Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

In answer to jbee question "why rear tire pressure is recommended to be higher than the front, I can assure you that if you reverse them and have higher at front than the rear then the car will wander all over the road and over-steer will be drastic. If you drive through a few bends of left-right-left etc in quick succession it would be easy to end up in a ditch or worse- on the wrong side of the road.
Cheers
Ian

LI-599 wrote:In answer to jbee question "why rear tire pressure is recommended to be higher than the front, I can assure you that if you reverse them and have higher at front than the rear then the car will wander all over the road and over-steer will be drastic. If you drive through a few bends of left-right-left etc in quick succession it would be easy to end up in a ditch or worse- on the wrong side of the road.
Cheers
Ian

Over-steer or under-steer?? Having fooled with Sprites and Midgets that tend to under-steer reducing the front tire pressure in relation to the rear tends to help. Other way round and the car gets scarey!!

Kurt
26/3754 in progress!

Not done many miles so far on the Yokohama's but they are definitely quieter and seem smother and softer too.

Hi all, In newer to a question regarding why front tires are at a lower pressure than rear, I have been searching all sources of Elan specifications and found that the front to rear weight distribution is 48:52%. I also found a figure of 24psi front and 29psi rear for high speed driving at 100mph. I have found that these latter pressures suitable for spirited driving on twisty roads around 80 to 100 kph (50 to 62 mph) using Michelin XM1 tires.
Cheers
Ian

Should have used Spell check, answer not newer.

Okay , has been a while....

Looking for new tyres for my s2. Currently running yoko a048 175/60/13 front and 185 rear under 26r guards
Getting bald (me and the tyres) so looking at options, likely will get from overseas as limited options for anything sticky
Seems falken at gbp230 inc post for four or around 400 for a048, any other thoughts ?

Cheers

Yoko A050R are the current replacements for the A048R

cheers
Rohan

I have recently had rear lower A arms modified by CeeJay (Elan Trick Bits) to allow some toe-in and neg camber, and the result is vastly improved handling with much less over steer. All I have to do now is drive it lots and wear out those terrible Michelins then buy something better.
Ian