Elan KN alloy wheels

PostPost by: NTG999 » Sun Aug 21, 2022 6:45 pm

I have 4x alloy wheels which I think from memory were KN, I bought them early 90s, they corroded and I had them powder coated black, I would like them diamond cutting and refinishing back to as new, have any members any recommendations? I can travel but Yorkshire'ish would be best
To me they look similar to the Dunlop wheels fitted to Plus 2s, were Dunlop wheels ever fitted as standard to Elan's, can they still be purchased?

Thanks Nick
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PostPost by: pharriso » Mon Aug 22, 2022 9:00 am

You may mean GKN…
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PostPost by: elanfan1 » Mon Aug 22, 2022 9:33 am

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PostPost by: Andy8421 » Mon Aug 22, 2022 12:13 pm

I have used these guys a number of times. My wife has problems judging the width of her car, the tyres are low profile, and the wheels suffer 'kerb rash'. The wheels come back looking like new, and they are also very competitive for new tyre pricing, so I typically wait until the tyres need replacing and get them to refinish the wheels and replace the tyres. They can TIG weld if the wheels have hairline cracks, or if there are gouges on the face of the wheel are too deep to be hidden by skimming. The can match OEM colours, or you can change the colour of your wheels completely. They offer a pickup and drop off service. I can't remember the cost, but I recall thinking it was very reasonable.

She drives a Merc SUV, and the quote from Merc to replace all 4 tyres was substantially more than Lepson's quote to supply and fit the same tyres, balance the wheels, replace the valves and to completely refinish all the wheels.

https://www.lepsons.com/
68 Elan S3 HSCC Roadsports spec
71 Elan Sprint (still being restored)
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PostPost by: 69seven » Mon Aug 22, 2022 12:52 pm

I think the Elan +2 alloys would have been 'Brand Lotus' which were actually made by GKN. These looked similar to the Dunlop Formula D1 wheels, which were an option on S3 and early S4 Sevens. I think all the Dunlop alloy wheels were bolt-on, not knock-on. Copies of the Dunlop wheels are still made.
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PostPost by: NTG999 » Mon Aug 22, 2022 1:01 pm

Thanks for the replies, for my own interest; has anyone fitted Plus 2 alloys on an Elan without any issues?
I do have small rear spring platforms, I notice on the Spyder website they sell 6j Minilites whereas I think the Plus 2 are 5.5j, I don't know anything about the ETs
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PostPost by: 69seven » Mon Aug 22, 2022 3:31 pm

This S4 had +2 wheels, not sure if the body had been modified prior to the accident! I think the owner was active in the LDC in the 1980s.
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PostPost by: Andy8421 » Tue Aug 23, 2022 7:02 am

NTG999 wrote:Thanks for the replies, for my own interest; has anyone fitted Plus 2 alloys on an Elan without any issues?
I do have small rear spring platforms, I notice on the Spyder website they sell 6j Minilites whereas I think the Plus 2 are 5.5j, I don't know anything about the ETs

These are widely used in historic racing. I have them on my S3. The rims foul on the rear lower wishbone bolts which have to have a 'slope' ground onto them to clear. I have also had the rims machined on the inner edge to increase the clearance. I have them fitted with Yokohama Advans and there are no clearance issues at the front.
68 Elan S3 HSCC Roadsports spec
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