Wheels or whats the widest I can fit?

[RoddyMac]

I'm thinking about going to a 15" rim on my project as 13" tires are getting harder to find (I know that there are some still available).  So my question is, whats the widest rim you can fit to the front of a non flared Europa?  I've been looking at some relatively inexpensive wheels, but the ones I'm leaning towards only come in a +15 offset.  Does anyone know if this would pose a problem with fitting the front?   Or, can somebody give me a rough idea what the distance from the front hub face is to the inside of the wheel arch?  My car is in pieces, otherwise I would be able to measure it myself.  The rear isn't a big deal as I wont be using the stock rear suspension set-up.

Thanks,
Rod

[LotusJoe]

Hi Rod,
I know this subject has been hashed around a lot over the years. I use this link to calculate the difference in various tire sizes.

http://www.rimsntires.com/specspro.jsp

Also check the knowledge data base.

http://www.lotus-europa.com/ekb.html

[andy harwood]

there was a discussion on this topic a couple weeks ago. thread titled "at thunderhill raceway park 5/1".
I don't remember the backspace, but tire size was 195/45/15. this is what I have installed, with no issues, but I have a TC.
hth
andyh

[cal44]

Unless this Europa has a fire breathing engine why the giant wheels?  Sometimes the bigger the wheel and tire the more trouble it causes.  There are 13" tires available, Kumo, Vredestein, Michelin just to name a few.

The cars are so light they don't need wide wheels and tires, a little slide is good.  If I was redoing the Lotus fleet, a 14" would be my call.   It still works with the design element of the car.   Just an opinion...........

[exarkun1178]

I am running 205 60 13s and they are plenty wide, the Toyo R888s are plenty sticky for the wedge head i have.    Good luck with the 15's.  I had a hard enough working through issues with the 13' to last me a life time! (stud issues and bolt patterns)

[EuropaTC]

I think the 15" wheels I have fitted are a 30mm offset, they are 6" wide with 195/50x15 front tyres, 205/50x15 rear tyres. Doing the maths, these are roughly the same rolling radius as the original 175/70x13 & 185/70x13 combinations.

On full lock the 15" wheels have enough clearance but a friend with an S2 told me his front tyres just mark the inner wheelarch / body on full lock. The ride is fine but then again I haven't gone wild with the change, it's only 1/2" on the rim and less than an inch on the tyres.

Brian

[RoddyMac]

Thanks for all the replies.  I'm still undecided no which way to go.  I already have a set of 13" Minator alloy wheels, but the lack of inexpensive decent tires is what's making me look into getting 15" rims.  Most of the 13" tires I've seen have a very low speed rating. I know that the car will most likely never exceed even the lowest of speed ratings, but having a tire with a rating of 130 mph would make me feel a little safer. 

I'm looking at going with a wider rim for basically aesthetic reasons.  The 47's ran very wide rears and reasonably wide front and I'm wanting to achieve this look.  The car is getting a 2L Zetec, so should put out nearly as much power as what the 47's had, and I'm going to be building a chassis that mimics the 47.  Currently the chassis is 90% designed, the hold up at the moment is the rear suspension.  I need to decided on wheels and tires before finalizing the design. 


Rod

[EuropaTC]

That sounds and interesting project Rod. How are you doing the rear suspension, is it a copy of the old 47 ?

I'd be interested in how it goes along if you fancy the idea of starting up a project/restoration thread, and I'm sure others will be as well.

Brian

ps - I agree with the thoughts on tyres. For me it's not just the speed rating as I've no intention of beating 120 on our UK roads, but from what I recall the carcass of a 130mph rated tire is tougher as well. So it's not just a speed thing, it's just a better (and hopefully more reliable) product.

Edit to add....          I just realised yours is the "54 to 47 conversion" thread.....    my excuse is what we call "senior moments" over here and I'm sticking with it !

[jbcollier]

Tire speed ratings are based on a speed sustained over a significant period of time.  If you have "S" rated tires (110 mph), zipping up to 130 for a wee bit is no big deal.  More important is proper inflation, tire pressures should be increased if high speeds are in the offing.  High speed + low tire pressure = tire failure but quick, regardless of the speed rating.

Another factor is that tires with high speed ratings weigh more than tires with a lower speed rating.  If you will only occasionally give it "stick", only for short periods of time and you increase your tire pressure for those occasions, you should be fine and happier with the better ride and handling the lighter tires provide.

[exarkun1178]

Speed rating wise, the toyo R888s i have on my 13" wheels is V (149mph) if that helps at all