Tyres for Elise SC - road use only

[herebebeasties]

Recently fitted V105s all around to my Elise SC (2ZZ, standard twelve spoke SC wheels).

Old tyres were AD07s which were pretty ancient and rears fairly worn, so not at all comparable back-to-back obviously.

I am not a tire-testing god, but there is only marginal difference vs. how I remember it on new AD07s.

There might be a fraction more squidge, making the secondary ride quality better. Turn-in seems just as good. Stopping power perhaps a little better than I remember new AD07s in the wet, but not night-and-day. Front end grip is a bit better, doesn't push on as much. Wider tyres up front, though, so hardly surprising. Doesn't seem to make the handling any less forgiving, though. Am perfectly happy with the choice.

Am running very slightly lower than Lotus-recommended pressures all round, made it all feel much more planted.

[aea730]

herebebeasties said:

Recently fitted V105s all around to my Elise SC (2ZZ, standard twelve spoke SC wheels).

Old tyres were AD07s which were pretty ancient and rears fairly worn, so not at all comparable back-to-back obviously.

I am not a tire-testing god, but there is only marginal difference vs. how I remember it on new AD07s.

There might be a fraction more squidge, making the secondary ride quality better. Turn-in seems just as good. Stopping power perhaps a little better than I remember new AD07s in the wet, but not night-and-day. Front end grip is a bit better, doesn't push on as much. Wider tyres up front, though, so hardly surprising. Doesn't seem to make the handling any less forgiving, though. Am perfectly happy with the choice.

Am running very slightly lower than Lotus-recommended pressures all round, made it all feel much more planted.

Thanks for resurrecting the thread. I still haven’t got round to doing anything with mine. What I’ve owned my SC from new so it’s 12 yrs old and about 12k miles on the originals. I think I’ve probably only done 200 miles since I posted the thread so not really felt the need to spend

[herebebeasties]

I hate to come across all preachy, but if you're on 12 year old tyres then you'll really struggle to stop it in a hurry, especially if it's a bit cold.

I find that an Elise on cold tyres isn't great at getting enough weight transfer to the front wheels to brake well at the best of times, but on twelve year old rubber it really will be really pretty marginal. I would put some fresh rubber on it, personally. My "pretty ancient" AD07s were seven years old and the new rubber is absolutely night-and-day.

Even if you don't think you are concerned then I would strongly advise you to go do an emergency stop in your daily driver, then go and do one in your Elise back-to-back. You will almost certainly decide some fresh rubber is in order if you do. £450 isn't worth not being able to stop decently IMO.

[nathaniel.read]

Hi all. I'm having even more trouble finding the right tyres for my S1, which has OE 15 inch rims at the front and 16 at the back. The 15s really limit the choice. Current tyres are 195/50R15 and 225/45R16, ancient Neova Advan LTS that need to go. I would normally go with whatever Lotus suggests but Yoko v105s aren't available in 15 inch. Current options based on what's available seem to be:
- Avon ZV7 in identical sizes to my current old Yokos. Reviews seem ok.
- Yoko Fleva v701 which for the rear means either 215 or 225 reinforced. Would it be weird to have XL tyres at the back but not the front? If so I guess 215 it is. I presume the rims can take that width.
- Pilot Sport 3 which also means 205 at the rear. Would 195 at the front but 205 at the rear upset the balance?

Yoko AD08RS was suggested by a Lotus dealership to me but has pretty negative reviews and doesn't seem right for what I want, which is a road-only tyre.

Edited by nathaniel.read on Thursday 19th October 16:28

[otolith]

nathaniel.read said:

Yoko AD08RS was suggested by a Lotus dealership to me but has pretty negative reviews and doesn't seem right for what I want, which is a road-only tyre.

I have used them and their predecessors on my S2 for years. I have no issues with them. The negative reviews were generally people comparing them to the previous iteration of the AD08 and finding them a bit less capable on track.

[itcaptainslow]

otolith said:

nathaniel.read said:

Yoko AD08RS was suggested by a Lotus dealership to me but has pretty negative reviews and doesn't seem right for what I want, which is a road-only tyre.

I have used them and their predecessors on my S2 for years. I have no issues with them. The negative reviews were generally people comparing them to the previous iteration of the AD08 and finding them a bit less capable on track.

I’d say as a road only tyre they’re decent - I’m very happy with them on my S3, which is predominantly road used.

