Elise S1 Tyre Test
I've had the Elise since 1999, and the one thing that I found that dramatically changes the handling of the car is the tyres. In this review I will be giving my personal comments on the tyres I've had. The one notable problem is assessing the Bridgestone SO2 tyres as I only had the rears while still using the long lasting Pirelli PZero's on the front.
Pirelli PZero, Front - 185/R15 Rear - 205/R16
The Pirelli tyres were supplied with the car and
used to be the Lotus
recommended tyres in the manual. Generally it's understood that the
PZero's are suited to heavier cars, and as such used on larger supercars
such as Lamorghini's. The PZero's feel good in the dry, lots of oversteer,
well balanced and poised. In the wet it's a different story, if you drive
well for the conditions, they are fine, but tend not to handle well on wet
corners and roundabouts, plus aquaplaning can be scary. Many people for
this reason upgrade to the Bridgestone SO2's.
Bridgestone SO2, Front - N/A(195/R15) Rear - 205/R16
The main problem with the SO2's are the sizes, they do not do the
fronts in 185 and many people safely use 195's. Due to the car being rear
wheel drive, my front Pirelli seem to have lasted for ever, only now at
just over 29,000 miles have I changed the fronts, but back when I first
fitted the Bridgestones, I only changed the rears. Many people use the
larger sized 225 Bridgestones on the rear, the main reason being down to
the extra grip and size provided by the front SO2's. Due to upgrading only the
rears, and keeping the original Pirelli's on the front, I opted for the
standard 205 rears. The difference was amazing. In the wet the car was
transformed, the extra rear grip gives you plenty of confidence in the wet
on corners but not too much to take you to silly speeds. The aquaplaning
ability is also improved dramatically with the thickly cut almost tractor-like
slanty tread pattern technology. You will also notice that the SO2's are
slightly noisier than PZero's due to the tyre tread. The obvious problem
here for me is to comment on balance due to the Pirelli's still on the
front. As many people do go this route, I can say that the car now tends
to lean towards some may say, safer, under steer in the wet due to the
lesser grip on the front. A good point to remember is that it is not
advised to upgrade the fronts to SO2's while leaving PZero's on the rear.
This is likely cause your car to end up in a dangerous spin on the road.
On a note of upgrading the fronts to the Bridgestone SO2, Nick Adams, a
design engineer from Lotus Cars commented to me that it is better to upgrade the
rears to 225 SO2's if using the 195 SO2's on the front. SO2's are still
available but are gradually being replaced by the new S03 tyres. Larger
225 tyres legally require wheel arch spats, ask your dealer for more
information on this.
Michelin Pilot Exalto, Front - 185/R15 Rear - 205/R16
Due to the Bridgestones not being available in the correct front size
and personally preferring to stick to the standard 205 rear size, I looked
into the Michelin option and subsequently upgraded all four tyres to
Exalto's in the standard sizes. The Exalto tyres also seem to use a
similar slanty tread technology but in a less aggressive way to the
Bridgestones. The first thing I noticed after having the Pirelli's on the
front for so long with the grippy Bridgestones on the rear, is the return
to under steer. I have tested the car in some extreme wet conditions and
can report so far that I have been quite impressed. The tyres seem grippy
on the wet road and even when hitting a very large deep puddle of standing
water, that they coped quite well with aquaplaning and I can note only a
minimal amount of sway in the car. The noticable difference over the SO2's
are the noise and ride, the Exalto's are not only smoother and more
comfortable, but also quieter. I've yet to test these tyres to great
extent, especially in the dry. I am also awaiting a response from Michelin
on an issue of the compound of the tyre, the web site recommends Exalto
for the Elise, yet another person allegedly from Michelin has said that
the compound is too hard for the Elise and Pilot Sport should be used.
Michelin Pilot Exalto Update
The query submitted to Michelin about the Exalto recommendation was promptly followed up by a phone call from the technical department. The technical data book (which is mirrored on the web site in the form of the recommended tyre facility), shows the Exalto as the recommended tyre. Michelin offer a service where you can call the technical department before fitting the tyres. They will then recommend a tyre according to the direction of the conversation, which I assume is down to your preference on durability etc. The Exalto are indeed a harder compound to the Pilot Sport which are regarded as the ultimate of their range. The Pilot Sport though will suffer in the respect that they will wear faster and that they do not in fact supply Pilot Sport in the standard Elise sizes. Michelin Technical stated that the Exalto are fine to use on an Elise S1. Thanks to Bob Edwards and the Michelin Technical Department.
Overall
Your choice of tyre should be based on where you live, i.e. dry or wet climate and how you prefer to drive. For those that want ultimate safety in the wet, I can recommend that you choose a tyre designed for it's aquaplaning ability. I was personally impressed with the SO'2 out of these three, so much so I had two sets of SO2 rears to date, and would say they are the best in this area with the Exalto a close second. Some people have said they're not happy with the handling of the Bridgestone's and I get the impression that this is generally down to those who use the car on dry condition track days. The general consensus seems to be that the Pirelli PZero's have now been surpassed technologically and many other options provide better safety and handling.
Aprx. Prices, fronts are generally slightly cheaper.
| Bridgestone S02 Pole Position | £120 Each Inc. Vat and Fitting |
| Michelin Pilot Exalto | £112 Each Inc. Vat and Fitting |
| Pirelli PZero | Not known at this time |
Other tyres available
| Michelin Pilot SX |  |
|
| Yokohama Advan Neova LTS | ||
| Yokohama A038-R | ||
| Bridgestone S03 | ||
| Bridgestone Potenza RE040 | £150 Each Inc. Vat and Fitting |
Please note, this review is based on personal opinion and not sound
technical knowledge. When considering a tyre other than the manufacturers
recommended option, please seek qualified advice.