Too much power to weight - 1000hp in a Lotus Exige chassis

[twobone]

2010 Hennessey Venom GT - Images, Specifications and Information

I wonder what the driving reports will look like. I've never driven an Exige, but my sense is that anything over 400hp could not be reasonably harnessed. Putting a stonking turbo V8 in the back seems a bit suicidal or at least counter-intiutive. Hopefully it has a LOT of downforce to keep it on the road

[BURN-BROS]

I would not expect it to be a well balanced ride. The exige is a bonded/riveted chassis with front and rear subframes. It's a nice, simple construction.....for what it is intended for.

[Arnoud]

Bad idea-this is what happened to an Opel Speedster(same chassis as an Elise)with 600Hp-the doors wouldn't open after 'landing'
YouTube - Opel Speedster 90 Grad Wheelie Bitburg Drag Day 6

[Packy]

You can never have too much horse power, ever!!!! EEEVVVEEERRRR!!!!!

[TGTIW]

I wonder who's car the engine came from.

[TechnoViking]

So it's basically like driving a 917 to work. What could possibly go wrong?

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Was it Mark Donohue who said something like "You have enough horsepower when you can leave continuous tire stripes from the exit of corner 1 all the way to the entrance of corner 2"?

[Pazuzu]

Hennessey often brings cars down to our local Coffee and Cars, I hereby make a promise to PPOT that if they bring a Venom down, I will run down the street, buy a video camera, and get you all some footage

[stuartj]

I spent a very entertaining afternoon with an Exige around the picturesque Henley area in the UK some years ago. A fabulous drive, possibly the most fun you can have with clothes on.

I think the idea of putting that much power and weight in that chassis sort of flys in the face of Colin Chapmans philosophy. (If it broke it wasnt strong enough, if it didnt break it was too heavy). It would be interesting to see if it actually were quicker round a track.

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by TGTIW

I wonder who's car the engine came from.

someone whose check already cleared, you can be certain

How does that Hennessy guy stay in business, let alone on the right side of the grass? If he did me the way he does so many of his customers he would at the very least have a limp.

[TGTIW]

It just shows a complete lack of any kind of finesse when building a car. Something unfortunately most American high performance builders seem to be guilty of. Just throw a bigger/supercharged engine in it and damn the weight and/or handling. Come to think of it, are there any US manufacturers getting 100hp per liter without some kind of forced induction?

[stuartj]

Its interesting. the Exige has about 250 hp and weighs about 920kg (2000pds) and has 50/50 weight distribution.

A 1000hp engine presumably means bigger fuel tank, bigger gearbox, bigger brakes, bigger driveline, axles- bigger shocks and springs- bigger everything. And what happens to the weight distribution?

I wonder how 1000hp translates to on track performance in this car.

[Z-man]

Originally Posted by BlueSkyJaunte

Was it Mark Donohue who said something like "You have enough horsepower when you can leave continuous tire stripes from the exit of corner 1 all the way to the entrance of corner 2"?

Close...

Originally Posted by Mark Donohue

If you can make black marks on a straight from the time you turn out of a corner until the braking point of the next turn, then you have enough horsepower.

As for an Exige with 1000hp -- the trick is the grip -- the car may be too light to effectively put that power to the ground. But it sure would be fun tryin'

-Z-man.

[Normy]

I don't get it.

I don't get Porsche's turbocharged 911's: They have more than 400 hp and drive ONLY the rear wheels! Folks, I have 275-width Falken RT-615 tires on the rear of my 928S2. It probably makes about 280 hp at the rear wheels, perhaps 330 hp at the crank. I just know that I can break the rear tires loose at 90 mph by shifting from 5th to 4th.....and then flooring it. Not with odd clutch action-this is simply flooring it and then at 90 mph it goes SIDEWAYS~

Not that I am in the habit of doing it, but I can't race anyone anymore; I'll just roast the rear tires. I suspect that these soft compound Falken tires get hard very easily, and that is why they've lasted about 3000 miles, and are now down to the replace-strips.

