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S1 K-series Engine

The S1 uses a standard K-series engine as developed by Rover for use in its 200/25, 400/45 and 600 series of cars. It is also used in the MGF and a wide range of other performance cars such as Caterhams. It is a 1796cc, 16-valve, all aluminium engine with compact dimanesions and light-weight. The unit provides 118bhp in its relatively unstressed application within the Elise. It was originally designed as a 1.4 litre unit but was expanded out to 1.6 and 1.8 litres to increase its application base. This expension has introduced some areas of weakness which are covered later.

There are no On-Board Diagnostic systems on the S1 Elise, the diagnostic plug-in system used at the dealers simply checks the function of all sensors and systems at the time the test is performed.

Engine Upgrades


	More Power? It is a widely known fact that in most cases, the best way to make a car like the Elise go quicker, is to spend money on upgrading the driver before you attempt to modify the car itself. A standard Elise in hands of a good driver will leave a Sport 190 for dead when driven by an average driver. Trust me, I've been there. Get a ride with a professional driver or instructor and you will begin to understand.

There are a huge number of companies offering upgrades for the K-series engines, including normally aspirated, turbo-charged and super-charged upgrade packages. Before you embark on an upgrade programme there are a number of 'must read' sites to visit:

Dave Andrews excellent page on tuning the K-series engine.
Simon Scuffham's notes on the subject.

Upgrades Options

Power Train Projects

Power Train Projects are a well respected and worked with Lotus on the Sport 135 upgrade (PTP140) and a PTP 160bhp upgrade. Their site is well worth a visit.

Thierlert

Thielert are well respected in Europe for their 150bhp and 180bhp conversions.

Turbo Technics

Turbo Technics sell a number of superchargered conversions from 190bhp to 270bhp. I've test driven an Elise S1 TT190 and was very impressed. More information can be found on the Yahoo TT e-group