S3 Rear Tyres

[85S3NA]

As I prepare to tax the Esprit for the summer, I was thinking about changing the rear tyres - I currently have Goodyear NCT Eagles on the rears, correct 235/60/15's with about 4,000 miles under them - problem is the tyres are now 10 years old - I have recently read that it's a good idea to change tyres once they hit 10 years old as the tyre walls start to weaken.

This leads me to 2 questions :-

1 - Do you think I should change the tyres due to their age (they have about 95% of the tread left) ??

2 - What would anyone recommend replacing them with - I haven't seen any Goodyear NCT Eagles 235/60/15's for many years now - in fact, the only option I know of are Pirelli P600's 235/60/15's - are these the best option ?? - is it possible to fit wider tyres to the BBS 8J width wheels e.g. 240's/245's - does this allow any other options than the Pirelli P600's ??

Thanks in advance !

Jonathan 85S3NA

[dodgy154]

acording to lotus, they recomend pirelli p6000 225/60-15. check out the statement on lotusespritworld/models/turbo esprit. i have a similar problem in my goodyears are worn out! do not think the pirelli p600 are a suitable tread pattern. if any body else has tried them with no problem , can you let me know?
Dave

[watership down]

I have just ordered 2 245/50/15 Dunlop SP 8000s for the rear and 225/50/15 for the front, I will have them this week. I am in Canada.

[andrewp1989]

I have several sets of tires/wheels with various tire brands. The 15" F and R Sport 8000 tires are easily an 8 out of 10 in the dry. They do "hum" a bit on the highway.

The only better set of tires I have used in 15" size is the Goodrich ZR (I think it was ZR's) that came with the car from Uli Beri Motors (Toronto). Though it was not a stock Lotus set-up, those ZR's had utterly outstanding dry traction and were also more quiet than the Dunlops on the highway . . . but they wore out quickly.

AP

[anonymous-user]

400 miles a year? Sell the car, don't worry about the tyres! My Glacier blue 1985 S3 NA (bought new) was sold in 1994 due to lack of use once I dropped under 2,500 miles a year. However, one of its original rear Goodyear tyres has been hanging outside as a swing for the kids for the last 15 years. Totally exposed to the elements and neglected it still looks in fair condition at 20 years old. On the basis that your car is garaged the tyres should be in good enough shape for the occasional potter about. Different if you're pushing the Esprit to the limits which seems unlikely on that miniscule mileage. My recollection is it's a car which takes a fair amount of driving just to get to understand and enjoy.

What do I drive now? Corvette C5. One car you can use and enjoy is better than half a dozen parked in the garage. I've just ditched the standard Goodyear runflat tyres and am using Michelin Pilot Sports. Superb high performance tyre.

PS. Anyone know where my Esprit got to? Sold it via a trader up North. Registration number B614 OPJ at that time. The car's easily recognisable as I had it built by Lotus with the blue half-leather seats and centre armrest usually found in the Turbo. Still got a huge picture of it on the wall. One of the greats.

[85S3NA]

I know, my usage of the car has continually declined over the years - bought an Elise, then a Jeep, had a kid, bought an XJ8, just had another kid - so my opportunities to use both Lotus are few and far between at the moment.

That said, the Esprit is something I'll probably keep forever - just replaced all the hoses (oil, water, coolant, fuel), new triple cored radiator, new adjustable springs/dampers all round, new steering rack, new steering column etc - even though the car spends most of it's time in the garage, I still like to throw some money at maintaining it

Just had the Elise C-serviced, so that is ready for some summer use too

Next on the agenda was the Esprit's rear tyres.........

Jonathan 85S3NA

[85S3NA]

In anticipation of getting new rear tyres, I've bought two new BBS rear alloys - still in their original box, they look fantastic. That's the easy bit done.

Looking at the tyre manufactures web-pages, there appears to be a very limited range of tyres still made to the original 235/60/15 spec - in fact it looks like the Pirelli P600 is the only choice left.

Other possibles are as follows:-

* Mastercraft Avenger 245/60/15's
* Cooper Cobra Radial 245/60/15's
* Pirelli P7 225/60/15's
* Yokohama C-Drive 225/60/15's
* Yokohama A539 225/60/15's
* Goodyear Eagle F1 225/60/15's
* Bridgestone ER300 225/60/15's
* Dunlop Sport 01 225/60/15's
* Dunlop Sport 2000E 225/60/15's

That's pretty much it - don't like the 245 options as I've never heard of them, and didn't really want to downsize the rears to 225, so kind of stuck now.

I've heard of one or two people moving to lower profiles on the rear - e.g. 55's or 50's, in conjunction with wider 245's - does this combination work, and any adverse effects on the car / speedo etc ???

Jim (Lotusguy) - I vaguely recall something about you having 245/55/15 Dunlops on your Turbo Esprit - any feedback/advice you can give here ???

