1ZZ-FE in a 2005 Lotus Elise? Knowledgable tuners please read.

[narcszm]

I've got an '05 Elise project car and I'm looking to swap the 2ZZ with something making more power.

I've been looking at the 1ZZ motor and it looks like a good starting point for a forced induction motor. It's got a smaller bore, longer stroke, and thicker iron sleeves / cylinder walls in the block. Forged pistons and connecting rods are a given. Darton sleeving may happen but I need to find a reputable shop to do the work, if so. I don't think a larger bore is necessary - just dished pistons to bring the compression ration down.

Here are some questions:
1 - Will the stock Lotus / Toyota electronics and engine computer work with a 1ZZ-FE motor? Are there means to tune the fuel maps and timing curves?

2 - If not, is there an aftermarket computer / ECU I can use with the 1ZZ-FE wiring harness? I would assume the tuning capacities here are good.

3 - What are the significant differences between the 1ZZ and 2ZZ blocks?

4 - Will a VVTL-i [2ZZ] head fit on a VVT-i [1ZZ] block and will it operate effectively? What needs to be done to make this happen?

5 - Who builds / tunes Toyota motors? Any recommendations for reputable shops? I would assume any worth their salt could answer any of these questions.

Thanks in advance for any usefule information provided.

[narcszm]

Nevermind. Sound like the 2ZZ buildup is the way to go.

[Josepmamuric]

The ECU from the 2zz will not work with the 1zz. You can map the fuel curve with an external computer, I'm sure the SAFC or the VAFC will work. You probably cannot use the different heads. Its not like the B18 Frankenstien. I would just use the current engine to build on. Apparently with a whipple supercharger it will produce 250whp.

When is your car do?

[XxMerlinxX]

'00 Toyota Celica GT-S owner here, so lemme see if I can't help out some.

1. Josep is right, the stock ecu will not work with the 1zz.

2. The Power FC, S-AFC, or AEM's standalone works (I think the AEM works, I'm not positive about that though). V-AFC will not however.

3. The 1zz has 1794 cc's and the 2zz has 1796 cc's (not a big difference there, but I thought I'd mention it). Now, the big differences.
a. The bolt patterns on the engines are not the same.
b. The cylinders are a different bore. (it's very boring, haha..... ha...... ok, moving on)
c. The oil delivery system on the 2zz head is a lot more complex.

4. The heads are not interchangeable, read above. ^

5. I only know of one shop in Florida and I can't remember the name or contact info, but I'm about to start talking to them again, so I'll post if later if you'd like.

Kinda long, but I hope it helped. Post up anything else you may need to know.

[2003TRD]

Hey Check out Spyderchat.com. If you do a swap the 1zz is more ammenable to taking boost then the 2zz. I had a early gen spyder 01 that I turboed and had some problems with, but there are some good tuners out there now making kits that make Awesome numbers. Check out HASS motorsports, they have a complete package for the Spyder that puts down a reliable 220rwhp but can also put out a whooping 300rwhp. Thats insane! my spyder was putting down 195rwhp and 190ft/lbs of tq and it was a beast, I cant imagine what a 300bhp spyder feels like! It probably isnt a bad switch as far as cost, plus there are tons of cheap 1zzfe parts out there because thats whats in the new corolla.

[beachy]

Has anyone considered swapping in a turbo motor from the old Celica All-Trac? Wouldn't it be adaptable to the Elise's drivetrain? And I believe that 300hp at the crank would be reasonable and reliable. Besides, the Elise is not a Camaro or a Mustang, so it will never be a real drag queen. seems like the lightweight, aluminum chassis would not be able to handle the torsional stresses dished out by an increase of more than about100hp or so. Granted, Lotus may have campaigned a car or two that had a lot more than 300hp, but race carsare not meant to last more than a year or two. Another thing to consider is the fatigue life of aluminum- where its modulus of elasticity decreases with fatigue, and eventually parts become brittle at loads where they initially were not anywhere near plasticity.

Another thing to consider is that the gearing will slow you down as you get to higher HP. In other words, with a 4.5:1 final drive ratio, all the shifts it takes to reach 100MPH will slow your acceleration times to a plateau. Example- maybe a 400hp Elise would be no faster than a 300hp Elise, because of traction, shifting, etc. At 4.6 sec. to 60(stock), I can imagine anyone would have a very difficult time building an Elise that can reach 60 in less than 3.5 sec.

Also, as far as such things as the addition of NO2- you can bet that 9/10 you will not be compensated by a dealer, as any competent technician should be able to decipher the evidence of running nitrous when he performs a tear-down of the engine. High-heat, and lean conditions are the causes of damage with the use of NO2, and it leaves its mark within the combustion chamber.

Last, but not least- since the Elise was designed for road-racing and autocrossing, I think the best way to go faster is just to learn how to drive better, and we can all do that with some practice.

[Mistertwo]

A 3S out of a MKII MR2 would be a better idea than the Celica. I don't know how much of a weight difference there would be but the 3S-GTE is definitely not light.

[nijunge]

I would say that a great way of getting a 1 ZZ for free is to go to www.spyderchat.com thats the forum for spyders an they (as well as me ) want the 2ZZ and as the 1zz you would get is from a mid engine car you should be in great shape even manifold and such might fit the Elise

I'm a bit far away though (fansy a trip to europe) ;)