Tire help needed

[darra]

First of all apologies to posting here if I have posted on wrong section, but I’m in dire need of new set of front tires for the touring wheels for my 05 Elise. I have read most of the articles and threads but only have ended up pulling more hairs out (and I’m completely bald now!). The wheels came stock with 175-55-16. But only Yokohama seems to make those. I have read that I can go to 195-45 or even 195-50 without any problems. I do not track and maybe once a week or month hit the mountains. Mostly street. Any HELP about tire sizes that would fit my touring wheels would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Green Ghost]

Get the 195-50

Also…calling Tim ….darra, you will understand soon

[chapster5]

Originally Posted by Green Ghost

Get the 195-50

Also…calling Tim ….darra, you will understand soon

Do you think Tim has already read this and is just holding back the almighty fury?

[fpitas]

darra,

What they're referring to is that there are no such thing as Touring wheels, or for that matter Touring suspension. You have Base suspension wheels. You can use a little wider tire than the 175, but the turn in may not be as crisp because of the narrow wheel.

[proskills]

I would highly recommend keeping the AD07 Yokohama tires on there. They are expensive and hard to find, but they are also the safest tires for this vehicle.

[Green Ghost]

How are the Yoko AD07s the safest tire for this vihicle?

I think they suck! And when you factor in the $ they suck more.

Get the tire that best suits your needs

Wow …still no Tim

[kestrel74]

This question has NEVER been asked before !!

[bobford]

I have been using the Yokohama tires for over 50K miles now, but the performance in cold, wet weather that we can have in New England makes me doubt their viability. I probably will switch to all season tires as a result.

[Thello]

AD 007's suck? What? Those things are a great balance of street and track ability. All seasons on a Lotus???

[darra]

Please stop the infighting and give me some pointers. Any recommendation of what brand or model. I live in southern CA so no snow and probably no rain either. My main concern is the 195/50 or 195/45 hitting or rubbing against the wells or any other dangerous downside (excessive stress on the parts). Has anyone tried the 195 size? ...and who and where is this Tim guy when you need him.

[joe13531]

I just installed 195/50 Falkens up front and have no rubbing issues on my stock 2005 Elise. /final correct answer.

Don't believe the hype... a good tire (tyre) is a good tire. As long as it's made correctly, running Yoko's is no safer than running good quality, similar tread Goodyear, Falken, Toyo, Pirelli, etc. Most consumers believe all that's fed to them by the manufacturer. I would lay all my voodoo on a customer too in order to feed on their fears if my company had a contract with X supplier (Lotus with Yokos). It makes perfect business sense!

[darra]

Thank you Joe (other people please see how nice Joe answers a simple question with simple answer on the first line). Many Bravos to you Joe and thank you . I have been reading this thread all day for that simple line on top of your response. Thank you.

(ps. whats the deal with yokos having deals for specific tires, be it lotus or nsx? )

[Aedo]

As Joe says - 195/50s fit the standard front rims (I have A048s on mine).

As for yoko being the only supplier for that size it is that Lotus worked with yokohama to develop tyres for the Elise (earlier models used bridgestone but that tyre is no longer available). No other manufacturer makes a tyre in that size because no other car uses it (combination of light weight but high performance requirements etc) and once the originals wear out most owners go up to the 195/50 so the market is very small.



PS: moved to correct forum too

[HEADHUD]

I went thru 2 sets of rear and 1 set of front stock Yokohamas in 30k miles. I searched many sites and looked for same height,same weight and tredwear(I wanted stickier!). I found Toyo R1R tires fit the bill. I was going to get 195/50 up front but the manager at Les Scwab( the only place I found in town that carried most in stock) talked me into 205/45/16 and I'm so glad I did, it balances out the handiling. No rubbing at all! In the back I put 235/40/17 and again no problems at all. I get alot of questions about them because of the differant tred design. Cost about $875.00, not run flats but the're very few out there. I've got about 9k miles on them with stock rims. Good Luck!

