scannon Posted April 16, 2010 Posted April 16, 2010 My SV has 16 x 7 Caterham wagon wheels with a 19mm offset. The bolt pattern is 4 x 4.25. I don't particularly like the wagon wheels and have a buyer for them. Problem is, other than three piece, custom made Panasports at $750 each I cannot find a wheel with the correct offset and bolt pattern. I also want the rear wheels to be 16 x 8 for wider rear tires. Couldn't find anything in the archive, has anyone gone this route and what did you find?
Boxologist Posted April 16, 2010 Posted April 16, 2010 why not go to 15" wheels. all of you hubs are miata sourced, correct. I figure that the D Prepared (13"?)and Spec Miata people should have great sources for wheels.
TheDingo8MyBaby Posted April 16, 2010 Posted April 16, 2010 why not go to 15" wheels. all of you hubs are miata sourced, correct. I figure that the D Prepared (13"?)and Spec Miata people should have great sources for wheels. Miata's are 4x100 whereas he needs 4x4.25. That being said, you could run bolt on spacers with a 4x100 bolt pattern and that whould put you about right for a FWD 4x100 offset (approx +40mm). Although I know people that have run these spacers for years, some on track organizations don't allow you to run them. You kinda have all aspects working against you - both the bolt pattern and offset are uncommon and 16" doesn't seem to be as common as 15 and 17". You may want to look at kodiak wheels and others have suggested barnby's or Image Wheels as an alternative to kodiak.
jimrankin Posted April 16, 2010 Posted April 16, 2010 The Image Wheels look good and it seems that they can fit just about anything. Big question here is "what price range are they in and how long to get them". I have a complete set of Team Dynamics Wheels on order and the cost was fairly reasonable but the lead time is a killer. I plan to pick up second set of wheels so these may be a real contender. Anybody have any dealings with them for their 7. They mention kit cars on the home page.
scannon Posted April 17, 2010 Author Posted April 17, 2010 I already have a set of custom made wheel spacers so I can run my Miata track wheels and tires on the Caterham. They are 21.3 mm thick. I want a set of wheels that I can use without spacers, preferably in 16". I could use the spacers with a little modification on the standard Panasport 15" wheels but I'd rather not have the weight of the spacers and I like the look of 19mm offsets better than 38mm offsets, it makes the wheel look less like a front wheel drive wheel. I can't go to 13" or 14" without going to very tall tires as I need to maintain what little sump clearance I now have. I'll see what I can find in Image, Barnbys and Kodiac.
yellowss7 Posted April 17, 2010 Posted April 17, 2010 Skip, I have a set of Barnby and a set of Kodiak wheels although both are 13 inch. Both are high quality wheels. Tom
scannon Posted April 17, 2010 Author Posted April 17, 2010 Skip, I have a set of Barnby and a set of Kodiak wheels although both are 13 inch. Both are high quality wheels. Tom Tom, With 13" wheels, my sump will be close to zero ground clearance.
TheDingo8MyBaby Posted April 17, 2010 Posted April 17, 2010 Tom, With 13" wheels, my sump will be close to zero ground clearance. That all depends on the size of tire you run. a 205/60/13 would only be .3" lower. Since you're concerned with ground clearance, a switch to 205/50/15 would only be .1" lower. The problem with 13 and 14" tires is there's not a whole lot of selection and finding performance street tires in those categories can be tough.
scannon Posted April 17, 2010 Author Posted April 17, 2010 (edited) From the tire size comparator at http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html 205/45-16 23.3" diameter 205/60-13 22.7" diameter The 13" tire is actually .6" shorter. Not many choices in performance street tires in that size. I borrowed one of the rear wheels and tires from Alaskossie's ESL this afternoon and tried it on my SV. The wheel is a 15 x 9 from the Caterham CSR. Tires are 245/40-15 Avons. There is very little clearance between the rear Watts linkage rod and the tire. He uses a 5mm spacer on his car with no problems so far. I didn't try the spacer as my wheel studs are too short even without the spacer. With longer studs and the spacer I should have no problem with these on my car. These tires are .6" shorter than my current tires a 0.3% difference or 2 revolutions per mile more. I tried to upload some pictures but it tells me I have used up my quota for uploads. Edited April 17, 2010 by scannon
bsimon Posted April 17, 2010 Posted April 17, 2010 Skip, I'm using 235/50-15 Yoko 032 on 9.5" Kodiaks. The OD is 23.7. The 032 has been discontinued, but the 048 has the same OD. Next time we get together, put one of my wheels on your car and see how it fits up. It's nearly the same offset as the CC wheel on Tom's car. Actually only about .1" shallower. The full set of Kodiac wheels was 1522 shipped. Actually quite the bargain considering that you can order any offset you want and have the ability to change widths and offsets in the future at minimal cost. Another plus is the Kodiaks are only about 10 lbs apiece. If you ever dent a wheel, Kodiak can ship a replacement spun rim for a fraction of the cost of a complete wheel. No affiliation, just satisfied customer...
TheDingo8MyBaby Posted April 17, 2010 Posted April 17, 2010 From the tire size comparator at http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html 205/45-16 23.3" diameter 205/60-13 22.7" diameter The 13" tire is actually .6" shorter. Not many choices in performance street tires in that size. If we're talking about ground clearance, those are diameters, you have to divide by 2 - so it's .3"
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