Ever since the Lotus élan S1 was released to the public in the early 1960s, it soon became apparent that the driveline would not hold up to vigorous driving habits, many stories abound of the intrepid élan driver stranded miles from the shop with a broken rubber. donut or metalastic joint, and trading a donut on the side of the road is not the way to spend time with his friend in the lotus élan… no sir.
Several different driveline replacement alternatives to the donut have been produced, some have offered a half and half deal, where a universal joint was used in conjunction with a donut, the thinking behind this idea is that the donut provided an effect of damping within the driveline, although in theory the idea is good, the system was still prone to failure.
Another idea put forward was to use two universal joints and a slip spline yoke to replace the rubber donuts on each half shaft; At first this seemed like an ideal solution, but unfortunately due to their design, the slider ridges will lock up under certain conditions. conditions, and universal joints also produce variations in rotational speeds, that is, they momentarily accelerate and decelerate with each rotation, the phenomenon is known as “cyclical speed variations” and is unique to universal joints when operating at more than a few A few degrees from centerline to which they would, of course, be subject when employed on a Lotus Élan’s rear driveline, movement in rear suspension travel will produce several degrees of movement on both bumps and bounces. Moments of cyclical variation occur only for milliseconds, but the phenomena can prove unsatisfactory in a lotus élan driveline.
The constant velocity joint is designed so that when the drive angle varies, the balls are always positioned at the midpoint inside the joint. This eliminates the previously mentioned cyclical variations in speed that a universal joint produces when operating a few degrees off center, if the operating angle is extended too far the UJs will tend to lock up.
A rubber boot, which keeps grease in and contaminants out, protects the constant velocity (CV) joints. CV joints require only periodic maintenance or greasing, they are designed to last 100,000 miles (160,000 km) or more.
The initial cost of converting a Lotus élan to a CV drive system is high, but the initial cost is fully offset by long-term maintenance and donut replacement.
The elantrikbits CV Drive Shaft System yields 100% reliability, because the system is well designed and known for many years of trouble free service.
Another important factor to consider when installing a solid CV driveshaft in a lotus élan is ease of installation, a well designed system will only require the removal of the old intermediate driveshafts and rings, the new system simply offers itself to the inner and outer drive flanges, regular wrenches and tools are all that is needed to tension the high-strength fasteners.
If the driveshaft kit you are considering requires more than normal shop tools to install and requires removal of your élan’s rear suspension, the total cost of installation will be much higher than the initial purchase cost, due to you will have to pay for the services of a professional installation mechanic.