Lotus Elan Central

by **MattDon** » Mon 26.11.2007, 00:06

ok these are 49mm offset 56.6 bore (if i remember rightly) 100x4 17x7.5 with 205 tyres. does anyone forsee any problems, excluding the offset of course.

Website · by **theelanman** » Mon 26.11.2007, 01:44

mmmmmm
from me its a dont know I'm affraid about problems.......
monty will be the man when he spots this
IIRC he had something very similar but cant remember the tread width
and IIRC he had problems with the wheel rubbing the wheel arch liners on lock......
dont forget that you'll need to recalculate the tread width and tyre profile to match either 16" or 15" run diameter
the 16" rim is for 205 45 16 rubber so you'll need to make up 17" to 498mm run dia....so at a rough guess it'll be 205 35 17....
its late and Ive just finished some 'drink' off....
I'll check my calc later but its something like that
cheers
G

by **dapinky** » Mon 26.11.2007, 13:19

theelanman wrote:dont forget that you'll need to recalculate the tread width and tyre profile to match either 16" or 15" run diameter
the 16" rim is for 205 45 16 rubber so you'll need to make up 17" to 498mm run dia....so at a rough guess it'll be 205 35 17....

I did a set of calcs a while ago on a thred about speedo calibrations....

It worked out that there is only a 3% difference between any of the 'common' sizes in use on an elan....

205 50 15

205 45 16

205 40 17

All give very close rolling diameters

(but like Gareth, I've not tried 7 1/2" width wheels!)

by **Monty** » Mon 26.11.2007, 19:00

theelanman wrote:monty will be the man when he spots this
IIRC he had something very similar but cant remember the tread width
and IIRC he had problems with the wheel rubbing the wheel arch liners on lock......

cheers
G

The 17" wheels i use to have were 7" wide :roll:

but IMHO i`d be worried with having 205 tyres on 7.5" wide, shouldn`t they be 225`s?

Personely i wouldn`t go any wider than 7", espcially if u do any hard cornering under braking, nose dips and thats were u could get rubbing. I`ve already put holes in my liners and thats with standard 16" S2 wheels :shock:

But mine is lowered :roll:

by **Elanlover** » Tue 27.11.2007, 20:01

Be brave Matt! I'm sure most of the Elan's fabulous upgrades and modifications currently available or recommended were fallen upon when someone tried to do something seemingly unorthodox. If you've got them now (and can't give them back) go out and give them a good run and see if you get any rubbing on turns, under braking and with full wheel lock. Then, report back quickly so I know if I should change my order back to 7" wheels :wink:

by **MattDon** » Wed 28.11.2007, 03:39

well i havnt paid for them yet, but ive commited myself, i was going to pull out but did a quick mockup in paint and it looks good, guess i could always sell them on again!? think you talked me into it mate.

by **Elanlover** » Wed 28.11.2007, 03:50

If you can fit them and check for rubbing with a full wheel lock you might get a sense of whether it'll be an issue before you take them for a spin. If you're picking them up from a shop (as opposed to having them delivered) see if they'll mount the fronts and drop the car so you can check for rubbing. I'd hope that a shop would give you an honest opinion on whether they think they'll be ok or not.

by **MattDon** » Wed 28.11.2007, 15:10

fleabay mate, so not an option still £300 with tyres seems ok, and id hope if they dont fit that it cant be too hard to sell them on. My car is currently in a garage getting the full once over, so it might be a week or two before i get to try these on, got a get a new fuel tank, maybe wishbones, etc.

think im going to try fitting the fiat coupe calipers, as suggested by someone, it would be nice to be able to get off the shelf parts, but also tempted by the hispec's (ive heard all the storys

) im sure you'll be hearing more about that in another thread. ;-)

by **rip** » Wed 28.11.2007, 22:24

MattDon wrote:
think im going to try fitting the fiat coupe calipers, as suggested by someone, it would be nice to be able to get off the shelf parts, but also tempted by the hispec's (ive heard all the storys ) im sure you'll be hearing more about that in another thread.

