Coming Soon: 15" Caterham Track Wheel Package

[BruceBe]

Hello Everyone,

We have been developing a custom 3-piece, 15" track wheel package for the Caterham Seven over the winter, and should have first articles in the next few weeks. The sheer lack of selection of wheels with correct offset, bolt-pattern, and performance/quality characteristics drove the project.

 

We are utilizing a very well-respected, professional motor-sport wheel manufacturer to realize our design, which borrows styling elements from the Caterham F1 wheel. Initially, it will be offered with a black anodized center and high-polished outer shell.

 

The BR Signature Series wheel is designed to fit under any Caterham CSR without body/fender modifications, while maximizing wheel width - 15" x 10" in the rear; 15" x 7" in the front. The extra width (1" rear; 1/2" front) provide a more favorable wheel size for the Avon slicks that we use and recommend.

 

We have not finalized pricing, but expect it to be in-line with the cost of other premium-quality, motor-sport 3-piece wheels in the market.

 

This thread will be updated when we have our first articles fitted.

 

-Bruce

[Wings Aviation]

I'm very interested in a set. Any idea of a weight yet?

[Croc]

Bruce - please keep me informed. While i have just migrated to BBS 13 inch wheels any new CSR wheel solution is always welcomed. You may also want to post updates on the CSR forum where this is always a hot topic globally.

 

Also I had been planning to call you on annother matter - is there a recommended time to call you?

[Wings Aviation]

Any update on the Caterham wheels yet?

[MichaelD]

photos please

[BruceBe]

We had our first test-fit of a front last week. The good news is that we hit the fitment numbers correctly, but have just a couple of cosmetic design changes. I'll get a photo up very shortly.

 

In its current form, the wheel weighs 10.5 lbs. Given the generous amount of caliper clearance, we'll likely migrate to an inner/outer shell with a dropped center, to further reduce rotational inertia.

 

We're getting close.

 

-Bruce

[BruceBe]

Well - after about 10-months of design iteration, prototyping, and testing, we have our first sets of wheels! Currently, the sizing is optimized for a CSR chassis, but we will have fitments for DeDion cars (in 15") soon.

 

Here are a few photos - the rear:

 

Rear in a natural finish:

 

 

Front

 

 

On a track-prepared CSR:

[Croc]

Hi Bruce,

 

They look great! A couple of questions:

1) Whats the final weight like compared to the existing standard road wheels? Still 10.5lbs?

2) Will this only work with the Avon radial slick shown or will it accommodate other brands as Avon does not have the greatest of supply chains in the US?

 

Thanks

mike

[MichaelD]

Full specs?

weight

diameter

width

material

1,2,3 piece

[BruceBe]

To answer a few questions:

• Tire fitment - they are fitted with Avons, but other tires of similar size could be fitted. As you can tell from the photos, the limiting factor on the front is the cycle wing width.
  
• Weight - the early prtotype used for front fitment purposes was indeed about 10.5lbs. However, we migrated to a completely custom center blank design utilzing larger diameter centers to maximize caliper clearance and improve aesthetics. As such, final weight is in the 13lb range.
  
• Construction - 3-piece, 15" diameter, 6061-T6 forged centers, correct hub-centric construction for Caterham 4 x 108 wheel hubs (specific front and rear).
  

 

As 3-piece wheels, they are completely rebuildable, with replaceable inner and outer wheel shells - an important feature of a wheel designed for track use. Center caps are a nice touch for car shows and touring, and we will eventually offer a center cap for this wheel. For now, they have a very nice machined and finished hub bore.

 

This is not a re-packaged wheel with different bolt pattern and offset. The lack of premium Caterham wheel offerings here in the USA was frustrating, so we embarked on a ground-up effort. Aesthetically, we attempted to capture an essence of the Caterham F1 wheel, while creating a more contemporary profile. By utilizing very large-bore center blanks, we pushed the effective and perceived diameter of the wheel as far out as possible - we think this wheel avoids the "chunky" look of most 15-inch diameter 3-piece wheels.

