tarnish1

Thanks for the comments guys. I still have the original speedlines fully reconditioned with near new tyres fitted safely stashed away in the corner of the garage. Ive already bought the paint to do the window frames etc but havent got down to it yet. The wheels are by ROH and are a nice product. They were very slow to deliver though (about 9 months from order placement). Widths are: Rear 10" with -15 offset, Front 8" with about a +20 offset. Tyres Yokohama S drive 255 x 40 by 17 rear and 215 X 40 by 17 front, No rubbing and the ride is smooth with no evidence of harshness issues. (the measurements are from memory and if anyone wishes the confirmed values i will look them up).

Just a few images of the new wheels, They finally arrived last week.

Hi Mat, While it may be argued that the larger wheels will impart more load to the suspension, In reality the tyres are only one inch wider than the ones being used now (225 X 60/14) The size which I intend to use is 255 X 40/17 isnt to much larger in fact. If I was wheelspinning and such regularly then perhaps it may have some what more of an impact. Nevertheless it will certainly be worth watching to see if any adverse effects show up.

They are exactly the same colour and polished outer as the ones I have ordered, The rear rims on this "Z" car are 17 x 9 1/2" with a -19 offset I think mine ended up being 10" with a -15 offset the fronts are obviously a deep offset while mine ended up being about 17 x 8" wide with about a +25 offset. In essence the rears will have the same dish and extend slightly more inboard, while the fronts will still have some dish due to the style of centre while having less than the car pictured. Incidently that picture is the one that finally convinced me to buy these wheels.

Hi Guys, Simmons have as you say stopped production, and the only other locally manufactured wheels are the ROH venturo 3 piece wheels. I have since measured the car and ordered the wheels but there is significant lead time for delivery. so well see them around September probably. I ended up going for 8" wide fronts and 10" wide rears both 17" ( listen to the howls from the purists!) Phil.

Hi, I just installed the relay system outlined above in my S2.2 and the results were certainly impressive, at least doubling the operating speed of the windows. top marks to whoever came up with the circuit diagram and was thoughtfull enough to post it. Thanks!

Thanks for the input guys, The fact is, I like the standard wheels and have just managed to get new tyres fitted. but having gone through an extended process doing this, I decided that Id like to have the ability to choose some good tyres with the same brand front and rear. Ive seen photos of early Esprits with 17" rims and tyres and like the look of them. (Andy Hill and Paul Wendling) It also allows me to store the original wheels and tyres in case I ever decide to sell my car or fancy the original look. I also posed the question to see if anyone had had any dealings with the companies mentioned hopefully to get some positive feed back reputation wise since the distances involved make it difficult to send things back to the manufacturer for rectification should they not be correct.

G'day Guys, just a quick update on the engine rebuild, The engine runs exceptionally well with lots of torque, at first the accelerator pumps were set way to rich and I ended up winding the nuts almost to the end of the thread (5mm) which improved things lots. The cars covered about 1800km since the rebuild and puts out lots of power,( even with the slightly restricted rev limits) regarding the piston clearances, the forged CP pistons exhibit no slap even when the car is started from cold and rev freely with no sign of raised temperature at all. The SJ tubular manifold seems to work well allbeit a bit loud with the new muffler. I have revved the engine under acceleration up to 6000 rpm a few times (its hard not to get to carried away) and as I said the power is impressive it was worth fitting the oversize stainless valves. It may be my imagination but balancing of the pistons and rods seems to have payed off too, the car is very smooth even at at idle when you can hardly feel it running at traffic lights. Altogether Im really happy with the result and wouldnt hesitate to reccomend the components used in the rebuild.

Hi all, Im looking at fitting some aftermarket wheels to my S2.2 and wondered if any one has any experience with the Superlite 3 piece wheels (http://www.superlite-wheels.com/wheels/large/17.jpg) or as option the Image wheels (http://www.imagewheels.co.uk/wheels/large%20cast/bps_silver_18inch.jpg) The move is partly to accomodate the newer tyre sizes and also to improve the look of the car generally. I looked at the spacer system and while it is attractive, not many places in Oz sell staggered wheel sizes. Im guessing a few of you have covered this issue at some time and I would be grateful for any input.

Hi everyone, Does anyone have pictures or information on the rear engine stay sometimes talked about,Im in the process of fitting one on my car and an interested in seeing what anyone else has come up with, in particular where the end points attach to the bell housing and chassis. Thanks

Hi Buddsy, While the clearances are tighter than normal lotus recomend, I did check with the manufacturer instructions and they stated 0.0025" . An interesting aside, each piston weighed 94grams less than the original cast type and was a fantastic piece of kit. when placed in the bore after honing without rings, while the skirts had the stated clearance at the tightest point the ovality and taper of the piston was quite a bit more obvious than the standard type. Some thing was also mentioned about Hypereutectic alloy and silicon content. Phil.

Hi all, just to put forward another experience for future reference: Im just finishing a rebuild of my 1981 S2.2 after deciding it was a little to tired to go on as it was. I decided to go for the .030" oversize forged piston route ( from the Jensen Healey Preservation Society Shop) I set up the CNC mill at work with a jig and torque plate and bored the old liners within .003" of size, Then using a micrometer adjusting hone ( not the spring loaded type)honed to finshed size, then ran the 400 grit ball hone through to plateau the bore finish. This all went well and the interesting thing is that the recommended piston/bore clearance for the CP Pistons was 0.0025" ( I called and confirmed this) all to do with the new alloys and cam machining of the pistons apparently. Any way Ill be in a better position to give feed back soon since its almost ready to go. The honing process isnt to bad if research is carried out and measurements are taken at regular intervals. Phil 1981 Esprit 2.2

Hi, Please add me to the map, 1981 S2.2 Perth WA. Thanks Phil Hartley

Hi all, Tarnish1 (Phil Hartley) Perth, Western Australia. 1981 S2.2 CHassis # SCCCB22A0AHD Engine # CD912800218010 Red 100000KM Thanks Phil.