, to a snarling growl which I REALLY like. The car sounds much more exotic now.

 

[Brokenblinker]

Well just got back from the dyno, and here's the image I know people want to see, so I'll post it up now. Other stuff will come later.

As you can see from the dyno (this is on a hub dyno), the hp increase was modest, about 6 hp compared to the dyno run after the Eventuri install, but the biggest gain which is what I feel, is the torque increase, especially at the lower rpms. I still have the 3rd cat (didn't delete it), and this is on Map 1 with 91 octane Shell V-Power gas.

As far as gains go, for all the things I've done, the Eventuri actually delivered the best improvement for hp and torque. However the JB4 has definitely improved things, especially the torque up to about 4,700 rpm. The amount of torque stock at 2,520 rpm was about 205 lb ft, but as you can see the JB4 has increased that by about 30 lb ft at 2,520, which is what I felt the first time I used Map 1. (The line that says Aerie was for the titanium muffler which only added a modest amount of torque at low rpms, but nothing extra at the higher range.)

Overall, between the Eventuri and the JB4, I have 22 more hp compared to stock, and a lot more torque at the lower rpms. Using the stock drivetrain loss factor of 7.6%, in order to get 391.3 hp to the rear wheels the engine has to be delivering 423 hp at the crank. Again, this is on 91 octane. People who have 93 available report much better numbers. I asked the guy at the dyno shop if there was any place that had 93 and he said no. All the guys there, and all the builds they tune for are using flex fuel E85 ethanol. There are two places that have E85, and Burger has an E30 flex fuel upgrade option which I might look into. Right now I want to get the CCB brakes installed as my next thing to do.

Something else that doesn't show on the dyno is the sound. I've noticed, especially the last few days as the ECU has adjusted to the JB4 tune, the car is really starting to sound great. The exhaust tone has changed from a boomy roar, to a snarling growl which I REALLY like. The car sounds much more exotic now.

View attachment 68591

Cool, thanks for doing it. Good to know your butt dyno says positive things. I wouldn't put too much weight into the numbers on different conditions on different days. But, it is probably a bit less than 60 hp.

 

[seriously]

Did you run Map 0 and Map 1 on the same day to see the difference or did you only run Map 1 and compare against results from prior dyno? Thanks for running it!