Lotus Elan Central

by **MattDon** » Tue 20.11.2007, 13:08

ok looked through the threads and just wanted to get accurate info in one place. If you know of alloys that have 49mm offset or better in the 4x100 then post either pics or links below.

ive not added centre bore as i beleive they can be rebored or spingots used.

thanks

1. Speedline Alesio 2 (4x100 49mm offset)
2. Mim Amalfi (4x100 49mm offset)

by **GeoffSmith** » Tue 20.11.2007, 14:10

I think the MINI is the nearest you'll get. Don't hold your breath for many more as this question has been doing the rounds since I joined.

by **MattDon** » Tue 20.11.2007, 14:16

think ive see oz and work alloys in this spec and possibley speedline, ive seen the mini wheels thread and it did look promising but not overly keen on the look. i think nice curvey 5 spokes or the twin blade type (like on the exige) look good too. I forgot to mention idealy the links would be to a supplier rather than the manufactures website. I'll be posting anything i find up once i find suppliers.

by **Nige** » Tue 20.11.2007, 17:17

There are many different designs of wheel intended for the BMW Mini. Available in 16", 17" and 18" (might even be some 19" out there). They all seem to have a 48mm offset and all have a 4 x 100mm PCD mounting, they will all possibly need some machining of the centre bore to fit an Elan. Its all down to what style you prefer really. Try putting BMW Mini Wheels into e bay to get an idea of what out there.

by **MattDon** » Tue 20.11.2007, 18:55

i also noticed that the older vauxhalls had a 49mm offset and a 4x100 pcd mounting and a 56.6mm bore, such as the nova astra cav/vectra and tigra.

by **Nige** » Wed 21.11.2007, 18:48

MattDon wrote:i also noticed that the older vauxhalls had a 49mm offset and a 4x100 pcd mounting and a 56.6mm bore, such as the nova astra cav/vectra and tigra.

That would make sense given the origins of much of the Elan.

by **Elanlover** » Wed 21.11.2007, 20:56

I think its a good idea to try to get it all in one thread. However, I would like to see more than just the wheel name. If we're going to create a comprehensive list of alternative wheels that closely match the Elan's then I'd like to see all the details including the offset, bore, bolt pattern and sizing to include 15, 16 and 17 inch wheels. It may even take an e-mail to a manufacturer to get the info but better to know now that your wheel may need maching than after you bought it. Something like:

----Manufacturer-----------Model----------Available Sizes------Bolt Ptrn.------Bore------Offset

by **Elanlover** » Fri 23.11.2007, 20:30

I'm sure many of you probbaly know better than I that finding wheels for our car is next to impossible short of spending the better part of $1,000 per wheel to have them custom made. I don't know about the rest of you but I Google for wheels with our specs on a regular basis to one day (hopefully) find something that would be suitable. If we go with the +/- 20% rule then anything between +48 and +60 as an offset would do the trick.

I just came across this sitewhile searching and found some interesting links after entering the wheel dimensions I wanted. In fact, I came across several wheels that had offsets around +48 including some at +50 and one at +53. Pretty close I'd say. Some also simply stated that their wheels were "custom" and that you could choose your offset at time of order. Don't know if that truly means "anything you want" or "choose, but from the list that we offer".

Now, these were all found searching for 17, 4x100 wheels so those that want to go with 16 or 15 will have to do their own searching :wink:

A few came back with 17x7.5 dimensions - I wonder how that'd work out on the Elan.

Ok, I know this isn't in the format that "I" :roll:

by **Elanlover** » Fri 23.11.2007, 20:38

Also is this but it has a much larger center bore than we need.

http://www.enkei.com/Performance%20specs/SC05.html

I read today on a Subaru forum (from someone apparently knowledgable in this area) that the older GM and Ford bearings were enginnered in such a way that they could take a +/- 1 inch offset shift and not wear the bearings out prematurely. That's a whopping 25mm. Anyone know if our bearings are GM?

by **Hasbro** » Sat 24.11.2007, 10:44

These are great custom wheels that are very light. They have an excellent rep. Pictured S5s are about $650. $500ish for 15", 550ish for 16".
http://www.kodiakracingwheels.com/image ... itside.jpg
http://www.kodiakracingwheels.com/

by **Elanlover** » Mon 26.11.2007, 17:44

Just spoke to a guy at Vivid Racing (the website I cited above). The manufacturers they show WILL make wheels in a +60mm offset. Any of the wheel links I posted above that state the offset will be decided later (as in its custom to your needs) can be made in a +60mm size. He seemed to like the iForge wheels although there are easily a dozen wheels types to choose form where you can specify the offset you want. I didn't ask, but I suspect the bore size can be specified as well.

Essentially, these are custom wheels and they aren't cheap. But, its one way to ensure we're getting the +60mm we want and in a wheel that's light and well built. I think the least expensive one I saw in 17" (15 and 16 are available in many styles) swas somewhere in the $400+ per wheel range.

by **rip** » Mon 26.11.2007, 18:15

Elanlover wrote:Also is this but it has a much larger center bore than we need.

http://www.enkei.com/Performance%20specs/SC05.html

I read today on a Subaru forum (from someone apparently knowledgable in this area) that the older GM and Ford bearings were enginnered in such a way that they could take a +/- 1 inch offset shift and not wear the bearings out prematurely. That's a whopping 25mm. Anyone know if our bearings are GM?

Our front wheel beraings have been cross-refernenced elsewhere in this site with Vauxhall Cavalier ones (UK GM :smt023

)
The rears however have been cross-referenced to those from a Volkswagen.

by **tweetdriver63** » Mon 26.11.2007, 19:14

Has anybody actually asked Lotus what the tolerance is on the offset?

Just a thought.

by **Elanlover** » Tue 27.11.2007, 19:56

I'm pretty sure that Lotus would tell you the tolerance is "Zero". They were made for +60mm and that's what you should run with. However, the general consensus seems to be that a +/- 20% change is acceptable giving us a range of between +48mm and +60mm...........assuming no one wants to try for a +72 offset :shock:

by **Hasbro** » Wed 28.11.2007, 00:20

Hasbro wrote:These are great custom wheels that are very light. They have an excellent rep. Pictured S5s are about $650. $500ish for 15", 550ish for 16".
http://www.kodiakracingwheels.com/image ... itside.jpg
http://www.kodiakracingwheels.com/

These are 16' with 60mm offset.
Racing wheel weight (160mm rims): 10-11 lbs.
190 mm rims : 12-13 lbs.
15" are about one pound lighter

by **MattDon** » Tue 27.05.2008, 18:53

been keeping an eye on this and finding wheels with ET48 or higher 4x100 pcd and 56.6mm bore is tricky but not impossible, but in my experience the tough part is finding a wheel that has all those things and enough clearance for the calipers.

if anyone has some solutions id love to heard them.

im currently (or soon to be) running kahn rsr 7.5x17 on 205 tyres but have had to install a 10mm spacer to clear the hispec calipers, also i ordered the 16" calipers so i cant now return to the 15" wheels.

i'll stick with what ive got until i can find a decent alternative. compomotive have said they have a wheel to fit and its the mo1673 but again that only comes in et49. but its an option if i cant find anything better. s2 wheels are looking ever more tempting.

by **Elanlover** » Tue 27.05.2008, 20:18

You might want to have a look hereMatt.

Lotus Elan Central

suitable (49mm+ offset 4x100mm) alloys

suitable (49mm+ offset 4x100mm) alloys

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