[chapster5]

Originally Posted by darra

and who and where is this Tim guy when you need him.

Actually... you might want to hope he doesnt see this thread, he will give you a hail of hell fire for saying touring wheels, then he might ONLY might help you.

Best he stays away if im honest

[Green Ghost]

Not trying to be mean here for I am trying to be helpful.

There’s a thread in here about every tire that fits on your car, read one of those, and post questions in one of those threads so as much info stays in one spot.

Go into the … Suspension (including wheels,tires,brakes)… and scroll down in till you find a tire thread.

There will be few of them and it will take some time to read through, but in the long run it will be better and faster.

[Green Ghost]

Any 195/50-16 will be fine, no rubbing or anything bad. I used the Toyo T1R on my base wheels when I had them (the base wheel that is) and I liked the T1Rs better then the Yoko AD07s.

I finally canned my base wheels (I have SP/TP wheels too) and using 205/50-16 front and 235/45-17 rear. I’m still using the Toyo T1Rs and like them for my needs.

[Tyger]

Originally Posted by bobford

I have been using the Yokohama tires for over 50K miles now, but the performance in cold, wet weather that we can have in New England makes me doubt their viability. I probably will switch to all season tires as a result.

I hope not the SAME set for all those miles!

[Bleu Omdurman]

Hi Darra, I hope you have found your answer. Welcome to the forum.

All that said, I thought you would like to know that what you read above is very far from infighting. We know each other very well (if only online) and tend to rib one another. Your question, being a very common one is pretty open for others to bring their opinion too. This topic, as discussed as it is, is one of those topics where there simply is no simple answer.

Everyone will give you an opinion. Procoach has a good point. Lotus put more time and effort into the tire selection, obviously with some encouragement from Yokohama, than any one of us is likely to ever do. So I second Procoach's opinion.

I wonder if you have checked out Tirerack.com or Treadzone.com (a sponsor here). I personally go to Treadzone for my tire needs first then tirerack second. You will find both sites informative but tirerack has a great deal more information to help you make a selection. Treadzone is a smaller company and you can call them directly and receive candid, professional advice.

You asked why Yoko has specific tires for the Elise and NSX. This is a common practice is many of the higher end sports cars. Lotus wanted a tire that (I'm speaking to my experience of 2 Lotus cars both with LSS suspension and wheels and thus AO48's) was stickier and lighter at a reasonable price point. They knew/know that people that buy these cars want a car that places performance over comfort at a reasonable price through a philosophy of Light weight. Thus the "LTS" designation on the AO48 in our sizes. These tires, if you look closely (AO48) have a higher traction rating and are slightly lighter than the AO48s without the "LTS" designation. This lower weight reduces unsprung rotational mass which is perhaps the most important weight to remove from a car when seeking performance.

So that post is probably a little long winded but I took the liberty, given your low post count, to assume you haven't been here too much. Hopefully that was a value add for you?

Best,

Trevor

[jpkeyzer]

Originally Posted by Bleu Omdurman

You asked why Yoko has specific tires for the Elise and NSX. This is a common practice is many of the higher end sports cars. Lotus wanted a tire that (I'm speaking to my experience of 2 Lotus cars both with LSS suspension and wheels and thus AO48's) was stickier and lighter at a reasonable price point. They knew/know that people that buy these cars want a car that places performance over comfort at a reasonable price through a philosophy of Light weight. Thus the "LTS" designation on the AO48 in our sizes. These tires, if you look closely (AO48) have a higher traction rating and are slightly lighter than the AO48s without the "LTS" designation. This lower weight reduces unsprung rotational mass which is perhaps the most important weight to remove from a car when seeking performance.

Trevor,

I have just noticed the "LTS" designation on my Yokohama AD07s.

However, I cannot find a specific reference to them at tirerack.com or yokohama.com!

Where can we get more "LTS" specific information?

How or where do you order replacements?