Wheel Choice and size.. what matters, any other upgardes?

[dparry]

just purchased superlight at weekend, 140bhp and the best fun i've had for years! brilliant! currntly sitting on standard 13" superlight wheels, and want to change to either black/anthracite 8 spokes (purely cosmetic).

whats the main adv/disadv of going to 15"s and any point in width change also. mainly intend to use on good road runs and 4ish track days a year.

is is worth keeping the set that come off?

Its pretty original spec so was looking fo any 'must do' upgrades also.

thanks for anyadvice.

[redboy]

Hi,
great choice of car... you wont stop grinning
Re the wheels sizes, you might find that 15" wheels could be a bit tight depending which wing stays you have... i think there are three types... race, 13-14" and 15-16"! Also the choice of tyres might make a difference, CR500s tend to be a bit lower profile than Toyo R888s or Yokos etc. I have 13" anthracites with R888s which have been great for road and track.

Not sure what upgrades you want, there is a huge market of suppliers in addition to Caterham, also check out Blatchat http://www.blatchat.com/ and your local 7 club meets.
Personally I swapped my leather seats for Tillets which i find more comfortable and supportive but some cannot get on with and I can recommend a visit to Dave Andrews http://www.dvapower.co.uk/ if you want more power... which you will

good luck, John

[dparry]

thanks John, may stick to 13s then, it doesnt look like there is much room. plus cheaper tyres :-). it has cr500 currently.

[Shaun_E]

Most people "upgrade" to 13" as they weigh less and have a decent range of performance tyres (and cheaper). Lower unsprung and rotational weight are advantageous in the handling department.
With a standard SL engine no need for wider rears.
The 13" 8 spokes look great in black. My car:

CR500s are great all round tyres and (IMO) the best road tyre for a Caterham. For track use there are better choices such as Toyo R888, Yokohama A048R or Kumho Ecsta V70.

[jackal]

the one time i tried 15" they were just terrible
id stick with 13 if you can

[Murph7355]

Main reasons to get bigger diameter wheels are to allow larger brake disc size, more wheel width and aesthetics.

The first two aren't relevant on a 7 - you can get more than enough disc and more than enough width on a 13".

Aesthetics - you don't buy these cars for that. Though personally I think 13"s look meaner.

The downside on the bigger wheels is that they weigh more (especially when the tyres are added). They also usually cost more, as do the tyres.

Stick with the 13"s.

[jackal]

poise and general subjective feel is better on 13"s... or so people have reported at meets, on forums and at trackside over the last few years or so

the 15" i tried made the nose rise up and wander/go v. veague under power... Caterham told me this was directly because of the 15" size

[iain a]

I have a set of 15" and two sets of 13" rims. The car definatly feels better on the 13" rims (both with Slicks and Yoko A021) than it does on the 15" (With Toyo T1S.. or Avons). I use the 13" for track action and serious blat attacks. The 15" are only used for rambly touring wanders.. the only advantage they have is to give the sump a little more ground clearance. I only have them because the car came with them....

I did a few laps at a track day on the 15" just to see what they were like... When I had finished laughing at how bad it was I went and put the 13" back on and normal service was resumed.

Stick with the 13" if you can.

[dparry]

perfect, thanks guys. 13"s it is. if anybody knows of any black 8 spokes going for sale, let me know.

[casbar]

Have a look at Compomotive CXR's they look good on a Caterham, I have two sets for slicks and wets

[cater_racer]

Stick with 13" wheels the Caterham 8 spoke anthracite are very good, 6" fronts 8" rears. Balance is fantastic, Yoko's 185 60 13 front, 205 60 13 rear. Don't mess around with 15" wheels you will ***k up the handling.