brianmurray325hotmail.com Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I've almost decided to part with my 81' short cockpit crossflow Cat in order to make space for an Elise S1. Space allows me to keep the sv150 so i'm not deserting the cause!shame i can't double deck 'em. Anyway i've always steered shy of that Rover engine for the usual problem and indeed waited until Caterham returned to its roots and went Ford before i chanced a new car. However as old age creeps nearer i need to try a few cars i've always fancied, the s1 elise being one of them. Should i pursue a VVC engined car rather than just the normal 1800cc unit, i feel that the latter may be a bit gutless any advice? What would you go for, its got to be an S1though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George C Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I had a VVC Elise, model 111s. Very good engine, nice level of performance, good fuel economy etc etc. The 111s also had different gear ratios from the non VVC. Only problem was annoying reliability issues due to poor build at the factory all of which will have been rectified on a well maintained car (mine was new so I had to sort them out). My old 87 XFlow 7 has survived alongside all of the other more modern cars I have had. Much more satisfying in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob_Rich Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Hi Brian Dont part with the 7! get an Elise as well! As well as my 69 series 3 7 I have an S1 Elise (10 years old now 32K miles) had it for 5 years done around 12K miles in it. been well pleased it is a non-VVC standard K16 engined one. fun and economy. probably has the lowest performance of any in the Elise range but still pretty good fun. Used regularly by wife and loaned to kids for W/E away and the like. Problem with the Rover K series in the ECU cannot be read by any of the low cost standard readers (Mems 1.9 system) so if U or anyone knows of a low cost reader for the ECU would like to hear. Touch wood have not needed this yet. Otherwise just standard service routines , couple of rear dampers, and new discs/pads all round. best of luck Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterg Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 get a VVC version of the Elise, it comes with a close ratio gearbox as standard so much easier to keep on the boil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prs Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 My wifes daily driver is a non VVC S1, shes done well over 50k proper driven miles in it and never had any problems, gets 44mpg, never uses oil, tyres give 20k plus, she loves it and I service it! Great car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7 wonders of the world Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Glad one of the cars in your stable gets driven 'properly' 😬, last time I saw your 7 out i thought it was being driven by some old retired bu99er....... 😳 😬 .............Oh sorry it was 😬 Hope your both well, must get over to see you again soon Too young to be old ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EFA Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I'm going to argue that a std base 1.8 is best. The VVC engine is still an asthmatic breathless wonder whihc can't pump the air in fast enough. You'll also pay much more for a car with a VVC as its OE engine. Gear ratios are fine in the standard car. The best solution for a decent S1 is to fit some Supersport Cams, a light flywheel, decent exhaust and throttle bodies to an otherwise standard 1.8 engine. 160-170bhp, much more midrange than a VVC and some bark with the bite. The engine is also a throwaway item when it lunches the bottom end or suffers HGF. Full Terms and Conditions of this post can be read here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prs Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Well at least that 'old retired bu99er' was able to keep up you 😬, must catch up with you both soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianmurray325hotmail.com Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 gents thanks, lots of great advice there, kicked a few tyres at Pure Lotus today found J pretty helpful, he's not especially a vvc fan. I like the idea of the cheap throwaway engine fitted with some top end mods (bit reminiscent of the crossflow). If things did get cooked it sounds a cheap repair could be executed. One thing that the PL man mentioned, when you come to sell a standard car you could get C of C should a mainland european want to buy, with a vvc you can't, a pretty small point as far as i'm concerned but may be worth noting. Saturday night ahead for contemplation and box ticking thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EFA Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I sold mine to a Cheesehead. He never asked for a C of C. The mods I describe are reversable anyway. Full Terms and Conditions of this post can be read here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_pank Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 IIRC the VVC head gives greater potential to be 'DVAd' than the std. Either way, I wouldn't worry about the fragility of the engine, as EFA says they're disposable items, cheap as chips! back here because I want to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now