Life after Cayman - My 2021 Alpine A110 Legende GT.

[Brian_Innes]

Things have been moving along nicely with the A110 this month.

Following the successful GTechniq treatment my attention now turned to fitting the wider 18" EVO Corse alloys and Michelin Cup 2 tyres. My local Michelin retailer GT Tyres, Forres, did a meticulous job fitting the tyres and balancing the wheels. Several attempts at balancing involved rotating the tyre on the rim to optimise the balance weights required on the inner rims.

I must say I'm delighted with the look of the new wheels. The Satin Black 1" wider rims give the car a more racy, purposeful look. An improvement on the OE wheels in my opinion. The spoke design shows off the brakes and alloy hubs to better effect.

I swapped the wheels over in my own garage as I needed to clean and treat the brake callipers with Poor Boy's wax sealant. I also took the opportunity to clean and inspect the suspension components. The Lotus designed double-wishbone suspension is radically different compared to the Cayman McPherson strut layout. As Colin Chapman used to say, "if it looks right, it is right". This certainly looks right.

Following a 35 mile drive to reset the TPM system and check out the feel of the car on the new wheels and tyres, everything seems absolutely fine. The steering on my A110 was good before. It is now superlative on the wider rims and Cup 2's.

I'm thinking of revisiting the geo settings before my Knockhill track test at the end of this month. The stance of the car is noticeably wider on these wheels and the Cup 2's are also of a wider section front and rear, up from 205 to 215 front, and from 235 to 245 rear.

A few photos to follow for your interest.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

They say beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, so I'll say my A110 looks even better with the EVO Corse wheels.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

The wider stance is particularly noted on the front axle.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

The A110 double wishbone suspension is a joy to behold. I noted both the front and rear anti-roll bar drop links are much beefier and shorter in length compared to the more spindly Cayman design.

This shows the front suspension.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

The rear double wishbone layout is offset to the rear of the hub centre-line. The short, beefy, anti-roll bar links also look more business-like than on the Cayman. The handbrake mechanism on the A110 is incorporated within the brake calliper.

Brian

 

[Scrounger]

Just a word of caution Brian, the wider front track may cause road rash on the rocker panels behind the front wheels. If you can get this covered with a strip of PPF it may save you a little pain in the long term.

Dan

 

[Motorhead]

The simplicity of a double wishbone set-up is always to be admired Brian, and with it the superior wheel control and anti-dive-and-squat characteristics which can be achieved when compared with a strut-based layout such as that used on the Cayman.

Courtesy of Lotus, the Alpine’s set-up looks very neat … and the ALPINE logos on brake disc bells are a nice touch too.

It’ll be interesting to hear your comments about the bigger wheel/Cup 2 tyre combination.

Jeff

 

[Brian_Innes]

Just a word of caution Brian, the wider front track may cause road rash on the rocker panels behind the front wheels. If you can get this covered with a strip of PPF it may save you a little pain in the long term.

Dan

Dan,

Thanks for the tip on the road rash. I've already had previous experience with that particular side effect on my CR when fitted with with Cup 2's and wheel spacers. The PPF plan is already in mind.

In the short term, for the Knockhill test at the end of the month, I'll fix silver duct tape on the most vulnerable wheel arch surfaces. My car valeting neighbour already has in hand a PPF strip as a more permanent and "invisible" alternative.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

Following a 120 mile drive on the A9 and A835 from Inverness to Strathpeffer this weekend, I have some feedback on the wider alloys and Cup 2 tyres on the A110.

Initial impressions are very good. Steering feel and response even better. This from an already high standard on the stock wheels and Michelin PS4. More road noise apparent, particularly on coarser surfaces, but that was expected from past experience of Cup 2's on my Cayman R. The A110 now feels every bit as good on the road as my previous 718 2.5t GTS on PS4S rubber.

Interestingly, some front wheel crabbing noticeable, particularly on loose surfaces when turning with full steering lock. I had no such experiences with the OE narrower wheels and PS4 tyres. I intend to revisit GT Tyres for another geo alignment check. The wider rims have different offsets from the OE wheels, so this in conjunction with the wider section tyres may need a tweak of the front toe and camber settings.

On my way to Strathpeffer I dropped in at a local car group meeting at Inverness. It's a disparate group, including everything from custom hot rods, classics, USA muscle cars, and a few supercars such as McLaren, Ferrari, Maserati, etc. On arrival at the venue I was directed to park next to a beautifully prepared Caterham 7 620R. Rather appropriate I thought, as the A110 Lotus designed chassis was originally intended to be a Caterham coupe. My A110 Legende GT proved to be an interesting exhibit among the assembled enthusiasts.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

I couldn't resist a photo shoot at Clashnaharry lock at the Beauly Firth end of the Caledonian Canal.

