Discussion
Looking to replace worn out Yokohama AVS intermediates, size: fr 195/60-VR15 rr 235/60-VR15.
Anyone know of a set of the above listed tires for sale. Not looking to change rims at this point so please, info to posting only will be greatly appreciated. Other brands or higher speed rating okay as long as front and rear match. Car resides in U.S. kingdom of Texas.
Anyone know of a set of the above listed tires for sale. Not looking to change rims at this point so please, info to posting only will be greatly appreciated. Other brands or higher speed rating okay as long as front and rear match. Car resides in U.S. kingdom of Texas.
Yep, those are the correct sizes, (see model info section). Yokohama no longer makes the rear 235's or 245, (for which I have a rim), with matching speed rating. Checked Tire Rack, National Tire & Battery, and Discount Tire. Put in an info request at my local dealer and am now scouring the web sites to see if someone has a set of The Yoko's or comparable size tires laying around. I want to exhaust U.S. sources first, do not know if Euro spec tires will meet D.O.T. requirements. Do not want to run into any problems with state inspection.
Looking to replace worn out Yokohama AVS intermediates, size: fr 195/60-VR15 rr 235/60-VR15.
Anyone know of a set of the above listed tires for sale. Not looking to change rims at this point so please, info to posting only will be greatly appreciated. Other brands or higher speed rating okay as long as front and rear match. Car resides in U.S. kingdom of Texas.
Hi,
My '85 uses the exact same tire sizes and I ran into the same dillema last summer. My solution was to go to a Dunlop SP Sport 8000 tire. It's Z rated and an excellent tire, great traction wet/dry. I did have to lower the aspect ratio to 50 series and the rear is only available in 245, not 235. I also elected to go with 205's in the front to combat the inherent understeer of these cars, 195 is available. The final setup is fr- 205/50 ZR15 rr-245/50 ZR15. They are really great tires and I have had them on the freeway, the twistys and the track. Check them out. I know of a couple other Esprit owners who run them and love them too. Happy Motoring! Jim '85TE
I have an 88 esprit with the same size rims, and I now use fronts Pirelli 195 55r15 85v and rears Pirelli p600 235/60-R15 98w
I went with these so I could have the same maufature at all four corners.
The rear were the only thing I could find With a good rateing.
If you want to look for your tires go to this company.
www.tirerack.com/index.jsp
These tires were 200$ cheaper then the ones from American tires.
Guy
I went with these so I could have the same maufature at all four corners.
The rear were the only thing I could find With a good rateing.
If you want to look for your tires go to this company.
www.tirerack.com/index.jsp
These tires were 200$ cheaper then the ones from American tires.
Guy
Thanks to Mr. Lotusguy for all the help on and off the forum and Mr. Exotic for the back-up. Taking the route you have suggested saves me around $1500 and should get me by for a year or two till the next tire change. Don't know if the SP8000's will still be around then, but this gives me some time to save up for a new set of SP4 spec rims and the exotic rubber to go with them.
Question about the 89. Does it have Delco injection?
Does it have inboard or outboard rear brakes? I like the SP 9000, never tried the 8000 series. Ae you checking out prices on tirerack.com? Discount tire also will price match if you mention tirerack, they have mounting and balancing in the price of the tire.
Calvin
Does it have inboard or outboard rear brakes? I like the SP 9000, never tried the 8000 series. Ae you checking out prices on tirerack.com? Discount tire also will price match if you mention tirerack, they have mounting and balancing in the price of the tire.
Calvin
cnh1990 said: Question about the 89. Does it have Delco injection?
Does it have inboard or outboard rear brakes? I like the SP 9000, never tried the 8000 series. Ae you checking out prices on tirerack.com? Discount tire also will price match if you mention tirerack, they have mounting and balancing in the price of the tire.
Calvin
Calvin,
The Dunlop SP Sport 9000 is a great tire to be sure. But, it isn't available in the sizes required. It has a poor selection of 15" sizes, which don't work for an Esprit.
Aside from a more dramatic tread pattern, it doesn't differ significantly from the 8000, their stats are nearly identical. Happy Motoring! Jim '85TE
Calvin, to answer the rest of your question; the 89 has a delco system and outboard brakes. According to my mechanic, some of the 89's carried the Bosch system depending on what was available in the bins at time of construction. Lotus is famous for mixing year and english/american spec parts as needed. Tire rack was slightly cheaper than discount tires and if they match then it really makes no difference. And as lotusguy stated and which Tirerack confirmed, SP9000's are not available in 15" sizes to suit.
