Minilite wheels

[HolmDenmark]

Has anyone tried the 14 x 5.5" wheels on a S3 with standard arches and narrow spring platform suspension ?

[RobertCrooks]

Having considered all the replies and spoken to TechDel, I ended up ordering 13 x 5.5 Minilites with a special "inset" that I was told should avoid the need to make any changes to the standard suspension set up or other adjustments. I want to keep the car as/looking as standard as possible. I have also goine for 165/70/13 Yokohama A Drive tyres. They should all arrive tomorrow and so will hopefully be fitted before the weekend. Will update further once we have been through the fitting process, hopefully with some photos.

Robert

[RobertCrooks]

My S3 FHC passed its MOT for the first time in more than 10 years last week. Got to drive it for the first time yesterday. Wonderful.

The fitting of the 13 x 5.5 Minilites seemed to go fine, but now that we are back on the road, I am finding they are catching the inside of the rear arches slightly on cornering or over bumps.

Has anybody experienced similar problems? If so how did you fix? I don't really want to raise the rear height. My mechanic suggested grinding a little out of the back of the wheel centre so that they sit a little further within the rear arches. Would this work? I'll probably give the manufacturer a call tomorrow as well for ideas.

Any help appreciated.

Robert

[bcmc33]

Robert,

It is normal to have to trim the inside flange to miss the tyre. A friend has 6" wheels and has removed the whole of the flange at the centre of the arch in order to avoid contact with the tyre.

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Deleted.

[Old English White]

My S3 FHC passed its MOT for the first time in more than 10 years last week. Got to drive it for the first time yesterday. Wonderful.

The fitting of the 13 x 5.5 Minilites seemed to go fine, but now that we are back on the road, I am finding they are catching the inside of the rear arches slightly on cornering or over bumps.

Has anybody experienced similar problems? If so how did you fix? I don't really want to raise the rear height. My mechanic suggested grinding a little out of the back of the wheel centre so that they sit a little further within the rear arches. Would this work? I'll probably give the manufacturer a call tomorrow as well for ideas.

Any help appreciated.

Robert

At first , do you have any pictures !?!
On "OEW" , I had to put a 3 mm spacer at the rear to clear the gap between A frames and rims (your "special inset" must do that job) ... As a consequence , as you , on long , hard cornering , the exterior of tyre rub the rear of inner wheelarches , slightly.
Being with 5" or 5.5" wheels doesn't change anything , as it seems ...
I will be happy to hear about a way to add some negative camber from the top of dampers , this will be a good issue ... Anybody has a clue !?!
Christian.

[HolmDenmark]

Christian,
TTR has some race top mounts (TTRSS 018 TOP MOUNT KITS FOR REAR STRUTS COMPETITION COMPLETE WITH NMB F1 SPEC
SPHERICAL BEARING). I thought they were adjustable, but reading it again I think I might be wrong. It seems TTR relies on adjustable wishbone for race ?

[bigvalvehead]

Hi Christian
Att'd are pics of adjustable top mounts that I use on my 26R. This enables negative camber to be adjusted without upsetting the toe in settings by moving the inner wishbone rose joints.
Cheers Dave

26-R-9

[Old English White]

This forum is definitly great .
Thanks for replies .
HolmDenmark ,
I don't know if that TTR part number will do the job . I will ask Tony or Stuart ...
Dave ,
Yes , That looks the way I was figuring myself ... But will it work on "OEW" , who isn't a 26R !?!
Last thing , has one of you , specially the HSCC Historic road sport championship drivers allready experienced -if allowed-these kind of parts on narrow bodied Elan !?!
http://2004.ukmotorsportpics.com/c1686510_1.html
Cheers,
Christian.

[bigvalvehead]

Hi Guys
Will work with any car fitted with 2 1/4 dia springs but rose jointed top mounts not allowed in HSCC
cheers Dave Hughes

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Hi Christian
Att'd are pics of adjustable top mounts that I use on my 26R. This enables negative camber to be adjusted without upsetting the toe in settings by moving the inner wishbone rose joints.
Cheers Dave

26-R-9

That looks like a nicely Engineered solution Dave.
Could you give us all an idea of what amount of negative Camber can be dialed in i.e. from what to what?
Looks like your setting is on almost max. inward/Camber position.

Cheers
John

[Greg Foster]

Dave,
Did you engineer the top mounts or were the purchased from a supplier? If purchased, from whom?
Greg

[JJDraper]

This may be of interest - digging in my files, I found a note of the bare weight of a 14" Minilight wheel - 14.5lb or 6.6kg. I haven't weighed the wheel with tyre, but I remember thinking that this is pretty heavy, even compared to the steel wheels.. Look great on my +2 though.

Jeremy

[msd1107]

Jeremy,

What you are finding is that Minilite is no longer catering for the needs of the Lotus community.

The first Minilites for the Elan were under 10 lbs. The latest ones, as you found out, are sized for 1500kg sedans, not 700-800 kg Elans.

Superlite-wheels.com has aluminum 14X6 wheels as heavy as 6.2 kg, and then 5.00 kg, 4.00 kg, and lighter depending on the size of your wallet. If you can use 165-13 tires (Michelin XAS FF), the wheels in 13X5.5 or 13x6 are even less.

Keep in mind superlite-wheels are bolt on only, so are of use on early Elans or later cars with bolt on conversions. Probably too much of a hassle.

David
1968 36/7988

[gordont]

so.... for me who is looking at converting from bolt on to knock on (I now have the hubs and spinners) what are the recommendations?
I currently have 13 x 6 Panasports and 26R guards with narrow springs.

I prefer the look of the minilites / panasport but if they are heavy what to do? the 26R wheels seem hard to get in knock on too?

any ideas gratefully received