What's the current Tyre that's in vogue?

[dapinky]

Pete,

Have you got adjustable height shocks?

If so, I'd recommend getting the car corner-weighted so that it is equal, and then it is a simple case of using the same pressures on each wheel as the car is set to even out the weight distribution.

When I did mine, it ended up being set about an inch and a bit higher on one side than the other (on the shocks!), but the car sits evenly.

[Rocklobster]

I like your thinking, it sounds common sense to me but I think you may be overthinking it ? I suspect it makes more sense on track but for everyday fast driving I wouldn't have thought that it would make much difference.

PS Don't forget in your calculations that you might or might not have a full tank of fuel and another 100 kg of male passenger in the FNS on track

You're absolutely right Rambo, I am overthinking it and on the road (or on a trackday for that matter) it doesn't make that much difference as the variables (fuel, passenger, ambient conditions, driving style/ability etc.) never end. I just find it an interesting topic and learning point.

[Rocklobster]

Pete,

Have you got adjustable height shocks?

If so, I'd recommend getting the car corner-weighted so that it is equal, and then it is a simple case of using the same pressures on each wheel as the car is set to even out the weight distribution.

When I did mine, it ended up being set about an inch and a bit higher on one side than the other (on the shocks!), but the car sits evenly.

Adjustable shocks will be my winter project this year, so all of this will go out of the window and next year, I'll be rabbiting on about the new set-up.

Having read several reviews and opinions, I'm considering AVO's. What are you running?

[dapinky]

Having read several reviews and opinions, I'm considering AVO's. What are you running?

I fitted AVOs with new (Standard S2) springs..... and replaced all the bushes at the same time. I started off intending to just do a couple of things and ended up completely rebuilding the car (as you do!). I thought it made sense to do the bushes before I tried to set it all up correctly. On my last Elan I had Protech shocks, and was never happy with the setup on that one.... maybe it was because the rest of the system was a bit tired, but I'd certainly recommend the AVOs.

Others seem to swear by GAZ, but I have no knowledge of them on Elans.

[chris.t]

On my track car Avon said, " make sure the pressure doesn't go above 29psi on ZZR's". On the road from the normal 25/27, not a problem but on track I've dropped 10psi out of the loaded rear. Pressure is much easier to read and adjust than temperature unless you've got a F1 team on hand to make small adjustments to your suspension geo. I find on the road comfort and economy are more important than leaning on the shoulder on B roads.

Are you running 15/17 on the loaded rear then Chris ? And is this for your M100 or your VX220 ? Or both ?

Only track the VX these days Mark, I've retired the M100. Normal road, 25/27psi, prior to first session on track drop to 24/26. Take pressures after first session and drop to below 29psi, always on the rears. Then monitor as the day warms up. Last TD was on the hottest day of the year, dropped the OSR by 10psi by the end of the day, NSR by 8psi. Both fronts never got above 28psi. You've just got to be a bit careful on the first session after lunch as the tyres have cooled.

[Rocklobster]

Just a follow-up regarding Nankang NS2R's.

As in previous posts, 4 new NS2R's fitted and they're performing impressively on the road. Having now thrown them around a track a few times, I can definitely vouch for them. I was a bit outclassed by Exiges and Caterhams, but they were all between 20 and 30 years younger than mine. The tyres behaved well throughout. The car was so well balanced that when I pushed too hard, I encountered understeer at the front and oversteer at the rear, all at the same time, resulting in drifting wide under power (but still pointing in the right direction), and then gripping and driving out of bends as I backed off slightly.

It rained a couple of times during the day as well and although they slid a bit more than in the dry, they were absolutely fine on a moderately wet track. Put it this way, the Caterhams suffered more.

Really, there's not much else to say other than if anyone's not sure what tyres to fit and they want something a bit sporty, within a budget, that behave well on the road, NS2R's are worth looking at. I'd certainly recommend them. Probably not as a full wet or winter tyre though.

[Blue ass fly]

Another fan of the ns2-r here
Fitted a set in the spring to replace the 15 year old pirellis/mich and found them at a great price on ebay
Straight away felt more comfortable and very grippy on corners and tram-lined less than my old tyres
I settled on 26psi , recently tried it at 28 and felt it understeered easier but all our cars are potentially different with regards to setup and wear
Took the car across the cat and fiddle on a warm day recently and really pushed it - at no point did i feel it loose traction
It felt very stable , then the brakes faded so i eased off
Not had it on track but i tend to agree that they really suit the car well and grip well beyond what you would need on spirited road use
Recommended

[Rambo]

Not surprising. Even a full set of KwikShit ditch finders would be better than a set of 15 yo Pirelli/Michelins. Your old tyres must have had very hard rubber and age cracking to the sidewalls ?? A new, full set of boots always feels better. And even better after a few hundred miles once they've had the finishing compound scrubbed off a bit

You mention your brakes "faded" What are you running with ? Stock front and rears ? And what brake pads ?

[Blue ass fly]

Standard front and rear calipers
Drilled and grooved fronts with standard ebc pads
Ive since bought mintex 1144 and fresh discs as i dont rate those grooved ones
Hopefully that will help it - the fade was the worst ive experienced
Rock hard pedal and zero friction

[Rocklobster]

Interesting on the brakes front.
My rears are standard discs with Mintex pads, fronts are Brembo grooved discs with Mintex M1144 pads. As Blue ass fly, mine had drilled and grooved discs when I bought it and I unfortunately put EBC Yellowstuff pads on to start with (that was a mistake). Quickly fried the pads and then changed to my current set-up. I recommend the Brembo grooved discs as well as the M1144's for road use, they've really transformed the braking, except they're at their limits if used on track. I'll try M1155's with backing shims to prevent heat transfer into the calipers next time round.
Of course, we've wandered off tyres and onto brakes now. I'll probably put a thread in the brakes section when I go up to the M1155's.

[rip]

Not surprising. Even a full set of KwikShit ditch finders would be better than a set of 15 yo Pirelli/Michelins. Your old tyres must have had very hard rubber and age cracking to the sidewalls ?? A new, full set of boots always feels better. And even better after a few hundred miles once they've had the finishing compound scrubbed off a bit

Why is tyre age not part of the MOT? Tread depth is & I have heard many complain about having to change their tyres to get through an MOT, so there are clearly lots who need direction on this.
It seems performance car owners do appreciate their tyres a little more though.

I bought a 10 yo car for my daily a couple of years ago. When checking the tyres, I noticed 1 of the rears was older than the car & was probably an original. I used this as a bargaining tool to haggle down & also had a set of new tyres on order before I even collected the car.
The sidewalls looked ok but when I took them off, I found age cracks in the tread. I'm glad I swapped them as soon as possible.

[Rambo]

I agree. I think the age of the tyre should (and probably will eventually) be part of an MOT test.

[Motocompo]

Pirelli GT Nero. Perfect tire for my S2.