Lotus Esprit S4S exhaust install: Tim's Enthusiast Garage S2 Special
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- Опубліковано 20 жов 2019
- As most of you know I love Lotus Esprits. The S4S had long been a "grail" car of mine. I was beyond stoked to be able to add this Lotus Racing Green S4S to the Garage. Before I shot the feature video for the car it HAD to have some proper goodies. The SouthWest Lotus Centre Exhaust was up first and I am excited to share it with you. Check it out!! Full Lotus Esprit S4S video coming soon .
Huge thanks to James Webb at SWLC, Austin and Rick at Lucore and Shutterfuel for the still shot. - Авто та транспорт
Great to see love for the Lotus cars state side!
KHTV thanks! Not enough of that for sure! Cheers and thanks for watching
Absolutely amazing car! Love the wheels and the spoiler. Much more special than most Porsche’s or Ferrari’s. Incredible sounding 4 cylinder. I drove a pearl white 88 Esprit once and absolutely loved it, so engaging. Every Lotus I’ve driven has been very special. Everything from the original Europa to the latest Evora.
K Ahmed they are very special cars indeed. Hidden gems, each and every one. The S4S and Sport300 are by far the most evocative 4cylinder cars. Stay tuned as there is another video coming that focuses more on the beauty of the car. I hope you stick around for future videos. Cheers!!
Hey Tim, Great video. Also watched your V8 video. While I like the V8, I prefer the 4 cylinder cars. I have an SE from 1990 without the powersteering and no abs either. I installed some parts off a dead Sport300, like the turbo, the ecu, the fuelpump and the fuel pressure regulator. Plus the lighter exhaust and a sportscat (I have to where I live). That cat is a straight see through. Of course I took off the ebpv as well. Remember to remove the little arm that pushes the gas cable on top of the engine, or it may block. Now, I have a solid 330 Hp and 415 Nm and it easily spins it's wheels going from 2'nd to 3'rd, and sometimes from 3'rd to 4'th, when really hitting the pedal on the on-ramp to the freeway. I also lightened it many kilos with aluminium tanks, alu expansion tank, carbon roof, Sport300 seats, carbon tailgate (not on yet, as it needs final prep), big 4 pot AP racing 322mm brakes front and rear (makes a HUGE difference, and they are lighter still than the original brakes), and much more. But the biggest thing apart from the Sport300 seats that really makes you feel the car, sit lower and it handles like a dream, is the addition of S4s wheels in euro-size (8,5x17 front and 10x18 rear. But I modded those to be 10,75" inches wide rear, so I can run the Sport300 tires width which is 315/30-18. THAT makes it fly in corners.
I am interested in hearing what result you'll get from the dyno after the mods you made. Your exhaust sounds great, as it actually sounds a bit like an angry v8 engine. Not much 4-cylinder sound in that. Great music.
Btw. I omitted the collar that you have added, as my "cat" is that bit longer, so no need. And they usually goes leaking. Just to tell you, so you may mod yours too, and get rid of a future potential error.
Never mind what other sports car people say. You know you have better handling and enough power. Try a moden 300 hp car and then afterwards go do the same in your Esprit. The later (esprit) is much faster. Btw. I have clocked mine to 4 seconds 0-62mph. Still a fast car in my humble view. Some people may not be able to drive the Esprit fast as they can their modern 2019 supercar, as it's got no assisting electronics to correct the driver errors. So in reality, the Esprit as you have it, is very fast on a twisty road. And weighs some 400 kilo less.
So funny, when it's a Ferrari that is made of glassfiber, they all stick their nose up in the sky and pronounce it "vetroresina". When Lotus does a propper development and invent their proprietary injection method, combining glassfiber, nomex and kevlar and builds the whole cabin as a security cell, it called a plastic car ;)
Never mind, just don't spread the word, as we who drive an Esprit keeps it a secret (well, relatively), or the collectors will snap them all up.
