Which wheels?

[Jan T]

I have just placed an order for a Caterham SV with a 1.8 VVC and am confused as to what size wheels I should get. Use will be some touring, town driving ( ie humps are common) and maybe track days. 13, 14 or 16 inch wheels? Advice/comments much appreciated...and needed! Thanks.

Jan T.

 

 

[old captain slow]

I can only comment on the 13" and 16". I bought my 7 (1600 SS) with the 16" HPC wheels and Michelin Pilots. They do look cool as they say. However, on getting a set of 13" with 185/60 tyres, the handling of the latter are streets ahead of the 16". The 16" tramline like nothing on earth on my car and understeer badly. I would go for the smaller wheels every time.

 

Things that caught me out on changing wheels were:-

 

1. The ride height was plenty with the 16" with 205/45 rubber, but was not adequate with the 13" 185/60 rubber (height is about 1" less and the sump tended to hit the deck). The same wheels with 185/70 tyres may have been ok but I haven't tried that combination. I have since fitted adjustable platforms to get the ride height acceptable.

 

2. The front anti-roll bar provided with the 16" combination is the very thin one. Can't recall the dimensions. It basically fills a hole at the front of the car but does not do much else. I changed the ARB to 5/8".

 

3. The car came with the Caterham soft set up with 150 lb springs. Much too soft with lots of dive etc. I have just uprated these to 170 lb to see how these perform. Too early to comment. I know a lot of owners go even stiffer at the front. Didn't seem to matter with the 16" wheels but doeas matter with the 13" I think.

 

Not an expert by the way. Just mentioning what I'm doing. I expect you will get a lot of more knowlegable advice from others.

 

C7 CDW

[Peter Carmichael]

Jan,

 

Use will be some touring, town driving ( ie humps are common) and maybe track days.

---

 

That's just about everything. If sounds like the trackdays thing is a matter of "maybe". I reckon you will do well on 14in wheels. I don't know anybody who has tried both the 14in and the 16in who doesn't reckon the 14in are better.

 

Heavy wheels are a big trouble on a light car (even an SV). Tyre size should relate to the load they are carrying. All Sevens are light and the wheels and tyres should be correspondingly small (a simplification).

[Jan T]

Thanks for the advice, I shall go for the 14inch as they come as standard and see how I fare.

 

 

[CHRIS CLARK]

I read a bit earlier on a thread that had Roger Green saying that 16" was std. on a SV & that it looked funny on anything else!

[Peter Carmichael]

I thought this was Techtalk

[Roger Green]

I didn't say they were standard... Comments were made purely on the grounds of aesthetics - it all depends where your priorites lie. Everything is a compromise.

[Peter Carmichael]

Yes Roger, I meant to have a word with you about that.

 

In my profile on the "Handle With Flair" piece you wrote: "He never accepts compromises..."

 

I don't think it is possible to get very far without accepting compromises. Also I am not obsessive about "getting his [my] car set up absolutely perfectly." I have deliberately set out to keep my car in a state where I am avoiding it handling badly; a compromise made with regard to time and money.

 

However Jo offers this correction:

 

"Peter is fanatical to the point of obsession."

 

Truth will out I suppose.