Tyres for S3 Elan

[vintrace]

Just been on tirerack and purchased a set of the HTR T4 in 165/70 Quite a bargain..cost me about $55 each with shipping.

Many thanks for the help guys..I am now good to go for a few thousand miles....

[garyeanderson]

Not sure where you are located but if you didn't post a photo of your car that was external, I wouldn't have bothered with the links. As I have stated in the past, you have to help us HELP you. With out a location recommending tires or a supplier wastes folk?s time unless it helps someone else that didn't ask the question. If I didn't see the license plate and know that you are in the U.S. why would I recommend The Tire Rack? Questions that need photos have vague descriptions and people force others to then play 20 questions to pull out the info needed to make an intelligent diagnosis. PLEASE fill in the LOCATION on your PROFILE, If you paranoid about some one stealing your car PUT in UK or USA or The State you live in, WHAT the Fire truck is wrong with you folks? This is just plain stupid and I hate wasting time answering questions that won't solve the problem. I don't need to go looking at past posts to get answers to the questions do I. We don?t KNOW anything other than two or three sentences of what you are looking at and many times folks with vision can help, other times there is no way of helping. By the way what part of California do you live, vintrace?

[types26/36]

Gary, I agree with you completely that people should at least post a "where in the world location" and after your outburst a couple probably will but it aint going to solve the problem, your post will only be read by a few people browsing at this time and as we know new members just don't read the archives.......as bourne out by the repeated questions.
Maybe Jeff could alter the initial registration process so a newbie has to list a location? that's the only way I can see that would work.

[garyeanderson]

Gary, I agree with you completely that people should at least post a "where in the world location" and after your outburst a couple probably will but it aint going to solve the problem, your post will only be read by a few people browsing at this time and as we know new members just don't read the archives.......as bourne out by the repeated questions.
Maybe Jeff could alter the initial registration process so a newbie has to list a location? that's the only way I can see that would work.

Hi Brian

I like to get things going, I think you know me well enough by now. If folks don't fill in the location then the only way to deal with it is to JUST not answer questions that have a location as part of the answer. Then we are just rude folks that have not ever helped anyone. We can't win and folks try there best to piss me off with their lack of brains at times, as you know it doesn't take much to light the fuse. Vintrace asked a location dependent question. He tossed us a mickey with Tyres in the topic and then Tires in the body of the question. This kind of stuff bothers me a bit as you may have noticed. As far as folks not using the archives, I would guess that most people actually do as the questions are from a small group of folks generally. There are over 2550 members and 737 have never posted 400 have ONE post and then we get into the contributors with 2 or more. You, Ed, Mark, Rohan, John, Pete, Keith, Steve, DJ, Eric, Brian, Alex, George, Bob, Jason, Frank, Stuart, Tim, Greg and I are the major source of entertainment here on this forum. We account for 22.8% (26596 posts) of all posts since this forum started, several are no longer contributing for whatever reason and then the next 20 folks on the top ten talkers are another 11.4 % (13258 posts). So 40 folks have posted over a third of the topics and replies. Unfortunately we are the entertainment for the rest of the folks that have a remote interest in Elan's, Plus2's, and probably Twin Cams. What?s it matter, Not a whole lot really, I think of all of you as my friends and I may know over a hundred of you and have not ever met face to face. You all give of your time so that others can enjoy the same things that you enjoy. That?s getting out for a drive in some of the best cars EVER built and so that others can share those same cars and offer things back here so that the giving keeps on giving. Yes I am A PISS ANT, but first folks have to help us help them. See you at the LOG!

[summerinmaine]

Hi Brian

I like to get things going, I think you know me well enough by now. If folks don't fill in the location then the only way to deal with it is to JUST not answer questions that have a location as part of the answer. Then we are just rude folks that have not ever helped anyone. We can't win and folks try there best to piss me off with their lack of brains at times, as you know it doesn't take much to light the fuse.

I've always thought, though the feeling appears not to be widely shared, that listing at least a general location was a common courtesy for participation in a forum. I just posted a response in a seat belt topic, and my answer would have been phrased differently if I could have discerned even the most basic info (e.g. left or right side of the pond).

But, having made it a practice to search the forum and archives for advice before posting a query, I can testify that the resident search engine is somewhat crude, and a better advanced search function could make such searches far more productive. I use the Google site-specific search quite often instead, but sometimes even the Google engine fails me (and I've been doing key-word searching since long before Al Gore invented the Internet).

[garyeanderson]

If you want info on the Internet you must learn how to search and find things. To just ask others you are left with only the opinions of those folks that will answer. In some cases, that is the 50 or so regulars that frequent this den of the Elan. When people post questions that are one or three sentences and you have to ask questions (a.k.a. pulling teeth) in return to get at what the real issue is. Then sometime people don't get the answers that they think someone ought to be able to give "because they have done that already".

With Google you must use the some qualifiers like

"S2 windscreen" mounting site:www.lotuselan.net/forums

gives you

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sour ... =&gs_rfai=

And the hit is

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=14618&view=next

So when your in a bind and you need an answer right ef-ing now, this gives you a good idea of Who?s been there before.