Porsche 911? 1,2 million cars. The 996? 168.000 examples. The 29 years of Esprit production in total: a bit 10.000. Much more rare, and much more in contact with their racing car development. Not just a roadcar to sponsor the F1. Somepeople say "oh, but look, it's got Toyota rear light, Opel door handles, etc, but nearly all the other sportscars incl. Ferrari do the same. Shhh... Don't say it loud...
Yes, they will rise in price, and they are rare and very special.
Looking forward to your next video.
Cheers,
Redfox.
Jacques Esprit you get to some great points here. All exotics of this era and even now use parts from other cars. Esprits are ridiculously low production. Ferrari built over 7000 testarossa after all! This exhaust has been a bit of a revelation in terms of potency. It does sound like the V8 in many ways. Your car sounds nearly perfect. I had an 89 pre SE with efi and no chargecooler and that car was spectacular. Light years ahead of the 88 I had with the mechanical injection. I will be posting more videos soon. Stay tuned!
Jacques Esprit also. Amazing you found a left for dead Sport300 !!
@@TimsEnthusiastGarage Well Tim, I didn't. I bought the seats off another guy who had them off a dead Sport300. And the turbo etc. was from the last pile of interesting stuff at a corner on the factory, as they needed space for other newer cars. Anyway, yes, the parts are super rare. Just to be sure though, I had a specialist in the UK rebuild the Sport300 turbo and install 360 degree bearings as well. It comes on at 2300-2400 rpm and goes full boost, no twin mode a la the others. and the size of the turbo ( 2 sizes bigger than the SE, 1 bigger than the S4s) makes the intake colder, so it can sustain boost as many times as you like it. The chargecooler is nice and cold all the time, also after repeated and re-repeated hard accelerations.
Now is time for adjustable suspension (lightweight), and it comes from either Öhlins or Nitron, who makes suspension for Lotus specifications ;)
Btw. if you haven't done it already, change all the bushings for LOTAC original tuning Lotus bushings. They are a little bit harder, and will last super long time, contrary to the rubber items. No split un-original bushings, though!
Regarding the exhaust, do install an alonox tubular exhaust manifold, and you'll see the engine spinning a lot better, earlier and more power and torque! I did a nd it was a revelation. highly recommendable. It's also made from special grade stainless, not the ordinary type stainless, so it does not crack. and use smaller K-nuts, the special grade, and that will give you a lot more room to install it with.
Certainly looking forward to your next video (-s).
Cheers,
Redfox.
Jacques Esprit I did PUK bushings on my cars . It makes a huge difference
@@TimsEnthusiastGarage Okay, so just go underneath the car once in a while, and take a close look at the split bushings, if any, and make sure they are not moving out of position. Another reason for using non-split (LOTAC bushings) are, that they are all pre-tensioned. They are supposed to aid the movement of the arms etc. which the split (PUK et al) doesn't do. A worthwhile upgrade imho. if you are going pedantic ;) So, for now, just keep a regular eye on them.
How's your brakes?
Cheers,
Redfox
Always here to help! Can't waig to keep this project moving along! Love the video and the exhaust REALLY upgraded the attitude on that ride! Good to see a euro video again too, enough JDM stuff! ;)
Lucore Auto and LucoreRacing no doubt anyone that actually knows me as been “what’s with all the jdm?” Lol. Cheers for the help with this VID !!
@@TimsEnthusiastGarage just means you are a well rounded weird car collector that you've got some oddball JDM to go with your Euro Oddness ;)
Thanks for the video! I'm always searching for new S4s videos. I've had my black on black S4s for five years and love it. I have dual exhaust with flow master muffler and it resembles the great sound you achieved. Enjoy your S4s and thanks for the vid!
Rob
Rob Bonome I’ll be posting more with this car to be sure. Thanks for watching !!
I really enjoyed the sounds coming from the new to you S4S, that is very nice.
Joey Shreve thanks so much for watching! Yes, I am beyond pleased. My kids seem to enjoy it as well. I think this one is heirloom quality and will be sticking around ! Cheers!
