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6,648 Posts
Bought my Europa last summer, came with the mini lite knock offs you see in the pic. Europas DO look very good with mini lites, but I also like the original Lotus alloys. My car came with its original 5 wheels, but they were in sorry shape.
Had them refinished over the winter. Tire choices in original size are slim these days, so I went with 185/70/13 Kumho Solus. Not exactly sticky, but they are not bad, either. Hey, I'm not autocrossing the car.
The 'minilites' are shod with 195/60/13's up front, 205/60/13's in the rear. BF Goodrich TA Radials. Not exactly sports car tires either. They look aggressive on the car, and the big tires on the rear look good. But all that is too much tire for the car.
Anxious to get the originals back on, which I did over the weekend. First chance to actually drive it was when I got home tonight. Putting the original sizes Chapman intended back on the car (well, the original was 175's up front) really transformed the car. It drives like it should, and it's actually quicker with less unsprung weight and less massive wheels and tires to turn in the rear.
Looks may be a matter of taste, but I truly like the looks of the originals over the mini lites. Federal Europa noses ride a bit high from the factory to meet period bumper height requirments. The PO raised the nose with adjustable shocks even higher so the much fatter tires wouldn't rub.
I was going to lower the nose when I put the new tires/wheels on, but they have a higher aspect ratio and actually stand just under an inch taller, filling out the front wheel well much better.
Had them refinished over the winter. Tire choices in original size are slim these days, so I went with 185/70/13 Kumho Solus. Not exactly sticky, but they are not bad, either. Hey, I'm not autocrossing the car.
The 'minilites' are shod with 195/60/13's up front, 205/60/13's in the rear. BF Goodrich TA Radials. Not exactly sports car tires either. They look aggressive on the car, and the big tires on the rear look good. But all that is too much tire for the car.
Anxious to get the originals back on, which I did over the weekend. First chance to actually drive it was when I got home tonight. Putting the original sizes Chapman intended back on the car (well, the original was 175's up front) really transformed the car. It drives like it should, and it's actually quicker with less unsprung weight and less massive wheels and tires to turn in the rear.
Looks may be a matter of taste, but I truly like the looks of the originals over the mini lites. Federal Europa noses ride a bit high from the factory to meet period bumper height requirments. The PO raised the nose with adjustable shocks even higher so the much fatter tires wouldn't rub.
I was going to lower the nose when I put the new tires/wheels on, but they have a higher aspect ratio and actually stand just under an inch taller, filling out the front wheel well much better.
