LOTUS ELAN WHEELS???POST YOUR WHEELS!

[germanelanturbo]

hi

on my elan are 7jx17 wheels with +37 offset
my tyres are 205 40 ZR 17 Dunlop

any questions?

happy elaning

florian

[ivar]

Florian, these tires look nice. But are they not hard on bad roads? I guess you also have to use the steering wheel a lot due to the wide track, or is this not a problem?
I think I will go for 205/45 x16 and 40-45 offset. (I am gonna put on winter tires on my original wheels)

[germanelanturbo]

Florian, these tires look nice. But are they not hard on bad roads? I guess you also have to use the steering wheel a lot due to the wide track, or is this not a problem?
I think I will go for 205/45 x16 and 40-45 offset. (I am gonna put on winter tires on my original wheels)

Ivar, I do not know how bad the streets are in Norway, but here in Germany I have no problems. 16" rims or 15" rims have naturally a lot of better comfort. However, pothholes are always uncomfortable, all the same whether you have 15 or 17" rims.

Happy Elaning

Florian

[desmondsee]

Half year research...i ended up with 5Zigen FNOR-1.
Lightest, forged 17inch i can find. But only white though.
17x7 with Offset at +42mm. Can fit AP Racing brakes.
But i ordered an extra large AP Brake calliper CP3788 (very wide) but ultra light so i have to fit a custom made spacer (20mm) - very high quality. I didnt have to with another AP Brake calliper model, slightly heavier and smaller piston size but too late since i ordered this one.

So, i think i got one of the widest wheel spacing in the community here. However, am very happy. the wheels look flush against the body and gives it a fierce stance...

so there's another consideration.
in general, 17x7 offset 42mm is ok. Centre hub is about 56.5mm but do remember brake calliper clearance!

[TheBard]

Hi Florian,

Those rims and tyres look great, although the road surface in northern VA stops me from going the same route. I'll stick with the Fed 16"s for now.

What is the rubber?

Ian

[nitroman]

As no one has asked; Florian, what kind of wheels are those? (manufacturer & model)

[germanelanturbo]

HI!

My wheels are O.Z. TITAN. My tyres are DUNLOP SP SPORT 9000.

Ivar, you will drive winter wheels? Then its better you choose an other size like 195/50/16. This size is better because your pressure to the street is bigger than with 205 45 16 wheels.

[Matt RI]

Finally have these set. Because they are so open, the rear brakes look kinda silly compared to the upgraded front brakes- but I'm not complaining!

[nitroman]

Awesome wheels man, I like 'em mucho. 17"? cost? Tyre size?

Of course, here in Atlanta to be "fly" & have cred with the brothers you have to have chrome! But that can be rectified with any wheel. In fact Butler Tire & Wheel Wizard do that in house & it comes with a 3-year guarantee.

I was offered cash on-the-spot again for my car this week, this time $30k. I have never driven it 2-weeks straight up here B4, so it has never had this much exposure to the obviously "monied-masses" here. There is both poverty & money in this "big city." Jacksonville was a working-man's-town in comparison. The cars you see on the street here are a constant source of eye-candy. Standard sundries here like prepared-food, car repair expenses & the like are about 25% or more expensive (up here). If you have the time it really does pay for the trip back to Jacksonville to "git 'er dun."

[nitroman]

I've come to a decision. I think I'll just have my OE wheels chromed. This pic is pretty close; I would not include any paint on the wheel like this example. But just lean back and look how it brings out a nice little bling to the whole car. I think it makes the car look several years younger. It certainly is cheaper than buying new wheels (costs about $100 per wheel), removes any imperfections, doesn't mess with alignment/offset, and most importantly does not force you to a larger wheel size with a more brutal ride. Now that last part is only as important as where you live. Where I used to live it would not have been a consideration. In downtown Atlanta it's a damn big deal!

[Matt RI]

Thanks, Matt!

I like them, too... The more I look at them, the happier I am with them.

