Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I am thinking of fitting 155/80/13 Uniroyal Rainexpert 3 tyres to my S3 DHC. Does anyone have any experience of these and also does anyone know the width so I can make sure that they don't foul the wheelarches and/or spring pans.

Have them on my +2 and while they are a good tyre I just can't totally like them because of the directional tread pattern, it somehow just does not suit the car...

I have them on my S4 & don't like them. They look out of place on a classic car, too modern. Also, I swear they are not as good in the wet as the Kumho's on my plus 2. Don't know the exact width off hand, but can measure for you tomorrow, but they're really tight under the S4 rear arches, in fact the r/h rear will rub the inner arch if I load the boot on my particular car. You may also find that they rub the anti roll bar on a S3 if it still has it's original steering rack lock stops, they are slightly longer on an S4 to limit the lock a bit more to compensate for the wider tyre.
Previous to these, the car had Uniroyal Rallye 680's, fitted when I purchased the car, & they had no clearance issues.

Regards, Tim

Orsom Weels wrote:Don't know the exact width off hand, but can measure for you tomorrow,
Regards, Tim

OK, comparing the one remaining Rallye 680 on the spare with the Rainexpert 3's (I removed one wheel from the car & set it's pressure at 30psi to match the spare, so as to get a like for like comparison) I found the Rallye 680 measures 155mm at it's widest point, which is more or less half way between the rim & the tread band, whereas the Rainexpert measures closer to 158mm at it's widest point, which is a bit closer to the tread band. In contrast, the tread contact width is about 120mm on the Rallye but only about 115mm on the Rainexpert, which, combined with the asymmetric tread pattern, probably explains the odd look. It also explains why my R/H/R Rainexpert rubs under the wheel arch where the Rallye didn't. (Both tyres are marked 155/80 R 13, but the Rainexpert is almost new & the Rallye is 3/4 worn so tread widths may vary)

Regards, Tim

Interesting thread as I will need to replace tyres soon. Please let us know what you end up going with.

I liked the 680 tyre on a couple of other cars over the years.
A reassuring drive in all conditions.

I have just done agoogle search fo Uniroyal Rallye 680, and can't find any stock. Does anyone know if they are still made.

Richard Hawkins

I expect Google's right. Unfortunately superseded now on various tyre sites

I couldn't get Rallye 680's last year, hence going for the Rainexperts, which I was assured were a better tyre. Mmm, I'm not so sure.
I contemplated long & hard about fitting Kumho's, which were available in the correct size & slightly cheaper, but went with the Uniroyals because I changed them two at a time, & thought it would be better to at least have Uniroyals all round. I have to say that with the benefit of hindsight, I wish I'd gone for the Kumho's, I've been really happy with them on my +2, & other cars as well.

Regards, Tim

Gents, thanks for all the replies.

Tim - can you tell me which particular Kumho tyre you were considering for your S4.

Regards

Simon

Hi Simon,

It was Kumho Solus KH17's like these, https://www.blackcircles.com/tyres/bran ... orAllSizes
I just checked & they are available in 145/80 X 13, so correct for a series 3.
I've got them on my plus 2 & have used them on other cars, & can't really fault them. I know lots of things can influence tyre performance, but one of the things I don't like about the Rainexperts on the Elan is their tendency to lock up in the wet, something I never experienced with the Rallye 680's or with the Kumho's on the plus 2. I wonder if the Elan is just a bit too light for them ?

Regards, Tim

Wet grip varies a lot within the KH17 range.
We see 65 series tyres with a respectable B grade score and the 80 series at E.
Whilst not directly comparable between series this difference would be distinctly noticeable in back to back comparison.
Maybe that explains Tim's experience?