13" wheels

[slomove]

I know that a few of you guys are running 13" wheels. What brand and dimension of wheels are you using, where did you get them and how much was it?

Thanks,

Gert

[Roll a 7]

Gert, I received one set of lightweight wheels from Caterham with the car; don't know who made them. I bought a second set of Minilites from Millwood Motors, a UK 7 dealer. Got 2 13X6 and 2 13X8 wheels for about $750 delivered via air to my door. Suggest that you troll a Birkin website to find out what those guys recommend in size, offset etc. Caterham racers claim that 13" wheels give better lap times than 15" or larger, perhaps because the taller sidewalls make the performance more progressive. Watching the series in which your countryman is so dominant 13" wheels will reduce your unsprung weight and that should help performance! Panasport makes very good wheels and Michael B. is very happy with the Kodiaks! There are some pretty good 13" tires available, but the selection is not as good as 17" or 18" among brands and tire models. Our tires seem to be an enthusiasts backwater rather than the more mainstream sizes that fit Corvettes, Porsche, Mustang, Camaro, and the rice rockets running tires that look like the pressed solid tires off a forklift!! A move to 13" tires is likely to help the performance of your car. 8)

[imported_venom7]

I got my car with the 16" HPC rims and Goodyear GS-D's(205/45-16). They were horrible. I can't stand Goodyears on any vehicle I own. I then went to Toyo Proxis. Much better. They were great on the road and okay on the track but I could never get the heat I needed into them. Then I went to 13" on a suggestion from a friend.. They changed the whole characteristics of the car. Much more nimble and bordering frenetic. I love them. I found myself pushing the car much more and using more revs. Started on 008R's then 032R's and now I'm finishing off my first set of Hoosiers. They are an awesome tire and heat up quickly. But I find myself ready to change back to the 032R's. They had a better wear life and are only marginally less sticky. I would only have the 16"s be put back on if I was doing a long road trip; it was a little more relaxed and better MPG.

[slomove]

The Hoosiers you got, were they pure slicks or the road race tires (e.g. the R3S04) ? They look pretty good and quite inexpensive.

Gert

[imported_venom7]

Had to go back to the site to see which ones they are. Yes, they are the R3S03. But when I bought mine they never had the pop up disclaimer about using the tires on the street. They are amazing but you end up finding yourself, slowly, testing the limits of them on country roads (thats a story for another day). If I had to choose I would probably have 3 sets of tires; one set of superlight 13" rims with Hoosiers(track), one set of light 13" with 032r's(around town) and light 16" with sticky Toyo or Yokos(hiway roadtrips). I have two of the three now and they work pretty well.
Hoosiers are nice but not cheap, the 032R's are $20-30 cheaper.

[Roll a 7]

If you check Hoosier's website they are now offering some "discontinued" sizes for $80-90 per tire, with quite a few 13" sizes. Looks interesting!!! 8)

[slomove]

Looked at that a few weeks ago. They had a fire sale with slicks as cheap as $ 40 each. Unfortunately they were some odd sizes, even in 13".

I ended up buying ACB10 from Roger Krauss. Now waiting for my RealWheel rims....

I hope to have a much better setup for the track days in fall.


Gert

[imported_venom7]

Did you pay the $140 or so that he advertises them at on his site?
I was going to get some more 032R's from tirerack for $118 heat cycled each. As i was checking for sizes( thinking i might go up a size in width or down in profile) I found that Sumitomo sells their"high performance" HTR 200 for $35 each. Damn thats so cheap.
So, I gotta ask, has anyone ever ran with these on their car. I do spirited driving on the road and maybe a few track days(can get an extra set of rims for the price i save)?

[moosetestbestanden]

The new Caterham 13 inchers look very good imo. Correct offsets and everything too.

Remember that the rear well arches come in 2 sizes - one for bigger wheels and one for smaller. I think the car might not look as good w/ little wheels under a great big arch. Of course, speed's the thing so whatever.

[slomove]

IIRC the ACB10 were something like $160-ish for 7" and 8" a few bucks more.
The RealWheel rims are also about $ 160 each (at 10.5 pounds weight) but officially only for racing. You can get the RealWheels in all conceivable bolt patterns and offsets made to order.

Gert

[Roll a 7]

I know a guy selling 4 13X8 Panasports with some additional offset to put the wheels a bit further out. I think he's been sitting on them for a year or so since another 7 owner decided he didn't want them and may be somewhat flexible about parting with them. I might buy them myself if I didn't already have "enough" sets of wheels. Actually would like to have them!! 8)

[imported_venom7]

OK, I'll bite. How much and where are they?

[imported_venom7]

I threw my old set of 16's on while I decide which 13;s to go with. Wow. Havent driven with them in years. Much harder streering, way less feedback, less nimble but almost a thousand less revs on the highway. In general just felt numb. Can't wait to put 13's back on.

[Roll a 7]

Venom7: The guy with the wheels is Tom @ midatlanticmotorsport.com They were offered to me @ $240 ea and I went a different direction. I still kinda wish I had 'em, but how many sets DO you really need!! If you buy them I'd sure like to see them @ the Streets of Willow the last weekend of the month. 8)