This what I did. I found my stock sizes in SP9000. First time I went to Tire rack. They were cheaper even including the UPS shipping. I did buy a set of fronts from them SP 9000 215/50/15 ZR. I had to find a local place to mount them at $20 or so per tire for mounting and balancing. What an ordeal. After that, not even 500 miles had past I picked up a screw too close to the side wall to fix. Since I drive very fast at times I'm not even sure I would fix it anyways. While at Discount tire I mentioned to the manager that I will be back in 3-4 days after I get the tire from the Tire Rack. He said I can do a price match and sharpened his pencil. He did get it where it was just 5-10 over the Tire Rack price and shipping. But since he threw in free mounting and balancing it came out cheaper. Well they screwed up the order and tire came in 7-8 days late after repeated calls. On the day I was to leave for north American LOG it arrived and the manager let me have the tire for $65 (half price) mounted and balanced as their way of saying sorry. Just my luck I did not order all 4 corners.
Calvin
Calvin
abrussich said: Thanks to Mr. Lotusguy for all the help on and off the forum and Mr. Exotic for the back-up. Taking the route you have suggested saves me around $1500 and should get me by for a year or two till the next tire change. Don't know if the SP8000's will still be around then, but this gives me some time to save up for a new set of SP4 spec rims and the exotic rubber to go with them.
Al,
Whether the SP Sport 8000 will be around in 2 years no one can say, but Yokohama has stated that they are working on a tire to fill the void of the AVS Intermediate in the next year or so, so there is sure to be an adequate tire available. I do think you'll like the Dunlops a little better than the Yoko's your replacing now though. The Yoko is a great tire, but the Dunlop 8000 is a sleeper, it's gaining converts every day. Happy Motoring! Jim'85TE
espritnutdean said: I have a set of Yoko intermediates off my 88, front and rear. They have less than 2k on them, all 4 look brand new. If you are interested, e-mal me.
Cheers,
Dino
Dino,
How old are the tires and have they been unmounted? If so, for how long?
I'm not trying to mess you up here, but, the main problem with tires on an Esprit, especially if it is not a daily driver is dry rot and drying out. Unless you are racking up 5k mi. annually, you will almost always need to change tires long before the tread actually wears out.
Five years is about the maximum length of time that you want the same set of tires(I don't go over 4 years myself, but I do occasionally track the car). You can extend this time by possibly 2-3 years if you fill the tires with Nitrogen. This is an old trick used by many Auto Museums to preserve vintage tires. It's really not worth the trouble to get a bottle of Nitrogen from your welder's supply, but it can be done.
Once the tires start to dry out, they become less flexible, providing much less grip and water chanelling ability. They are also much less efficient at shedding heat, so, under spirited driving, are real candidates for heat failure, delamination or blowout. And you should see the damage a shredded tire can do to an Esprit quarter panel or front fender - not pretty!
If you insist on driving your tires until they are 'used up', you are tempting fate, and that of others. Be sure to inspect the sidewalls of tires over 3 years old carefully for signs of minute cracking on the sidewall, this is a sure sign that the tires are becoming unsafe and need replacement. Happy Motoring! Jim '85TE
>> Edited by lotusguy on Friday 31st January 05:02
Dean,
I don't think that comment was specifically directed to you even if it contained the word "you". Jim and I in the past have had some conversation on this very matter, how alarmed I was, and how quickly I moved to replace the tire. When I bought my car years ago it was a really low mileage car with the original Eagle tires. The tires looked fine when I bought it, but after the 2K mile trip home and a few high speed runs the tire cracks came on rather suddenly, probably from the heat and flex generated from the demands of the way I drive. I had lots of tread left. I changed my tire immediately. I do a thourgh pre-check my car before and after a drive more than the usual driver, it is the same ritual many do before and after tracking a car. So I did catch it before anything bad did happen. The thought of the tire coming apart at 150 mph gives me a chill up the spine
Jim is a good Lotus resource.
You are probably a good guy too.
You can question the accuracy of anyones post or ask for a clarification. But even in a heated discussion we must never slam one another or flame each other. We may flame non believers or others from time to time. But we are fellow owners, we need each other, and we help each other when assistance is asked for. If you ever had a mishap in my area with your Lotus, I am listed on the Lotus travelers assistance. I would drive for hours to render assistance and help faciltate repairs for a fellow owner as I'm sure Jim would too.
