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The rebirth of 933...

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Couple new thoughts on the cosmetics after picking up 933 today and getting into the shop.

1. the little bit of white is probably too subtle for a race-track vehicle to show up well in photos
2. White wheels are gonna turn black pretty quick during a track day

So; new idea is to go with black/carbon for the front hood pieces, roof and then the top half and upright sides of the trunk deck. Logos on back two upright areas just behind doors (near where charge port is on driver side) and website across front bumper. Black glossy wheels and also a black/carbon section at bottom of sides of the car to protect from the track debris and brake dust onslaught... Like this but not all the way across the bumpers...

View attachment 587329

another thought is to do a full wrap in a “modern camo”; it’s Swiss military winter camouflage pattern. We had sweaters made in this pattern to send to some Kayak/fishing customers for our big format Group 31 batteries, here is a photo to get an idea of pattern; I think I’d do it the entire car over and then do black lettering and black logos and black wheels.

View attachment 587321

My 2cents is I would vote for the white with the black down the middle, would be easier to show off your logo and any other decals.
 
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How do you know all these aftermarket items work on the vehicle? What kind of rotors and calipers did you order? I'm sure you read here that the rotors for the roadster are pretty much custom made since it's 5 piece slotted bolts and front and rears are different sizes.

I have a lot of experience with the Roadster!

Rear rotors installed today along with Nitron suspension...

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Where did you get that hardtop? I noticed it doesn't cover the carbon fiber roof trim. Is it OEM?

Not OEM, place in Hong Kong makes them for Lotus Elise/Exige. I actually like the way the Elise/Exige hard tops don’t cover the carbon fiber roll bar cover more than I like the OEM Tesla one that does...

we are considering importing them and selling here but probably not enough demand, tho it’s a beautiful top for sure!
 
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Nice work EL... I think you got the set up right.

I don't think you would get any real advantages to putting the same calipers on the rears. Due to basic physics, weight transfers under braking and the fronts will provide as much as 75% of your braking force. I have not inspected every car built, but would be confident in saying that 99% of all cars have bigger brakes in the front than the rear (older cars have disc up front and drums in the rear). And, don't fall for the reasoning that the Roadster is rear weight biased. Just look at any 911 and see what they run in the fronts and rears. All stuff you probably already know.

But, if you want the looks of the bigger rear calipers... ;)
 
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One also gets regen braking assist added in on the rear, not the front.

And that is the biggest problem. The regen is extremely sensitive to wheel slip, and kicks off immediately. A little gravel or hard steering to one side while braking and bang- The car seems to lurch forward like it is on ice. Stock the regen seems to add almost 50% of the braking power, and when you lose that you are in trouble in a panic stop. Just do a full-on stop after a range charge and see how the car brakes without regen.

Nice work EL... I think you got the set up right.

I don't think you would get any real advantages to putting the same calipers on the rears. Due to basic physics, weight transfers under braking and the fronts will provide as much as 75% of your braking force. I have not inspected every car built, but would be confident in saying that 99% of all cars have bigger brakes in the front than the rear (older cars have disc up front and drums in the rear). And, don't fall for the reasoning that the Roadster is rear weight biased. Just look at any 911 and see what they run in the fronts and rears. All stuff you probably already know.

But, if you want the looks of the bigger rear calipers... ;)

I didn't say to use the same piston size. I originally used the front calipers on the rear but had the problem of the regen kicking off when you slowed down enough to get rear slip during a panic stop. It still stopped a lot better than stock, but always was a shock when the regen went away. I kept increasing the rear piston size on my 4 pots until I got the regen to kick off immediately upon a hard stop. That way I never even feel the regen loss. And with the ABS off, I get front and rear wheel lock at almost the same time. Stock the rears are so weak that you will never lock the rear wheels on dry ground, so the regen disengaging is not a problem.
 
New Carbon Fiber top installed today!

View attachment 591016 View attachment 591017

Bumper should go back on it tomorrow (painted properly)!

The wheels are going to be custom forged wheels 14.9lbs/17.9lbs and a bit wider than stock, here is what they’ll look like;
View attachment 591020
Can you take a close up picture showing the weave of the top compared to the weave of the roll bar? I've always wondered how well they match.

I, like you, prefer the tops from the Lotuses (Loti?)... it is nice to have the exposed roll bar. Also, the OEM does not blend in with the lines of the car... looks like a bad toupee'.

I have actually been running an Exige top with the half mohawk. I like the looks of the scoop, but obviously for our cars, it is totally non-functional. When people ask, I tell them it directs air onto the rear spoiler to create downforce ;).

I am currently looking for an Elise top or a CF like yours if I could find it at a reasonable price.
 
Can you take a close up picture showing the weave of the top compared to the weave of the roll bar? I've always wondered how well they match.

I, like you, prefer the tops from the Lotuses (Loti?)... it is nice to have the exposed roll bar. Also, the OEM does not blend in with the lines of the car... looks like a bad toupee'.

I have actually been running an Exige top with the half mohawk. I like the looks of the scoop, but obviously for our cars, it is totally non-functional. When people ask, I tell them it directs air onto the rear spoiler to create downforce ;).

I am currently looking for an Elise top or a CF like yours if I could find it at a reasonable price.

definitely a different weave but it still looks really good together in my opinion.

it’s about $2K for the top
 

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