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Nice ‘73 TCS on BaT

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jbcollier:
The stock size is 560-13s/155R-13 on all Europas.  They came on steel 4.5" rims.  With the arrival of the TC, optional alloy wheels were available (standard on the JPS).  The alloy rims were 5" wide (5.5"?) and 175/70R-13s were used on the front, and 185/70R-13s were used on the rear.  Anecdotally, the larger rear tires are to balance the increased Twink engine weight.

Generally the S1/2 fairs best with equal size tires all round while the TC/S benefits (subjective) from a larger rear tire.  Equal size tires give the S1/2 a neutral balance.  The different sizes on a TC give it modest understeer.  Quality 155R-13 tires are very hard to find and many people now fit 175/70-13s -- now starting to get scarce as well (!).  Some people use the same size tire all round on the TC/S and like the increased tendency to oversteer.  YMMV.

Bud:
Looks like some good options and I like the 185/60 and 205/60 idea when looking at the car...any difference in ride and handling quality

jbcollier:
The narrower tires emphasize the Europa's strong points.  First and foremost the incredible, telepathic and delicate handling. You think, it goes.  Feel is amazing, delicate and communicative but not noisy and distracting.  Fitting wider boots gives you higher cornering limits but at the expense of a loss of feel and a loss of that delicate interplay between car and driver.

Myself?  I would argue NOT to fit wide tires -- at least not too wide.  Unless you are trying to win on the track, what's the point?  On the road, I get to drive at 8 or 9/10s, have a blast, and not spend a significant portion of my life incarcerated or having to drive only bicycles.  Maybe you have self-control, not me!

BDA:
Pretty depressing auction in my opinion. It was sold for $23,000. I thought it deserved to go to $30,000 but I already know I am clearly not the person to be a car appraiser! Europe seems to have a much better opinion of these cars as evidenced by this French site (https://www.theparking-cars.com/used-cars/lotus-europa.html#!/used-cars/lotus-europa.html%3Ftri%3Dprix_decroissant).  It seemed like there were several comments from owners and past owners like, "I love these cars, but..." Odd commentary from my point of view...

s2europa:
I'm surprised that it didn't sell for more, but I am not surprised for this time of year when people are spending money on Christmas presents and such. Given another time of the year, this would have sold for quite a bit more. From about Thanksgiving through shortly after the first of the year, in general, is not a good time to sell a car.

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