Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hi all,

My Sprint is currently running on plus 2 wheels (previous owner fitted) and I'd like to get back to using a narrower tyre.

The clever folk at Longstone suggest the XAS 155 will fit on a 5.5J but I was just wondering if anyone was actually using this combo?

I'd love to save a little money by not replacing all 4 wheels!

Thanks Paul

This is within the advisable rim width range according to Michelin technical specs. Generally you'll get more responsive handling by using a skinny tyre on a wide rim because you are reducing the tyre's tendency to squirm and roll about on it's contact patch.

2cams70 wrote:This is within the advisable rim width range according to Michelin technical specs. Generally you'll get more responsive handling by using a skinny tyre on a wide rim because you are reducing the tyre's tendency to squirm and roll about on it's contact patch.

Brilliant - thanks.

Technically it may be OK but you may not like the characteristics. Yes handling will be sharp, but comfort and grip may not be as good as the same tyres on 4.5 rims.
Years ago I bought a MKI Golf that had 155's on 5j rims. Great handling but with tyres about half worn you had to be very careful on wet roundabouts (example) VW alternate spec was 175/70 on the same rims. When I fitted them the difference was night and day. Handling not quite so sharp but grip and comfort greatly improved. Much more than could be attributed to the fact that they were new tyres. 175/70 pretty rare now. 155 are not cheap either and wider tyres more suitable for the 5.5 rims would likely save you quite a bit of money. There are good grippy budget tyres out there that have soft rubber. Tyre life is compromised but if you don't do high miles that may not be an issue.

Grip won't be any worse than original if 155 section tyres were specified as original. There's likely some degradation in ride comfort but not significant in my experience.

Thanks for the points ... I?ll try and feed back to you when I get them fitted