 

Introductory pricing is $550 each for the rears, and $500 each for the fronts. Black anodizing is currently a no-cost option.

 

-Bruce

[randychase]

Those look great!

[redgoose]

do these wheels work on the R500 ? if not, do you plan on making on that does ?

[BruceBe]

do these wheels work on the R500 ? if not, do you plan on making on that does ?

 

We have an R500 in the shop right now, and are investigating a correct fitment, in 15-inch (stock R500 wheels are 13" diameter). Due to the DeDion/watts-linkage, the rear wheel will need to be downsized to 9.5" in width.

 

Migrating to 15-inch wheels in an R500 will require a change to different front fender stays as well.

 

-Bruce

[Alaskossie]

Bruce,

 

My 2007 R500 was offered by Caterham with the option of 13-inch wheels or 15-inch wheels.

 

I got the 6.5X15 wheels for front and rear, but later I test-fit a set of CSR 9X15 wheels and 245/40 R15 tires on the rear. They fit with no clearance problems, but I added a 5mm spacer, just to be sure.

 

So I am running the 245/40 R15 CR500 Avon tires on 9X15 Caterham CSR wheels on the rear, and 195/45 R15 CR500s on Caterham 6.5X15 wheels on the front.

 

I have had no interference with the front wing stays, running the 195/45 R 15 tires on the front.

[BruceBe]

Bruce,

 

My 2007 R500 was offered by Caterham with the option of 13-inch wheels or 15-inch wheels.

 

I got the 6.5X15 wheels for front and rear, but later I test-fit a set of CSR 9X15 wheels and 245/40 R15 tires on the rear. They fit with no clearance problems, but I added a 5mm spacer, just to be sure.

 

So I am running the 245/40 R15 CR500 Avon tires on 9X15 Caterham CSR wheels on the rear, and 195/45 R15 CR500s on Caterham 6.5X15 wheels on the front.

 

I have had no interference with the front wing stays, running the 195/45 R 15 tires on the front.

 

Your fitment on the front is interesting. Which front wings are you using - standard or CSR? Would you mind posting a photo of your front wing stays - looking down from above? I'll bet the profile of the stay, relative to the top ball-joint, is very similar to a CSR wing stay. Or, your 6.5 x 15 wheel has a different offset than that of a CSR.

 

-Bruce

[Alaskossie]

Bruce,

 

Here are three photos -- I hope they are clear enough. My front wings are the standard Caterham SIII c/f wings, not the CSR ones.

[BruceBe]

First - thanks for the photos. It inspired a more in-depth research process involving the factory, to get to a level of certainty surrounding wing stays.

 

Two different sets of wing stays are available for 15" wheels. The standard part is intended for larger profile tires, offering more clearance.

 

The alternate wing stays, also referred to as "race stays", are intended for low profile (e.g. CR500) front tires, and fit tighter to the wheel/tire package.

 

We will have a set of the race-stays in-house over the next few days, and this is what we will use to determine the geometry/clearances of our track wheel for non-CSR models. If our wheels clear the tighter wing stay setup, the standard wing stays will offer further clearance.

 

When our measuring work is complete, the race stays will be available for purchase.

 

-Bruce

[BruceBe]

I am pleased to announce that we now have our 15", three-piece track wheel fitment for Caterham S3/SV chassis vehicles. Note that if you are upsizing from 13" wheels, this will require new 15" front wing stays (either standard, or lower-profile "race stays").

 

This S3/SV wheel has an identical center design/profile as the CSR wheel we developed, setup to correctly fit DeDion cars, with appropriate bodywork clearance. Nominal wheel widths are 15" x 7" in front, with 15" x 9" in the rear for S3/SV chassis cars. Photos of the wheel, on and off the car, can be found further up in this thread. Anodizing is offered as an option, and recommended for track use, as it makes wheel clean-up after a race weekend or track day much easier.

 

We're set to go into another production build with the full line of our signature-series track wheel mid-January, and already have several orders. We will continue to honor introductory pricing for this next run.

 

Cheers,

-Bruce