They are 17", I am running 215/40/ZR17's on them. I was thinking of seeing how 225's fit, but the rotational weight vs. grip argument in my head forced me to compromise and split the difference. Price was kept down thanks to Marie's generosity. She bought these and decided that she wanted white powdercoated wheels so I was able to purchase these for her cost- IIRC- $850 give or take? Then cost of new tires on top of that. The 17" wheels fit the arch better IMHO.

I have only put maybe 100 miles on the car since fitting, but I have not noticed a real discernable difference in ride quality. Seeing as I live in RI, a state where we spend the most money per mile of roadway, while simultaneously having the worst roads in the nation (or is it second worst after Hawaii now?), THAT is saying something. I bought a new Jetta when I first moved out here years ago, drove it for about a week before avoiding a car pulling into my lane w/o looking forced me into a manhole cover sunk 3 or 4 inches into the pavement resulting in a bent strut. Oh yeah- that is the other thing, a nationwide survey concluded that RI has the lowest driving IQ of any state in the union. I thought my father was kidding me when he told me that people throw their cars in reverse on the highway when they miss an exit (people can't always jam over from the passing lane to the exit ramp in time) until I read in the paper that some fool got slammed by a home heating oil truck while doing that on Rt. 95 shutting down the highway for half of a day...

You are going to need sunglasses driving around with those wheels... Better hope that you don't blind people and run them off the road! I thought that Gerome sold his car???

I actually like the paint on the scallop edge- think that it ties the wheels in with the car nicely. But I can understand why you would want them completely chromed- that will be more shiny. Which makes me think that you have the only car that can really pull these wheels off, as it will match the rest of your car instead of making parts seem dull by comparison... The only thing that I dislike about you keeping the stock wheels is that it makes it difficult to admire all the work you have done in your wheelwell.

[nitroman]

One big thing which kept me from going to 17" wheels is that I already have 4 brand-new 16" Dunlop Sport 9000 tires I bought for like $108 per tire when they were closing this size out. If I went 17" what would I do with these tires????

Also I can't decide between the chrome version of your wheel (oh yes, they sell them bro'!) or the Antera 309s that I wish whoever has would post a picture of again.

[Doug]

Also I can't decide between the chrome version of your wheel (oh yes, they sell them bro'!) or the Antera 309s that I wish whoever has would post a picture of again.

The Anteras are Stevo's wheels -- I have seen them in person and they get my vote = NICE !!

[nitroman]

http://store.yahoo.com/ltbmotorsport/momogtr.html
The Momo wheels look great in Chrome whereas the Antera 309s in Chrome just don't come off the same: http://www.wheelsworld.com/616-1992-Acura-NSX-Antera-309.html

One other thing I might try... will let you know next week.

[nitroman]

Then again the chrome 309s look great here so who can say? http://www.wheelsworld.com/45-Antera-309-Custom-Wheels.html

Either wheel would match the equally shiny bits within the wheel-wells to a mutually beneficial effect.

[Matt RI]

The chrome Antera 309's do look better on that 300ZX- maybe it is the metallic purple of the NSX that makes it look kinda funny on that car.

The way I see it- you have to go with whatever makes you happy- if you compromise to satisfy someone else's tastes, you could regret the decision...

[nitroman]

Yeah, one would naturally think that color-matching your wheels would look nice; but I've seen it look just too mono -or- "too girlie", like some touch your girlfriend would add, then drive! Momo even has a "Momo Tuners" wheel with removeable sections that you get painted then bolt back to the wheel. I saw one on a Mini. Again, refer to my girlfriend comment above!

[nitroman]

Here's the problem... anyone have a solution? A trustworthy shop here in Atlanta told me none of the chrome-platers here in Atlanta offer a good product; that the chrome flakes off the wheels after a while. The only place he could recommend was a Corvette specialty shop in CA which has a 6-month backlog.

Does anyone know of a company in the USA they would trust their wheels to for chroming?

[Doug]

don't know of any but do know that on the Orange County Choppers and Coddington Hot Rod TV shows they have mentioned the name of the places they use -- not that these places wouldn't have a 6-month waiting list too

[stevo]

ohhhhh yes. thats very nice. i know whats happening to missys wheels if they get curbed. how much to get them chromed?