3000 miles out of a set of tires? Hello! The autocross racers all use these, so they probably stick like glue when they are new [I can tell you that this last is UTTERLY true; These are racing tires foisted onto the street!] At the same time DAMN! Treadwear number 200? That is fairly hard~

3000 miles? I would accept this from a Hoosier tire that is really a racing tire, but not a Falken that is trying to masquerade as a street tire! All the kids are using these on their autocross cars, but they say that they still get 10k+ even when racing. Hello?

330 hp versus two 275 mm width Falken tires. I like the Falken tires, but they apparently vulcanize [get hard] real quick. If you buy them, be prepared for this.

N!

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Normy

I don't get it.

I don't get Porsche's turbocharged 911's: They have more than 400 hp and drive ONLY the rear wheels!

Actually, they are all wheel drive.

Folks, I have 275-width Falken RT-615 tires on the rear of my 928S2. It probably makes about 280 hp at the rear wheels, perhaps 330 hp at the crank. I just know that I can break the rear tires loose at 90 mph by shifting from 5th to 4th.....and then flooring it. Not with odd clutch action-this is simply flooring it and then at 90 mph it goes SIDEWAYS~

Really? I find that a bit hard to believe. I was going to say "you need better tires," but I think most folks consider the 615 to be pretty darn sticky.

Not that I am in the habit of doing it, but I can't race anyone anymore; I'll just roast the rear tires. I suspect that these soft compound Falken tires get hard very easily, and that is why they've lasted about 3000 miles, and are now down to the replace-strips.

3000 miles out of a set of tires? Hello! The autocross racers all use these, so they probably stick like glue when they are new [I can tell you that this last is UTTERLY true; These are racing tires foisted onto the street!] At the same time DAMN! Treadwear number 200? That is fairly hard~

3000 miles? I would accept this from a Hoosier tire that is really a racing tire, but not a Falken that is trying to masquerade as a street tire! All the kids are using these on their autocross cars, but they say that they still get 10k+ even when racing. Hello?

330 hp versus two 275 mm width Falken tires. I like the Falken tires, but they apparently vulcanize [get hard] real quick. If you buy them, be prepared for this.

N!

Did you post all of this in the right thread? Yeah, that seems odd to me too. I've never tried the 615s. I daily drive my cars and Houston gets plenty of rain. The 615s don't look like they've got very good hydroplaning resistance. I used to run a Toyo T1R and T1S. Then I tried the Hankook Ventus RS2. Now I'm running Bridgestone RE11s. They have a treadwear rating of 180. Mine stick like glue until I wear them bald (which doesn't take long despite driving a miata with only 133hp when it was new). I still probably get more than 3000 miles out of them.

I can't imagine an Elise with 1000hp. For a mod like that to work well, it would take (I would think) major mods to make it work well if at all. And honestly, I think I'd be happier with a different engine if I was going for crazy power. The viper engine seems better suited to a sledgehammer than a scalpel.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Arnoud

Bad idea-this is what happened to an Opel Speedster(same chassis as an Elise)with 600Hp-the doors wouldn't open after 'landing'
YouTube - Opel Speedster 90 Grad Wheelie Bitburg Drag Day 6

Isn't an Opel Speedster the same as a Saturn Sky/Pontiac Solstice? I'm pretty sure those two don't share much (read ANY) with the Lotus Elise. But I could be wrong.

Lotus Elise, carbon fiber mid engined high performance sports car. Pontiac/Saturn Solstice/Sky, front engined, rear drive metal unibody made by GM, not <2000#s, not with amazing suspension/handling, not a Lotus anything.

[lendaddy]

Originally Posted by Normy

I just know that I can break the rear tires loose at 90 mph by shifting from 5th to 4th.....and then flooring it. Not with odd clutch action-this is simply flooring it and then at 90 mph it goes SIDEWAYS~

N!

