SE Tyres Again...

[Scotty2]

I am trying to find a set of tyres for my 89 SE and have not been able to find the std size from one manufacturer. The P6000s in the Lotus test (06) don't seem available anymore. What is the current recomendation?

215-50-15 Fronts

245-50-16 Rears

Optins and opinions please.

Scotty.

[benjamincalleja]

Pirelli P6000 fronts, Pirelli P600 rears. (same sizes as above) the P600 was a range topping gobsmacking tire when released in the mid 90s. whilst internal tire technology has advanced in the past 15 years it is fundamentally strong enough for the job and is properly speed rated for the esprit so a good buy. The P6000 is a much newer tire from pirelli with a different rubber forumla, from what i understand its actually somewhat gripper than the P600 so the net effect is a slight reduction in the SE understeer characteristics, which is a good thing!

[Scotty2]

I wonder if they are still available in the UK?

Ah not according to the Pirelli website...

Edited June 9, 2012 by Scotty2

[Mark Blanchard]

I don't think Pirelli make those tyres sizes anymore. Kumho have starting making that size again (they went bust last year) and Nexen also make that size, though they are budget tyres. You can still get 245/50/ZR16 Goodyears off ebay from time to time, unused and more commonly part worn. I've recently bought a full set of spare Goodyear Eagles off ebay.

Good luck.

[Scotty2]

Bit more searching shows:

Dunlop SP 9000 on the front and Kumho Ecsta on the rear. Anyone see a problem with this mix?

The only other front I have found was a Toyo Trackday tyre.

[fjmuurling]

I have the SP 9000 on there front and the Kumho Ecsta on the rear without any problems.

[Scotty2]

Ordered the above today from Camskill £126 for the Dunlops and £90 for the Kumho.

[lotusesprit1]

Can anyone see a problem putting 205 50 or 55 15 kumo's on the front?

Then I can have the same compound and tyre make all round.

will the 5mm height difference and a 10mm width difference alter the handling?

[benjamincalleja]

i am mainly concerned with width differences as this affects understeer oversteer. height differences will affect speedo readings and to a small degree the ride, given the suspension is set for tires of a certain height. I would rather have mismatched tires that are correct sizes to be honest, so long as they are in axel sets.

[martynv]

I've got Dunlop SP 9000's all round on mine

Front: Dunlop SP SPORT 9000 215/50 R15 ZR

Rear: Dunlop SP SPORT 9000 235/50 ZR16

They seem to work fine even though the rears are 10mm narower. So well infact we managed 90mph+ in the pouring rain at Castle Combe on the parade lap the year before last. The tyres came from Mytyres.co.uk and seem to still be available.

[Mike6]

Just in time as I need to replace my tyres but so far as I can see the only option is Dunlop SP9000 for the 215-50-15 which are really expensive if you only do limited low speed mileage. I see from above that 205-50-15 might be a possibility and there is a much larger choice of tyres.

But can anyone confirm that 205 rather than 215 will fit the rim and run ok.

Just spotted attached on LotusWorld so guess the 205-15-50 set up is ok but has anyone actually tried this

Tyres for the SE's

June 2010

Q: Just checking about the recommended tyres for the SE alloys, the Pirelli P6000 is no longer manufactured in the 245/50/16 size.. what does lotus recommend these days for the front and rear? I live in australia and will need to import tyres here, i cannot get the dunlop sport 9000s in the 215/50/15 in this country.

A: Lotus are constantly being asked about Esprit Tyres by Owners & Dealers / Specialists. The main question concerns the Front Tyre 215/50 x 15. (Esprit and Excel). This Tyre is now a Non Preferred Size for the Main Tyre Manufacturers so availability in the required speed rating is getting extremely difficult to source. We did start looking into alternatives. The only real option is to go to 205/50 x 15.

Anything wider than the original 215 fouls the Wheelarch on full lock. Lotus Aftersales terminated the work so no approved recommendation is available. The Rear 245/50 x 16 size is still available from some manufacturers but we have never tested any alternative tyres. A possibility is 245/45 x 16 which will give a slightly higher Speedo reading ( + 3.8%). We know some owners are running this combination.

[lotusesprit1]

In the end I went for w (also ZR) rated kumos on the front interestingly there is very little size difference when compared side by side with the the 20 year old original tyres (much less than the expected 10mm) the compound seems ok and they fit fine I have other suspension issues but stopping and ride seem fine.

[Andy Esprit SE]

This is interesting for me, I've bought an 89 SE that still has good year tyres on it, there's lots of tread on them but I'm conscious how old they could be?

I don't drive daft enough to be too worried about tyre performance but I considered picking up a set of later S4 17 inch wheels for general use and pop the 16's back on if I go to evens where being original is preferred?? I know you have to have the 17's machined in the centres but think they look quite nice. What's everyone else's verdict on the later wheels on the SE?

[Mike6]

Not sure about that one Andy but after much shopping around used etyres for 205-50-15 to replace the original 215-50-15 and they managed to get 245-50-16. All tyres are made by Nexen and looked pretty good. All four for a shade over £300 fitted at home. Excellent service from etyres - the fitter said the ones he replaced were manufactured in the mid 1990s!!

[russellbosier]

I did exactly what you are condisering as the 17s are much easier to source. Machine out the 17 fronts, not the hubs, means you can switch back to originals. My main problem was finding somewhere that would/could machine them.

Remember they are hub centric so need to be accurately machined - I did about 0.1mm oversize and that was perfect.

Edited December 6, 2012 by russellbosier

[benjamincalleja]

I don't think they are hub centric to be honest...