Tyre replacement for NCT's

[fenton]

Guess what? Only today have i been getting some quotes on tyres becuase i have a knackered rear tyre. which means i have one good one. the likely hood of finding another to match it,looks bleak from what iam reading. one did sell on ebay a month ago fo

[fenton]

to put the cat amongst the pidgeons. the tyre company who were getting a quote for me, have said that pirelli p7000's are no longer available and have been replaced with p6000's they also said that goodyears are actually rarer than finding hens teeth in rocking horse s##t on flying pigs.

before anybody else gets in there. yes i have realised it was supposed to be p6000's i was getting a price on anyway!!!!!!!! my minds not on the job at the moment.

[rydning]

I bought my Esprit in 2002 and it was NTC2 from 1988 up front and P6

from 1993 in the rear.The car had not been in use the last 6 years and the car terrible to drive.No balance in hard turns and was looking up the tires easily under braking.I was VERY dissepointed with the car and was thinking what the hec have I bought.

I did change to new tires and the car was perfect to drive and I was very happy after the disepointment earlier.

The old tires was like rock in the compound.With incredible bad grip.

My advice is to buy 4 tires of the same brand and type and as close and new production date as possible (its stamped in the side ex 2306= week 23 2006)

I feel the with of the tires is not that important.

I had Good year F1 195/60-15 and 225/60-15 with 220 in treadwear and it was realy good for driving on the road and for not perfect roadsurfaces.

I also feel that you need to get a soft compound because of the low weight on the esprit compare to what this tiredimention is prodused for.

(Normally 235/60-15 is used on cars with total weigth of 2800kg.Each tire have a load index to more than 700kg)

Go for a good brand and low treadwear below 180 to get good grip.

And its important to change all 4 tires at ones even if its a lot of tread left in the front tires to keep the good balance in the car.

Edited October 29, 2006 by rydning

[WayneB]

Found out about some tyres available today, which might be just the ticket if your looking for something that sticks like sh*t to a blanket

Hoosier make a DOT legal Road racing tyre (R3503 R6 compound) in sizes 205/50/ZR -15 and 245/50/ZR-15

These are the same sizes as the now defunct Dunlops I have on my car, the only drawback I can think of is they are probably pretty soft and wont last that long (in comparison with a harder compound street tyre) and they are not fully treaded for rain use.

They also do a A6 (softer compound intended for autocross use)

Tire Rack Hoosier R6

Edited October 29, 2006 by WayneB

[Jussi]

Those Hoosier tyres look pretty race B) But definitely not for rain.

Still hoping to find someday replacement for my back tyres (Michelin MXW 255/45/15). They aren't bad at the moment but someday I'll need new ones

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

WARNING: DOT labeled Hoosier Racing Tires meet Department of Transportation requirements for marking and performance only and are NOT INTENDED FOR HIGHWAY USE. It is unsafe to operate any Hoosier Racing Tire including DOT tires on public roads. The prohibited use of Hoosier Racing Tires on public roadways may result in loss of traction, unexpected loss of vehicle control, or sudden loss of tire pressure, resulting in a vehicle crash and possibly injury or death.

[WayneB]

Yes I saw that Fishy.

Safety First

Guess you wont be getting any of these tyres

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

Err ...guess I won't be getting arrested for having non-road legal tyres!

[Tony K]

I have a pair of Dunlop SP8000s (Z-rated) in 245/50/15 that I don't need. They look wicked cool and stick like flies to sh1t. 1/2 tread left, maybe slightly more. If anyone wants them, make me an offer, but not too much!

- T

[gghc87]

When I was at Stoneleigh last weekend got chatting to Dave ( dodgy154).

Dave mentioned he had changed his rear tyres to the new lotus recommended size. ie 225 60 15

He had fitted Goodyear F1 's so with his consent I took some pictures of his new tyres and some of my exsisting NCT's to try to see if there was any difference.

In th 1st picture I've joined the two photos in this picture. The pictures where taken from approx the same distance. The ride height on Daves car is lower than on mine.

The second picture I have merged the two pictures over each other to try to illustrate any difference in width.

The third pictures is the side view

Apart from the tread there seems to be no difference. What do you all think.

Cliff

[WayneB]

The tyres on Daves car look fractionally narrower , but not that you would really notice.

Measured them on my screen and got 39mm tread width for the NCT and 37mm for the F1.

Not that keen on the F1s tread design though, looks a bit out of period on a Giugiaro IMO (sorry Dave)

[dodgy]

no offence taken wayne

TBH, i thought that too, but i wanted GOODYEAR (sad i know )

if anyone notices, the suspension struts are equal (i take it you took it as a datum point Cliff ) but the exhaust 'holes' are in a different place. this, i would say is due to having the split rims compo's on - which also means different bushes, lower links, hubs, and trailing arms ect( real pain in butt )

nice pics Cliff B)

i got your pm

[edit] er it maybe just because Cliffs car is a genuine HC and has a modifiied rear valance

Edited November 14, 2006 by dodgy154

[Tony K]

For a more accurate comparison of size, just look up the specs for the tires -- diameter, circumference, revolutions per mile, tread width, section width, etc. Most tire web sites should have them.

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

"TYRE TREAD LOOKS OUT OF PERIOD"?!?!?!

Now I've heard it all!

Wayne - do you make sure to wear 80's shoes when driving it?!?!

Dave - how do you find the grip on those? How hard / on the limit do you drive it?

How about trailing throttle oversteer?

[WayneB]

I like those sneakers, where did you get them?

[emg456]

no offence taken wayne

TBH, i thought that too, but i wanted GOODYEAR (sad i know )

I've now decided against the Pirellis after what Mr Fish has said about them and a few other discussions I've had with non Lotus drivers. My local supplier tells me that the Dunlop SP Sport 01s are on back order at Dunlop and are not expected in until early next year so having had a look around at what was actually available, I was thinking that The Eagle F1s would probably be a good bet.

Do you have them on the front as well Dave? And how do you find them, especially in the wet? According to the Goodyear site they are made from a sticky compound - not great for wear but good in the wet.

And Wayne, the tread will just be a blur to those hapless drivers you've just overtaken!

Cheers

Ed

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

I like those sneakers, where did you get them?

1983!

[Backmarker]

I'm with Dodgy..............it's gotta read "Goodyear" on the side

Graham.

[dodgy]

driving in the WET i will get the car dirty

on the odd occasion (cant spell ) i have driven in the rain, i have taken it easy as i do not want to [edit- prang] those wheels - or the car for that matter

as for driving in the dry, i am not a mad-head like Fishy and only two weeks ago had the suspension sorted, so not had time to test the cornering around my test island yet

i wont be able to do that untill i have found out why my speedo has stopped working

Dazman3 has the F1's on the fronts if i recall, i havnt yet but will be soon.

Dodgy

oh TK, all we were pointing out was the visual differences between the 235 and 225.

some people are worried the tyres would look silly and thin, as you can see - they are OK

Edited November 14, 2006 by dodgy154

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

Double Ditto on the white Goodyear lettering!

(Is that 'period' enough for you Wayne?!?! )

[WayneB]

No its the wrong typeface!

Heres a pic of what the 245-50 15 Dunlops look like on my Esprit.

You should put some on the Delorean, it might help your off throttle oversteer problem.

Edited November 15, 2006 by WayneB

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

LOOK AT THAT SINGLE EXHAUST!!!

HA!

[Jussi]

Wrong

255/45/15 Michelin MXW's

....Fishy: One but BIG

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

Your exhaust is wrong too :P

Hahaha

[gghc87]

Wayne

Whats the open top car on the right?

Cliff