neil wattam Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 hi all, Been a while since I've been on here but I hope to be more awake going forward....in the meantime, ahead of the next MOT, I was advised to get some new rear tyres last year, so I probably should sort! Whilst looking at the rears, looking at the fronts, they're probably worth replacing too. I replaced the wheels in 2022 but kept the same tyres - running 6" fronts and 8" rears, currently with Yoko A048s (185) on the front and Toyo R888Rs (205) on the rear - which were in place when I bought it (was originally on 6" fronts & rears). Avon ZZSs appear to be highly rated, but limited / difficult to obtain. Question therefore... Stick with same brand on all 4 corners?? And stick with same width/profiles? Demon Tweeks only have A052s, R888Rs and Nankang AR-1s for 205/60/13 Same for 185/60/13s but with NS-2Rs and A539s too Thought's appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted January 28 Member Share Posted January 28 How much power? Road only, or road and track? And how important is grip in the wet? Jonathan PS: It would be a great service if someone would keep an up to date wiki of what tyres are available in what size... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigCol Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 I know a number of folks who rave about their R888Rs - so if your car is set up for those, it’d make sense to replace like-for-like. (from someone with ZZSs…! 🤔) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil wattam Posted January 28 Author Share Posted January 28 Thanks Jonathan Kay - good points. It's a 1.6K running somewhere around 145bhp. Predominantly road use (I've yet to take it on a track in nearly 3yrs of ownership) and predominantly dry use - I use it all year round, but really only in the dry unless I get caught in april showers etc...etc The setup I have now is fine - but clearly when it's very cold or very wet, the rears do seem to be lacking, but that's fine as I'm aware of it Thanks big Col for your note too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jody391 Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 I’ve just got some AR1’s from track tyre.co.uk they were around £480 ish 185/60/13 and 235/45/13 they are just alittle wider front and back than the R888’s I have on my other wheels they are 185/60/13 and 225/45/13 Nankang have there tyre widths measured at 189mm for the 185 209mm for the 205 and 236mm for the 235 The two rears together, they look bigger in the image than they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerobod - near CYYC Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 With the AR-1s on track, I initially ran Caterham typical pressures around 18 PSI cold and found the front tyres especially had a lot of uneven wear. Dropped the pressure as low as 14PSI cold and still had uneven wear, went up to 21PSI cold (about 26PSI hot) and the wear evened out on the next set. I do run 3 degress front and 2.7 degrees rear of camber and slight toe-out both front and rear, though, so my wear may not be representative of all suspension setups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR400D Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 What tyre sizes/rims were you running James? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerobod - near CYYC Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 (edited) 185/60-13 front /6” and 235/45-13 /8” rear, Peter. Edited January 29 by aerobod - near CYYC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR400D Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 Thanks James. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7_Malc Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 Where are you based Neil? I’m one of those R888R fans that BigCol mentioned, and they can be sourced from a few specialists - including Adams & Page in High Wycombe who fitted my last set. Clearance on the rims / Caterham rears can be tight so you really need a fitter who knows this and the positioning of the weights to avoid clashes. A&P support a number of classic race series and understand the needs of a Caterham customer well. It may be worth seeking out recommendations of fitters from members in your area too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan R Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 I have recently swapped to R888R with 185/60/13 and 205/60/13 on 6 and 8 inch rims respectively without issue and with a good level of grip and feel. Some owners report clearance issues with the front wing stays, others like myself have been fortunate enough to have just enough room to avoid modification. As Malc says, Adams and Page are a reputable and very knowledgeable family run business who know Caterhams well. On the day I went to get my set there were 3 generations of the family working in the tyre bays at the same time, with my caterham wheels instantly sparking conversation from the 'Old man' who took an interest and stood and chatted cars while his son and grandson were fitting the tyres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil wattam Posted January 30 Author Share Posted January 30 Thank you all for the responses & input - 7_Malc - I'm based near Loughborough in Leicestershire.... my local tyre place is decent (I've used them for years) but did have an issue with weights catching, last time they fitted some tyres on my caterham, which wasn't ideal. High Wycombe is a bit of a trek for some tyres unforunately! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerobod - near CYYC Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 (edited) 30 minutes ago, neil wattam said: Thank you all for the responses & input - 7_Malc - I'm based near Loughborough in Leicestershire.... my local tyre place is decent (I've used them for years) but did have an issue with weights catching, last time they fitted some tyres on my caterham, which wasn't ideal. High Wycombe is a bit of a trek for some tyres unforunately! What I do is tell the tyre fitter to “centre balance only” when I take the wheels in, Neil. I also usually put painters tape around the inside edge of the rim with “no weights in this area” written on it. Edited January 30 by aerobod - near CYYC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR400D Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 To be honest James that’s too far to the front to be a centre balance, and centre balancing (or single plane/static) isn’t really ideal. Shift plane balancing with 1 weight as you show and the other 45mm in from the inside edge is much better. This is my kit which does make it easy! 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan R Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 That looks like a very expensive bag of tyre levers you have there!! 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR400D Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 (edited) The old Calloways? Given to me by a mate, they’d be more use to me as levers than for golf!! I think there may be a fault with them, they rarely hit the ball properly……. Edited January 30 by ScottR400D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerobod - near CYYC Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 22 minutes ago, ScottR400D said: To be honest James that’s too far to the front to be a centre balance, and centre balancing (or single plane/static) isn’t really ideal. Shift plane balancing with 1 weight as you show and the other 45mm in from the inside edge is much better. This is my kit which does make it easy! 😉 I’ve had them place the weights closer to the centre, before, too, Peter, but the polar moment of inertia of the wheels is low compared with most modern car wheels, that it makes little difference for track use, they are fine with the weights close to the face at 200km/h, there is more imbalance likely from OPR than variation in the weight position, I have found. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR400D Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 A dynamic shift plane balance compared to a static is far more than just a weight position difference and as it’s no more difficult to achieve why wouldn’t you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerobod - near CYYC Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 (edited) 6 minutes ago, ScottR400D said: A dynamic shift plane balance compared to a static is far more than just a weight position difference and as it’s no more difficult to achieve why wouldn’t you? The distance between the two weight planes is minimal and I haven’t had any vibration issues, one block of weights double taped to avoid any ejection is simpler. It works fine for my track use. Edited January 30 by aerobod - near CYYC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7_Malc Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 3 hours ago, neil wattam said: Thank you all for the responses & input - 7_Malc - I'm based near Loughborough in Leicestershire.... my local tyre place is decent (I've used them for years) but did have an issue with weights catching, last time they fitted some tyres on my caterham, which wasn't ideal. High Wycombe is a bit of a trek for some tyres unforunately! Yes that’s a serious blat. Definitely worth chatting with some other local owners to see who they recommend. You can message your local AR for more ideas too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7_Malc Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 5 hours ago, neil wattam said: Thank you all for the responses & input - 7_Malc - I'm based near Loughborough in Leicestershire.... my local tyre place is decent (I've used them for years) but did have an issue with weights catching, last time they fitted some tyres on my caterham, which wasn't ideal. High Wycombe is a bit of a trek for some tyres unforunately! Been chatting with another Caterham owner who is in Northampton, and he recommends https://www.aghtyresnorthampton.co.uk/ Alternatively you could give Nick Potter a call in Market Harborough (his advert is on this page somewhere). Both options are about an hour south of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil wattam Posted January 31 Author Share Posted January 31 Thanks everyone - really appreciated. 7_Malc - I do indeed use Nick Potter for servicing / MOT etc. Might well go to my local again, as they're good guys - and this time, I'm more armed re; advising of where to / not to put the weights Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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