Lotus Center
Get the ride of your Lotus/Exige
Last update: May 2025
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Elise/Exige S1
Elise/Exige S2
Elise/Exige S3
Additionally:
technical notes
.- Lotus recommends servicing your Elise every 9,000 kms or annually, whichever comes first.To keep your car in top condition, we recommend following thismaintenance guide.
- Choosing the right tyres depends on how you plan to use your Lotus:
Use Tyres Street Yokohama V105 / Michelin Pilot Sport 5 / Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3 K127 Street + Track Yokohama AD08RS / Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Track Yokohama A052 / Toyo Proxes R888R / Nankang AR-1 Tyre position Type Pressure Front Tyres 26 PSI / 1.8 bar Rear Tyres 29 PSI / 2.0 bar Check at least once a month and before long trips. Always check when tyres are cold.- Repairing scratches on your Lotus can be done easily with a touch-up paint kit. We recommend using a kit fromChipex, which is designed to match your car's paint color perfectly.
- K-Series 118-122hp engines require 98 RON (E5) fuel. The rest of Toyota engines can run on 95 RON (E10) fuel without issue.
- For most Lotus models, it's recommended to use a high-quality, fully synthetic 5W-40 or 0W-40 engine oil. Some recommendations:
- Redline 5w40
- Ravenol RCS 5w40
- Nerol VTR 5w40 RTF
The oil capacity is approximately 4.7 liters. Always consult your specific model's manual for the most accurate information. - It is advisable to use a high-quality, fully synthetic75W-90 GL4 gearbox oil for most Lotus models. Here are some recommended options:
- Redline MT-90 75W/90
- Motul Gear 300 75W-90
For gearbox oil capacity, please refer to the detailed information available on theSELOC Wiki. - If you replaced the battery of your key fob and it stopped to work, you need to re-sync it:
- Remove battery & wait 10 seconds before re-installing.
- Hold down both buttons (remote fob LED will light) for approx. 10 seconds until LED turns off.
- Release both buttons and LED will turn on constantly.
- Press large button for one second, LED will flash.
Your key fob should now be re-synced. If not, repeat the process. - Essentially the same than any other old car:
- Insert key and turn to position 'I' to unlock steering column.
- Turn key to position 'II' to switch on ignition. Pause briefly (~2-3s, it's a perceptible sound) to allow fuel system to prime.
- Depress the clutch pedal and turn the key to position 'II' to engage starter motor.
- Wait around ~15-30s until for the idle to stabilize before driving off.
This advice is about the minimum time before you can start driving gently.
It's still recommended to keep revs under 3,000 RPM until the engine is fully warmed up, that will happen 10 minutes after 82C water temperature is reached. - If you need to park your car for several days, the best thing you can do to avoid battery draining is to put your car into valet mode:
- Switch on the ignition.
- Press the small button on the transmitter fob.
- Two beeps will confirm that valet mode has been activated.
Now the immobilizer and the alarm are disabled until the next ignition. - The fuel tank capacity of a Lotus Elise depends on the model:
- Elise Cup 250/260: 48.0 litres
- Rest: 43.5 litres
- The interior mirror of your Lotus has two positions:
- Left: (Night Mode): Reduce glare from following vehicles by tilting the mirror lever towards the left, dimming the reflection and protecting your night vision.
- Right (Day Mode): Position the lever to the right for optimal daytime visibility.
- To reset the trip odometer of your Lotus, follow these steps:
- Press and hold the trip odometer reset button.
- Turn the ignition key to position 'II'.
- The interior lamp of your Lotus has three positions:
- Lens rocked upwards: Lamp is switched off. Arming the security alarm system with the lamp switched off may exclude the doors from activating the alarm.
- Lens central: Lamp always on, don't recommended!
- Lens rocked downwards Lamp in courtesy mode, where the lamp is switched on whenever a door is opened, and goes out when both doors are closed. This is the normal position and should be used whenever leaving the car.
- The first thing you can do is to install a head unit with Apple Car or Android Auto support.We recommend you head units fromJoying, they are plug and play and have a good quality/price ratio.
[ Joying single din 8" ]
The OEM speakers are quite basic since they are optimized to save weight; they are sufficient for listening to GPS instructions.
[ OEM speaker in the left, Focal PC100 in the right ]
In case you use the car for daily driving, you can replace them for a better quality:Model (front / rear) Nominal/Peak power Impedance Sensivity Weight OEM 15W/25W 4 Ohm 86 dB 300gr Audison Prima APX 4 / 5 40W/120W 4 Ohm 91 dB 490gr Focal PC100 / PC130 50W/100W 4 Ohm 91 dB 650gr - Front (4"): Audison Prima APX 4, Focal PC100, Kicker 46CSC44.
- Rear (5"): Audison Prima APX 5, Focal PC130, Kicker 46CSC54.
- The most important thing you need to know is Cold Cranking Amps: the amount of current a battery can supply for 30 seconds. That's necessary for starting the engine. The mininum for Lotus Elise/Exige is 440CCA.There are different options and thecnologies in the market:
- LiFePO4 (jackwebbmotorsport)
- Long life
- Rapid recharge
- Auto cut-off
- Lightweight
- Expensive
- Lead Acid Battery (fulbat FPC12-20)
- Cheap
- Heavy
- Slow recharge
- Short life
- LiFePO4 (
- Although the Lotus Elise is already a lightweight car, there are a few things you can do to reduce weight, specially focusing in battery, wheels, brakes discs, suspension and exhaust.Checkdarksol mods listto see a complete list of weight reduction.
- The best way to prevent scratching your Lotus on a speed bump is to drive slowly and at an angle.This will help distribute the weight of the car more evenly and reduce the chance of scraping.
- Feel free toemail meand it will be added; This site exists thanks to the vibrant community of Lotus enthusiasts.
