Will It Fit?

[khamai]

Will a Yoko 032 175/60-13 tire mounted on a 13x5 knock-on Panasport fit on a S2 Elan?

I've seen them run on S4/Sprint cars with and without narrow rear spring perch. But, how about an S2 with stock perches? Anyone?

Kiyoshi

[BillGavin]

Kiyoshi, I think that combination is very doubtful. I can just barely fit Yoko 175-70s on my S2 with +2 wheels and small rear springs: there is adequate room on the inside, but the tire just clears the inner part of the fender.

Despite being 1/2" narrower, the Panasport wheels sit farther out than the +2 wheels. I had a set of Nokian 165-70s mounted on my Panasports, and they touch the fenders at rest and rub solidly when in motion. BTW the 165-70s are significantly narrower across the sidewall than the 155-80s I have on the car, albeit mounted on wider rims.

My car sits a bit lower than a stock Elan, but not by a great amount: I think the extra negative camber I have would offset that.

If you come up with a solution, let me know - I hate having these wheels sitting on the shelf

- Bill

[khamai]

Bill

Thanks for the feedback.

I was a bit confused by comment that the 155s were wider than the 165/70s. A 155 on a 4.5" wheel should be about 6 1/4" in section width. A 165/70 on a 5" wheel will have a section width of about 6 3/4".

At this point I think the best thing to do is to get a Panasport wheel with an 032 mounted on it and try it. I have a fellow Elan owner who runs this combo and will let me borrow a wheel for a day (nice guy!). I'll report back my findings.

The alternative is to try a 165/65 on the Panasports. Do you think that will fit?

So, what are you doing with the Panasports?

[BillGavin]

Wasn't it you that mentioned the 'Rubber Ruler' that tire companies use

When I got the car, it had been set up for Autocross, and had 175/70 Yokos on +2 rims: they hit the front fenders on bumps and were awfully close in the rear. When I found that the Panasports with Nokians wouldn't fit, I went to a local tire store and bought a set of cheap, off-the-shelf NoName 155s so I could use the car. I think the tires were really intended for heavy cars like Pintos and the like, so they're oversize for 155s. They do help the gearing, and I'm not racing the car, so they're still in service.

I went out to the garage with a tape measure and have:

Lotus +2 K/O 5.5" w/ SR4 Steel Radial All Season P155/80R13 79S M&S - not kidding about "No Name"
Width 6-3/4" (Sidewall to Sidewall)
Circumference 71-1/8"

Panasport K/O 5.0" w/ Nokian RRT2 165/70R13 79T
Width 6-1/8" (Sidewall to Sidewall)
Circumference 69-1/2"
Backspace 4-3/8" (Sidewall of tire to hub face)

I had a Sprite wheel handy, so I measured that as well.
Street Minilite B/O 5.0" w/ Goodyear Eagle GT 175/70HR13
Width 7" (Sidewall to Sidewall)
Circumference 71-1/8"

The outside face of the +2 5.5" wheel is in exactly the same place as the Elan 4.5" wheel - all the added width is added to the inside. The Panasport is only 1/2" wider than the stock wheel, but that width is split between front and back, probably to clear the stock springs: I have small diameter springs, so my +2 wheels have plenty of room.

[jrwiseman]

Hi guys

I have had a set of the yokos w/panasports on my S2 in the recent past. However, I have
a set of smaller springs and adjustable spring perches on my car. As I remember,
with the yokos on the stock rims, the tires were rubbing on the original spring perches
pretty hard. I changed to the adjustable spring perches before I mounted the yokos
on the panasports. You might be able to use a BFH on the original spring perches to
make it work.

Even with the yokos on the stock wheels [current home for the yokos] , they will rub
occasionally on the inside of the rear fenders if I have the car set too low [ same with the
yokos on the panasports ].

If you are looking for a competition type tire, the hoosier 185/60 [bias ply] street td fits
on the panasports a bit better. With the hoosier, which is a bit shorter than the yoko 032r,
I can set the ride height at any level without too much worry. But in any event, each one
of these cars is a bit different, so you experience may vary

good luck !

PS
these were bolt on wheels I was talking about

[khamai]

Great information.

From my experiences with these cars even if someone pops-up and says "Yup, I'm running Yoko 032s on Panasports and they work on my S2 with KO's that it is still not certain that it will work on my car or any other car. There's enough variance car to car that when clearance get as tight as we are talking that the only way to know for sure is to try it... also VERY expensive.

Kiyoshi

[jrwiseman]

<!--QuoteBegin-khamai+Feb 4 2004, 08:06 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (khamai @ Feb 4 2004, 08:06 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> There's enough variance car to car that when clearance get as tight as we are talking that the only way to know for sure is to try it... also VERY expensive.

Kiyoshi [/quote]
Absolutely true ! I borrowed a panasport to make sure it would fit.
[ had to file down the bolt heads on the outside of the rear a-arms ] and
have purchased tires [ in groups of 1s and 3s ] to make sure they will fit.

is this fun or what !
take care

[khamai]

Thanks to Rich Kamp of Kampena Motors www.kampena.com, who was able to help me out on this question.

Rich had an S4 with Yoko 032s mounted on Panasport KOs. He took a wheel from the S4 and tried it on an S2 that was in his shop. VERDICT - No go. There is clearance between the tire & rear spring perch but the tire fouls with the rear fender. To use 032s on Panasports would require flaring (not an option for my car).

Kiyoshi