Tyre pressures

[HGRACER]

What should the pressure be in the front and back for a 90SE?

Thanks Henry

[theelanman]

n/a 32 pounds per square inch front and rear
turbo 26.5 pounds per square inch front and rear....

while we're on the subject can someone complete the list and add the S2
thanks
Gareth

[John_W]

HG,
it all depends what tyres you have.

The standard pressures for the original-spec Michelin MXX's for the SE were 28.5 psi alll round. When Michelin stopped making the MXX's and Lotus OK'd the Pilots for the Elan, the pressures were altered to 30 psi all round.

If you have any tyres fitted apart from those two, you'll have to play around to find the optimum pressures, using the standard recommendations as a starting point.

Best person to comment would be JIMBO.

John

[HGRACER]

Ok thanks for the help

[Michael]

Wirth the stock 15" wheels
one could opt for somewhat higer pressure in the front tyres
to minimize understeer while at the same time minimize the wear

[Rambo]

Henry,

I drive with Goodyear Eagle F1's and set the digital pressure gauge to 28 psi all round. Naturally these gauges in petrol stations suffer quite a bit of abuse so when I return home I re-adjust the pressure to 27 psi all round with a more accurate gauge

[JIMBO]

Wirth the stock 15" wheels
one could opt for somewhat higer pressure in the front tyres
to minimize understeer while at the same time minimize the wear

I agree with an increase of 2psi in the front tyres to reduce understeer. All car manufacturers try to optimise pressure / comfort / safety, but will allways err on the safety side by building in understeer. Tyre pressures are very much down to personal preference once you move away from OEM settings.
Regards
JIM

[Ultimatt]

I have been advised that original pressures should be maintained if you change the size of wheel / tyre etc. Is this correct? I have lower profile 17's fitted and they always look a little flat.

There is also a definite reduction in handling performance but I can't narrow this down to incorrect tyre pressures, worn ball joint / bushes, worn / poor performing tyres or damper adjustment. And to be honest I don't know who to turn to for best advice.

Any ideas what I should do to minimise any of these factors and narrow the culprit down?.... Without replacing every component for brand new

Matt

[Michael]

I've allways understood that increasing the tyre size one should also increase the pressure.

With wider tyres one should also check/optimize the toe-in and toe-out setup because handling can change dramatically.
The car will probably react much more on uneven patches on the road surface and on bumps etc.

Beware that with wider tyres the steer 'feel' also changes because the tyre & wheel combination weight probably is (much) higher. It will also have a negative effect on the wear of the whole wheel mount and steering system.

Last suggestion. A somewhat higher tyre pressure than stock advised won't harm. Apart from a little bit less comfortable ride the effect is normally positive. Less wear, more roadholding in corners and less fuel consumption.

M

[Michael]

There is also a definite reduction in handling performance but I can't narrow this down to incorrect tyre pressures, worn ball joint / bushes, worn / poor performing tyres or damper adjustment. And to be honest I don't know who to turn to for best advice.

Take the car to a good service staion with a damper testing device.
That you will learn a lot from that.

You might want to check my experiences via [url]http://members.chello.nl/c.werkman/[url]
look under upgrades[/url]

[GeoffSmith]

The standard pressures for the original-spec Michelin MXX's for the SE were 28.5 psi alll round. When Michelin stopped making the MXX's and Lotus OK'd the Pilots for the Elan, the pressures were altered to 30 psi all round.

My S2 handbook says 29 psi all round for Pilots.

[Dave Eds]

SE 26.5 all round NA 32 all round page 60 of handbook