Very quick tyre question please

[TonyHetherington]

Guys - the 175/55/16 Bridgestone RE040 that goes on the front of my S2....

I'm ordering through Micheldever and I was asking the guy for for the "CFE" dot code and he doesn't have it but it does say....

175/55/16 Bridgestone RE040 BZ (preferred fitment for Lotus).

They are the same tyre, aren't they?

[shangani]

The fronts are the same - CFE front and rear are what Micheldever sell usually. The rears are VX spec, but it makes no difference.

They are always cagey about the dot codes.

Call Bracknell Tyres - they are cheaper anyway and you will get the CFE fronts.

[RobM77]

It may interest you that there's a new Yoko out specifically designed for the Elise S2. Sadly, it is currently only available through Lotus dealers.

[drac]

Hi Tony,

I've changed from the RE040's to the AD07's and won't be going back. Highly recommended! I can't think of anything (ride, noise feel, wet behavior ) that is worse and dry grip is certainly better. The yanks have had them for awhile and seem to be getting good milage.

[shangani]

The trouble is that Tony is only looking for fronts. To go to AD07s he has to change all 4 tyres.

[DPR]

CFE for fronts (the only ones you can get)
DCK for rears (if you really want to be picky). You can run CFE rears from the VX, just drop the pressures down a psi or two to compensate for the stiffer sidewall.

TBH, I'd save money and get Dunlop SP9000.

[ALE 111s]

I used www.eventmobiletyres.co.uk for two rear Bridgestones, they know all about the DOT code and fitted them at work within 30mins. Would highly recommend them.

[RobM77]

drac said:

Hi Tony,

I've changed from the RE040's to the AD07's and won't be going back. Highly recommended! I can't think of anything (ride, noise feel, wet behavior ) that is worse and dry grip is certainly better. The yanks have had them for awhile and seem to be getting good milage.

Thanks for the advice. I might need four new tyres for my 111S in a month or two, and have been trying to decide between the RE040 and the AD07. I think I may go for the AD07s, although with the full geometry check I want done as well I think that my servicing bill is going to look rather scary!

[MJK 24]

DPR said:

CFE for fronts (the only ones you can get)
DCK for rears (if you really want to be picky). You can run CFE rears from the VX, just drop the pressures down a psi or two to compensate for the stiffer sidewall.

TBH, I'd save money and get Dunlop SP9000.

That's what I did.

Dunlops seem to have a touch less understeer than the Bridgestone. Primarily, I think this is because the fronts are 185 wide.

In the wet, the difference is night and day. The Dunlops are leagues ahead of the Bridgestones to the extent that I'd never go back.

They're wearing amazingly well too. A recent service informed me that they had 6mm of tread left on them. That's after 11k miles and a Walshy day where Walshy drove it like a lunatic. At this rate, I should be able to put another 40k miles on them

Cost wise, I was able to get 4 Dunlops for what I was being quoted for a pair of rear Bridgestones.

Edited by MJK 24 on Saturday 24th June 19:23

[RobM77]

I don't wish to diverge the thread, but I was under the impression that the Elise needed a bespoke tyre because of its unusual weight distribution? (about 73% to the rear I think! Almost 911 territory). I was led to believe that the skinny tyres at the front are necessary to cut through standing water and prevent aquaplaning as there is very little weight pushing down on them, but a softer compound than the rear is needed to prevent the understeer that this would cause in the dry. Am I right or confused?

[drac]

shangani said:

The trouble is that Tony is only looking for fronts. To go to AD07s he has to change all 4 tyres.

Understand he only needs fronts, but i was so impressed with my AD07's that i thought Tony should know. My old RE040's are sat on spare rims in the garage with the rears dead but the fronts ok ish. The problem being that the fronts and rears rarely run out at completely the same time and if you want to change, you need to make the jump at sometime. After experiencing the AD07's they are going in the bin. I'm going to squeeze some R888's for track days onto the rims.

[shangani]

I totally agree with you - I will be changing to AD07s at the next change. I suspect Tony will have considered other options though.

[MJK 24]

RobM77 said:

I don't wish to diverge the thread, but I was under the impression that the Elise needed a bespoke tyre because of its unusual weight distribution? (about 73% to the rear I think! Almost 911 territory). I was led to believe that the skinny tyres at the front are necessary to cut through standing water and prevent aquaplaning as there is very little weight pushing down on them, but a softer compound than the rear is needed to prevent the understeer that this would cause in the dry. Am I right or confused?

You're right in theory.

The Elise S1 runs on wider front tyres as standard with most owners choosing 195's.

The idea of a 175 on the S2 was to try to make the car understeer before it would oversteer. If you're not happy with that, you could fit a 185 wide front tyre which will help a little bit, or you can alter your geo settings which will help a lot. You could do as I did, and do both!

[RobM77]

MJK 24 said:

The Elise S1 runs on wider front tyres as standard with most owners choosing 195's.

I thought that was to get extra grip because Lotus didn't have the budget to get a bespoke tyre made?

MJK 24 said:

The idea of a 175 on the S2 was to try to make the car understeer before it would oversteer.

Right up there with the Lotus decision that we all have four foot long arms and two foot long legs then! I must confess, my standard 111S needs fairly severe provocation on turn-in to get it in a neutral stance. Interestingly, once it understeers, neutrality is there for the taking, but I'm more used to setting a stance on the turn in and keeping that stance throughout a bend. I can only assume that the people who set it up are highly talented drivers who've never raced (and I think I'm correct there - at least with Gavan).

[TonyHetherington]

Hi everyone!

Thanks very much for all your replies!

As mentioned I'm only looking for the two front so won't be changing them all at the moment - I stuck with RE040s for the rear (replaced only a month or so ago) and so I'll do the same for the fronts, of course.

I won't be using event mobile tyres - see here. In fairness, because they resolved it so well I really wanted to use them again; the boss was spot on during it, but the one reason I didn't go with them again is because it would have been the same guy coming to do the wheels again .

I'll be getting tyres delivered and then fitted by Lepsons (the alloy wheel refurbishers) who are 5mins from where I live. I've had to beg; they say they dont do it but understood why and they really are the only people who seem able to change a tyre without bashing the wheel!

So, I think I have the answer; the CFE's are the ones I'm after which is mentioned above so I will go with them. Many thanks everyone