Tyre wear & wheel alignment

[Monty]

I know i need to get Pinky wheel alignment sorted, but still messing with the suspension setup. But was wondering what is a normal front tyre wear on the M100? as mine are worn more on the outter edge

I don`t want to be paying £200 for wheel algnment at Lotus/specialist, so can this be done by myself? or can a local garage do it?

[Rambo]

Monty,

I've heard that Kwik s**t have special centres dotted around the countryside that do an excellent job of setting up/tracking/geometry checks. Maybe worth checking with your local one to find out if there is a specialist in the area. I think this tip came from a Club Lotus article or report.

As for mileage - depends how hard you drive/brake and on whether you go tracking etc My Goodyear Eagles have done about 15K - still lots of rubber left (3 mm) but I tend to alternate mine front to back

Sounds like your geometry is all to cock ?

[chris.t]

If its a long way out if you get it fixed properly you'll notice a difference in the steering - it will feel more precise.

[Monty]

Cheers Guys,

I`ll have a check on Kwik S**t for the alignment. The front Toyo`s T1-S have only had on for 15 months and less than 5k miles

I know that front tyres don`t wear even across its width as to the camber set up etc, but what i`m wondering should they were quicker on the inner or outter edge ie are mine wearing completely opposite to the norm. Or am i wrong and the tyres should wear equally across the width

[Enright]

I was told by the previous owner of mine that they wore evenly across the width, and if they didn't then something was wrong.

He should know - he had it for 13 years.

Also it makes sense that they should be gentle on tyres given how advanced the suspension was for it's day, and the fact that they are massively "over-rubbered" for the size of car.

[Sy V]

Even, or inner edge - not outer.
Something's amiss.

[Monty]

Even, or inner edge - not outer.
Something's amiss.

Cheers Sy,

That was my thinking, always experienced tyres wearing on the inner edge. I`ve always thought the handling wasn`t quite right and she was a bit twitchy, but since i`ve got aftermarket wheels on (which i don`t know the offset) i was putting it down to that and don`t want to have the wheel alignment done with these on then change to S2 wheels and then have to get the alignment done again. Money is tight at the mo so a set of S2 wheels will have to wait.

[Paul.P]

Even, or inner edge - not outer.
Something's amiss.

Money is tight at the mo so a set of S2 wheels will have to wait.

Ask for a reduction in your rent mate

It will be even tighter if you have to buy a new set of tyres every 5k !

[DeeAitch]

Monty, If it more pronounced on one one side of the car I think you have a camber problem, not toe, see http://www.kwik-fit.com/changing-tyres- ... ations.asp
You can easily adjust this, front with offset plates on the top ball joint, rear with cam bolts or S2 adjustable top links assuming some nice soul used copperslip on the bolts last time they were apart!
Demon Tweeks have a camber gauge at £57 ish + Drat but it looks more like a posh plumb line to me - anyone used one of these?

[Rambo]

Blimey Monty - lets hope you don't get stopped by our friends in blue. I think the legal requirement is 1.6mm across 75% of tyre to be legal. Looks at a squint like you're below the wear marks across at least 50 % of the tyre width

Mark

[Monty]

Tell me about it Mark, can`t believe how quick they`ve worn got to decide on which tyres to get (queue Stevo) i`m aslo considering S2 wheels, but there hard to get hold off and money is tight.

Dave,
yeah it looks like the camber needs adjusting, i`ve done a quick read from the manual and looks like i need a set of adjustment plates. The top ball joints were replaced by the previous owner so i`ll double check to make sure the bolts can be removed.

[Rambo]

Monty,

Last I'd heard, Stevo gave a very big thumbs up to the Yoko Parada's. But he also thought that his previous Toyo was good - initially at least

I think I'll be going down the Yoko route next time as they no longer make the excellent Goodyear Eagle F1's and the replacement GSD3's are getting mixed reports

Have you tied SW Lotus for new S2's - heard recently they were back in

Mark

[Monty]

Don`t know if they got any in but IIRC they were asking £800 with tyres and haven`t got that type of dosh at the mo. Unless the credit card comes out lol but the Peco is on that at the mo

[Enright]

I believe it's 1.6mm across 75% of the tyre and visible tread across the rest. So at the moment, either way, you're screwed. Even worse, if there's a sudden downpour who knows where you could end up? Torvill & Dean eat your heart out!!! Again.

Now somewhere I saw notes on how the adjustment plates alter the camber or castor (can't remember which exactly). But it gave a figure in degrees per plate. So if you can just get a relatively cheap 4 wheel alignment check to compare to the recommended figures, and you know how many plates to insert/swap, and how many turns to put on track rod adjustment etc. you should be able to get it almost spot on. In theory.

Now the question is, where were the specs and instructions on adjustment?

[Monty]

Neil,

There in the service manual

[Enright]

Oh good, you found it already. Fairy Nuff.

Just one thing I forgot to mention before - and I'm not meaning to be condescending here , but be careful where you park. It wouldn't be so bad if it were the inside edges, but those are REALLY obvious.

All it would take is a bad-tempered traffic warden to summon a nearby copper (and let's face it, how many of them are GOOD tempered?!?), and you're looking at 3 points per tyre and a hefty fine.

[chris.t]

also monty i have been told that the shims/plates have to go the right way round - something to do with a square notch my mechanic told me!! spect its in the manual anyhows

[Rambo]

I'm sure they were £800 at Donington and the set was snapped up in the first half hour !

I think this is a bargain because it will probably set you back ~£320 - £400 for a set of rubbers so if you need a set of S2 alloys you'll be getting them for around the £400 mark

Didn't you have bling wheels on Pinky I ?? What happened to them ??

I know where there's a set of S2 alloys in a knackers yard in Galashiels. Don't know what condition they're in or how much but I could get BigErch to suss it out (BTW, they're MikeI's old ones)

Mark

[Ultimatt]

I've had the Toyo's for the last 18 months (max 2 years) also and had poor experience with tyre wear. Not to the extent of yours, but they are diffinitely wearing faster than I would expect, and more so on the outside. I had my full geometry set up by a local specialist (not Kwit S**t) approx 6+ months ago so I know that is spot on.

I have aftermarket 17's on and check the pressures fortnightly. So it could be something to do with the tyre choice, although I would think your's is geometry based as well.

I'll definetely be choosing alternative rubber for my next change. Was looking at the Hancook Ventus Sport K104. Got very high ratings, for the price, on mytyre.co.uk. What do you reckon?

Matt

[Monty]

Mark, yes i`ve got Pinky1 17" wheels on and would keep them but i don`t know if there effecting the handling of the car but i`ve changed so much on the car ie suspension, lowered it etc that and it`s a case of getting it set correctly.
If u could have a word with BigErch to enquire about those S2 wheels and PM me back that would be great mate

Matt,

yeah i got my Toyo`s from my tyres too, i`m not clued up on tyre choice so i rely on the guys off here, don`t want to be paying £100 per tyre. The Paradas look like they`ve got a good rep so might try them