You could try refurbing your stock calipers and fitting performance pads. It makes a big difference.

by **Elanlover** » Wed 28.11.2007, 22:29

Apparently, someone's put 8.5" wide wheels on :shock:

Pics and description near middle of page

by **GeoffSmith** » Wed 28.11.2007, 22:37

Elanlover wrote:Apparently, someone's put 8.5" wide wheels on

Pics and description near middle of page

All referenced in LEC history!

by **Elanlover** » Thu 29.11.2007, 20:04

By the way, some research concludes that 205 is actually just fine for a 7.5 inch wheel. That size is designed to fit between 5.5 and 7.5 inches. Although, 215 also works running from 6 - 7.5 inches as does 225 running from 6 to 8 inches. You could go as high as 235 if you wanted. This is based on a 17 inch wheel and according to Toyo. Most other manufacturers are probably similar if not the same.

by **MattDon** » Thu 29.11.2007, 20:39

i found that page too mate, id imagine 215 225 & 235 would increase the risk off rubbing, and change the handling, which im already concerned about due to the 49mm offset and the different tyre wall height but i guess we'll see how it goes.

Rip thanks for the advice but there are a couple of reasons id like to avoid doing that, wich include the amount of upkeep the sliders take, and the price of spares, id imagine the brakes when working properly are very good and i cant see myself needing more than lotus deemed necisary, the conversion is for convenience, as falling short of a catastrophy id like to be able to give this to me child when they pass their test..... gotta have kids first though!

by **Elanlover** » Thu 29.11.2007, 20:47

Matt, with regard to the brakes, I hate to tell you this but its commonly accepted that this is one area were Lotus simply raided the GM parts bin and really got shorted by doing it. In a stock config (no power upgrades) the brakes will probably suffice. The minute you start increasing the power you'll want to do something there. Better pads will help but a full front caliper upgrade is really were people are getting the stopping power they desire.

On the tire widths, I'll bet that if you're sticking to 205's then you shouldn't get any rubbing at all. Its the TIRE that's going to rub afterall, not the rims. I'd be interested in seeing how a 215 tire would work out. Its only adding about a third of an inch total (1/6th each side) by going from 8.07 inches (205) to 8.46 inches (215)

Please take plenty of pics when your wheels are installed including clearances, etc. I'm all for 7.5 inch wheels..............if they work. Oh yea, thank you for volunteering to be the test bed for this size wheel :wink:

by **MattDon** » Thu 29.11.2007, 21:12

if it works out it will be my pleasure :-D

on the brake front, i agree with you and thats why im trying to get hold of the fiat coupe calipers and zr disks, i guess what i was trying to say is that id imagine the standard size disks are sufficient, its just the calipers that need sorting, or thats my hope.

if this does workout i'll be happy to report back with full details, for the brakes and wheels. :-D

by **Elanlover** » Thu 29.11.2007, 22:44

MattDon wrote: on the brake front, i agree with you and thats why im trying to get hold of the fiat coupe calipers and zr disks, i guess what i was trying to say is that id imagine the standard size disks are sufficient, its just the calipers that need sorting, or thats my hope.

Brian might be coercised into doing another Wilwood brake upgrade kit next year. Its been fantastic for me and many, many others and is generally considered to be the best route to go for brake upgrades (at the risk of speaking for others). Do a search and read the posts on it before you make any brake decisions.

by **MattDon** » Fri 30.11.2007, 00:00

ive gathered that too but extra maintenance and custom parts put me off. not wishing to detract from what sounds like an awsome peice of kit.

by **MattDon** » Mon 10.12.2007, 16:12

the wheels arrived all was fine until i tried to spin the wheels and couldnt because of the calipers, so now i have two options, i was looking to upgrade the brakes and need to know if the the hispec calipers will gain me and clearence, or should i go for the 16" brakes which will move the calipers slightly higher and hopefully give enough room for the calipers, of course if they dont that means neither the 15" or the 17" wheels will fit and im completely boned.

I was recomended spacers, but ive heard alot of people saying avoid them, and id also be concerned that theyd take the offset over the 20% -+ tolerance.

any help very greatfully received.

by **Elanlover** » Mon 10.12.2007, 16:23

I'm surprised to hear that. I would have thought that with a lower offset you'd actually gain more clearance as the face of the rim would be pushed out from its mounting more than OEM?????

Is it rubbing on the side of the caliper (probably) or the top of the caliper? Is it the actual wheel or the weights?

by **MattDon** » Mon 10.12.2007, 16:26

yep its rubbing on the side of the caliper

and not so much rubbing more banging into the side. the wheels arc back quiet abit just above the caliper. so im hoping bigger discs will help, but its a big gamble.

Lotus Elan Central

went mad and bought 17 x 7.5 (now worried)

went mad and bought 17 x 7.5 (now worried)

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