Ben's hands down the best contemporary F1 commentator, and second only to Murray. So great to see him driving a Caterham. Thanks for the really helpful video.
Hello guys, the report on the tire sizes in connection with such a well-known commentator, is a great idea. In the winter I will change my Caterham from the 14 inch Minilite to the 13 inch Minilite. Thanks 😊
Great video guys - and I agree the 13" wheels suit my driving style too. Not sure I would run the CR500s on anything though - how old are those tyres now?
I've been preaching this to mates for years, the only wheels and tyres that have any place being on any 7 are 13s. They look a million times better than 15s too. They don't fill the arches on a Caterham, nothing does, because Caterham's arch design is truly awful. Look at say a Westfield with 13s, they definitely fill the arches and look awesome.
@@carlwoolrich8552not the case happily. Nangkang, Khumo, Toyo and Yokohama all make 13” with various soft compounds suitable for sevens in 13x6. For staggered 13x8 Toyo, Khumo and Nangkang again… meantime fingers crossed no a restart ZZS production
Hello Martin. There’s no “right or wrong” with wheel choices, and there are subjective values - like the way car looks, and how it feels to one as a driver 😊 There is also no escaping the fact geometry “slips” and changes over time, and geometry that’s not correct can cause a lot of negative feel - like tramlining, for instance. But, saying all that, there’s also no escaping the fact less versus more tyre sidewall is going to affect the way such a lightweight car feels. If you’ve any doubts about how your car is feeling right now, it’ll be worth getting geometry checked before shelling out lots of money 😀
Very informative, and I’m glad that my 1999 Superlight came on 13" wheels. What tire size did you have on the 13s in the video? They look as if hey have less of a sidewall than mine. I’m running 185-70/13.
@@jmlupoludowicy1239 most likely 60s. I run 205/60 R13 on my Westfield. Toyo R888R, it's an excellent combination for me. Wouldn't run anything else tbh.
@@turn7caterham No worries... I was curious as I changed from 15" to 13" wheels on my 1985 pre-lit Westfield 7 saving 1.7kg per corner and the acceleration and change of direction was absolutely mind blowing.
@karlmueller66 *nod* When you’re starting from such a light car anyway, relatively small changes in unsprung weight can feel a marked difference can’t they!
@@turn7caterham Yeah... I chucked out 38kg with lighter battery, starter motor, removing spare wheel and other bits and pieces (including the new wheels/tyres). My next upgrade is a new lighter wheel - my current 13's are 6.5kg and the new ones are 4.5kg. And sadly Avon went bust and I wanted a set of ZZR's as they were 7.9kg compared to the Yokohama A048 I'm using that are 9.9kg... waiting to see if Nova will supply the same ZZR.
My neighbour has one! He has worked all hours God sends to getr it running for years! It occasionally has a 20 mile missfiring trip!...So.....In my view "No Wheels Are Best for a Caterham!"..Or a box of Swan-Vestas!...LA5 UK
Hello! Well, it's kinda impossible to do a video just about wheels without talking about tyres. Cars don't drive so well with the former not shod in the latter 😉 There's no escaping the fact that different wheel sizes dictate tyres sizes, and that massively affects Caterham feel and handling. If we were to get *really* scientific about 'road contact points', we'd focus on rubber compounds, sipes, operating pressures and temperatures etc. etc. But the differences then become minutiae most people simply won't notice in every day driving. Pretty much everybody will notice the difference between 15s and 13s… 😊
Just watched up to the 15s so far and all he's talked about is grip and traction. But that's a result of the 15s being 195 rather than 185 and also much sportier tyres, nothing to do with the larger wheel diameter at all. So totally pointless test!
Watched it all and there's no improvement. His comments are far more about the tyres than the wheel sizes. The 14s on basic narrow tyres were always onto a loser, yet with sporty tyres they may well be the absolute sweet spot having some of the benefits of both the 13 and 15 without any of the downsides.
Grip, traction and response were praised on both the 15 and the 13 compared to the 14 so no logic to that, until you look at the tyres being used. So guess what was making the real difference? Ultimately 13s get the nod because it's a bumpy road... Do it on track and 15s would likely be the choice? That might be a worthwhile test now, would he still pick 13s?
Callum talks about the tyre contact patches in the section at 14:43. So, whilst you say it's more about tyres versus wheel sizes, really they're connected (😀).
@@pjay3028 The Thing is mate, those are the tyre sizes which are used for each wheel size, making it a completely fair test. I also believe on track, although bumps would not really come into it, the results in terms of grip and handling would be the same! Lots of other videos on youtube for you to enjoy finding fault with so crack on!
Ben's hands down the best contemporary F1 commentator, and second only to Murray. So great to see him driving a Caterham. Thanks for the really helpful video.
Great video, I'm glad I have 13's on mine.
Hello guys, the report on the tire sizes in connection with such a well-known commentator, is a great idea. In the winter I will change my Caterham from the 14 inch Minilite to the 13 inch Minilite. Thanks 😊
Thank you, great video Callum. Looking at Ben's face after the third test drive, think I need to get a set of 13's for next year...:)
Great video! For a future video suggestion: Flared wings vs cycle wings!
Have been waiting for this one! 👍
We hope it's been useful! 🙏
@ Indeed it has, as all your videos. Now, how does 16” feel? 😅😂
Great video guys - and I agree the 13" wheels suit my driving style too. Not sure I would run the CR500s on anything though - how old are those tyres now?
BTW, Ben you were the best F1 commentator of the modern era, tbh I was hoping you'd replace Crofty!