Classic

No Normy, no you cannot......not even remotely close. This does however shed some light on your general reality disconnect.

This sounds like a silly project, in the end a garage ornament/conversation starter. No one could actually drive something like that on the street.

[Shawn 357]

Originally Posted by Normy

I don't get it.

I don't get Porsche's turbocharged 911's: They have more than 400 hp and drive ONLY the rear wheels! Folks, I have 275-width Falken RT-615 tires on the rear of my 928S2. It probably makes about 280 hp at the rear wheels, perhaps 330 hp at the crank. I just know that I can break the rear tires loose at 90 mph by shifting from 5th to 4th.....and then flooring it. Not with odd clutch action-this is simply flooring it and then at 90 mph it goes SIDEWAYS~

Not that I am in the habit of doing it, but I can't race anyone anymore; I'll just roast the rear tires. I suspect that these soft compound Falken tires get hard very easily, and that is why they've lasted about 3000 miles, and are now down to the replace-strips.

3000 miles out of a set of tires? Hello! The autocross racers all use these, so they probably stick like glue when they are new [I can tell you that this last is UTTERLY true; These are racing tires foisted onto the street!] At the same time DAMN! Treadwear number 200? That is fairly hard~

3000 miles? I would accept this from a Hoosier tire that is really a racing tire, but not a Falken that is trying to masquerade as a street tire! All the kids are using these on their autocross cars, but they say that they still get 10k+ even when racing. Hello?

330 hp versus two 275 mm width Falken tires. I like the Falken tires, but they apparently vulcanize [get hard] real quick. If you buy them, be prepared for this.

N!

Are you sure it's your tires making that squealing or maybe just a belt squealing

[Geronimo '74]

Originally Posted by Normy

I don't get it.

I don't get Porsche's turbocharged 911's: They have more than 400 hp and drive ONLY the rear wheels!
I have 275-width Falken RT-615 tires on the rear of my 928S2. It probably makes about 280 hp at the rear wheels, perhaps 330 hp at the crank. I just know that I can break the rear tires loose at 90 mph by shifting from 5th to 4th.....and then flooring it. Not with odd clutch action-this is simply flooring it and then at 90 mph it goes SIDEWAYS~
N!

First of all, I doubt that your statement is true. If it is, then there is something wrong with your car, or you should not drive at those speeds WHEN IT IS SNOWING....Second, I hate to break it to you, but rumor has it that automotive technology has evolved since the 928.....

Do you really think that because YOU cannot get 280 horses on the ground, that, surely, Porsche won't be able to do better????
They can, I'm quite sure of it...

Originally Posted by masraum

Actually, they are all wheel drive..

The GT2 is rearwheel drive.

Originally Posted by masraum

Isn't an Opel Speedster the same as a Saturn Sky/Pontiac Solstice? I'm pretty sure those two don't share much (read ANY) with the Lotus Elise. But I could be wrong.

Lotus Elise, carbon fiber mid engined high performance sports car. Pontiac/Saturn Solstice/Sky, front engined, rear drive metal unibody made by GM, not <2000#s, not with amazing suspension/handling, not a Lotus anything.

The Elise and the Speedster do share the same platform, which is aluminum, not CF.

More info here:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/lotus-elise3.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vauxhall_VX220

[HunterVonWurst]

Originally Posted by Normy

I don't get it.

I don't get Porsche's turbocharged 911's: They have more than 400 hp and drive ONLY the rear wheels! Folks, I have 275-width Falken RT-615 tires on the rear of my 928S2. It probably makes about 280 hp at the rear wheels, perhaps 330 hp at the crank. I just know that I can break the rear tires loose at 90 mph by shifting from 5th to 4th.....and then flooring it. Not with odd clutch action-this is simply flooring it and then at 90 mph it goes SIDEWAYS~

Norm,

Were you driving on Davie Blvd., westbound, about a week ago? Black 928, Lic. plate "ON TIME"?