Warren S Smith Posted April 8, 2001 Share Posted April 8, 2001 I am on the verge of deciding to buy a car with the VHPD engine. Please don't chew my head off but I like the 16" HPC wheels. Would anyone be able to let me know what would be the best tyres to fit (Yoko 32Rs for example) and roughly what these tyres would cost each. Thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dartmoor7 Posted April 8, 2001 Share Posted April 8, 2001 Do not fit the Avon ZZ-1 as supplied by Caterham. Even the old Mich Pilots are better. Believe the 032 is available in 205/50x16 but not 45-series. Would probably just make speedo more accurate. Try for the softest tyres you can find. Goodyear F-1? Maybe Bridgestone S0-2 if available in size? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul McKenzie Posted April 8, 2001 Share Posted April 8, 2001 Jim Jeffrey (01925 266050) in Warrington is advertising Goodyear F1's in 215/40/16 at 90.47, Bridgestone SO2PP in 205/50/16 at 121.02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StewartG Posted April 8, 2001 Share Posted April 8, 2001 Iknow they don't look as good but for those prices you could buy 13 inch wheels AND tyres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike ashurst Posted April 9, 2001 Share Posted April 9, 2001 Warren, I bought a set of imaculate HPC's from someone on this site for £300.00 including a set of Pilots hardly used. I've seen several others advertised since both here and in "Low Flying". That would be your best bet. You may find though, that if you buy a cycle wing car that has 13" fitted, that the 16" will not fit under the wing stays. Only real solution for me was to buy new stays and swap them over. This means removing the front brake pipes as they go throught the centre triangle of the stays, nothing's ever straightforward eh? Caterham also sell different front cycle wings for the larger diameter wheels, but I kept my old ones and they look fine. Incidentally, I bought my 16" against the run of popular opinion because I needed extra ground clearance on my 1.6k ss (which was only about 1 1/2") for everday use. I have kept my 13" for track days. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted April 9, 2001 Share Posted April 9, 2001 My 1600 SPRINT ENGINE is fitted with Michelin Pilot 195/50/15. Now it is time to change, what you think for road use and some track days ? Thanks Eric eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Abbott Posted April 9, 2001 Share Posted April 9, 2001 I have to say that having fitted ZZ1s (in place of the old michelins) they are IMHO a better tyre, with a slightly softer compound. F1s are supposedly the softest though... Nigel Abbott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dartmoor7 Posted April 9, 2001 Share Posted April 9, 2001 This is going to look a mess because the formatting doesn't fit the Forum but if you fight your way through the numbers you can see relative performance. The easiest thing to spot is that the ZZ-1 got last place in every test. Price Dry Stop1 Dry Stop2 WetStop1 Wet Stop2 Dry Lap Wet Lap Avon ZZ1 £108 10th 10th 10th 10th 10th 10th Michelin MXX3 £113 4th 6th 9th 8th 1st 5th GoodYear F1 £116 9th 7th 4th 4th 5th 1st Yoko A520 £103 2nd 1st 8th 9th 4th 9th Toyo Proxes T1 Plus £103 3rd 3rd 6th 7th 6th 7th Fulda Extremo £87 6th 2nd 2nd 9th 2nd 2nd Dunlop Sport 2000 £TBA 4th 5th 5th 2nd 8th 8th Pirelli P7000 £92 7th 4th 1st 3rd 4th 3rd Cont. Sport Contact £84 8th 8th 7th 6th 9th 6th Bridgestone S-02 £127 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 7th 2nd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reg Posted April 9, 2001 Share Posted April 9, 2001 Excuse my ignorance, but why then do Caterham fit as standard what appear to be almost universally considered the worst possible tyres? The (retail) price difference doesn't look great. Reg Marjason C7 SEV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murph7355 Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 Reg - Commercial relationships? Personally I think the 7 looks fantastic with 13" wheels (much more "race car for the road) and grossly over-wheeled with 16"ers. And there are more decent tyres to choose from at much lower prices. Each to his/her own... Still, at least with a VHPD engine you'll have enough power to lug them round wink.gif Nigel - I just happened to read this thread after your one on traction control! Maybe a swap of tyres would help? C7 AJM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V7 SLR Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 You don't buy a hi-fi without listening to it and