Help with Tyres Please

[jjonah]

I currently have Avon ZV3 on my 1.6 SS , however even though I am a very inexperience Caterham owner, I am not happy with these tyres, in fact, I have had more than one wobbley moment !!

 

So I have scanned this site for many words of wisdom and identified several tyres which were highly recommended, however my current tyre size 185/65/14 seems to be excluded from them all.

 

Changing wheels seems a bit drastic , I need the ground clearance as I live down a dirt track , and the idea of recalibrating a speedo seems a bit of a chore.So what options do I have.

 

Any help for this complete novice would be gratefully welcomed

 

Jon

[CageyH]

Have a look here. You will lower your car slightly, but if you have adjustable spring platforms, you can recover the loss in ride height.

 

Only dead fish go with the flow....!

[MusCat]

Going for 185/60/14 rather than 185/65/14 will reduce your ground clearance by 10mm and introduce 3% inaccuracy in your speedo.

 

As CageyH's post shows gives you the choice of some decent tyres like Yoko 048s and 021s or better ordinary tyres like A539s

 

My Caterham lives up a badly pot-holed drive and I survive with 185/60/13 and only bash the bellhousing if I'm being careless - anyway it's always a slow speeds.

 

I'd go with some decent rubber.

[Badger Bill]

Personally I'd skip the 539's, I didn't have a lot of love for them. They didn't inspire confidence in tricky situations and even after 10k miles of pretty hard charging they were still in OK nick, but my car was light at 430kg... I've gone for AO21's now, although due to de-dion interference I can't fit the 8" rims with the tyres on to the back of my car yet!!!!

 

A good friend of mine runs Khumo's on his and loves 'em, not sure of the actual tyre but it will be on one of the previous topics, again an all weather cost effective option, a bit of a half way house between 539's and AO21's, I guess.

 

Good luck, whatever you choose, but it is definately a first class upgrade to make, and well worth the effort.

 

BB

 

PS You will be told at some point to do a search, as this is a very popular topic but the choice always seems to come down to AO48's for mainly dry AO21's for all weather cheap. Until recently CR500's were generally advised for an expensive version of both, however there does seem to be a bit of a pause on the love for the CR500's after a few people have found cracks on the sidewalls. Angus and Tessa's site here has quite a nice write up/review and is also a good place to start.

[jjonah]

Just fitted Yokohama A048's @ 185/60's and cannot believe the difference it has made , without taking the sump off down my drive. Thanks for advice , and mine in return ... dump those ZV3 as soon as you can. Cheers Jon