Eliseparts have been supplying dampers to the Lotus community for almost 20 years now and we have learned a few things over these years.

Dampers are a VERY important part of your car as no matter how powerful you make your engine you will not get the best performance unless the car handles well too.

The Lotus standard springs and dampers are built to a budget and have been optimised for normal road use.

Quantum Black double adjustable damper kits are a superb upgrade allowing full adjustment in ride height and stiffness.

We know what works well and the limitations of virtually every damper kit available and we are proud to introduce the Quantum Black Dampers into our range.

We have been amazed how well the Quantum dampers have performed above and beyond anything else we have tried and believe us when we say we and our many hundreds of customers and race teams have tried dozens of variations over the years.

We know the “secrets” of why these work so well but will obviously keep those between ourselves and Quantum.

Quantum are not newcomers to the Elise market, they have provided many top Lotus race teams and track enthusiasts with dampers over the years but with our assistance more of our Lotus customers can enjoy the benefits we have found.

Here are a few details about Quantum and their superb dampers.

Quantum Black gas mono-tube dampers have been continually refined since its introduction to F1 in 1989.

20 years of development has seen the original one-piece body and bottom give way to a modular design with a captive floating piston.

The 9/16th inch shaft has been reduced to 14mm to take advantage of modern low-friction seal technology and an ‘endless’ Ekonol® reinforced PTFE piston ring has replaced Teflon® band guide tape, yielding improved consistency and wear characteristics.

The gas-pressurised mono-tube design tolerates ‘inverted’ operation, thereby reducing un-sprung mass; while the captive floating piston allows BLACK dampers to be easily re-valved without requiring re-pressurisation.

All BLACK dampers are fully CNC machined lightweight 6061-T6 aluminium, assembled in house as direct replacements for the original equipment dampers and springs, specifically valved for the Elise, Exige, 340R and VX220 / Speedster model range.

Quantum BLACK dampers are hand built from the finest quality components and to exacting standards. They are supplied complete as a set of 4 two-way adjustable dampers including pre-installed springs, spacers and seals.

Height adjustable via the spring platform you can have your Lotus sitting as low or as high as you like (very low ride heights can be made to special order).

Quantum’s double adjustable shaft and double needle assembly was originally developed for F1 and makes superfluous the requirement of a reservoir canister.

It offers true independent adjustment of piston bleed in bump and rebound with two 'sweep' adjusters in the top eye.

Advantages include:

Gas-pressurised mono-tube design.
Race proven design and heritage.
Modular design with captive floating piston.
Any valving set-up available from infinite range of shim pack combinations.
Fully Sealed adjuster shafts and mechanism.
14mm hard chrome shaft and low-friction seal technology.
41mm piston for better short stroke control.
Ekonol® reinforced PTFE piston ring Very low friction.
Preload adjustable 2.25" spring hardware.
Fully CNC machined and hand assembled in house.
Fully re-buildable and owner re-valvable.
Very light weight, mainly aluminium, essential for the lightweight Elise.
Designed to run inverted to save un-sprung weight and optimum performance.
Dampers come preloaded with a full set of bearing spacers and are ready to fit.
Infinite range of bump / rebound ratios, which can be changed at any time.
Separate gas charge with fully floating piston design and avoids leaking.
Cellular progressive bump-stop.
Very low friction provides immediate damping response.
Corrosion Resistant - hard anodised and electro-less nickel plated.
Sealed adjusters. Large piston area for better short stroke control.

OUR SPRINGS

Although a full choice of springs are available from 150lbs increasing in 25lbs increments to over 700lbs, 99% of our customers are happy with our standard recommended Road and Track spring rate starting at 350lbs front and 450lbs rear for the lightest S1 models through to 450lbs fronts and 575lbs rears for the latest S2 Exige models.

We supply the recommended springs for each kit, however, if you would prefer, customised spring rates are available at no extra charge.

We can advise on suitable settings and spring rates depending on your driving style and the ratio of road and track driving.
To specify your own spring rates please add this in the order notes.

Our springs are made from the highest quality Silicon Magnesium ground bar, certified to ensure that only the highest quality materials are used.
They are painstakingly equalised and matched to within 1%.
All springs undergo a tightly controlled hardening and tempering processes prior to finishing ensuring minimum decarbonisation; this is followed by shot peening, which increases the fatigue life of the spring; Then Black Polyurethane gloss powder coated for exceptional long life and corrosion resistance.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT QUANTUM THE COMPANY

For almost 25 years Quantum have been very successful in the motorsports arena.

Operating from a factory unit bordering the South Downs National park, Quantum Racing Services are typical of the precision engineering businesses on which the UK motorsport industry’s worldwide reputation is founded.

Quantum was originally formed in 1988 for the specific purpose of supplying a new design of racing damper to Formula One teams.

Today the company is owned and operated by Patrick Murphy, formerly a number one mechanic with the Benetton Formula F1 racing team. Patrick joined Quantum in 1992 and took a controlling interest in the business a year later.

That same year the factory backed Dave Cook Racing team won the BTCC constructors championship for Vauxhall on Quantum Shocks.

Quantum originally introduced a variation of their Formula One shock absorber to Formula 3 in 1991, where it met with almost instant success. Paul Stewart Racing’s David Coulthard scored the company’s first F3 victory in the third round of the series at Donington Park and in doing so began a winning record that continues to this day.

Throughout the early nineties, Quantum Shocks were original equipment on Reynard chassis built to contest the highly competitive Formula 3 and Formula F3000 formulas. In turn, this led to a contract supplying Dallara when their chassis began its monopoly of Formula 3 in 1995.

In 1999 Quantum purchased their first CNC machine and began the process of bringing production in house ensuring total quality control.

All Quantum's shocks are designed at their premises using full 3D solid modelling CAD programmes and the shock components are CNC machined from the highest quality billet materials.

Quantum are incredibly proud of the quality and detail in all aspects of manufacture. There are very few components that they do not manufacture in house.

Beginning in 1998, a relationship with CV Products afforded Quantum the opportunity to offer shock absorbers to America for use in the Winston Cup, Busch Grand National and Craftsman Truck Series. Although popular, sales were short lived when the September 11 attacks compelled the US to look for domestic suppliers.

However, an emerging market in Japan demanded an increase in capacity and the business moved into new premises in 2001. The Japanese car enthusiasts crave quality and detail which is exactly what they get with Quantum.

Quantum continues to enjoy a working relationship with several high profile teams including Räikkönen Robertson Racing (2006 British F3 Champions), Nakajima Racing (2009 Formula Nippon Champions) and Jamun Racing (five years consecutive Formula Ford Champions).

Our new damper adjusting tool can be found here

Damper Adjusting Tool

Quantum Zero Manual
(1.99mb)