Brian

 

[MrDemon]

HI Brian

I love reading about your A110> I thought I would let you know due to costs I had to let my 991.2 Manual GT3 go after 4 years, and in the end went for a 718 Spyder, I do plan some choice mods and already changed the tyres to new Cup 2's A sad but happy day in a strange sort of way as the 991.2 Manual GT3 will always be king in my eyes, what a car that was. At least I got to own and spec one from new. The 718 has a few issues but will try and work though them without spending too much money on mods.

 

[Brian_Innes]

David,

Good to hear you have been following my A110 experiences. I'm still on the learning curve but so far, all I can say is I have no regrets whatsoever.

I can understand your reasoning for letting your fabulous GT3 manual go. From my experience following that brief passenger sortie with you on local Donnington roads, it was certainly a true driver's GT3. You made the most of it, and chose the right colour too.

Good news on your new new 718 Spyder. You are no stranger to the Spyder model so this will be a rewarding experience I'm sure. With Cup 2's on, it'll be a cracker.

My track test on the A110 is on March 31st. I'm praying for a dry day to get a good lean on the Cup 2's on a track I know well. For this session, I have 25 laps of Knockhill for the Performance Driving course which will be more than enough to get a true appraisal of the car compared to my Caymans. I'm not expecting the A110 to get close to the 718 Cayman 2.5t GTS lap times. That car on PS4S rubber was lapping quicker than Chris W's Manthey modified 981 GT4 on Michelin Super Sports. Realistically, the A110 is more a like a close match for the 987 Cayman R manual in race trim shod with Cup 2's. We will see.

I'll be reporting in full following the Knockhill test in due course. I'm looking forward to it.

Brian

 

[BrianJ]

And we're all looking forward to your report Brian. Hope you have a great day.

 

[JMR]

Just read all 10 pages Brian - a nice bit of reading (and writing!)

Agreed the black EVO Corse wheels look great.

Much prefer the look of these to the standard wheels.

Great write up - keep enjoying the A110 [8D]

 

[AndrewT]

Brian, when you’re on track at Knockhill I hope you’ll find someone to photograph the Alpine in this location for comparison.

 

[Brian_Innes]

Andrew,

I'm working on it. I'm hoping to have some similar action photos of my A110 taken at the Knockhill chicane on the day. The above photo was taken by the resident track photographer whom I'm hoping will also be available during my session. I've made a special request with the track management.

The Macan Turbo was a heavy brute, almost twice the weight of my A110. If it's dry on the day the A110 should perform pretty well, regardless of the number of wheels on the track.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

One thing worthy of note concerning the generic Cup 2 tyres recently fitted on my A110, is the vulnerability of the wheel rims.

Unlike Porsche, Alpine does not have manufacturers specific branded tyres as the "N" rated variety associated for Porsches. Such "N" rated tyres come with a rim protector ridge protruding beyond the profile of the rim offering some protection against accidental kerbing incidents. I, like many drivers have fallen foul of that particular misdeed in the past to my ever regretful grief.

The stock tyres on all A110 models are Michelin PS4, which do come with a rim protector rib on the sidewall. Unfortunately, the Cup 2 tyres fitted to my wider EVO Corse alloys are the Michelin generic tyre with no such rim protection. Even allowing for the wider 215 tyre section, the 8" wide front rims stand proud of the tyres exposing the wheels to accidental kerb damage. Photos below of both OE stock and EVO rims for illustration purposes.

I shall have to be especially careful when parking the A110 at the kerbside with these wider wheels fitted. More urgently, I shall have to be very careful of the raised sausage kerbs at Knockhill, particularly at the chicane. In all my lifetime laps at Knockhill, now over 40 years this year, I have never incurred any wheel rim damage when riding the kerbs. The flat, smooth, blue and white kerbs are there to be used for a quick lap time. The brick coloured sausage kerbs need extra vigilance. You ride these at your peril. Last year at the Carrera Cup GB event, one unfortunate 911 Cup competitor straddled the sausage kerb at the chicane exit and holed the sump, depositing engine oil for 200 metres along the back straight. To add to his misery, the engine subsequently blew up before he discovered his error.

A few photos follow for illustration.

Brian

The OE wheel rim and PS4 tyre.

 

[Brian_Innes]

The generic Michelin Cup 2 tyre on the wider EVO rim.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

The sausage kerb at the Knockhill chicane exit.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

Sausage kerbs feature at every corner at Knockhill. This is at Turn 3. Note the understeer festival displayed by the Macan Turbo. Like a beached Walrus, similar weight too!

I'm hoping for a more satisfying driving experience with the A110.

Brian