Lotus Elan Central

by **chris.t** » Wed 19.04.2006, 20:58

Stevo, 2h 11mins on autoroute but that is always a bit pedestrian. Looks a great bit of road though. Can you do a video of the run - get a friend to do it from a helicopter would be good while you drive it

by **stevo** » Thu 20.04.2006, 11:02

the road is good from arrochar to lochgilphead but even better if you keep going to campbeltown. nice distillary there too, i feel a run coming on.
yes would be good to film too, its mostly 3rd and 4th gear bends twisting throught the forests and round the lochs all about 60-110mph. the mid range torque from the stiffy makes over taking very easy and the noise reverberating(sp?) off the side of the other cars as i pass them is pant wetting good fun. scares the s**t out of people though. :twisted:

by **stevo** » Sun 14.05.2006, 22:01

the paradas are good. :-D

can anyone help me find a set of locking wheels bolts fast?

by **Monty** » Sun 04.06.2006, 20:13

Stevo,

How are u getting on with the Paradas? as i`ve worn the Toyos T1-S out on the front in 15 months less that 5000 miles :shock:

+ they were worn more on the outter edge (still need to get wheel alignment sorted) so need to replace ASAP

by **stevo** » Mon 10.07.2006, 22:43

the paradas are s**t hot. i have so much more grip in the dry that it loosend my rear wheel brg's.

happy bunny

they work well in the wet too but most impressive is the grip off the line in the dry. :twisted:

they seem to be wearing well too :burnout:

by **s5tuart** » Sat 22.07.2006, 17:12

Just to say that have recently put Toyo T1-R tyres all round on my S2.
Best thing I ever did and only £65 each!
For the technical out there the tyres use 2 types of compound. Squidgy in the centre and fairly hard on the outer bands. This helps avoid "tram-lining" and steering precision.
The tryes are quiet, have good wear characterictics and above all really perform on all surfaces and in all weathers. They are SO predictable unlike the previous Michelin Pilots! Urgh!
Run them all at 29 psi for good all round; try taking them up a couple of pounds if you are really pushing things.
No I don't work for Toyo!

by **John_W** » Sat 22.07.2006, 19:01

It's probably worth pointing out this thread about Toyo T1-R tyres. Seems not all are convinced of their merits.

John

by **Paul.P** » Sat 22.07.2006, 20:42

Really strange how different tyres seem to suit some, but not others. I really liked the Michelin Pilots & know Stef does to. I am running Goodyear F1's now, & whilst good, i dont think there as good as the Michelins !

by **s5tuart** » Sun 23.07.2006, 09:17

I agree. It is strange how different tyres suit different people.
I found the Pilots too prone to wild understeer. I thought they were much too hard a compound for the nimble little Lotus.
Like others I did like the Goodyears but found they tram-lined a lot and tended to squeal out their disapproval at my "exuberant" cornering, whatever I did to the pressures. I also found them fairly predictable until close to breakaway limits then they seemed to just "give up" and let go. Eeeek!
Maybe it's my driving!?! Ha ha!
Toyos for me every time. They make me look as though I know EXACTLY what I'm doing! :burnout:

by **stevo** » Mon 24.07.2006, 11:51

in the last 4 years i have ran eagle f1's, toyo t1-s, yoko a539's and now the paradas. i think they were all good in different areas but the parada is in another league.

by **Stef** » Wed 26.07.2006, 17:43

Well I am wandering into this nasty area of tyre decision again too.

The T1 S's were great! The T1R's I found made me wobble like I was driving on jelly. After a bit of wear, a track day and swopping them to the front they seemed fine. However, a year and a half later I am needing to replace them. Guess I have done arund 25k.

The S version lasted longer and IMO looked better.

I will consider getting the R's as a pair, wearing them in on the front, swopping them to the back and then getting a second pair but would like t consider other options.

For my driving I need a tyre for all weather conditions and that has a good life span. All these fancy soft compound thingies are no good for me, I don't want to be changing my tyres every 6-12 months!

What reasonably priced options 15 inch would fall into my specification?

All 4 are thin now and will last for the Ring but no longer!

by **Paul.P** » Wed 26.07.2006, 20:37

Stef wrote:All 4 are thin now and will last for the Ring but no longer!

Bloody thin, last time i looked !

by **s5tuart** » Thu 27.07.2006, 08:06

I had a little bit of steering "wobble" just before my last service. (One of those things you put off on a daily basis hoping the next wheel balance will cure it!)
Worryingly the garage found there was a bolt missing from the steering linkage and others were loose. (Don't ask me which ones, I'm not a mechanic) That required a change of underwear!!
Maybe that is well worth checking?
If you need to know which bolts, give John at Allon White Sports Cars a ring and ask about Stuart's Elan; I'm sure they would help you.
Despite all the negatives posted I still feel the T-1R to be the best all-rounder I have experienced. I have a colleague with a Subaru who also shares this opinion.
Finally I find the Elan doesn't take a mix of tyres too comfortably.
If I was "with funds" I would always put 4 of anything on.

by **ailwyn** » Thu 27.07.2006, 14:00

I've put 4 T1-Rs on my Accord and find them great, I have far more faith in them that the tyres on there before (IIRC Pirellis).

The Elan is due for a new set, so I'll be going for the T1-Rs all round.

Ailwyn

by **Costas** » Sat 29.07.2006, 20:23

stevo wrote:the paradas are s**t hot. i have so much more grip in the dry that it loosend my rear wheel brg's. happy bunny they work well in the wet too but most impressive is the grip off the line in the dry.
they seem to be wearing well too

Told ya

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