Lotus Eleven Series II front suspension settings

I have researched the web and my reference material but cannot find anything that details the original settings for a Series 2 LeMans Lotus Eleven.

I joined the Historic Lotus Register about a year ago by paying 60 pounds, or at least I thought I had, but all that has come from them is a couple of emails from one of the founders but never any correspondence from the Register itself or even an acknowledgement of my payment, so it appears that avenue for obtaining information is useless. This is very disappointing.

I am nearing the completion of the restoration of 538 here in Sydney and should fire the engine up in her within the week, first time since around 1971.

The front suspension is not adjustable, unless you go to offset bushes etc ... standing on its wheels with engine in it appears to have about 1 to 1.5 degrees positive. The rear is DeDion tube and I have made thin spacers to give a small amount of toe-in and negative camber. If anyone has modified the front to be adjustable would like to know about how it was done. CAMS here are very strict on the cars being raced as they were so any changes will have to conform with that.

As I say there is little to no info on what it should be and any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ed

Try contacting Mike Brotherwood or Neil Twyman Racing over here. Mike restores them and Neil preps them, including his own for Joe, for racing. Otherwise try the US 11 Register, possibly via the HLR site.
Roger Lund

Ed,
There is also the Historic Lotus Club over here; they might be more responsive. If I were you I would ask the questions before sending the money!

Historic Lotus Club

I have researched the web and my reference material but cannot find anything that details the original settings for a Series 2 LeMans Lotus Eleven. Ed

I have looked through the various Lotus tomes here, but not the period magazines so far, and in Graham Capel's 11 book and also in the Brooklands Lotus Gold Portfolio issue there is a copy of a spec sheet, in the Portfolio listed as part of a test in The Motor magazine, citing stuff like plug type and gaps, tappet clearances, front wheel toe-in, castor angle and swivel pin inclination angle, whatever they all might be... and whilst there is lots of nuts and bolts stuff in the Ortenburger 11 book, there is nothing giving the details you need, other than spring poundage etc.

I will happily scan the Motor piece and send to you if you PM me your e mail, then you have a hard copy of an original, factual, document.
Roger Lund

Edited by bradbury west, 08 November 2011 - 12:57.

I can check to see what we are running and get back to you in a couple days. One way of changing front camber is to make lower control arms of different length. I have done this before and have been told this was done in period, but I have not confirmed it.

Factory specs for the Eleven S-2 were:

S-2 front suspension geometry:

Caster 7 degrees

Camber 1 to 1 ½ degree positive

Toe-in 1/8” to 3/32”


Questions about these cars can always be sent to me or Victor Thomas, or Russ Hoenig, etc,. via www.lotuseleven.org and answers (if we have them) won't cost anything. (Ed, I think you already heard about this from Paul E. in the USA. )

Question about the Historic Lotus Register, especially membership payments that went awry should be addressed to HLR leadership. Their contact info is at: http://www.historicl...act/contact.htm

I can check to see what we are running and get back to you in a couple days. One way of changing front camber is to make lower control arms of different length. I have done this before and have been told this was done in period, but I have not confirmed it.

For vintage racing we are running about 3/4 deg negative front camber, with a 1/16 toe-in
If I recall, the original ride height was 5". I know that we run the car lower.
I was talking to a gentleman at Eastern Creek last year who said he likes to set these up with a little rear toe-in and a little front toe-out. The measurements would be a mirror of each other, for example, 1/16 rear toe-in and 1/16 front toe-out.

PM me and I can give you his contact information

Thanks to all those who responded to my request and for the info given here.

As a bonus an apologetic HLR has been in touch and I am now on their mailing list. My faith has been restored. Apparently there was a problem with the auto-pay system for a time.

I also have looked up the Elite manual and it agrees with what has been posted here, as it should if the 2 suspension systems are supposed to be the same. Hope to fire the engine in the next couple of days - first time 538 will have had a beating heart in 40+ years.

regards

Ed

I have looked through the various Lotus tomes here, but not the period magazines so far, and in Graham Capel's 11 book and also in the Brooklands Lotus Gold Portfolio issue there is a copy of a spec sheet, in the Portfolio listed as part of a test in The Motor magazine, citing stuff like plug type and gaps, tappet clearances, front wheel toe-in, castor angle and swivel pin inclination angle, whatever they all might be... and whilst there is lots of nuts and bolts stuff in the Ortenburger 11 book, there is nothing giving the details you need, other than spring poundage etc.

I will happily scan the Motor piece and send to you if you PM me your e mail, then you have a hard copy of an original, factual, document.
Roger Lund

Roger - just out of interest - are there similar informations somewhere for the Lotus 20 ?
I have the setup data for "modern historic" racing, but it would be interesting to know if setup is different nowadays.
If have some literature here, but they don´t show the numbers.

Ralf