David M Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 Ok - I am using the Caterham throughout winter including for a skiing trip in the new year, my CR500's on 15' rims are coming to the end of there life and so over the winter I thought I would get some good Wet/Snow tyre but there don't seem to be any 195/45 15' tyres out there unless anyone knows of any..... Any suggestions? I could get another set of Rims -always useful in the future for track days etc........ Is it possible to get a higher profile tyre on my 15' rims and what would the effect be e.g 195/55 15' ? Your knowledge of tyres would be greatly recieved..... Cheers David GF04RCE is built running and on the road.... every day is a Caterham day!!!! He heee!!... pictures here , I am as excited as an excited thing..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheds Moderator Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 15 foot rims. Blimey. Better have a word with Nifty, he may have some left over from a combine harvester or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David M Posted December 16, 2004 Author Share Posted December 16, 2004 Doah!! well I did say i wanted to get through the snow.... 😬 David GF04RCE is built running and on the road.... every day is a Caterham day!!!! He heee!!... pictures here , I am as excited as an excited thing..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_E Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 You could always try Bridgestone 720's as I normal run between them and Cr500's on 15" rims. Anybody run 13" rims on an SV and anything you have to adjust? if so what size tyres do you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjmmarsh Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 Michael I have 13" rims on my SV for trackdays with 185/60 A032Rs on them. I lose about 2cm clearance under the sump which is OK on a track, but I grounded the sump going over a sharp rise on the ordinary road. Otherwise no adjustment needed! (Speedo is about 10% out as well, as there is a smaller rolling radius.) Steve Edited to say that my normal road tyres are 205/45/16 ZZ3s Steve Edited by - sjmmarsh on 16 Dec 2004 20:42:43 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulD Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 I'ts quite common to go up on aspect ratio (is that the right term?) with a winter tyre. What size tyres have CC fitted to 15" wheels in the past? Otherwise, get some 14" wheels from the scrappy, saves havin to swap tyres round again in the spring Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Beaumont Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 14" rims with the right offset, PCD and nut style aren't very common alas but a good suggestion. 14" aren't considered very desirable for Caterhams so you might get a cheap set if you hunt around. David, try here to play around with tyre sizes and the effects on diameter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 Cheap steel wheels and winter tyres go together. The alloys just die with the salt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David M Posted December 17, 2004 Author Share Posted December 17, 2004 Hey Peter..... Yep I think that is going to be the best route, just have to choose the most appropriate size...... David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_E Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 sjmmarsh: Cheers, what rims are they, ten spoke cc's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefoster Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 Has anybody tried proper winter tyres on a 7? The soft micro pore variety? Do they do super soft versions? What would they fit on a Smart car in northern Germany for example? I used them on a VW Sharan in Sweden and thought them as good as studded tyres on all surfaces bar sheet ice. If someone with studded tyres had been down the road to scratch up the surface then they worked fine on that too... The 7 being so light is at a disadvantage in cutting in to get grip. normal road tyres will be worse than the CR500's or Yoko 021's for sure. Hants (North) and Berkshire Area club site here My racing info site here Edited by - stevefoster on 17 Dec 2004 02:33:18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulD Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 I had drove the Seven right through the winter a couple of years ago. I fitted Kleber tyres and they were a great improvement over the Michelin Pileups that I had on at the time. The typical soft tyres that you find on the seven don't have much tread pattern. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheds Moderator Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 I might go so far as to suggest that the best tyres for a ski trip are whatever the hire company puts on the tintop that you collect at the airport or railway station, having left the 7 elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john aston Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 FWIW I use Vredestein Snotracs on my Golf- 195/15- 55s? They are fantastic in mud and snow but a bit torquesteery.Would be fun on a 7 Iguess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David M Posted December 18, 2004 Author Share Posted December 18, 2004 There are very few 195/45 15 all season tyres around - Has any body put 195/50 15s on a seven that usually runs on cr500s or has anyone a view of the impact on handling by doing this.... All I want is a good all season tyre that I can tour in over winter, avoids aquaplanning and has a sure foot on snow and slush..... hopefully without having to go down to 14 inch rims 185/60 14s..... I have only ever had CR500s so really don't know what to expect from anything else.... Cheers David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sven Justin Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 A suggestion maybe to use a fresh set of cr500's and look at getting a pair of "autosocks" - basically a grippy type bag that you slip over the rear wheels when things get tricky. They are very popular in Scandinavia, and have just come out over here. Much lighter that snowchains, and should slip behind the seat.... This company sells them here Another point; I have driven to and from Slovakia in appalling conditions with well worn semi tread tyres on an M3, not getting stuck once!! Unlike Britain, i have to say that the Europeans generally do a fantastic job when it comes to keeping the roads clear. Keep the money you save and buy a set of slick shod wheels for trackdays!! Good luck, have a safe trip... R400 SVN......The fastest agent here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David M Posted December 18, 2004 Author Share Posted December 18, 2004 Hey Sven, just ordered some autosocks.... thanks for that.... I am still a bit concerned about the CR500s in cold, very wet and potentially snowy conditions but will just have to take it steady..... time to order a new set though...... GF04RCE is built running and on the road.... every day is a Caterham day!!!! He heee!!... pictures here , I am as excited as an excited thing..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David M Posted December 20, 2004 Author Share Posted December 20, 2004 Ok it seems as though CCs view is that our cars shouldn't be driven in the winter months and have no guidlines or recommendations for tyres or set up for winter conditions, most frustrating.... Anyway a question: has anyone fitted higher profile tyres on their seven than the standard recommended, this increases the options of tyres available in particular I currently use: 195/45 15'' Would I get clearance under my front cycle wings with: 195/50 15" If you have done it let me know cheers.... Also what are the other tyre size and rim size sets which are standard on a seven? Any help would be greatly appreciated...... Cheers David GF04RCE is built running and on the road.... every day is a Caterham day!!!! He heee!!... pictures here , I am as excited as an excited thing..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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