Is the Lotus Elise all it's cracked up to be?
I guess this is where this post ought to go, but it depends on "overrated by who". In general, the hype in the real world about the Elise leaves me scratching my head in this case.
Here's what I mean, a 1560KG car, with 390hp, custom gearing,
semi-racing suspension (left at default settings), and S
2 tires, and in an FR configuration, ran Laguna Seca in 1:37. That was pushing hard. There might have been a little time left out there, but not too much.
Now the Elise I have is an '03 (the other car is a '00), it weighs 806KG, has a 380hp, a full race suspension, custom gears, and S
3 tires, with, naturally, an MR configuration. It ran Laguna in 1:34 (high 1:34). I know there was time left on the track, but not more than about a second, if that.
Certainly, it was faster. But.. It's just barely over half the weight of the other car. It has nearly the same power, which means a P:W ratio of 5.4 lbs per hp vs 8.8 lbs per hp, nearly, but not quite double. Being just barely over half the weight also means it ought to corner better. To say nothing of having stickier tires. And being MR, it ought to corner better due to superior balance.
And yet, despite all of that, it only managed about 3 seconds faster. I know if I gave a similar P:W ratio and S3 tires to the heavier car, it would meet or exceed that Lotus.
Not bad for an F-Body, eh?
3 secons might seem like a lot, but my Cobra, with a full race suspension, and S3 tires (stock tranny and stock engine) ran a 1:31. It's a bit more than 200kilos heavier than the Elise, and limited to 4 speeds, and has a 60's era American Big Block V8 stuffed up front. It's only advantage is a slightly better P:W ratio. Not enough to net it 3 seconds over the Elise, one wouldn't think. Particularly not when considering all the advantages the Elise needs to net 3 seconds over the F-Body.