Tubeless tyres

[JohnMorin]

Hi

Does anyone know if the standard Elan 4.5" steel wheels (1969 S4) have the right shape to accept tubeless tyres, i.e. will tubeless tyres stay on and seal against the rim. I know that due to the riveted construction of the wheels they may not be airtight but there are solutions for that.

Thanks

John

[TBG]

I have used tubes in mine for around 40 years with no problems. My spare which is tubeless goes down slowly over time so as it happens I am having a tube popped in right now! D

[richardcox_lotus]

Have a look at this thread:

https://lotuselan.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=23417

[oldelanman]

Tubeless tyres are among those listed in the workshop manual as original equipment so the wheels are suitable and provided the rims are not rusty or pitted they will seal fine. I run tubeless and they don't lose any pressure.

[quaybook]

I've run tubeless on my S2 for years with no problems at all, but the rims do not have the safety bead which means that if they become significantly deflated the tyres could part company with the rims, so there is some safety risk. But I do check tyre condition and pressures very regularly so I reckon that increased risk is minimal.

Vernon

[Elanintheforest]

I've always used tyres without tubes for 40 odd years in the Elan. But I had a set of rims refurbished recently,and supplied the new tyres for fitting on the refurbished wheels. I was surprised when they phoned me to say that with the design of the wheels, and the low running pressure, there was a danger that the tyre could suddenly deflate as it pulled off the rim with hard cornering! They suggested that the rim design required tubes to be used.

These guys refurbish a lot of race car rims, and were just doing a set for a LeMans winning Audi, so they do know about the rim and tyre technology. I went along with their suggestion and had tubes fitted.

Mark

[TBG]

AAAHH a white S3 - lovely - pity about the silver bumpers!! D

[alanr]

I am at the same stage..refurbed wheels and new tyres and I too are debating if to go tubeless as before, or alternatively fit tubes.
Can you tell me please if they have fitted tubes did they also fit a protective tape over the centre part of the rim where the large rivets are?
My tyre fitter is suggesting if I choose to fit tubes this will be necessary to prevent any potential rubbing of the tube on these centre rivet heads.

Alan.

[JohnMorin]

I had my wheels refurbished so I know that they are in good condition. I always ran with tubes in the past because the tyres were tube tyres, Michelin XAS, I want to fit modern tyres which will be tubeless tyres hence the question. There doesn't seem to be a definitive answer. It seems that they will stay on the rims without tubes but may leak. So perhaps I'll fit tubes anyway, I don't want to take the tyres off again just to fit tubes.

As far as I can remember no tape was fitted over the rivets the last time I had tyres fitted.

Thanks for all the comments.

John

[69S4]

Can you tell me please if they have fitted tubes did they also fit a protective tape over the centre part of the rim where the large rivets are?
My tyre fitter is suggesting if I choose to fit tubes this will be necessary to prevent any potential rubbing of the tube on these centre rivet heads.

Alan.

I've run my wheels tubeless in the past but the frequency of having to top the pressure up drove me to tubes. They're a bit of a dirty word these days in car circles but most of my motorcycles run them. A rim tape is standard practice on bikes to protect the tube from rough edges on spoke nipples but a couple of rounds of duct tape works just as well if you can't get something the right size (which I'd think unlikely for Elan sized wheels). The rivets are likely to be a smoother finish than spoke nipples but taping over them is what I've done.

There's a huge amount of Facebook grade debate about whether tubes are suitable for use inside tubeless tyres (some of which have ridged interiors) or whether you 'must' use smooth interior tube grade tyres. All I can say is that my current tyres ( Uniroyal Rain Expert) have worked trouble free with tubes for many years.

[JohnMorin]

The last post is interesting for me because the tyres mentioned are the ones I want to fit, someone at Spyder recommend them. What is your experience of these tyres please.

[69S4]

The last post is interesting for me because the tyres mentioned are the ones I want to fit, someone at Spyder recommend them. What is your experience of these tyres please.

They've work well on my S4 through a couple of changes (through time rather than wear), but I only ever use the car on the road so they're rarely pushed to their limits. Adhesion in the rain seems fine to me - compared to my other vehicles anyway, but they're no bundles of fire. I'll likely buy them again when they're next replaced (probably next year)