Lotus Stevens 2.5" & 3" Titanium System
This is the first time Alunox have done a Titanium rear system for the Esprit. In recent years they have been developing Titanium rear systems for a lot of their customers and I thought it might be time for the Esprit.
The main advantage is the weight saving and in the Colin Chapman concept of adding lightness it comes in around 7.4 kg. Titanium maintains its strength characteristics easily at temperatures above 900 degrees Fahrenheit and is less susceptible to rust, dulling and corrosion. Alunox source their Titanium from Kobi Titanium in Japan. It does produce a different sound which I’ve tried to catch in the video further down.
The construction process is similar to the stainless steel system using mandrel bent tube, but this time wall thickness is 1mm due to its high strength to weight ratio. The welding process is more complicated for titanium with certain sections requiring a tent full of inert gas (Argon).
The tail pipe position is adjustable both at the tip and silencer using the clamps which also allows for easy fitting and small adjustments in alignment.
There aren’t many exhaust tip options in Titanium but I think the slashed one suits the car well along with the slightly angled pipework coming out of the silencers.
This is a 3” rear system from the downpipe back being a direct replacement for my existing 3” stainless steel unit.
The main silencers are re-packable , hence the rivets on the inner of the tube. When ordering the desired noise level can be specified within reason ,which is set internally by the length of perforated tubing within the silencer.
The Titainium is very bright almost silver before the heat treatment which brings out the colours. Due to its strength allowing for a 1mm wall thickness it does produce a different sound , if I had to describe it , We would say its more aggressive, raspy and metallic, we have tried to catch it in the video below.
