Elan wheel question!

[olly22n]

Hi there, first post!

I have a 69 elan DHC and it has the standard wheels, are they fitted with tubless tyres?

And not wanting to open a can of worms, what are the best ?40-60 tyre??

Thanks

Olly

[olly22n]

http://tiny.cc/9ztqr

Would these tyres be suitable?

[oldelanman]

Hi Olly and welcome to the forum.

If your standard wheels are original the rims are rivetted to the centres and therefore possibly not air tight. Also they do not have a shoulder on the rim to prevent the tyre rolling off the rim when cornering at speed. For these reasons, in my opinion, you should use tubes with the original wheels.

As for the choice of tyres - as you say a can of worms and a subject which has been discussed many times in the past. There is probably no "best" tyre so your choice will depend on what you intend to use the car for and how much you are prepared to pay. Do a search on "tyres" you will turn up loads of previous threads with useful info.

Best regards,

[adigra]

Olly, my wheels are standard and original ('67 S3 car), and I have tubeless Goodyear GT2 with no leaks or issues of any kind. Just fitted one to the spare as well just last week and the price, fitted and balanced, was ?47. A lot of people recommend Michelin XAS, but they are double the price. I find the Goodyear ones fantastic for road use, and a number of Elan owners who have driven my car have praised the way it rides. However, I was also told by the fitter that Goodyear have replaced the GT2s with something else (I forget the name) but that they are still in stock with some suppliers, it just might take a bit of searching.

Hope that helps.

Adi

[billwill]

They might have changed now, but long ago I used Michelin XAS. They were fantastically super in the dry and positively dangerous in the wet on my Elan, so I gave up using Michelin XAS.

[1964 S1]

Hello olly22n,
My answer to your third question is yes.
Generally you can tell if a tire is tubeless by looking at the valve stem. Tubes have a cylinder shape for removing it from the wheel, whereas tubeless stems bulge out at the base where it meets the wheel.

Eric

[ianf]

Hi Olly,

I have run my steel wheels tubeless for 13 years and have had no problems. A friend bought some Vredstein sprint + tyres for his rally frogeye a couple of years ago but because they aren't low profile they fouled his arches. They cost ?22 each and I spent ?10 a corner having them fitted by an MG specialist local to me who took trouble to balance them properly. The car has never run as smoothly with no speed related vibrations. The tyres are really good in the wet (couldn't have been worse than the old Michelin Classics) and lets the car move around very progressively in the drywhich I actually prefer to outright grip (braking is as it should be though). They are physically softer to a thumb nail than my old tyres and I love 'em.

Everyone has a valid opinion though so best to read and take the option that suits.

[quaybook]

Hi Olly
I've fitted Uniroyale Rallye 680s. They are specifically designed for wet weather so softer compound than most 155/80 13s available these days, and so suitable for a lightweight car like the Elan. Paul Matty's often fit them I believe. I'm very pleased with performance although the sidewall writing does not look great. But I'd rather remain attached to the road than worry about appearance. Cost about 15 months ago, just over ?40 per corner plus fitting, obtained after a search on the Net.

Vernon

[olly22n]

thanks for your help guys, will have a check to see whether they are tubless or not.

I will update you on what tyres i go for!