Dude this sounds so tuff. How an Esprit should sound!
kwanyeazy even the idlle sounds amazing ! Thanks for watching
Tim, I love your S4s, the new exhaust sounds awesome as well! Congrats man, cant wait to see more.
Pancho's Speed Shop hey my friend! Great to hear from you. I have to say, after running only V8s for so long I was expecting to be somewhat underwhelmed, but now that the 4 cyl is free flowing, I think it’s the sweeter choice for the chassis. Unfortunately, I live in the land of winter and it isn’t a very great time to showcase the car. We didn’t get enough footage before the winter came and now might wait till spring for release of the video. I’ll keep ya posted. Cheers!
@@TimsEnthusiastGarage I agree, I4s are very different than the V8 but underwhelming they are not. I think they are very well balanced, a pleasure to drive.
Sounds very good! Plus all the weight that was removed especially where that muffler was at.
OMG!!! You are reigniting my Lotus love!!! Always loved the Esprits!!! Getting my 996 C4S sorted now and I might just have to look for a S4s😬
JimZRyd doooo it !
That is a great sounding car
Harvey Morgan thanks Harvey!
Beast mode
First fell in love with the Espirit when I saw Richard Gere driving it in Pretty Woman! (LOL). Couldn't decide what I was more enamoured with though, the car or Julia Roberts!
For me, it was the car. She was beautiful but the car captured my imagination . Thanks for watching !
Well done sounds great.. I will have my Esprit ready soon. I had an exhaust made as well.
Ahmet Ozgun they deserve a better exhaust note. Cheers and enjoy that Esprit!!
@@TimsEnthusiastGarage Hi Tim fully agree. I also did a whole buch of things to my esprit. I worked at the Istanbul Park formula 1 race track for years so built it to enjoy laps there. Havent actually driven it in 3 years so its time to get it up and moving. Will send you video when ready. İf I showed you its picture now I am sure you would shoot me.
Ahmet Ozgun ha. Look at my S4 resurrection project. Someone left that sit for 10 years so it simply cannot be worse than that and I am bringing it back to health.
Wow never thought you would sell it.
Christopher Thompson neither did I. I will explain in much more detail in the s4s video. New owner runs a Chiron and a P1. I still can’t believe it’s gone but it was a “I had to take the deal” moment
Nice video. Did the 9-5 wagon last until Christmas?!
Rick T still have the 9-5 wagon. Loving that thing way more than I should 😂. Cheers!
I love the Esprit, but my damaged spine aches just looking at it!
That makes me sad. I love these cars
It's way easier to get at the exhaust through the top and with the wheel off from the side than from the bottom.
I've done the down pipe both ways, the exhaust itself always from the bottom. Thanks for watching and for your comment
Sounds incredible! After 6 mos of living with the car, what are your thoughts on the s4s vs the v8? Would love to get your opinion of what each is like in terms of long term ownership since you've owned both. Keep up the good work!
I am finishing shooting for the S4S episode right now. Long story Short a Sport 300, S4S or modified S4 is the one you want. Thanks for watching and stay tuned.
I've owned 2 S4s's. One was black and the one I own now is yellow (Norfolk Mustard). However, I LOVE these cars in green. Congrats!
I also miss the OZ wheels from my first S4s!
gary gill thanks for taking the time to watch! I do think. These cars look best in colours. Would love to find a V8 in Norfolk mustard or chrome orange . Cheers
Chomping at the bit for the full video!! What color combo is that? Ive got an Empire Green over Magnolia S4s might be its twin!
Robert Joyce so sorry for the delay. Sadly I and the car reside in Ohio and the videographer and I agreed the car deserved a more beautiful back drop. It is Lotus racing green over magnolia so very close to yours!! I will be bringing the video out in the spring. I appreciate your patience !
@@TimsEnthusiastGarage It's settled then. We will meet up on the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC for a drive in the spring to make the video ;-) Its not that far from Ohio!
Robert Joyce this might be the best idea I have heard recently.
Lotus S4S
Is the 4cyl esprit same body frame as v8? Or is v8 car physically wider , longer? I wonder if you can comment on differences in driving feel of v8 and 4cyl?
