2005 LOTUS ELISE ECO

NOTICE:
• On cars used on a race track or in a competitive manner,
special vigilance is required due to the severity of tire operating conditions, with careful inspections carried
out between sessions.
• Take care when parking to avoid tire contact with high
or sharp edged kerbs. Such mistreatment can cause
internal damage to the tire structure and this may not be readily apparent. The wheel rims may also be distorted or damaged by careless parking, and result in wheel
imbalance or loss of tire pressure. Similar damage may also be caused by potholes, rocks or other highway
debris.
WARNING:
• Damage to wheels and tires may cause an accident in which you or others may be killed or seriously
injured. If the wheels or tires have been damaged,
have them replaced.
• Safety considerations should always be paramount when assessing tire condition and serviceability, and the tires replaced if any doubt exists, or if the
legal tread depth limits are approached.
• Poorly maintained and improperly used tires are dangerous.
• Overloading your tires can cause overheating as a result of too much friction. You could have a blow
out and a serious accident in which you could be killed or seriously injured. See ‘Tire Placard La
-
bel’.
• Underinflated tires pose the same danger as over loaded tires. The resulting accident could cause serious injury, or death. Check all tires frequently
and maintain at the recommended pressure. Tire
pressures should be checked only when the tires
are cold.
• Overinflated tires are more likely to be cut, punc- tured or broken by a sudden impact - such as hitting a pothole. Keep tires at the recommended pressure.
• Installing improper tires on your car can affect handling and stability. This can cause a crash
in which you can be killed or seriously injured.

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Always use the size and type of tires recommended
in this handbook.
• Using incorrect tires or tires which are excessively worn or improperly inflated can cause a crash in
which you can be killed or seriously injured.
• Please note your car is not fitted with a low tire pressure tell tale lamp so it is especially important
that you regularly check the tire pressures.
When driving on wet roads, surface water is squeezed
out from between the tire and road. However excessive
speed or water depth can overwhelm the water clearing capability of the tread and lead to a condition called 'aq
-
uaplaning' or ‘hydroplaning’, where the tire rides on a film of water and provides little or no grip on the road surface,
leading to a loss of control. This condition is more likely
to occur with worn tires having little depth of tread, or with incorrect tire pressures. Drivers should keep a vigilant check on tire wear and condition, and moderate their
speed in adverse weather conditions.
Tire Care Wear indicators are moulded into the bottom of the
tread grooves at intervals around the tire, indicated by small pointers on the outer tread blocks. The tires should
be replaced before being worn to this minimum legal
tread depth. The cold tire pressures should be checked every week,
or every 1,000 miles (1,700 km), whichever is the sooner,
and corrections made as necessary. See ‘Technical Data’
at the back of the handbook for tire pressures. For track
use, tire condition and pressures should be checked be
-
fore each run. Under-inflation will cause excessive wear, rapid deterioration of the tire sidewalls and heavy steering,
whereas over-inflation results in a hard ride and increased susceptibility to tire damage. Both conditions will cause a degradation in the handling qualities. It is important that the tire pressures are adjusted only
when the Tires are cold (when the car has been standing for a minimum of 3 hours, or driven less than 1 mile), as the pressures may increase by 0.3 - 0.5 bar (4 - 8 lb/in²)
when the Tires are warmed to normal running temperature.
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Use a good quality proprietary tire pressure gauge and always replace the tire valve dust cap to prevent the
ingress of dirt and moisture into the valve, which could cause leakage. Many fuel filling stations provide tire inflation facilities,
which specific usage instructions should be carefully fol
-
lowed. For tire pressure information, refer to ‘Technical
Data’ or the Certification Label on the driver’s door jamb
(see page 121).
Replacement Tires When replacing tires, refer to the ‘Technical Data’ sec
-
tion in this handbook, or consult your dealer to check the current Lotus specification and recommendations. Do not
use tires which differ from these specifications.
WARNING: Note that some tread patterns are directional, so
that the tire must be fitted onto the wheel with regard
to which side of the car the wheel is to be used. In
these cases, a direction of rotation arrow is included in the tire sidewall markings.
When balancing the wheel and tire assemblies, the
wheels should be located by the centre spigot hole - NOT by the wheel bolt holes. In order to maintain the correct
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Direction of rotation arrow
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handling feel and minimum steering wheel shake, it is very
important that the radial and lateral run out of the Tires are to the high standard required by Lotus Cars. If any difficulty is experienced with replacement Tires, refer to
the tire manufacturer.
Tire Characteristics The Yokohama AD07 or A048 Tires fitted to the Elise
are suitable for all normal weather conditions, but are optimised for dry road sports driving. The constructions
of both tire types have been specially tailored for the
Elise and are identified by the letters ‘LTS’ moulded on the tire sidewalls. Ensure that any replacement Tires are similarly marked. The tire characteristics include good
feedback (‘feel’) from the road surface to the steering
wheel, a high level of steering linearity and response, and little performance degradation with the high temperatures
which may be reached in sports use. However, tire performance will decrease at low ambi
-
ent temperatures, resulting in reduced levels of grip and
an increased susceptibility to damage from impacts. In
these conditions, especially below 15°F (-10°C), it is recommended to fit a car set of the recommended winter
Tires (see below).
Winter Tires If the car is to be used in ver y cold territories, or
driven on snow covered roads, it is recommended to fit a

