114 replies to this topic

[garyk220]

Thought I'd post a few photos of my car now I have the Lotus hubs and Speedline Turinis fitted. In addition to the wheels and hubs supplied by Thorney I've fitted Eliseparts alu-belled discs (not cheap, but they look the part, and the internal vents look much better than the stock Vauxhall disc). All in a saving of 4.5kg to 5.5kg per corner. Tyres are Yokohama A539; - 205/50xZR16 87W front - 225/45xZR17 94W rear The load rating is a little higher than ideal, but there are not many W-rated tyres of this size to choose from. I'll need to experiment a little with tyre pressures to compensate for the stiffer tyre sidewalls. First impressions are very good. The reduction in unsprung weight, and also the reduction in rotational mass, has made a huge difference to the steering feel. There is less resistance to steering inputs and the turn-in feels sharper and more precise. The front end feels much more secure on roundabouts and slow speed turns... it feels more planted on turn-in, even with stock suspension. I'll leave the faster stuff till I get on track. (photos taken on my PDA, so quality is crap)

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[garyk220]

front view much improved with wider tyres

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[Mick43]

I agree Gary - looks good with wide rubber on the front.... Mick

[garyk220]

rear view of wider front tyre

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[garyk220]

and the brake discs

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[ChazUwe]

Looks good , reckon with some caliper paint and the letters picked out in white it will look even better

[JimH]

What pressures did you start with?

[Thorney]

The loss of weight makes a huge difference doesn't it

[garyk220]

What pressures did you start with?

The garage set them to 27.5 F and 28.5 R, which seems fine, but the stiffer sidewalls makes the ride a little more crashy. I've set them to 26.5 F and 28.5 R for the moment. The rears are fine at this I think, but I may have to let a little more out of the fronts.

The loss of weight makes a huge difference doesn't it

Yes, massive. I understand now why the journos rated the Elise steering above the VX in tests. Didn't hink a few kgs would make such an impact.

Front end grip on small roundabouts is fantastic now. Absolutely no understeer when turning in at a speed that would be beyond the limit of the 175 Bridgestones. Turn the steering wheel a little more and the line just tightens, as though you are cruising round at 10mph. So far, I'm very impressed with the 205 fronts

Looks good, reckon with some caliper paint and the letters picked out in white it will look even better

God no. That would be something else I'd have to keep clean Only polished my car once in nearly 2 years of ownership. These Speedlines are going to be a nightmare

Edited by garyk220, 14 March 2005 - 09:09 AM.

[JimH]

Now I'm cross that I don't get my clamshell back until Thursday.

[cyberman]

Gary Can I ask what was the reason for choosing the A539 rather than the A048R everyone seems to recommend? Did you specifically want 205s on the front rather than 195s or was it a case of thats what was available? BTW I think they look very good. Kind regards - Ian

[kipper]

May I dig up the mucky question of ABS. Are you still running the standard module if so any faults being thrown up ? Or cough.. ABS switch, or cough..cough VXR module ? Dave K

[jules_s]

needs lowering now IMHO

[Thorney]

May I dig up the mucky question of ABS. Are you still running the standard module if so any faults being thrown up ?

Or cough.. ABS switch, or cough..cough VXR module ?

Dave K

I've not had any issues with ABS since having my 16" fronts fitted and they've been on now for 14k miles

I don't know of any cars TBH which have had any problems either. AFAIK Vauxhall had one car which caused an issue so IMO I think it was an isolated incident.

[Foxy]

I've not had any issues with ABS since having my 16" fronts fitted

Me neither - the abs is still utter shite like it always was!

[kipper]

Thanks guy's, Just trying to gauge how many people have had any problems with the standard ABS when using the 16/17" combination, without starting the whole debate again. Feel a little more easy now with regard to future purchases. Looks like its mostly OK /just tolerable and can vary from car to car Foxy correct me if I'm wrong, did'nt you have a VXR module on order ?

[garyk220]

Can I ask what was the reason for choosing the A539 rather than the A048R everyone seems to recommend?

Did you specifically want 205s on the front rather than 195s or was it a case of thats what was available?

Hi Ian,

I'm competing in a few Hillclimb and Sprint events this year, and the class I'm entered in only allows RAC Blue Book List 1A tyres. A048R tyres are in List 1B, which puts you into the class that also permits slick tyres.

I wanted to stick with W rated tyres, so I had the choice of 195/45 Pirelli (circumference too low) 195/55 Toyo T1-R (not heard good reports about these on track) or 205/50 A539 & AVS Sport. The AVS Sport look like a good 1A tyre, but are expensive, and since I wasn't sure the 205 would fit, I bought a cheap set of A539 tyres to try first... only £325 for the set.

Eventually, I'd like to get hold of a wider rear wheel and try 235/45 or 235/40 tyres to restore the balance.

[garyk220]

ABS has been fine on mine so far, but only done a few miles on 16" fronts. If anything, I get a little more slip on the front before the ABS kicks in, which is a good thing, but this may just be down to the new pads & discs.

[Foxy]

Foxy correct me if I'm wrong, did'nt you have a VXR module on order ?

Nope, but iirc you need more than just a module - the VXR has 4-channel ABS, compared to the standard 2-channel system. BTW, I've driven a 111R and the ABS is superb.

[kipper]

Foxy correct me if I'm wrong, did'nt you have a VXR module on order ?

Nope, but iirc you need more than just a module - the VXR has 4-channel ABS, compared to the standard 2-channel system. BTW, I've driven a 111R and the ABS is superb.

Sorry, it must have been someone else on the forum that had a module on order

I'm a little confused over the 2 V's the 4 channel sampling. Does the VXR module sample twice as fast per revolution increment or is there a difference in the ABS sensor's or indeed an extra sensor in the hub ?

So its just not a question of swapping ABS modules, extra hardware required ?

I guess I might need to have a look at the latest TIS

Dave K