Calvin 90 SE
>> Edited by cnh1990 on Sunday 2nd February 03:43
I don't think that comment was specifically directed to you even if it contained the word "you". Jim and I in the past have had some conversation on this very matter, how alarmed I was, and how quickly I moved to replace the tire. When I bought my car years ago it was a really low mileage car with the original Eagle tires. The tires looked fine when I bought it, but after the 2K mile trip home and a few high speed runs the tire cracks came on rather suddenly, probably from the heat and flex generated from the demands of the way I drive. I had lots of tread left. I changed my tire immediately. I do a thourgh pre-check my car before and after a drive more than the usual driver, it is the same ritual many do before and after tracking a car. So I did catch it before anything bad did happen. The thought of the tire coming apart at 150 mph gives me a chill up the spine
Jim is a good Lotus resource.
You are probably a good guy too.
You can question the accuracy of anyones post or ask for a clarification. But even in a heated discussion we must never slam one another or flame each other. We may flame non believers or others from time to time. But we are fellow owners, we need each other, and we help each other when assistance is asked for. If you ever had a mishap in my area with your Lotus, I am listed on the Lotus travelers assistance. I would drive for hours to render assistance and help faciltate repairs for a fellow owner as I'm sure Jim would too.
Calvin 90 SE
>> Edited by cnh1990 on Sunday 2nd February 03:43
espritnutdean said: Lotusguy,
What in my post made you reply "If you insist on driving until your tires are used up, then you are tempting fate of you and others?" and I believe I stated "all 4 tires are like new" not "all 4 tires like new w/ dry rot and cracks" just imagine how much more free time you would have on your hands if you didn't post your 2 cents where they weren't needed.
Dean,
I am merely pointing out the very real safety concerns with running on bad tires, especially for a car which has the potential of the Esprit.
Most tires have a life of 3-5 years regardless of the mileage they have been through. After that, they become unsafe, especially when pushed to their limits. Since this is likely to happen in an Esprit, you will almost always replace the tires more due to age than worn tread, if you overlook this, you are operating with an 'iffy' tire at best and an unsafe one at worst, which I suspect you weren't aware of. If that's a chance you want to take, fine by me, especially since I'm not likely to be in your vicinity if trouble does happen.
As far as my posting my $0.02, if you don't fancy it, there is always the delete key. You won't be breaking my heart either way. Happy Motoring! Jim '85TE
>> Edited by lotusguy on Sunday 2nd February 07:54
Yip, I certainly need you guys, think you guys are amazing replying to a lot of the questions. Well I really appreciate it anyway. 
Getting back to tires, I think I need to change my tires too I believe they are four years plus old and almost worn to the wear line. Have checked for cracks, they still look great. We are heading to the race track soon so should take your advice and put some nice grippy ones on. (I do plan on doing a few skids)
I have Bridgestone Potenzas 245/60-16 on the rear and 225/50-15 on the front.
What do you guys recommend for every other day use and joy riding around race tracks?
Getting back to tires, I think I need to change my tires too I believe they are four years plus old and almost worn to the wear line. Have checked for cracks, they still look great. We are heading to the race track soon so should take your advice and put some nice grippy ones on. (I do plan on doing a few skids)
I have Bridgestone Potenzas 245/60-16 on the rear and 225/50-15 on the front.
What do you guys recommend for every other day use and joy riding around race tracks?
kylie said: Yip, I certainly need you guys, think you guys are amazing replying to a lot of the questions. Well I really appreciate it anyway.
Getting back to tires, I think I need to change my tires too I believe they are four years plus old and almost worn to the wear line. Have checked for cracks, they still look great. We are heading to the race track soon so should take your advice and put some nice grippy ones on. (I do plan on doing a few skids)
I have Bridgestone Potenzas 245/60-16 on the rear and 225/50-15 on the front.
What do you guys recommend for every other day use and joy riding around race tracks?
Kylie,
The Dunlop SP Sport 9000 and the Michelin Pilot are two of the more popular brands for your model Esprit. Don't know what your choices are in NZ though.
One note, if tracking the car, tire pressures should be increased to 30/35 PSI, it's detailed in your Owner's Manual. Happy Motoring! Jim'85
espritnutdean said: My apologies lotusguy, It was your statement of insisting on driving the tires off my esprit at the risk of others that ruffled my feathers. You guys are a great help here, we all need esprit buddies.
Happy Boosting
Dino
Dino,
No apology necessary...it's all good! Happy Motoring! Jim '85TE
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