curly

iTrader: (25)

I've only driven an Evora around a parking lot, and am honestly only aware of their clutch expenses. Did they solve either their longevity or labor hours for the 400? The one I drove was also a lifeless automatic. Forget what we did to it, coils and plugs for a misfire? That might have been the v6 Exige cup car. The Elise/exiges like to blow their oil lines off, eat their cams, and in general I think they're built incredibly cheap(sorry, "simple"). For the money I have zero idea why people like them, UNTIL you drive them aggressively and/or track them. I've R&R'd half a dozen 2zzs, I've done a few quite a few oil pan, MCS, and AiM dash installs, brakes, tires, blah blah. Basically been all over them. Lots of poor access, clam removals, and cursing at British engineering. If you've seen any of my other threads, you'll know I hate Nissan, VAG, and you can quickly add most British cars to that group. Brithish cars are quirky, fun, good looking, often great to drive. But cheap (for the customer) or easy to work on (for me), absolutely not.

It was my understanding that the Evora was only a step up in complication from the Elise, hence my concern for your wallet. By all means, it looks amazing, I love the color, you got an amazing deal, and I hope you a long and happy marriage. Please, PLEASE, keep us updated on maintenance, expenditures, and any tips/tricks you find out along the way.

Ryan_G

iTrader: (8)

You list some valid concerns on the old cars. The first evora's had clutch issues that also aided in some transmission problems. There were also a host of electrical problems and general build quality issues like rattling dashs and such.

The new evora 400 which was released in 2016 and hit the states in 2017 has been a huge step up. They use a new clutch assembly that seems to have fixed the chatter and gear box issues that many were experiencing on the S1 evora. They updated the shifter which was not too great but had now been lauded as one of the best in the industry on par or even better than many Porsches. They also stepped up the interior quality immensely. It's not as solid as a Porsche yet but it's no longer the complete letdown that it once was.

The clutch replacement is still expensive due to the packaging and longevity is untested. I believe I have one of if the highest mileage example of the Evora 400 in the states. This particular car was a press car and due to some journalist abuse they replaced the transmission, clutch, and flywheel under warranty because shifting to 1st and reverse was becoming difficult. Apparently the clutch still had plenty of life left in it when they replaced it.

There were a few minor issues with the early 400s that have already been addressed by lotus. The AC panel would short and the fans would stay on. This was addressed in a service bulletin. The EU spec seats had a issue with excessive squeaking because they had an empty cavity where US spec seats had side impact airbags. This was addressed with foam by lotus but I don't really need to worry about it since it did not affect US cars. Some people also report some issues with the trunk latch alignment which cause it to stick when trying to open electronically resulting in a need to use the emergency cable release under the rear seat. The only other "issue" which is really just an annoyance is that there is some diff noise at low engine speeds but that's not uncommon in a lot of cars.

I have noticed only 1 build quality issue on mine so far. A trim panel by the steering wheel is loose but it looks like that is the result of prior removal. Some of the metal clips that hold it in are missing which were probably lost by someone.

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

Looks better without the stripes on the side and front.

mreakus

I totally agree. Great looking car!

Garman

WOW. Helluva car and deal!

shlammed

iTrader: (8)

Have you done anything with this car since the lotus? lol.


Speaking with psyber and he suggested I check out your thread.
I think I must have missed your data on boost response.... i saw some logs in around page 20 but couldn't extrapolate the rpm your hitting target boost by with the 7163.

Ryan_G

iTrader: (8)

I haven't done much to it since the Lotus but it's actually not the Lotus' fault. I'm closing in on my wedding, work has been insane, and there have been a lot of family functions. The clutch rod needs to be adjusted because I don't think its completely disengaging which is causing some low speed issues. The ******* clutch rod adjustment but won't budge so I'm going to have to remove the entire assembly to break it loose.

I was hitting peak boost by 4.5k rpms on wastegate but my tune is not the best and I had a vacuum leak at the intake manifold ports due to loose nuts which has since been fixed. Once I get the timing table right, ebc tuned, and hook up vvt I expect that number to come down a bit.

shlammed

iTrader: (8)

7163 en route (t4 divided though). wtb:na Miata. 4500rpms isn't terrible for full boost with a larger turbo, especially with room to improve.

I hope you can get it working soon-ish. Having cars sit....sucks.

psyber_0ptix

iTrader: (4)

I think it's pretty safe to say Ryan is probably the first person to actually have a running miata with an efr7163. I'm open to being corrected, but I haven't seen any other 7163 builds get to this step.

shlammed

iTrader: (8)

considering I have started gathering Miata parts for a car I don't have yet... I expect I wont change that very quickly.

Ryan_G

iTrader: (8)

I agree. I grow tired of having a car that doesn't quite work right. I am crossing my fingers that when I get the clutch pedal adjusted correctly I will be able to make quick work of fixing the tune. I want to see what the car can do when it's running properly.

Leafy

iTrader: (1)

Ahem... I guess my non-BPness doesnt count.

aidandj

iTrader: (5)

He said running miata...

Leafy

iTrader: (1)

My car runs I even drove it in the trailer to stick it under the car port to get it out of the garage for while. Heck I even raced it twice last year.

psyber_0ptix

iTrader: (4)

If that's the case, I stand corrected. Did you post in dyno subforum? I'll give it a search tomorrow. I'm curious

18psi

iTrader: (76)

he doesn't have a bp, or even a car for that matter. he has a diarrheal tub of turds that ran for like 1 minute lol

(no offense Leafy, but seriously your underhood is the nastiest thing I've seen all year. I wouldn't take the car for free)

shlammed

iTrader: (8)

lol.
im with 18psi. its a mods list car.

7163 or not, its not apples to apples with the different engine.

Leafy

iTrader: (1)

It doesnt even have an extensive mods list, lol I realized that when I wrote the for sale ad. It doesnt have fancy **** it just goes fast when the diff isnt broken.

Ryan_G

iTrader: (8)

Went to Sebring with the Lotus today. I was very excited because it's been a while since I got on the track and was looking forward to seeing what the car could do. First session was in the 50's and wet from a pirelli challenge team doing rain testing the night before. Grip was hard to find but the car did well and I didn't put it into the wall. When the second session came around I started the car and made my way to pit lane for grid only to hear a loud rattling. I thought something came loose so I took the car back to my garage spot. Once I got out of the car it was clear the noise was coming from the engine compartment and that something was broken. Further inspection made it pretty clear that the supercharger failed and the noise was one of the lobes making contact with the housing. So there went the rest of my track day. I called AAA because I'm a premier member and had them tow the car back to the lotus dealer for diagnosis.

I have an early car and there is a known bad batch of superchargers from edlebrock which resulted in premature failures. I still have a year and 12k miles on the warranty so I'm hoping they just replace it without fighting me on it due to the circumstances. I didn't push the car that hard during the first session because I was learning the car and the track was wet so there is no reason this should have occurred. It probably would have just happened on the street at a later date.

DNMakinson

iTrader: (3)

Heaven forbid Lotus would hold it against you to run one of their cars on a track. Where else are you going to fully enjoy the purpose of such a car? Hope it goes well.