Wheels & Tires

[Elio Amazed]

What kind of setup would you recommend to convince the DOT that I'm only hunting sachsquatch ?

Easy one.

Hang 80 pounds of Jack Links on your vehicle.

 

[tazairforce]

If the Elio is to achieve its fuel economy goals, tires will have to be < 85mm average section width, give-or-take. For this vehicle, rolling resistance is greater than aerodynamic resistance for a 'mixed mode' and most highway driving cycles that most of us will use it for! Also, the tires will contribute to frontal area (adding aerodynamic form drag) and because airflow is so turbulent at exposed parts of tires it also increases the aerodynamic friction drag component.

So, engineering goals of good mpg almost dictate a narrow tire section width. For the light weight of the car--you also need a certain footprint loading. Optimal would be largest diameter rim that can practically fit on car (and with respect to suspension motion/travel) which is somewhere around 15" or 16" diameter in my guess. You also need high tire pressures and low Crr tire compounds (silica based)...probably psi in the range of 55-75 max for comfort and Crr of <0.077. My guess is the rear tire will have lower psi to preserve comfort--fronts don't matter as much because suspension design really helps isolate shocks from occupants (and can be softly sprung without sacrificing much if any real world at-the-limit handling), but rear tire is much harder to isolate vertical shock motion from occupant feel.

My guesses:

15" diameters all around. Maybe 16" or larger for rear, probably not.
fronts: 85mm or 90mm section widths; recommended pressure range from 60-77psi depending on winter/summer.
rear: 90mm-105mm section width; recommended pressure range from 50-68 psi depending on winter/summer.

Crr for compound for all tires will be <0.077.

Also, I think the designers may have to compromise on aesthetics and fair all three tires all the way down to 1.5" off the ground. Otherwise that rear tire will add measurable form and friction drag, and car will struggle to achieve 84mpg at realistic freeway speeds, which is what drivers expect from claims, not to have to travel at 65mph top speed to get the 84mpg. I contend most people will expect to get 84mpg going 75-80 mph, which is substantially more challenging.

Snick, I agree with most all you posted here except the comment in your sig that states, something about 'Beatings'(lol), I'm too old and set in my ways to go along with that.

Speaking of Tires, I have not seen any mention of wide tires and 'Hydroplane (ing)', as I had a little problem with that when I first bought the Sorento, but lived thru it. Don't get me wrong, Wide Tires, with the P3 fenders, Looks "Bad Ass'. With a total weight of only 1200#s, I would be Very concerned about that.

Has anyone thought about that???

 

[eddie66]

If the Elio is to achieve its fuel economy goals, tires will have to be < 85mm average section width, give-or-take. For this vehicle, rolling resistance is greater than aerodynamic resistance for a 'mixed mode' and most highway driving cycles that most of us will use it for! Also, the tires will contribute to frontal area (adding aerodynamic form drag) and because airflow is so turbulent at exposed parts of tires it also increases the aerodynamic friction drag component.

So, engineering goals of good mpg almost dictate a narrow tire section width. For the light weight of the car--you also need a certain footprint loading. Optimal would be largest diameter rim that can practically fit on car (and with respect to suspension motion/travel) which is somewhere around 15" or 16" diameter in my guess. You also need high tire pressures and low Crr tire compounds (silica based)...probably psi in the range of 55-75 max for comfort and Crr of <0.077. My guess is the rear tire will have lower psi to preserve comfort--fronts don't matter as much because suspension design really helps isolate shocks from occupants (and can be softly sprung without sacrificing much if any real world at-the-limit handling), but rear tire is much harder to isolate vertical shock motion from occupant feel.

My guesses:

15" diameters all around. Maybe 16" or larger for rear, probably not.
fronts: 85mm or 90mm section widths; recommended pressure range from 60-77psi depending on winter/summer.
rear: 90mm-105mm section width; recommended pressure range from 50-68 psi depending on winter/summer.

Crr for compound for all tires will be <0.077.

Also, I think the designers may have to compromise on aesthetics and fair all three tires all the way down to 1.5" off the ground. Otherwise that rear tire will add measurable form and friction drag, and car will struggle to achieve 84mpg at realistic freeway speeds, which is what drivers expect from claims, not to have to travel at 65mph top speed to get the 84mpg. I contend most people will expect to get 84mpg going 75-80 mph, which is substantially more challenging.

 

[eddie66]

I picked up this video on utube a fan posted. I had not seen it before, so I figured I'd post it on this forum. The gentleman is clearly not a professional narrator, but has some nice pictures and shared his thoughts.

 

[skygazer6033]

While looking closely at the Elgin instrument cluster (the SB cluster) idiot lights I noticed what appears to be a tpms warning light. I seem to recall a government reg that requires tpms on cars but since the Elio isn't exactly a car I don't know if it's required or not. Anyway does anyone know if tpms is installed. Might be handy on a vehicle with 3 wheels and no spare.

 

[Brian1362]

IMHO, since it will be an "auto-cycle," it will most certainly have to have certian features such as this.

 

[aknaten]

Has anyone tried the "neverleak" solutions that can be used to prevent flats from punctures? Are they safe at highway speeds?
If they are, this could be a viable flat preventative. I use "Slime" in my bicycle tires and have never had a flat. Of course that could be because of the Kevlar lined Armadillo brand bike tire I use.

I've read about "Flat-Free" on-line and they claim it is safe and will extend the life of the tire because it is perfectly balanced if used correctly.

From their web site: http://flatfree.com

"Once a tire is properly balanced and contains Flat Free,
the resultant balance condition is more nearly perfect than can be achieved with lead weights alone. This is because lead weights are usually calibrated in fractions of an ounce, whereas Flat Free distribution is very minute. In addition, as a tire wears from normal use, which in itself can alter the balance, Flat Free will continuously and automatically compensate for such wear by maintaining perfect balance."

 

[Brian1362]

On my truck, I use ten ply tires. If my tire goes flat, it was meant to.

 

[Buddy Hatfield]

Hi Buddy. I live in Miami and we do have bad roads in Oklahoma. I've noticed how the roads get worse the further you go from OKC. Our City "Leaders" pushed through a great sales tax hike to pay for fixing our city streets. Been about 3 years ago. Ain't much happened.

Sam you need to get in the Oklahoma group with all of us

 

[ClubJoe]

I'm sure the Elio engineers have spent allot of time researching and testing the proper tire configuration to go along with the suspension geometry and efficiency. So to change what they come up with just for looks or what some one feels in their opinion is better would not be prudent. I'm going to stay with what the engineers come up with. If they find in the future that there is a better tire size or pattern I will then upgrade to it.