[nathaniel.read]

Very useful input guys, thanks. I think I was also partly put off by the name of the tyre as it appears on blackcircles, which is: "Yokohama Advan Neova AD08RS (Designed for Track Days)", whereas I have no plans to track it. Perhaps I dismissed it too quickly based on that, and reviews by disappointed former users of AD08R.

[otolith]

Yeah, I'd say they are more of a road tyre which works on track than a track tyre which is legal on the road - somewhere closer to a normal road tyre than something like this;

[nathaniel.read]

itcaptainslow said:

I’d say as a road only tyre they’re decent - I’m very happy with them on my S3, which is predominantly road used.

Very reassuring, thanks. Is there any noticeable difficulty in getting/keeping them warm enough on the road to get the level of grip you want? I saw a comment related to that somewhere else, can't find it now.

[itcaptainslow]

nathaniel.read said:

itcaptainslow said:

I’d say as a road only tyre they’re decent - I’m very happy with them on my S3, which is predominantly road used.

Very reassuring, thanks. Is there any noticeable difficulty in getting/keeping them warm enough on the road to get the level of grip you want? I saw a comment related to that somewhere else, can't find it now.

They do undoubtedly perform better with a bit of heat in them, but they’re progressive and not dangerously “ungrippy” when cold. All part of the character of the car!

[otolith]

nathaniel.read said:

Very reassuring, thanks. Is there any noticeable difficulty in getting/keeping them warm enough on the road to get the level of grip you want? I saw a comment related to that somewhere else, can't find it now.

They are less grippy when cold, but they’re not terrible in that state. By “cold”, I mean dry winter temperatures when they haven’t got heat in them.

[Belle427]

Had some V105 fitted last week in place of some Toyo 888R and am very pleased with the difference.
Have only driven a few miles on them today as im awaiting a wheel alignment next week but much prefer the feel of them on the road.

[Bobo W]

Belle427 said:

Had some V105 fitted last week in place of some Toyo 888R and am very pleased with the difference.
Have only driven a few miles on them today as im awaiting a wheel alignment next week but much prefer the feel of them on the road.

I did the same. For road driving V105 are just so much better with the added benefit of significantly improved fuel consumption

[Cryssys]

I've just bought a 99 Elise 111s which is in need of new tyres all round. For the most part it'll be road use with the occasional track day. It's currently fitted with 195/50/R15 on the front and 225/45/R16 on the rear.

Having read through the thread, and even though comments are mixed, it seems like Yoko ADO8RS are the best bet but I was wondering if there are alternatives that are worth considering?

[aea730]

Cryssys said:

I've just bought a 99 Elise 111s which is in need of new tyres all round. For the most part it'll be road use with the occasional track day. It's currently fitted with 195/50/R15 on the front and 225/45/R16 on the rear.

Having read through the thread, and even though comments are mixed, it seems like Yoko ADO8RS are the best bet but I was wondering if there are alternatives that are worth considering?

I was the original poster and still not swapped mine - albeit I haven’t used car for over 12 months.
I got the impression that the AD08s were more track focused, needing quite a bit of heat in them to avoid binning it !
Isn’t the V105 the recommended replacement by Lotus

Edited by aea730 on Tuesday 4th June 18:16

[Cryssys]

aea730 said:

I was the original poster and still not swapped mine - albeit I haven’t used car for over 12 months.
I got the impression that the AD08s were more track focused, needing quite a bit of heat in them to avoid binning it !
Isn’t the V105 the recommended replacement by Lotus

Edited by aea730 on Tuesday 4th June 18:16

I'd seen the recommendation for for the V105 but despite searching everywhere I can't find them in the sizes I need! I've got 195/50/15 on the front and 225/45/16 on the rear. Smallest I can find for the front 16 and 17 for the rear.

[DamnKraut]

Anyone ever considered these?

https://www.nankangtyre.co.uk/products/motorsport/...

Got them on my shortlist once my original ones will need to be binned.

[otolith]

V105 is in S2 sizes, not S1.

[Cryssys]

otolith said:

V105 is in S2 sizes, not S1.

Thanks for that. I can stop searching for them now!

I keep coming back to ADO8RS as they are one of the few tyres available in the in the size I need front and back.

Toyo Proxes TR1 are also available but reviews are generally poor.

Can't find anything from Pirelli, Michelin or Goodyear that fits either.

It's beginning to drive me nuts!

[otolith]

Personally, I wouldn’t look past the AD08RS. It’s not as soft a compound as the tyres they aren’t allowed to sell now, but it’s still pretty damn grippy.