comparing it with others, so DON'T buy a Caterham with 16" wheels without trying it against one with 13's. You can't just buy according to what looks good... can you? Having said that, I believe there is no comparison. The 16" wheels feel huge and heavy. Their high unsprung weight is felt through the car. Even the 15's feel heavy. Go for the smallest and lightest wheels, then you have the option of reduced spring rates, which in turn gives a better ride. This is Chapman philosophy remember. I always wonder when people say they need larger wheels for ground clearance, when most people I know have 13" wheels and manage OK. Granted 1 1/2 inches clearance is very low, but why is this I wonder? I know a couple of superlight drivers who have more clearance than that with 13" wheels AND ACB10's which have a particularly low profile. Perhaps the adjustable suspension is a better bet. I don't know how much a new set of larger wheels costs compared to an adjustable suspension setup, but I think I could point the one worth the money. I also know that people say you should only use 13" wheels on the track, and once believed that myself. Since then, I've covered 9000 miles on 13" wheels, mostly on the road and haven't found any problems. I have adjustable suspension though. I reckon I've got about 3 inches of clearance, but with the stiffer springs which are standard on the SLR, this keeps my sump off the road. The dry sump may also help, but only a tiny little bit. I believe the clearance difference is only about a half inch. Don't mean to chew your head off. In fact, I haven't, but I would urge you to try both setups first. If you live near the Midlands you are welcome to come to the Worcs L7 club meeting tomorrow night (Weds 11th March) and you could try a few different setups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murph7355 Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 And if you're in or around Dorking you can have a go in mine. I also don't think it looks too bad. Maybe check out Simon Scott's gallery site for plenty of comparative images of all of them? C7 AJM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dartmoor7 Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 >>why then do Caterham fit as standard what appear to be almost universally considered the worst possible tyres? They get the cheapest deal they can from a manufacturer for tyres to fit every wheel option in the range. If you look back in time you'll see that before Avon they fitted all Michelin and before that all Goodyear. Obviously there is no way this can result in us getting the best tyres in every size. In this instance they probably get an excellent deal on ACB10s and we get lumbered with rubbish. The answer if you can buy new is to buy your own tyre package. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan T Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 So if I telephone Caterham and say I don't want Avons on the SV (16inch wheels) they start building for me next month, what will they say and what should I fit? Any advice? Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dartmoor7 Posted April 11, 2001 Share Posted April 11, 2001 >>what will they say Don't know and what should I fit? Bridgestone S-02 if can get the size Goodyear F1 Pirelli P7000 Yokohama A520 Bridgestone Potenza RE910 A032 if you don't mind 205/50x16 I would fit almost anything before I would put ZZ-1s on my car again. Anyone want to buy 2 low mileage ZZ-1s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefoster Posted April 11, 2001 Share Posted April 11, 2001 The 16" wheels with Pilots weight 16.5 kgs each. 13" Minilites with Yoko 021's weigh 13kgs. 3.5kgs unsprung mass and 17.5 kgs (if you carry a spare) extra weight! You pays your money and takes your choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dartmoor7 Posted April 11, 2001 Share Posted April 11, 2001 Yep. I'll be fitting 13s when I get the money but they may look a bit odd on an SV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number Six Posted April 11, 2001 Share Posted April 11, 2001 I don't think they will. Even the SV is tiny compared to average tin tops. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted April 12, 2001 Share Posted April 12, 2001 I am surprised with the price you pay the 195/50 15 MICHELIN PILOT. In France you can have 4 Brand new Pilot for less than £ 200 It is the price I pay mine The Avon 190/50 15 are 3 times more expensive and the tests seems to be not very good eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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