I've been preaching this to mates for years, the only wheels and tyres that have any place being on any 7 are 13s. They look a million times better than 15s too. They don't fill the arches on a Caterham, nothing does, because Caterham's arch design is truly awful. Look at say a Westfield with 13s, they definitely fill the arches and look awesome.
Thank you for this video! Which tyre manufacturer do you recommend for those 195/45 15 in 2024?
We're using Toyos for 13s and 15s now.
Really interested by this, thanks for sharing! Would appreciate knowing the tyre choices for each set, especially those on the 13’s?
With the sad demise of Avon we tend to put Toyos on now 👍
The 13's don't have a great selection of tires.
@@carlwoolrich8552not the case happily. Nangkang, Khumo, Toyo and Yokohama all make 13” with various soft compounds suitable for sevens in 13x6. For staggered 13x8 Toyo, Khumo and Nangkang again… meantime fingers crossed no a restart ZZS production
The gap in the rear wi5h 13" is SOOOO UGLY ! Why dont they change this ? For this kind of money I like not to see such a miss fit 😢
Thank you for a great video Callum. Would the result/experience be the same or different on a 620S please?
Hello Martin. There’s no “right or wrong” with wheel choices, and there are subjective values - like the way car looks, and how it feels to one as a driver 😊 There is also no escaping the fact geometry “slips” and changes over time, and geometry that’s not correct can cause a lot of negative feel - like tramlining, for instance. But, saying all that, there’s also no escaping the fact less versus more tyre sidewall is going to affect the way such a lightweight car feels. If you’ve any doubts about how your car is feeling right now, it’ll be worth getting geometry checked before shelling out lots of money 😀
Thanks Callum for your reply. I'll keep your comments in mind when testing.
Very informative, and I’m glad that my 1999 Superlight came on 13" wheels. What tire size did you have on the 13s in the video? They look as if hey have less of a sidewall than mine. I’m running 185-70/13.
TBH, not sure. Let us see if we can work it out from the raw video footage - we’ll get back to you soon! 🛞
@@jmlupoludowicy1239 most likely 60s. I run 205/60 R13 on my Westfield. Toyo R888R, it's an excellent combination for me. Wouldn't run anything else tbh.
@@turn7caterham Thanks for the reply, looking forward to your findings.
@@steverabbits Nice, according to the (german) paperwork I got, 205/60R13 tires would only be suitable on the rear axle of my car on an 8Jx13 rim.
@jmlupoludowicy1239 yes you would probably have to go 185 on the fronts.
R13❤
What were the weights of each wheel and tyre combo?
We didn’t have time for that level of forensic detail on this occasion Karl 😂
@@turn7caterham No worries... I was curious as I changed from 15" to 13" wheels on my 1985 pre-lit Westfield 7 saving 1.7kg per corner and the acceleration and change of direction was absolutely mind blowing.
@karlmueller66 *nod* When you’re starting from such a light car anyway, relatively small changes in unsprung weight can feel a marked difference can’t they!
@@turn7caterham Yeah... I chucked out 38kg with lighter battery, starter motor, removing spare wheel and other bits and pieces (including the new wheels/tyres).
My next upgrade is a new lighter wheel - my current 13's are 6.5kg and the new ones are 4.5kg. And sadly Avon went bust and I wanted a set of ZZR's as they were 7.9kg compared to the Yokohama A048 I'm using that are 9.9kg... waiting to see if Nova will supply the same ZZR.
@karlmueller66 We’ve been using Toyo R888 instead of the Avons, and liking them.
My neighbour has one! He has worked all hours God sends to getr it running for years! It occasionally has a 20 mile missfiring trip!...So.....In my view "No Wheels Are Best for a Caterham!"..Or a box of Swan-Vestas!...LA5 UK
I enjoyed the video, but in some ways it feels like it's more about tyre than wheel.
Hello! Well, it's kinda impossible to do a video just about wheels without talking about tyres. Cars don't drive so well with the former not shod in the latter 😉 There's no escaping the fact that different wheel sizes dictate tyres sizes, and that massively affects Caterham feel and handling. If we were to get *really* scientific about 'road contact points', we'd focus on rubber compounds, sipes, operating pressures and temperatures etc. etc. But the differences then become minutiae most people simply won't notice in every day driving. Pretty much everybody will notice the difference between 15s and 13s… 😊
It should be highly illegal to pick such a boring colour for a caterham.
Just watched up to the 15s so far and all he's talked about is grip and traction. But that's a result of the 15s being 195 rather than 185 and also much sportier tyres, nothing to do with the larger wheel diameter at all. So totally pointless test!
Carry on watching and you'll catch up with yourself… 😊
Watched it all and there's no improvement. His comments are far more about the tyres than the wheel sizes. The 14s on basic narrow tyres were always onto a loser, yet with sporty tyres they may well be the absolute sweet spot having some of the benefits of both the 13 and 15 without any of the downsides.
Grip, traction and response were praised on both the 15 and the 13 compared to the 14 so no logic to that, until you look at the tyres being used. So guess what was making the real difference?
Ultimately 13s get the nod because it's a bumpy road... Do it on track and 15s would likely be the choice? That might be a worthwhile test now, would he still pick 13s?
Callum talks about the tyre contact patches in the section at 14:43. So, whilst you say it's more about tyres versus wheel sizes, really they're connected (😀).
@@pjay3028 The Thing is mate, those are the tyre sizes which are used for each wheel size, making it a completely fair test. I also believe on track, although bumps would not really come into it, the results in terms of grip and handling would be the same! Lots of other videos on youtube for you to enjoy finding fault with so crack on!