tyres and pressures

Hello there have recently bought a MK1 Exige which is great fun and have done a few thousand miles on.
when i bought the car it felt like it was on rails and now after a couple of thousand miles it feels a bit less tight so i thought right pump the tyres when i got to the pump i found them to be already higher than the book states so any one have any ideas?
at the pump they were 26 front and 30 rear i guess they might have been a little higher when i got the car but im just wondering how much too put in them or i do i leave as per book?

many thanks
shb

try more like 22/24, at 26/30 you will be rolling around on the cente of the tyre.

Are you sure you are not just getting used to it?

I run mine at book pressure on the road

ok well thanks for the reply just feels a bit strange really as it did feel like a big go kart now it feels a bit soft and obviosly i have let a few psi out so now feels a bit soft.apart from that am chuffed to bits with the car it may be one that the forum knows as it already has one of the screen stickers in the window! so if any one knows a silver mk1 exige with bucket seats and a very noisy exhaust!which my neighbours love every morning i would be pleased to hear from them.
cheers

shb

what tyres have you got on ?

On pressures I agree with Randy - yours a too high (unless your are on Toyo T1S of course )

I’m on Toyos and running em at book pressure

Should I up em a bit??

They feel ok???

ta

S

if your happy with the way the car feels and they are wearing evenly, just leave them.

But the Toyo T1S has a squidgy sidewall and on track you can compensate a bit by having the pressure a bit higher than the book recommended 23/26 (which is for yokis of course).

Sorry fella forgot to mention mine are the newer 'R’s with more rubber on the outer edge

the tyres i have on are the AO39R YOKOHAMAS Iguess that is the standard fit but i guess people areputting the AO48 tyres on are they? is this a good option? and where do people go for tyres as i guess lotus charge over the odds?

48s are a good upgrade, they’re stickier and better on track, not bad in the wet (until they worn), look sexier (if that does it for you), are cheaper(!), but do appear to wear a little quicker. They’re also generally more available than 39s.

Sadly Lotus are the only ones that can sell 39/48s (they have ‘LTS’ stamped on the sidewalls). Some companies (eg. Plans, Eliseparts, etc) will buy them in bulk and be competitive with dealers prices.

Ian

You can buy the A048-R tyres from any main Yokohama dealer in the correct tyre sizes for the Exige.

After speaking to a guy at Yoko though my tyre dealer he was saying they are ever so slightly harder than the LTS designated ones which by rights should mean a litte longer life out of them if nothing else (that could be a load of old cods wallop though for all I know). Only downside he was saying was that it would effect warranty claims with Lotus for items directly linked such as control arms , suspenion links etc. etc.

But are they any cheaper?

Ian

I’m pricing a set up this w/e to see the differences.

After 3500miles which has included 4 trackdays, the rears are down to the wear nuggets. I will have to replace the rears this time with the LTS tyres to keep them matched with the fronts which have plenty of rubber left on them.

I know that Thorney over on vx220org (Thorney Motorsport) is selling the yoko 48 LTS for �600 for a full set which breaks down �165 rears and �135 fronts.

I will post up how nuch Lotus want for the same and also the yoko dealer for the R tyes when I find out.

Thanks

Gav

Ask him for the treadwear index/number/thingy it might indicate how much harder the non LTS marked ones are.

Not sure if it works like - just thinking out loud??

My LTS ones are ‘Treadwear 60’

The TR1-s Proxes are 380 !!! Hewn from Marble!!!

I thought it was only the sidewalls that were harder, I’d have thought the treadwear index was the same.

Are you sure the Toyos aren’t 280? 380 is more like 4x4 territory.

Ian