What kind of 0-60 should I expect?

PostPost by: theelanman » Fri Jan 12, 2018 8:18 am

depends what you want and how you set it up?.......
Im sure you could get it down to 4s.......might break a few diffs and driveshafts on the way......
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PostPost by: stevebroad » Sun Feb 11, 2018 9:49 pm

Right.......:-)

Just run your data through my Simulation software. When I got this software I tested it using original specs and compared results with mag reviews of the time and the coloration was pretty good. Also, my 168bhp at the wheels (around 190-200 at the crank) Elan managed 12.9s/115mph at the Pod on road tyres with a weight of 700kg. and the software predicted low 13s, so it is a little conservative.

If you are using a semi-close ratio box (2.972/2.009/1.396/1.000) then the simulation predicts around 4.5 sec 0-60 with a 1/4 mile time of 13.44/103mph.

The big caveat is the number of unknown variables that will affect these results. These include:

All up weight of car/driver
Weather conditions
Driver's skill level
Track conditions.
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PostPost by: 1owner69Elan » Mon Feb 12, 2018 2:17 am

Thanks for running the simulation.

The figures you calculated seem plausible for my car. As I mentioned before I haven't really done any all out runs as I don't trust the engagement point on my clutch (erratic). I also don't really have any equipment to make an accurate measurement either.

Comparing to a Porsche 911 (997) Carrera S which I have experience with and can do a 3.9 sec 0-60, the Lotus is not as fast but certainly is not slow. In my impromptu stop light drags (with myself) the seat of the pants feeling is something like 5 secs for the Elan. Not a lot of wheel spin as the tires are quite sticky. The car just hooks up and goes. The pickup in various gears from 3000-7000 rpm is also a blast of acceleration and aural sensation as the twink winds out. Very cool and impressive for a 50 year old car.

I think a 4.5 to 5 sec 0-60 time would have taken my breath away at one time. But, having driven the Porsche and more recently having had the opportunity to drive a Ferrari 488 Spyder (2.9secs 0-60, 6.4 secs 0-100, 10.6secs 1/4 mile @135), one tends to normalize a new baseline of expectation and fear. For example, a friend's 289 AC Cobra which seemed impossibly fast to me in my youth would now still be exciting but would not blow one away. However, the 488 does blow you away.

smartselectimage_2018-02-02-09-20-04.jpg and


I also realize, that I am quite content with the Elan's performance neatly packaged in an historically significant vintage car. The 488 gathers a crowd but the Elan also attracts curious attention as well. In certain urban venues (New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Monte Carlo, London?) the Elan is probably more rare as some display their latest toys like the 488 (not meant as a criticism).

Further I have concluded that there are modern cars out there that are perhaps best left to younger folks with better reflexes and perhaps a callow sense of invulnerability with no fear. But, admittedly, out and out performance can be addictive.

Now back to my very fast "old" Elan.
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PostPost by: stevebroad » Mon Feb 12, 2018 7:26 am

1owner69Elan wrote:Thanks for running the simulation.

Now back to my very fast "old" Elan.


No problem, my pleasure :-)

Whereabouts in California are you?
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PostPost by: 1owner69Elan » Mon Feb 12, 2018 7:49 am

Northern California.

Napa.

Wine country.
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PostPost by: stevebroad » Mon Feb 12, 2018 9:29 am

1owner69Elan wrote:Northern California.

Napa.

Wine country.


We haven't been that far up the coast since 1979 :-)

We were near Paso Robles (on the shore of Lake Nacimiento) for a few days in 2014, touring the vineyards.

In 2016 we visited Cambria and Hearst Castle.

Sister-in-Law lives in Anaheim, which helps to keep the cost down :-)
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PostPost by: rgh0 » Mon Feb 12, 2018 9:51 am

What 0-60 and quarter mile time are you expecting Steve in your Godzilla Elan? Full Turbo boost and Nitrous should give you well over 600hp and with just 700kg or less , so if it all hangs together and you can put the power down on the road you should be as quick as any of the modern super cars and in the Konigseggggger One to One territory

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PostPost by: jimj » Mon Feb 12, 2018 10:29 am

We do these regularity rallies in our Sprint engine S3, HERO events and stuff. On the tests, flat out against the clock on private land, they typically involve not just a standing start but stop astrides with more standing starts as you weave around cones, chicanes, flowers beds and things. I never worry about the standing starts and find, in the dry on a good surface, dropping the clutch at 4000rpm generates just a little wheelspin though we have the Voight gearbox with a lower first but a 3.55 diff. The "strain" on the drive train is taken by the bit of wheelspin.

