38 replies to this topic

[ShinyAndy]

What ?

[Jase_MK]

What ?

that what I was thinking

[juj_singh]

muppet

[coopa]

wait for it...

[ShinyAndy]

You've lost me now

[juj_singh]

you have a picture of a puppet as your avatar....... puppet = muppet oh forget it

[RichH]

I think all Andy was saying is that you should nesesarily believe that what the manufacturers do is the best solution. In some cases it might be, and in others it won't.

[juj_singh]

I'd go along with that, but in the case of this car, and this situation, i don't think you should look past what lotus say in the handling department.

[ShinyAndy]

much to learn have you

[juj_singh]

elaborate please............

[LazyDonkey]

I will if that's ok. Lotus have produced in the VX a stunning, stunning car that handles better than most cars on the road. However, they made some key decisions with the car such as 17" all round, non-adjustable suspension and above all a (fairly) safe car that will under steer if you pitch it into a corner too fast. For most people the standard car will be more than enough, but for others they will want to tweak it to suit their particular driving style...........in many cases these tweaks will mean that car sings when driven by a driver of above average ability but at the expense of removing some if not all of the safety net(s) built in as standard. This means a normal driver (such as myself) has more of a chance of stuffing it Lotus obviously don't want a reputation for building a car that is unforgiving (i.e. the S1) ..........that's why they developed the S2 and VX to extend the appeal of the car....sometimes at the expense of the final x percent of the driving experience. Corporate responsibility being what it is they have to consider the fact that many buyers are of average ability. So to sum up this LONG post, Lotus built a cracking car but it is not impossible to improve the handling of it. Someone who knows that they are doing can improve on it, and all Andy was trying to say (I believe) is that don't assume they are selling the ultimate car they could. Wheel size is just another variable to be considered. Lastly....many people swear blind that the best handling Elise is the S1 and it runs on 15" all round remember EDIT : This could of course be a lot of sh*te !

Edited by LazyDonkey, 01 October 2005 - 02:11 PM.

[sixspeed]

So do I get 16" wheels all round or not? lol Actually, I thought of another deciding factor... the larger brake upgrades that are available from Mr Thorn and co.. would they fit under a 16" wheel still, or do they demand 17s...? -andy-

[Jase_MK]

The larger front brakes fit under 16" wheels (well, the OZ and Speedline 16" wheels anyway).

[sixspeed]

Damn.. thought I'd found a way to make the decision for me....

Actually - been playing with a tyre size calculator (here), and to get close on a 16" wheel at the front (in terms of original size for speedo accuracy), you need to run something like a 195/55/16. Seems quite a high profile to me?


-andy-

Edited by sixspeed, 04 October 2005 - 11:08 AM.

[walkes]

elaborate please............

Do you use Linux, buy any chance?

[sixspeed]

Ok... so whilst I'm still toying with ideas, how do these tyre sizes sound to people: 195/50-16 up front.... 235/40-17 at the rear.... Running on a 7.0x16 wheel on the front, and a 9.0 width wheel on the back... Comments? Too wide at the back? To narrow at the front? -andy-

[walkes]

Sixspeed have investigated numerous wheel sizes and tyres comb, the wheel offset is the killer. But the OZ wheels are so flipping light they totally transform the feel of the car. Just need to find the right tyres now, for what I want, I'm a picky git(usually my nose)

[Jase_MK]

Actually - been playing with a tyre size calculator (here), and to get close on a 16" wheel at the front (in terms of original size for speedo accuracy), you need to run something like a 195/55/16. Seems quite a high profile to me?

I've got a feeling the speedo runs off one of the rear wheels.

Must admit 195/50/16 and 225/45/17 suits me nicely.

[sixspeed]

Actually - been playing with a tyre size calculator (here), and to get close on a 16" wheel at the front (in terms of original size for speedo accuracy), you need to run something like a 195/55/16. Seems quite a high profile to me?

I've got a feeling the speedo runs off one of the rear wheels.

Must admit 195/50/16 and 225/45/17 suits me nicely.

So sounds like my choice above should be ok.... (10mm wider on the rear, but lower profile so should counter-act the difference).



-andy-