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Tyre & Wheel Sizes: Why It’s Important


Captain Colonial

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Saw this today and it made me do a double take...

 

5C5D155F-FD76-4457-834C-014810D87B9C.jpeg
 

Is it just me or do those tyre / wheel combo look ridiculously small?

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I wonder if the owner removed the 15's (I assume) and replaced them with 13's with profile lower than /60?

Back when I had the numbers for this sort of thing, I seem to recall a 195 or 205 /50 /15 was pretty much the same as a 205/60/13.

The tyres on that look to be lower than a /60 profile, and if they're 185's (nothing wrong with that on a car at the lower end of the power range) then they may well get lost in the arches. A 135bhp 7 type vehicle on 185 tyres with a slippy diff would be a hoot.

Lowering the car might make it look a bit better but at the cost of striking something under the car...

 

And I really like the colour matched rollover bar...

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It’s not an unusual look on Caterhams, though. I think the front cycle wing design and the older style headlamp position etc on some models exaggerate things as well. So when you do get an example with wheels at the smaller end of the range, they look really tiny!

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29 minutes ago, Arm said:

Having driven mine on 13 and 15 inch rims and various tyre sizes and types I do prefer it on 13's

 

I have a vivid recollection of getting absolutely slaughtered for saying that back in the day... :oops: 

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45 minutes ago, Arm said:

Having driven mine on 13 and 15 inch rims and various tyre sizes and types I do prefer it on 13's

I'm genuinely very interested to know why you find the 13's better? and are you talking about road, track or both?

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4 minutes ago, TableLeg said:

I'm genuinely very interested to know why you find the 13's better? and are you talking about road, track or both?

Road and track. 13” are infinitely superior in my view. 
 

The only l reasons for not fitting 13” (again in my view) would be tyre choice and aesthetics. If you choose aesthetics then you obviously have no taste 😁

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1 minute ago, Chris King - Webmaster and Joint North East AO said:

13” are infinitely superior in my view.

Is that your 'Technical review'???

🙈😂

 

Aesthetics aside, what effects are you finding when driving compared to 15" wheels?

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Compliance of the deeper sidewall in a 13 inch tyre suits my car. Generally the 13 inch tyre and wheel is lighter and any reduction in that mass is noticeable. Of course tyre choice massively important and until recently some brilliant 13 inch tyres available for 7's. Mine is track and road. 

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1 hour ago, TableLeg said:

Is that your 'Technical review'???

🙈😂

 

Aesthetics aside, what effects are you finding when driving compared to 15" wheels?

Well - ok not very technical. 
 

But I just love the 13” wheels even though I had very light 15””. 
 

Much more “compliant”, seem to give more “feel”, less harsh ride on the road even with arb’s attached and as a bonus - look great!

 

I used to detach arb’s when on the road due to “chatter“ I could feel with 15” - now I’m happy road & track. 

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12 hours ago, Chris King - Webmaster and Joint North East AO said:

Much more “compliant”

The combination of a deeper sidewall and sticky tyres can give a more gentle breakaway too.

 

Back in the day I ran both 13's and 14's (185 wide) on my wee (rwd) KP Starlet-S tarmac sprint/rally car - the different circumferences were a poor mans diff change depending on the event. But back then, the sticky tyre choice in the smaller sizes was greater, now it's pretty much Toyo 888 or a couple of Nankangs (not to be sniffed at).

 

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Anyone know if 13" fit over the Hi-Spec front and rear brakes?

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11 hours ago, TableLeg said:

Anyone know if 13" fit over the Hi-Spec front and rear brakes?

 

Standard Hi-Spec or the Hi-Spec big brake kit. I understand the the standard Hi-Specs can be used with 13" wheels the big brakes can't

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1 hour ago, Rhett - Joint Black Country AO said:

 

Standard Hi-Spec or the Hi-Spec big brake kit. I understand the the standard Hi-Specs can be used with 13" wheels the big brakes can't

I'm not familiar with the differences but my brakes are called Hi-Spec 4 pot racing front brakes and it says on the WF site (having just looked) that they do fit 13" wheels apparently.....

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