Regarding a paper calculation of 0-60 times I reckon there must be too many variables. When we had an S1 Elise it weighed more than the Elan, had less (top end) bhp and similar torque but accelerated much more swiftly. I see road tests in Autocar magazine where the a higher power to weight simply doesn`t translate into a comparatively quicker car. Maybe it`s because maximum BHP is only fleetingly achieved and it`s the spread of power and torque that really makes the difference.

The stopwatch tells the truth not bar room bull s**t.
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PostPost by: rgh0 » Mon Feb 12, 2018 11:05 am

As they say in racing "when the flag drops the B***s**t stops"

Yes area under the HP curve during acceleration and gear ratios are critical in 0-60 times not just nominal peak HP to weight. For example Turbo cars car be slower than anticipated as the time for the turbo to spool up during the transitions in a 0-60 run can be significant compared to a similar peak output HP and nominally lower steady state full throttle torque through the rev range of a larger capacity engine.

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PostPost by: stevebroad » Mon Feb 12, 2018 3:30 pm

rgh0 wrote:What 0-60 and quarter mile time are you expecting Steve in your Godzilla Elan? Full Turbo boost and Nitrous should give you well over 600hp and with just 700kg or less , so if it all hangs together and you can put the power down on the road you should be as quick as any of the modern super cars and in the Konigseggggger One to One territory

cheers
Rohan


As you stated, The BS stops when the flag drops :-) I have dreams and aspirations but don't want to become a hostage to fortune :-)

On race fuel we will have 600bhp+. Nitrous is just for any turbolag we can't dial out. Power/weight should be around 920bhp/tonne. Main problem will be traction.

Having said that , I would like to reverse the 1/4 mile ET numbers of the one:1, which is 9.8secs.....:-)

0-60 ...I have no idea, but it should be reasonably quick.
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PostPost by: david.g.chapman » Mon Feb 12, 2018 3:58 pm

I do a 50 to 70 time in 4th now and again to roughly check the power and compression of the engine in my +2.

I usually manage somewhere between 5 and 6 seconds, depending on how the strombergs pick up, wind etc. I always use the same stretch of road.

Maybe my car is not as slow as I thought it was!

The engine has a low compression head, CPL2 cams and a standard bore steel manifold. Saving up for a bigger manifold.

Dave Chapman.
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PostPost by: stevebroad » Mon Feb 12, 2018 6:36 pm

david.g.chapman wrote:I do a 50 to 70 time in 4th now and again to roughly check the power and compression of the engine in my +2.

I usually manage somewhere between 5 and 6 seconds, depending on how the strombergs pick up, wind etc. I always use the same stretch of road.

Maybe my car is not as slow as I thought it was!

The engine has a low compression head, CPL2 cams and a standard bore steel manifold. Saving up for a bigger manifold.

Dave Chapman.


At the risk of teaching Nan to suck eggs, get a 4:2:1 manifold as this will help with torque rather than BHP.
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PostPost by: david.g.chapman » Mon Feb 12, 2018 6:52 pm

Sorry, Steve - I should have been clearer. By "steel manifold" I mean the 4-2-1 setup. It's just that the bore is standard rather than the larger variant.

I still have a lot of egg sucking to learn about!

I was told on this forum some years ago that buying a big bore exhaust was the single best thing I could do. If I did that I could then drop the needles a tad to get more power/torque with the increased airflow?

Dave Chapman.
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PostPost by: stevebroad » Mon Feb 12, 2018 7:16 pm

david.g.chapman wrote:Sorry, Steve - I should have been clearer. By "steel manifold" I mean the 4-2-1 setup. It's just that the bore is standard rather than the larger variant.

I still have a lot of egg sucking to learn about!

I was told on this forum some years ago that buying a big bore exhaust was the single best thing I could do. If I did that I could then drop the needles a tad to get more power/torque with the increased airflow?

Dave Chapman.


I knew what you meant :-)

Upping the pipe size helps to reduce back pressure allowing the engine to breath properly. The one I fitted required a cutout in the chassis to allow it to fit, but it made one hell of a difference on the rollers.

Don't forget that to get the maximum gain you will need to consider increasing the diameter of the rest of the system.
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PostPost by: david.g.chapman » Mon Feb 12, 2018 9:59 pm

Thanks Steve.

Dave.
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