Plus 2 Tires

[Lotus 50]

I have 11 year old tires. Low miles, indoor storage, the tires look new. But it seems no one recommends tires past 10 years.

I have run 185/70-13 forever. Any reason to change? What brand/style?
Tire Rack has Vredestein Sprint Classics at more ten twice the price of no name all season tires. Do any major brands make that size?

Thanks

[Harvey]

I run OE size 165x80x13 Michelin XAS FF tires purchased from Longstone in England. They are not cheap but they give the car the vintage look and stance I like and add delicacy to the car's handling.

[friedy]

I've been looking at the options for my +2. Somewhere on here I recall a post about Blockley tyres. Can't find the post but the website is. blockleytyre.com. not bought yet so no idea how they perform. Just gives another option that may be cheaper and there supposed to have the older look.
No affiliation etc.

[alan.barker]

165/80 XAS FF the best if you want the car to handle how it left the factory with standard suspension
Which is why you bought a +2 i imagine
Alan

[stugilmour]

I have used Vredestein Sprints in the stock 165/80R13 size for several years. Very nice tire. The Tirerack price on the 185/70R13 is now considerably higher than mine were from Coker. Unfortunately Coker no longer carries the Vredestein in stock size though.

Question. Are you running stock rear spring diameter and perches? Any rubbing issues front or rear with the 185?s?

They look like a nice option to consider, but at that pricing I might go with Michelin XAS in stock size. I always liked XAS back in the day,

https://www.cokertire.com/tires/michelin-xas.html

The budget choice in stock size is the Nankang Tire CX-668. I was thinking of giving them a try, but availability in Canada is not as easy as the US.

https://www.discounttiredirect.com/buy- ... 68/p/11704

HTH

Stu

[Harvey]

I just checked the price of 165x13 Michelin XAS FF tires on Coker's and Longstones's web sites and the price has gone up substantially since I bought mine a couple years ago. Be prepared to now lay out between $900 and $1,000 for a set of four with tubes and rim strips. Might be the result of latest round of tariffs.

[Rich135]

I recently changed all four of mine, as they were over 10 years old and I was going to Goodwood for a trackday.

I couldn't get old of the Vredestein's, but the same supplier (Camskill) recommended Apollo's which are apparently made in the same factory. I was very happy with them on my trackday and the price is much lower (?132 for a set of 4, delivered):

Apollo Amazer 4G Eco - 165/80 R13 83T TL Fuel Eff.: C Wet
Grip: B NoiseClass: 2 Noise: 70dB

Rich

[k00pa]

I've been looking at the options for my +2. Somewhere on here I recall a post about Blockley tyres. Can't find the post but the website is. blockleytyre.com. not bought yet so no idea how they perform. Just gives another option that may be cheaper and there supposed to have the older look.
No affiliation etc.

The Blockley Tyre post was mine (here: http://www.lotuselan.net/forums/lotus-suspension-f42/elan-plus-avon-tyres-t42358.html#p299890).

Since that post, the tyres have arrived and been fitted and I have to say, I am as pleased as it's possible to be with a set of tyres. They are proper classic sports tyres in the original size for the +2 (165HR13) with the correct "H" speed rating and look perfect on the car. They are tubeless radials so no need to fit inner-tubes. The date markings imply they were manufactured in May 2018, so they couldn't be much fresher. At ?82.80 a corner plus ?24 delivery (both including VAT), there is nothing to match them at the price.

Although I have not given them a proper workout yet, the owner of Blockley Tyre is so confident in his tyres that he offers a full refund after 1000 miles on them if you are not completely happy. As a pre-war classic car owner and racer he went into tyre production because he couldn't get the tyres he wanted for his cars. He has expanded into tyres for later classic cars but his motivation seems to be more about providing a quality product at a reasonable price and "disrupting" the status quo with respect to classic car tyre mark-ups than making a profit. The quality (or lack thereof ) of his website seems to be evidence of that. He claims that his tyres cost more to make than the equivalent Michelin XAS and yet (currently) cost 40% of the price. He says they are priced to encourage people onto them.

I am not affiliated in any way to the company and I paid full price for the tyres. I had spent months going round in circles deciding whether to pay through the nose for the XAS tyres, get cheap modern alternatives that look wrong and have the wrong speed rating, or get a replacement set of lower profile tyres (185/70R13), so when I discovered that Blockley had just started making correct tyres in the original size I was over the moon.

The owner of Blockley seems to be a true gentlemen and will (probably) provide a personal response to any queries you have.

Simon

[Trebbie69+2S]

Hi Simon,

Great to hear from somebody else who has been in contact with Blockley.

I was looking recently for tyres to replace those on my Plus 2. It currently has 175/70 R13 T rated tyres fitted and I wanted to return to the original 165HR13 with an aspect ratio of 80. The only options that I could see were Dunlop SP Sport Aquajet or Michelin XAS FF ... great tyres of course, but both around ?200 each! You can't put a value on safety of course, but that's a lot of money to spend, especially as I don't do many miles a year and my driving style these days is less spirited than it used to be

Then I came across Blockley, their 165HR13 certainly looks the part and at ?69 plus VAT looked amazing value,
The owner told me that these full diameter (80 profile) 165HR13 tyres are ideal for the Elan Plus, and that they have supplied quite a few sets for owners of Lotus.

He also claimed the low price is only because they do not sell via the "Classic" tyre wholesalers who take a big fat margin on top! He also stated the same to me that they've priced them at a level to encourage people to try them, to learn about what Blockley is all about.

He said that if you scrub them in for some 30 miles that you will be surprised at how well these tyres handle in the dry or wet, but that he was keen to get feedback from anybody who had fitted them.

I was sceptical as I couldn't find anybody else who had fitted them, so great to get some initial feedback that is positive from your experience. I think I will take the plunge now and give some feedback once I have them fitted ... hopefully my tyre fitter can get them over the troublesome Lotus alloy rim without destroying one or the other ... or both!

Trevor

[alan.barker]

Fit them from inside Rim, it's easier.
Alan

[Trebbie69+2S]

Thanks Alan, I'll remember that when I get them fitted.

First time with the alloys, my previous Plus 2 had steel wheels.

Trevor