Harvey Morgan same chassis, in fact physically there is no difference between a European spec S4S and the V8 95-98. They changed bumpers and wheels later and the S4S AP brakes were an option on the V8 as well. In terms of drivability, I will cover this in depth in a future. The V8 has low end torque that the 4cyl can never hope to have. In terms of all our power delivery they can both make well more power than the stock transmission can hold. 400 or so is a good place to enjoy an esprit and for the v8 this requires simple chip. For the 4cyl you must have the larger S4S turbo and charge cooler. Dynamically the 4 cylinder is far more balanced. Feels more natural. The ABS on the v8 is far better than the S4 era cars. Arguably the 4cylinder sounds better. The V8 with the end of the line center exit exhaust has a tubi exhaust that actually makes it sound like a flat plane crank v8 but they aren’t very loud if that is your cup of tea. Sub for more !
I’m sooo close to selling my Gen II Viper GTS and picking up one of these. I feel like I’ll miss the power too much, but something keeps drawing me back to the Esprit!
Gen 2 GTS and this last model viper are the best Vipers imho. Those cars are special and that is one of the few cars I would say would honestly give me pause. Esprit is an easy choice over most others. The torque of the Viper is like nothing else. That being said I love the gen 2 viper and don’t own one. The Esprit just does it for me. I probably didn’t help you make up your mind but that is my honest feeling. Cheers and please subscribe.
@@TimsEnthusiastGarage Boy, that sure didn’t help at all lol!! I still think I might do it. There’s an white S4 in PA I’m seriously looking at right now.
@@donkeykizong if you are on Instagram shoot me a link, I may know the car
@@TimsEnthusiastGarage Done!
How does the exhaust sound at high way speeds? Does it drone?
Being a mid engined car it is very quiet in the cabin. You can still hear the turbo and signature belt/ valve train whir. No significant drone at all . You can hear it echo off underpasses and reflective objects too
Hi Tim, I just got the exhaust from SWL and there was no gasket to joint the pipes together. What did you use? Thanks!
For the gasket to the turbo I used a new OE gasket, for the down pipe to rear section I used some standard exhaust joining compound (I believe it is an alloy brass amalgam. James and the boys are very responsive both to email and on their IG. Cheers !!
@@TimsEnthusiastGarage I guess they like you. The pipes are both inverted so they will not join up. The factory valve will not work as one side is inverted and the other bubble. They are just like the last time with me. No reply's to e-mails. My bad going against my gut feeling. Now my car is on the lift while I try to find a custom gasket. I may have it towed so a shop can weld them together. I recommend folks stay far away from swl unless of cource they are you. What a mess!
@@jomaja2 I believe this deletes the “warm up valve” if you have the same unit I purchased. I believe I have a video of fitting the exhaust on this channel which may be helpful.
Your butt dyno show noticeable power gains from the decat? My E92 M3 gained 25 whp from a decat mod that was the best bang for buck mod. Really woke the car up in power and sound. Awesome sounding L car buddy. Loving the channel!
Alex Martinez good question. So, after 20 years of this chicanery I have a fairly well developed butt dyno 😂. When I picked the car up I knew it was down on power due to the more restrictive than stock cat. It wasn’t hitting boost until 3,800 or a bit higher. boost now hits hard and holds from just over 2.9k till redline . Most noticeable is that the squirt from the extra injectors is really doing it’s thing around 5.5-6k and it holds full boost till big revs. I would say it easily picked up 25 to the wheels . It came with a dyno chart from when the cat was fitted. I’ll run it on the dyno with the tune installed and relay the numbers at some point after the full video is released. E92 M3s are amazing cars. Congrats on having impeccable taste :)
@@TimsEnthusiastGarage Did you sell the black V8?
Kendall Faeth yes, I was made an offer I couldn’t refuse.
@@TimsEnthusiastGarage Cool. You prefer the 2.2? I'm looking for one!