car set of winter Tires developed specifically for such
conditions. Lotus approves the use of Pirelli 210 (front)
and 240 (rear) Snowsport winter Tires in sizes specified
in ‘Technical Data’. These Tires should be fitted on regular
Elise wheels.
WARNING:
• Winter Tires are optimised for use on snow covered roads. When used on roads free of snow, winter
Tires will produce different handling characteristics and less grip compared with regular Tires.
• When winter Tires are fitted, a maximum speed of 118 mph (190 km/h) must be observed.
• Pirelli Snowsport Tires are NOT suitable for stud
-
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WheelsEnsure that only original equipment, or Lotus approved wheel
and tire combinations are fitted. After the car has been used
on track, or in competition conditions, the wheels should be removed and thoroughly inspected for damage.
WARNING: After striking a pothole or kerb, the wheels should be
removed and the wheel and tire thoroughly inspected for
damage. Renew the wheel and /or tire if necessary. Safety
considerations should always be paramount and new parts
fitted in any cases of doubt.
Wheel Bolts The wheel bolts used on the Elise are of a special design to
suit the small diameter fixing tunnels in the wheel centres. The bolts have a 10 spline socket head, for which a special extension
tool is supplied with the car. A 17mm a/f deep socket and 1/2
inch square drive wrench should be applied to the extension tool,
with a tightening torque of 77 lbf.ft (105 Nm) required. To protect against wheel theft, one of the four bolts securing
each wheel is key coded, and requires a corresponding coded
socket wrench and 1/2 inch square drive extension. Rotate the coded socket until full engagement with the bolt head is ensured and take care to maintain the extension tool perpendicular to
the wheel face before applying release torque.
NOTICE: It is not recommended to use hammer action air tools on the coded bolts - use only manual tools.
Both the standard extension and coded socket tools are
stowed in the car tool kit, and should remain with the car at all
times to ensure that servicing may be performed. The key code
included in the tool kit should be recorded and kept safely with
the car documents, in case a replacement socket tool needs
to be ordered.
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance The wheels on your car were aligned and balanced carefully
during the manufacture of your car to give you the longest tire
life and best overall performance.
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If the battery is to be disconnected, the following precautions
should be taken: i) Ensure that all electrical loads (e.g. lights) are switched off. If
the car is fitted with security coded audio equipment, check
that the code is available for entering after battery reconnec
-
tion.
ii) Wait for at least ten seconds after switching off the ig-
nition to allow the engine management system to adjust the

setting of some components ready for re-starting.
iii) Ensure the alarm is disarmed. If the battery is disconnected
when armed, the alarm will be triggered.
iv) Disconnect the
negative (earth; black; ‘-’) battery cable first,
and re-connect last.
WARNING:
If the battery positive terminal is inadvertently earthed
(e.g. when using a spanner) whilst the negative terminal
is still connected, the resultant short circuit with heavy sparking and current flow could cause serious burns.
To remove the battery, pull off the breather pipe (if applicable),
release the single screw securing the clamp bracket at the
base of the battery, and manoeuvre the battery from the base
retaining shoe.
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Batter y clamp
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WARNING:When lifting the battery out of, or into the car, be aware
of the considerable weight and take all appropriate precau
-
tions to safeguard personal health. Injury can result from improperly lifting the battery.
Keep the battery upright, and protect from sharp knocks
and shocks.
Reconnecting the Battery
WARNING: Failure to follow the correct battery re- connection pro
-
cedure detailed above could result in serious burns.
Refit the battery, with its terminals outboard, by reversing the
above procedure. Remember to push on the breather pipe (if
applicable), and reconnect the battery cables as detailed below.
Refit the battery cover.
i) Check again that all electrical loads are switched off.
ii) Connect the positive battery cable first, followed by the neg
-
ative (earth) cable.
iii) After reconnection, a change in the engine performance
characteristics may be noted for a period whilst the computer
controlled engine management system ‘re-learns’ some of its
settings.
iv) If necessary, enter the security code into audio equipment.
Battery Charging Under conditions of normal daily use, it should not be nec
-
essary to use external battery charging equipment. In a low usage regime, however, it is important to maintain the charge
state of the battery using a trickle charger, or an automatic bat
-
tery management conditioner such as that available through Lotus Dealers. Starting difficulties may be encountered after an
unattended period of 3 weeks. A battery conditioner is able to continuously monitor battery charge state and switch on and off automatically in order to maintain the battery in a fully charged
state without danger of damage through overcharging.
If the battery becomes discharged to the extent that the
car cannot be started, the recommended course of action is
to fit a substitute battery whilst the original battery is trickle
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charged. If, in an emergency, the car has to be ‘jump’ started,
the subsequent conditions of car use may not allow for sufficient alternator charging of the battery to achieve a fully charged
state. The battery should be trickle charged until 12.8 volts is recorded, which process may take 24 hours or longer. Putting
the battery into service at a lower state of charge will reduce
the time period for which the car can be parked. A battery left
in a fully discharged state for a prolonged period, may not be recoverable to its original condition.
WARNING:
• Hydrogen gas generated by the battery could cause an explosion, resulting in severe personal injuries.
• Charge battery in a well ventilated area.
• Never charge a frozen battery. It may explode because of gas trapped in the ice. Allow a frozen battery to thaw
out first.
• If you get electrolyte, which is an acid, in your eyes or on your skin, immediately rinse with cold water for several minutes and call a doctor.
Unless you are using an automatic batter y management
conditioner, the battery should be removed from the car for
recharging, to a well ventilated area to avoid a build up of fumes
in the luggage compartment and to prevent damage to the car's
electrical system. Observe the safety precautions listed above
when removing the battery and take care to avoid sharp knocks
or shocks, keeping the battery as upright as possible. Beware
of the considerable weight of a battery, and take necessary precautions against personal injury. Check that the electrolyte level is between the upper and
lower markers on the battery case, and if necessary add dis
-
tilled water. The recommended bench charge rate is 4 amps.
When the battery is fully charged (12.8 volts), allow the battery
to stand for an hour before refitting to the car and reconnecting
the leads - see above.
Electrical
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