Upgrading suspension

[talon]

Well, I just got off the phone with Hethel, who I was talking about the new Esprit suspension package that Lotus has made availalbe. I'm scheduling the car in for the upgrade now. The kit consists of bustom built Eibach springs, Bilsein shocks, and poly bushings. It should soften the road manners of the car, while improving handling and lowering the car slightly. I'll report back as things progress!

[S4 Esprit]

I've owned a car with poly bushings before and I wasn't overly happy about my decision to install them.  Keep them well greased or be prepared for lots of squeaks.  Think "bed with worn out springs" sound.  The good news is that you'll pass somebody before they figure out where the noise is coming from.

Aside from that, keep up posted in how it goes.  I can't wait to see it even lower than it is!  I bet it will look awesome.

[Burple_X]

Ditto on the poly bushings.  If you're a die hard track junkie, go poly.  If you're not, you won't like them.  That was the final straws that took one of my 911's off the road and made it a dedicated track car.

[talon]

Lotus designed the poly bushes for street use. I asked them about noise and they said there won't be any dramatic gains. Plus, the standard bushes on the Esprit are only good for a couple years before deteriorating and these will last much longer, which is huge since it is such a pain to get in to replace them.

lol - both of you need to come for a ride in a v8 esprit if you haven't - even if the bushings are louder, there is no way you could hear them over everything else 

[Burple_X]

Lotus' idea of "designed for street use" is a little different than say, Ford or GM.  So is their definition of "dramatic gains", I suspect!     And it's not so much of a noise you will acquire, rather a squeek... like every time you hit a bump or expansion joint in our silky smooth NC roads  Squeek squeek squeekity squeek (yes, I know it is supposed to be squeak, but this is meant to be a more shrill.)  The good news is, it will sure tighten up sloppy handling!

[talon]

Yeah, I've had them before and they make a huge difference. We'll see if the sqeak can be heard over the rest of the noises the car makes.

[talon]

Just a quick update. After serious deliberation with Lotus and several other folks, I've decided not to go with Spax shocks rather than the Lotus shocks / springs. The Spax units are adjustable for ride height and rebound, while the Lotus shocks can only do ride height (and only two settings).