📓 Journals Pushing Limits

[SaudiStig]

Installing the Rollbar:

- JUBU Rollbar

The installation of the JUBU Rollbar was a bit challenging. They have supplied all the materials needed with the instructions, I wish they had more pictures though to go through some of the steps.

We did the installation without removing the seats. It would have been easier, but we had tight timing. stripping the inside carpets and interior materials to get where we need to have clear sights of the fixing locations was not a pleasant scene haha but if you work on cars, you wouldn't mind it.

The drilling was smooth; we have the mockup to drill exactly where you need so it went all well. During installing the Rollbar somehow, we had a small gap on the driver side with around 5-6mm. I couldn't tell if it was installation issue or the rollbar was a bit shorter than it should. So, we dismantle the whole thing and re-install it and this time it was a fit.

Feedback:

I have chosen the yellow color to match the rest of the yellow inserts in the car, and I believe it was the right decision.
The car looks amazing from inside and outside as you can see it from far away. It gives the Lotus Emira a new personality.

For sure the space behind the seats is gone. I have also noticed the Rollbar will minimize the seats going all the way back a little bit. So be careful before installing it. on how far you usually sit.

I am 170 cm tall, so I don't really take the seats all the way back, so I'm fine. As you can see, you can still put a small bag in there if you want.
The visibility is not affected at all, and since this is Lotus, so the weight is an important factor. I did not have the time to weight it myself, but on JUBU site it should be around 7 Kg which I believe is close enough.

The best option moving forward is to have racing seats like Tillet so they would fit and look even better, but this is not on the list as of now.
Hope this give some insights on this kit.

 

[SaudiStig]

Hill Climb Competition:

I had another racing weekend here, and it was the time to put the car again under a real test for the performance. The Emira now have few mods running like:

- JUBU460 kit
- JUBU cooling kit
- JUBU Front/Rear brake cooling ducts
- JUBU Titanium wheel bolts
- JUBU Rollbar
- GRP Short shifter
- Michelin Cup2R tires
- Eventuri intake

As I have experienced earlier the power loss issue in the track, and then the updates I received from Rene soon after, he was keen to be on a stand-by for the next race I have, even though he told me since the updates earlier that all should be good. I have to say it was really re-assuring and gave me confidence that if anything goes wrong this time, I have the support. During the whole weekend he was following and asking for updates.

Happy to say we did two days in the Hill climb with ZERO issues.

Performance Feedback:

It was a fun weekend with some tough runs; The weather was nice with around 30ish C in the day which helped keep things alive. Even with different elevation levels the car kept pushing smoothly. The most obvious and fun element in this car is the steering. I just love how sharp it turns with a lot of feedback. This is for me the best strength point. The brakes were great as well, with the Motul 700 brake oil and the cooling ducts there were no fade or hesitation moments.
Power delivery is noticeably higher than stock. where the total run was difficult to measure how much more power we have, there was a clear indication of hard pulling while exiting from some corners with 3rd gear instead of downshifting to 2nd to gain maximum speed, the car was pulling really good covering for my mistakes.

Here are the details for the event we had:

The Race weight of the EMIRA:

To my surprise, this car was heavier than I anticipated!
Below is the race weight which includes me as a driver with my racing gear:

This is with almost a full tank of Fuel (Around 50L). My weight is 67KG so if you take that out with let's say around 3KG of racing gear, you will end up with a total weight of 1475 KG. That's heavy.
You can also see that the left side have more weight than the right side as I'm sitting inside the car. We can improve that as well.
I have seen some members here who have done a great job in reducing weight, where I think this should be my next target.

I have ordered light weight wheels which will help whenever they arrive, and I know the upgraded Ohlins suspension will help as well in reducing weight. I wish I can go for the lightweight battery but due to some shipping restrictions it is difficult to get one.

Anyhow, hope this help and shade some lights on my journey with this beautiful car.

 

[MickOpalak]

There's already a roll bar built into the chassis.

 

[Mal-lotus]

There's already a roll bar built into the chassis.

TIL, tell us more!

 

[MickOpalak]

It might be difficult to see from this cut away drawing, but the main roll hoop is behind the driver and in front of the rear passenger. It loops from one side sill, over the top, and down into the other sill. The secondary roll hoop is behind the rear passengers. The two hoops are anchored together on each side at the top with a tubular steel section. The rear hoop is triangulated again down to the chassis at the upper rear suspension point with another tubular steel section. Meets all world wide roll over crash standards.

 

[MAX FPS]

That image is labeled "Evora". I know the Emira chassis is very similar to the Evora, but I wouldn't assume that's a rollbar. All passenger cars have to meet rollover standards, but rollbars are usually in addition to the stock car's rollover protection.

 

[MickOpalak]

Very true. Motorsports roll bars are in addition to any existing roll bars or roll over protection. What makes the Evora/Emira unique is that they don’t utilize a monocoque chassis, so there is no inherent roll over protection. They add a roll bar at the factory. You can add another roll bar or two, but I believe you are well protected with the factory equipment.