Lotus Esprit V8 Performance Review - By Ian

The Seven big things we believe are limiting the performance of our good old Lotus Esprit V8 are:

• INTERCOOLING - There is physically no room for a conventional Air to Air or Water to Air   Intercooler!
• INCREASING BOOST PRESSURE - Our beloved V8 poodles around at an average of 5 - 7psi boost stock!
• TURBO BYPASS VALVES (or BLOW OFF VALVES (BOV's) as the USA & Japanese boy racers call them, or DUMP VALVES as the UK boy racers call them) - There is no need for them with a measly 6 - 7psi of boost!
• HIGH FLOW AIR FILTERS - The stock filters are ultra restrictive to airflow!
• HIGH FLOW OIL FILTER - There's not much wrong with the stock oil filter, (except price) but hey, if you find a better one for a great price....
• AN EFFICIENT EXHAUST SYSTEM - What a waste of space the stock system is!
• HIGH FLOW CATALYTIC CONVERTERS - The stock cats are like brick walls!

In this series of articles we will discuss each in detail and explain how we upgraded our favourite car to compensate for these short comings. All performance modifications written up, have been completed on our car, and are not SPECULATIONS on behalf of the author.   "Purdy" (1 BAD V8) is in daily use with these modifications installed.   Providing you follow some simple common sense basics, (DO NOT DROP YOUR CLUTCH AT FULL RPM) all will remain fine.  We are convinced that our car actually runs better and smoother as a result. All modifications assume a good mechanical knowledge of the vehicle, and should NOT be attempted by an amateur.

If you notice any typos, grammatical errors or spelling mistakes in the texts please let us know so we may correct them.  Most of the articles were somewhat rushed through to get onto the site.

These texts are provided as information only, and not a recommendation to change your car from any stock configurations.  Please consult your Official Lotus dealer if you have any doubts.

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