GAZ shocks and 14x6 Minilites

[europatek]

Has anybody tried a set of GAZ adjustable shocks on there Elan? I am contemplating a set for my S4 FHC and was interested in any feedback, positive or otherwise.
Further, I am looking at a set of Minilite style wheels and was thinking of either the Panasport 13 x 5 or the Minilite 14 x 6 as shown on the Spyder website. The reason for looking at the 14's is to provide more tyre options (there is a very limited choice of good 13" road tyres available in Australia) but I was concerned about the 6inch width of the rim and possible interference with the bodywork. Anyone tried them?
Regards,
Matt.

[rgh0]

I have GAZ front shocks with adjustable platforms from TT on my Elan - no problems with them.

Going to 14 inch x 6 inch wheels and say 185 x 60 tyres to suit will give you a problem on an S4 unless you flare the guards. The choice of good 14 inch tyres is not much better than 13 inch. A better option is 13 x 5.5 inch wheels and 175 or 185 x 60 tyres which are available in a range of sticky road legal compounds.

The smaller rolling diameter means more revs than standard but unless you do a lot of freeway driving this is not a real issue given Australian highway speed limits.

The 13 inch 60 profile in 175 and most 185 fit in without guard flaring on a S4 as the tops kick in to just clear the outer lips of the guards on full bump. Equivalent width but bigger diameter 14 x 60 inch tyres are too tall to do this and hit the guards outer lip on bump if set up for acceptable clearance on the inside. You could go to even lower profile 14 inch tyres to avoid this but then your back to the same diameter as the 13 inch 60 profile.

regards
Rohan

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

I have 14" x 6J on my S4.
185 / 60's were too tight, as described by Rohan. The 175 / 60's that are now fitted needed the described fettling only on the rear outer bodywork.
I assume that the rear GAZ dampers you are talking about accomodate
2 1/4"" Springs? They will be necessary.
The 14" wheels provide plenty of clearance for the lower wishbone bolts, which can be a problem with 13" alloys.
John

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Sorry, forgot to mention that I bought my Minilite lookalikes from Spyder some years ago.
They were made by "Two Gates" so I don't know how they compare offset wise to the presently offered "Minilites" or the "Panasports" you mentioned.

Cheers
John

[riverkeeper]

I've got the 14x6 minilites with 185/60 on my S4, spyder claim they are a direct fit requiring no body work alterations but I'm not convinced they've tested their theory !

As I've done a re-shell with my car I was able to tweak the arches to fit in a fashion that makes them still look standard. I noticed an S4 on display at the donnington lotus show - which had a mod too far for me with a ford cosworth or zetec in it. It had the 14x6 with 185s but it sat too high as the wheels would not have had any clearance when into the arches. Probably how they avoided solving the problem ?

I wouldn't recommend going to 14x6 unless you can try out a rim & tyre on all 4 corners to see that it will go through it's full travel up into the arch. And secondly, for the rear, you will need spyders alternate rear set up with the narrower spring. I don't know if other narrower spring set-ups will give the required clearance but with a standard spring width I think 175s will foul.

[steveww]

My S4 has GAZ front and rear from TTR. I have been very happy with them. They are easy to adjust so it is a quick change for track days. On the road on the softer settings they are just as comfortable as the original units.

[Bruce Crowthorne]

I too have Gaz shocks on the front of my Elan. Simply really good shocks. Especially handy for getting the ride height just right.

I have been using Gaz on my Elise for a few years now and their after sales service is BRILLIANT.
I needed one of mine rebuilt (yes the shocks ARE rebuildable!) and they did it in a couple of days and were very reasonable on cost.

Not sure about pricing but I bought mine direct - ?57.50 for each shock.

Can't reccomend them too highly.
Bruce

[Jas]

Does anybody know if the Minilite 13x5.5 will foul the lower wishbone bolts?

[CBUEB1771]

Does anybody know if the Minilite 13x5.5 will foul the lower wishbone bolts?

I have a set of their 13X5 peg-drive for my +2. They clear the outboard rear wishbone bolts. I had to go with a non-standard offset to achieve this clearance. Minilite will do special offsets for you. I'll double check what my offset is and post again. I suspect the 13X5.5 will be a problem. The 5.5 width seems to be a new listing on Minilite's web site. Do you have an Elan or a +2? That may make a difference as the hubs are not the same.

[Jas]

It's an Elan S4.
I'm looking for something to replace the stock wheels but can't decide what to choose. I plan to change to the 2.25" rear springs and GAZ shocks all round. Wheel wise I can't decide between 13x5 Panasport with Longstone XAS tyres, or 13x5.5 with something modern on it, or 14x6 with something like Toyo R tyres (I?m not willing to flare the wheel arches, but skimming the inner lip is ok).
The car is for pleasure (aren?t they all?) and the occasional track day.

[patrics]

Hello Jannik
I?m also looking to buy new wheels for my S4

If you choose the 13x5 wheel then you could fit a 155 or a 175 tyre without altering bodywork or fowling the lower rear arms.

If you fit a 13x5.5 then you could still fit both sizes but you then fowl or very close to fowling the bolts on the lower arm

With standard bodywork I'm not sure there is any advantage going to the wider wheel only problems?

14x5 might be a good option?

Regards
Steve