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13 inch wheels on the street


redgoose

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ron (redgoose) here..just pulled the trigger on the green r500 at denver caterhams usa..im very excited !!! anyway, it is coming with 13 inch wheels. any thoughts on pluses or minuses..should i change to 15" ???

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Congrats Ron! I have 13 inch magnesium wheels on my 2000 Superlight. On the plus side, they are lighter than 15 inchers. Less unsprung weight.

 

No issues with ground clearance either. Mated to the Avon CR500 tires, they make a nice light combo.

 

Hope to see you and your new ride at the NJMP trackday in June with the other New York big HP boys.

 

Tom

Edited by yellowss7
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Congratulations on the new toy! Glad you finally made the big announcement. Personally, I love the look of the 13" wheels on the car. The diameter on the CR500's (and the ZZRs) is quite close to what you would get with the 15" setup.

I'll let those more experienced debate the merits of 13 vs. 15 wheels on the road. My opinion is that you will look marvelous eithery way in the Krypton R500! What a car...

Karl

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Congrats Ron! I have 13 inch magnesium wheels on my 2000 Superlight. On the plus side, they are lighter than 15 inchers. Less unsprung weight.

 

No issues with ground clearance either. Mated to the Avon CR500 tires, they make a nice light combo.

 

Hope to see you and your new ride at the NJMP trackday in June with the other New York big HP boys.

 

Tom

thanks tom..sounds like they will work..u will see me at njmp

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Congratulations on the new toy! Glad you finally made the big announcement. Personally, I love the look of the 13" wheels on the car. The diameter on the CR500's (and the ZZRs) is quite close to what you would get with the 15" setup.

 

I'll let those more experienced debate the merits of 13 vs. 15 wheels on the road. My opinion is that you will look marvelous eithery way in the Krypton R500! What a car...

 

Karl

thank you karl..lots of fun ahead

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ur actually better off w/ teh added sidewall height on the 13" tyres as opposed to teh 15" tyres. U may lose a little ground clearance if the wet sump is still hanging underneath teh frame like it does on many of the Zetec motors. If u have opted for teh dry sump, awesome move!

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Gawd, another "Uber" se7en at the NJ track day! I am bringing a rope and tying my Crossflow to one of your cars:).

 

 

Sounds a perfectly good idea....can I suggest your dark blue with red noseband would go very well paired with Kryptonite green or Aztec Orange? That way I have a chance to keep up as Ron is a blazing fast driver and Karl is no slouch either.

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:rofl:

 

Congratulations Ron! It is beginning to look like a Sevens "arms race" in this NY metro region. Are you having Ben build it for you?

yes.. he is stopping on yours and doing mine first$$$$$$...not...i am next after you..he expects completion on mine in may.. yours is looking sweet..i love the cosworth..later ron

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The NJMP trackday will certanly be the place to be in June.

 

3 New SUPER 7's and hopefully 7 or more additional 7's. Plenty of time to clear your schedules, and Plenty of time to bust on each other. Box, you are definately going to have to get Snakebit back together in time for this event.

 

Now if we can just convince Mazda and Al that they should be in attendance. Mazda might be shaking in his boots, he may need to put in an LS7 just to get back into the game.

 

:party:

 

Tom

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I went with the 15-inch Caterham spoked wheels on my Superlight. Even though it has a dry sump,I was concerned about ground clearance in places where the roads might be questionable. On my trip from Colorado to Alaska via California last August, I'm sure that I passed over some stuff (especially the 100 miles of badly rutted and convoluted asphalt in northern Yukon Territory) that might have snagged a lower car.

 

The other reason for the 15-inchers was that I wanted to use the wider rear wheel and tire combination off the CSR, at the rear of my car. I'm running 195/45 R15 Avon CR500 tires on Caterham's 6.5X15 rims at the front, and 225/40 R15 Avon CR500 tires on Caterham CSR's 9-inch rims at the rear, with 5 mm spacers on the hubs.

 

The spacers aren't really needed, but they give a bit of added clearance from the rear control arms. Fortunately, my rear hub studs were long enough for this combination, without having to install longer studs.

 

And i do like the look of the fatter rear rubber, too. Caterham apparently advises that the CSR rear wheel/tire combination will not work on a Series 3, but I beg to differ....

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The trade offs seem to be availability of desirable wheels and tires for your particular purpose. Possible changes in unsprung weight, aspect ratio of the tires and ride height. To cruise I would like 13' with a higher aspect ratio for the track I would have to balance the weight, stickiness, longevity and cost. Not much help here. Try what you have for a while then start tuning to your tastes.

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Two street 13" I have used for many miles and SMILES. Note that the Dia range is 22.7" to 23.1". The weights are almost the same. So that .4 difference is not worth the extra weight od the 15" wheels.

 

However a skid pan from Mid Atlantic Caterham is advisable.

 

Toyo RA1s 205/60R13 86V 236700 5.5-6.0-7.5 DIA 22.7, TW 8.2 Weight 20

Toyo RA1s 205/50ZR15 236840 5.5-6.5-7.5 DIA 23.1, TW 8.4 Weight 20

 

Toyo 888s 205/60R13 86V 168270 5.5-6.0-7.5 DIA 22.6, TW 8.2 Weight 19.2

Toyo 888s 205/50ZR15 86W 68200 5.5-6.5-7.5 DIA 23.0, TW 8.5 Weight 19.8

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