Thanks to anyone who can help advise me

Jonathan 85S3NA

[lotusguy]

85S3NA said:

"...I've heard of one or two people moving to lower profiles on the rear - e.g. 55's or 50's, in conjunction with wider 245's - does this combination work, and any adverse effects on the car / speedo etc ??? Jim (Lotusguy) - I vaguely recall something about you having 245/55/15 Dunlops on your Turbo Esprit - any feedback/advice you can give here ??? Thanks to anyone who can help advise me Jonathan 85S3NA

Jonathan,

Hi. I ran the Dunlop SP Sport 8000 tire on my former Esprit in 205/50ZR 15 (Fr) and 245/50ZR 15 (Rr).

The tire is great. Dry/Wet traction say, 8/10. The wider fronts reduced understeer significantly. The rears were near identical to stock due to the increased tread width (remember Sidewall height is a percentage of the tread width). Stock tire pressures were recommended by Dunlop and used. Noise level was very good and wear is consistent with such a high performance tire. The rears wear at a rate of 2:1 over the fronts.

The slightly reduced aspect ratio resulted in a minor speedo error, and a slightly reduced Top Speed. The stock rubber rolls 804 Rev./mi. while the '8000s rolled 840 Revs./mi.

All this having been said, using a ZR rated tire is really overkill. These Z rated tires provide for continuous or sustained running at +145MPH, something an Esprit does not do with any consistency (If you are, you're tracking the car and should be on DOT Race Rubber anyway).

Except for the DC Effect (Dick Contest), there's no reason not to switch to an H or Y rated tire, which can safely exceed 145MPH in short runs. These are cheaper, well within the operating range of an Esprit and will wear longer than any Z rated tire. You will have a greater selection available as well.

Remember, your tires should be changed every 5-6 years regardless of their mileage or remaining tread depth. Hardening of the rubber compounds over time reduces both the adhesion of the tire as well as it's heat management properties. This Aging begins as soon as the tire is manufactured. Buy the freshest tires you can find. In the US, by law, the date of manufacture is coded into the sidewall of the tire.
Happy Motoring! ...Jim'00 Boxster (Former '85 TE owner)

>> Edited by lotusguy on Saturday 4th June 22:53

[yardelli]

I've got an '87 G Turbo HC......
Gotta admit the cars been officially SORN for three years now but I've fortunately got a private road to my house to keep her turned over.......As a stickler for originallity - I've got an as new set of NCT's on the car in the correct VR format. I got the last rear from National Tyres that was publicly available in the supply chain a few years ago and all four are as new. DJ Dean stung me a few years ago for the other rear as he knew they were becoming impossible to find. I regularly treat them with a sidewall cleaner which keeps them lubricated. The cars only done about 300 miles in the last 4 years ?!!!
I know that Lotus on this site declared the Dunlop rears as suitable - I've seen the Pirellis on but they just don't not look right on the car. The reason I wanted to keep the Goodyears as long as poss. was the big fat sidewalls look sooooo right. V. bulbous and V.70's F1 style..........With my mileage - they should last as long as I keep the car (though I've had it 11 years already?!)

>> Edited by yardelli on Sunday 5th June 22:00

[lotusguy]

yardelli said:

"...As a stickler for originallity - I've got an as new set of NCT's on the car in the correct VR format. I got the last rear from National Tyres that was publicly available in the supply chain a few years ago and all four are as new... I regularly treat them with a sidewall cleaner which keeps them lubricated. The cars only done about 300 miles in the last 4 years ?!!! ... With my mileage - they should last as long as I keep the car (though I've had it 11 years already?!) >> Edited by yardelli on Sunday 5th June 22:00

Hi,

If you want to keep them for a museum display fine, but they are already unsafe at anything over 20MPH and 20 minutes+ of use. You cannot 'lubricate' them to slow the aging process. Not to mention that they are certainly starting to Dry Rot (A Fungus) inside. If you insist on keeping them, at least fill them with Nitrogen as this will inhibit the Dry Rot, but believe me they are unsafe to drive on. If you insist on using them on the street, you are not being a responsible driver. If you care nothing for your safety and your car, think of the others out there.
Happy Motoring! ...Jim'00 Boxster (former '85TE owner)

>> Edited by lotusguy on Tuesday 7th June 04:50

[watership down]

I will be putting new tires on the Esprit this weekend 245/50/15 on the rear and 225/50/15 on the front all Dunlop SP 8000s. I am removing Cooper Cobras from the rear 245/60/15s (they are almost new except 1 has been plugged from a puncture) If anyone is interested in them let me know.

[85S3NA]

Ivan -

Look forward to hearing how the new Dunlops are once fitted - particularly the 225/50/15's on the fronts - I know the original 7J BBS alloys will take 225's - do you anticipate any adverse effects from moving from standard 195's to 225's (e.g. increased wear on the steering rack) ???

Thanks
Jonathan 85S3NA