Kendall Faeth I will have the video out shortly on the S4S. Bottom line, if you can only have one buy an S4 or S4S. Still extremely rawdy. Slightly better handling. To super car people it will always be “less than” the V8 but sharper handling, lighter controls and direct connection to the heritage are a fine trade off. Honestly pace is near identical.
Is South West Lotus in the UK? I want to get that exhaust for my 93.
Yes they are in the South. Message James and let him know that Tim Sent you ! Cheers!
@@TimsEnthusiastGarage Thanks!
Greetings from Germany. Your Car is my dream. An S4s in Green will always be the car i'm watching for but the price for an Esprit exploded in Germany the last few year. When i was struggling finding a good Job they where very cheap and now where i can save some good money i nearly have to sell my House to afford one :( i hope i can find an buy one in the next 5 years. I Love this car. How are the prices at your place? Perhaps an Import will be the better Option.
Fabio thanks so much for watching and for your comment. It is strange. Typically car values are similar across countries. The Esprit has exploded in value in Germany, Australia and England but prices in the States (for the S4 and S4S in particular) have lagged behind. Perhaps importation would be a good way to go? Either way I wish that you will own one some day! All the best my friend! Cheers !
@@TimsEnthusiastGarage Thank you very much for your answer. Then i have to have a look there.
Which online platforms are the best to have an eye on. Do you have an idea?
Fabio I would recommend you join Lotus Esprit Group on Facebook . It’s a US page. Also these cars are so under appreciated on bring a trailer.com This is a US auction site and several decent S4 have sold well below market. Also when looking online use a VPN to put you in the states and check Ebay and cargurus.com both of those can be good. If you have a car you would like an opinion on do not hesitate to ask. Cheers! Subscribe the channel if you haven’t already as I have many lotus videos coming on the S4, S4S and V8
@@TimsEnthusiastGarage thank you very much for your help. I subscribed already the moment i started the video and saw the car.
I will have an eye on the us sites from nie on. I hope i will be lucky someday. If i could need a little help, i will let you know. :)
You're going to remove the stock exhaust then remove the stock engine put in a Honda K20 with RC51 mufflers
Haha. Definitely not but I am sure that would sound awesome
Superb car, nice video but honestly I would have fitted an absorption silencer instead of the straight pipe, the sound is bad and you lose a lot of torque from low revs,
There is a small in line silencer at about the middle of the car. I think it sounds great. Lots have sold as a result of the video. One of those to each their own type of thing. Thanks for watching !
Hi M8, like your channel and this video in particular. Fully agree to your statement on why the Lotus Esprit's are still so underrated. I own a '96 GT3 with healthy modifications done in 2015. And yes, it's a great car which delivers a lot of fun. Here is mine: ua-cam.com/video/dffnTGt-q9Q/v-deo.html Take care and looking forward to more vidz on your beautiful S4s
They (SWL) got back to me in a week with a price and were waiting on shipping coasts. Weeks later and now no reply to e-mails at all. Not much good in the customer service end of it. I wont be using them.
I’m really sorry to read this. I will reach out as well. They have been brilliant for my needs cheers! I’m so sorry they didn’t work for yours .
Thought I would update you, James got back to me right away and forwarded a few messages he had sent your way. Spam box 🤷🏼♂️
@@TimsEnthusiastGarage I did get a return e-mail today. Thanks for reaching out to them for me.
@@jomaja2 great to hear. I figured something had to be amiss as over the last 3 years or so I have only had fantastic exchanges including when I was in UK visiting .
I tried to buy a S4 he had for sale. I am glad I bought elsewhere. He seemed to think he owned the BEST! Typical used car salesman, nothing special.
Who ? James at SWLC?
@@TimsEnthusiastGarage No, Matt the Lotus dealer in NY. I will call James later this week.
@@jomaja2 yes, sadly I have to agree. He was knowledgeable and passionate about the brand but I overpaid for my car. It was not what he described
sorry ---ugly sound
NAWLE TORRE hey man, nothing to be sorry about. It’s raw and not for everyone! I get it. 4 cylinders are rarely the most melodic of engines. Thanks for watching !