Then when you reply to a topic that is several years old with your new question, folks that have been there before KNOW that you did some research and put in a college try to find and answer. Most folks will go out of there way to help someone that has tried to help them selves by demonstrating that they have looked and know that there are others that have discussed it before. When I see a "new topic" that is a re-run 3 or 4 or more times and sound a little grump (a lot grumpy?) when I post links with "read this and see if it answers your question" ... "let me know if it doesn't"
kind of answer, I am not blowing anyone off, most time I don't even read a lot of the new stuff as most of its old news.

Gary

[prezoom]

Three cheers for the "Piss Ant". As said before, am running Sumitomo HTR 200, 175/70-13's. Using a 3.7 speedometer gear with a 3.9 diff, and the accuracy is very close.

Rob Walker
26-4889
Escondido, CA
Corner of Walk and Don't Walk.

[summerinmaine]

Three cheers for the "Piss Ant". As said before, am running Sumitomo HTR 200, 175/70-13's. Using a 3.7 speedometer gear with a 3.9 diff, and the accuracy is very close.

Rob Walker
26-4889
Escondido, CA
Corner of Walk and Don't Walk.

Hey Rob! We appear to be neighbors.

[prezoom]

Jim,

I'm in the phone book.

Rob

[stugilmour]

Has anyone here tried the Sumitomo HTR T4?

There are a few recommendations for the HTR200 which is the "summer" tyre, but it's not available in 165/70.

Paddy

I have the Sumitomo HTR200 on my 2002Tii, another hard-to-fit set-up with the 5x13 original alloy wheels. I find that they're the ONLY tire available to me in 195/60 13s.

I like the tires quite a bit; they are soft summer tires but work fine in the occasional wet we have. Since it's mostly summer here 24/7/365, they are my year-round tire, but due to the softness (and perhaps my driving) I'm lucky to get 15K miles out of a set. But they're only @ $180 for a set of four (plus all the usual add-on costs).

I also have the Sumitomo HTR 200's in 175/70R13 on my Plus 2. So far they seem great. I was able to get them through the local dealer. I only have ~500 miles on the car so far, so nothing definitive on wear yet; might be better than on the BMW if carrying less weight. Don't appear to loose grip in the wet to badly. Will only use the car in summer anyway.

[SprinTango]

If anyone fancies low profiles for their Elan (and doesn't mind the revs!) I recently bought a set of 4 Elan wheels fitted with unused tyres that I don't plan to keep: Yokohama S760 165/65 R13 (77T). I think they may be a few years old but look new, and still have "pimples" on the tread. The wheels were never put on a car but stored horizontally i.e. no weight on them. If you are interested, I'm near Cambridge (that's England, not Maryland!) Nigel

[Galwaylotus]

If anyone fancies low profiles for their Elan (and doesn't mind the revs!) I recently bought a set of 4 Elan wheels fitted with unused tyres that I don't plan to keep: Yokohama S760 165/65 R13 (77T). I think they may be a few years old but look new, and still have "pimples" on the tread. The wheels were never put on a car but stored horizontally i.e. no weight on them. If you are interested, I'm near Cambridge (that's England, not Maryland!) Nigel

How many is "a few years old"? Tyres older than six years should be replaced - certainly any older than ten years. They can be lethal even if they appear perfect on the surface. Tyre materials degrade with time and can delaminate even at moderate speeds. There are documented cases of fatalities for that specific cause. Major motor manufacturers warn against using old tyes. Please be very careful.

[summerinmaine]

If anyone fancies low profiles for their Elan (and doesn't mind the revs!) I recently bought a set of 4 Elan wheels fitted with unused tyres that I don't plan to keep: Yokohama S760 165/65 R13 (77T). I think they may be a few years old but look new, and still have "pimples" on the tread. The wheels were never put on a car but stored horizontally i.e. no weight on them. If you are interested, I'm near Cambridge (that's England, not Maryland!) Nigel

How many is "a few years old"? Tyres older than six years should be replaced - certainly any older than ten years. They can be lethal even if they appear perfect on the surface. Tyre materials degrade with time and can delaminate even at moderate speeds. There are documented cases of fatalities for that specific cause. Major motor manufacturers warn against using old tyes. Please be very careful.

Indeed. I assume that all tire manufacturers are required to date code their tires. Here in the US, such things are standardized by DOT regulations:






IIRC the 03 is the week and the 04 is the year. Thus, the exemplar tire was mfd. in the third week of January 2004.

[Galwaylotus]

The manufactured date code would be the same in Europe but has not been a legal requirement so may not be on older tyres. If it is on the tyre (and often only on the inside sidewall on directional tyres) it will look the same as in the photo above.

[niceolcars]

I have meditated about that tire issue for a while, my insight brought me to an ordinary 145/80R13T ContiEcoContact, available for 160 a set in our money.
My buddies use the Michelin 155/80R13H FF which is an excellent tire as it uses the same compound as the Mich. Cup tires, but the price is 160 for ONE tire and it is lots higher than that tiny 145er.
Unless you really now how to drive fast with all 4 wheels sliding (powersliding, Jim Clark style), i suppose you will not experience a true tractional difference.
I am looking forward to meet people on track that will prove me wrong. Ooh and yes, the Contis last about 4 times as long as those Mich'es do. Now do your math..

nota bene: the Conti is T rated, meaning you can only do 190 kilometres per hour and not 210 kph like with that H rated Mich, but please don't try either of those with an Elan

nota optime : For the experienced racers among us of course the opposite is true (10sec/lap @ Spa)