In the beginning…
…I had an idea that I’d like up the power of my 120BHP Elise.
How do I go about this? Fire up google and start to surf…..
There are basically 5 options available today for the Elise speed freek.
Option 1 - Upgrading the ‘K’
The Rover ‘K’ series is a lightweight ‘4-pot’ generally regarded as a ‘good’, ‘tunable’ engine. However many people feel disappointed with its performance, reliability or have experienced one or more head gasket failures (HGF). Let’s face 120 BHP isn’t enough to propel you past that Impreza on the straight at most circuits around the UK.
With the demise of Rover a hole has been left in the market for other manufacturers and specialist to fill. Some contraints such as emissions forced importers to ditch the ‘K’ straight out of the box, so they turned to alternatives such as the Honda and Audi engines. More recently Toyota have been the choice for Lotus in their production cars and there are even Ford Duratec powered Elises kicking around.
Still want to upgrade the aging K? For under £3k you can have your ‘K’ tuned to 185 BHP plus by the likes of http://www.dvapower.com/. Dave@DVApower.com or phone on 01908 322652.
Turbo technics provide a variety of Super Charger upgrades, see http://www.turbotechnics.com/docs/cars/elise%20index.htm
Option 2 - Buy a Toyota engined Elise
This is a sound option. The first generation Toyota Elises are at a price which rivals their K powered cousins. The 111R is well within reach of the second owner who may be considering a ‘turn-key’ Honda or Audi conversion for their existing S2 but can’t justify the cost.
Option 3 - Honda Conversions
The Honda Type-R engine, it could be argued, it the World’s most reliable 4-cylinder petrol engine. In particular the K20 2.0 iVtec engine has a legendary reputation for reliability and performance. Super charged, this engine can produce upward of 325 BHP. In JDM trim its 220BHP and the UK spec is 197 BHP.
The good news is, it fits neatly into the back of an Elise. The bad news - well, lets just say it a tad expensive to get fitted. You won’t see much change from £10k for a ‘highly developed’ turn-key solution and the jury is still out on what it costs to DIY.
Honda Turn-key Conversions
1. www.HondaElise.com Link-Up (UK Based) (Fitted by Blink Motorsport plus many others, manufactured by the excellent ‘Elise Parts‘ ) - 200+ Honda conversions in Europe. Approx £7.5k with your own engine. Designed by Simon Scuffham and Richard from Blink Motorsport. Probably the most developed kit in Europe with excellent standard maps.
2. Sinclaire’s Kit (http://www.lotusrepairs.com/hondaconversion.asp). Approx 7.5k with your own engine. Remote oil filter as standard (moved to the wheel arch).
3. Komo-Tec - Germany company (http://www.komo-tec.com/index.php) - Drive your car to Germany and they put in your engine for 9000 Euro plus tax.
4. Tony Stansfield - Phoenix Motorsport, Alcrington - 07714089370 - This is the best value conversion, costing around £4.5k fitted (if you supply the engine). Some of the sub-frame is altered to accomodate the oil filter. You may also want to consider some extra heat shield, and an Elise Parts manifold and exhaust at extra cost.
Honda DIY Conversion Kits
1. Sun International / SunSpeed (US Based) (EVO-GT/Steve Cops in the UK)
2. Stark Automotive - http://www.stark-automotive.co.uk - Released in 2007, UK based kit.
As far as I’m aware all Honda conversions are completely reversible.
Option 4 - Audi Conversions
The 1.8T Audi engine provides a reliable power plant for the Elise.
Auto-Teknix. Fitted the first Audi 1.8T in the UK in 2003 http://www.auto-teknix.co.uk/Audi.html
Option 5 - Duratec Conversions
Geary Powell of Elise Parts looked into creating a Duratec kit for the Elise. Unfortunately this kit was halted at the prototype stage and Elise Parts no longer want to take enquiries about this conversion.