Imperial Caterham hubs
Discussion
Hi all,
Could anyone offer any advice regards getting new 'imperial' hubs?
As you will see from the pictures below, I'm quite lucky!
Any help appreciated, I have ltooked at the Caterham website which looks expensive but also I'm not convinced what they have will fit. If this is the only option then I'll contact them any check etc.
Thanks
Ed
[url]
|http://thumbsnap.com/fH1Upkjk[/url][url]
|http://thumbsnap.com/QT3HKdOv[/url]
Could anyone offer any advice regards getting new 'imperial' hubs?
As you will see from the pictures below, I'm quite lucky!
Any help appreciated, I have ltooked at the Caterham website which looks expensive but also I'm not convinced what they have will fit. If this is the only option then I'll contact them any check etc.
Thanks
Ed
[url]|http://thumbsnap.com/fH1Upkjk[/url][url]|http://thumbsnap.com/QT3HKdOv[/url]Hi,
Wheels were powder coated and for some reason a strange line of powder appeared around the hub area. The wheels would tighten ok but gradually they would come loose so we re torqued them and away we would go. Upon inspection this is what the out come was!
Picture below of one of the wheels.
Does anyone have any advice where to buy hubs from? Are they a standard donor fitment, like mk1 escort or something?
Thanks
Ed
Wheels were powder coated and for some reason a strange line of powder appeared around the hub area. The wheels would tighten ok but gradually they would come loose so we re torqued them and away we would go. Upon inspection this is what the out come was!
Picture below of one of the wheels.
Does anyone have any advice where to buy hubs from? Are they a standard donor fitment, like mk1 escort or something?
Thanks
Ed
Thank you for all the comments, very helpful. I always think how good it is that people take the time to offer advice. One day I'll be knowledgeable enough to offer others something!
The powder coating was done as a favour through a friend etc. So might just put it down as a bad job and get it done elsewhere next time!
The wheels have been cleaned back to bare metal so a good starting point.
What is the benefit of the Caterham upgrade kit? Is it lighter or just stronger?!
I get that about the spitfire hubs etc. I will invest in proper jobbies!
The powder coating was done as a favour through a friend etc. So might just put it down as a bad job and get it done elsewhere next time!
The wheels have been cleaned back to bare metal so a good starting point.
What is the benefit of the Caterham upgrade kit? Is it lighter or just stronger?!
I get that about the spitfire hubs etc. I will invest in proper jobbies!
Red Seven said:
Triumph Spitfire
a local motor factors should be able to supply, but I would not be paying any more than £30 for a pair.
http://www.jamespaddock.co.uk/brake-disc-7
or
http://www.canleyclassics.com/triumph-spitfire-mki...
Brilliant, thank you. All sorted!!a local motor factors should be able to supply, but I would not be paying any more than £30 for a pair.
http://www.jamespaddock.co.uk/brake-disc-7
or
http://www.canleyclassics.com/triumph-spitfire-mki...
LuckesGTV6 said:
I AM ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIED as I’ve only just seen this thread
I was a Lotus senior design engineer.
I happen also to be the person who designed the front hubs for the 7 series 3 & 4 which, to clarify on this thread and for Everyones Information - were specially cast in malleable steel and machined to suit the 4 and a quarter inch pcd of the 5 and a half J series Cortina steel wheels.
Because of the difficulty of making an adequately strong steel hub on the 4 and a quarter inch pcd we also had a serious look at using the series 2 hub at the front and supplying a Triumph/Ford adaptor ring with the spare wheel as a ‘get you home’.
Whoever made the hubs in your picture appears to have used a Triumph or Lotus hub as a master pattern for the casting and screwed?!! the studs into the hub.
Lotus did consider an alloy hub and rejected it due to strength factors caused by brake caliper clearance issues.
The first problem I see structurally on your hub is the shallow depth of material supporting the shank of the stud, which, as mentioned, looks to be threaded with the head recessed into the hub metal. This is another reason why Lotus used steel, as mentioned.
The second big problem is that the type of alloy wheel you have on your car is in my opinion design flawed, to say the least, as it makes no attempt at all to spread the wheel cornering loads evenly across the full face of the hub, but concentrates them at the studs and the design also leaves half of the spokes with no direct load path into the wheel hub - this combination almost certainly caused the localised fretting and eventual fatigue cracking of the hub and in my opinion compromises the wheel integrity long term.
I am sad that you seem to have discovered the worst imaginable combination on your car.
I’m also sorry that this post may seem a bit negative and I can only suggest Triumph 3 & 3quarters PCD steel hubs with reputable wheels of your choice and rear adaptors to point you toward a cheap(ish) solution.
As enthusiasts we all buy our car parts in good faith, assuming what we buy is ‘fit for purpose’
We all eventually pay for bad design, by increased insurance premiums at the best - and with ours and others lives at the worst.
Well chaps, something to discuss here over Sunday lunch! Enjoy!
Good morning,I was a Lotus senior design engineer.
I happen also to be the person who designed the front hubs for the 7 series 3 & 4 which, to clarify on this thread and for Everyones Information - were specially cast in malleable steel and machined to suit the 4 and a quarter inch pcd of the 5 and a half J series Cortina steel wheels.
Because of the difficulty of making an adequately strong steel hub on the 4 and a quarter inch pcd we also had a serious look at using the series 2 hub at the front and supplying a Triumph/Ford adaptor ring with the spare wheel as a ‘get you home’.
Whoever made the hubs in your picture appears to have used a Triumph or Lotus hub as a master pattern for the casting and screwed?!! the studs into the hub.
Lotus did consider an alloy hub and rejected it due to strength factors caused by brake caliper clearance issues.
The first problem I see structurally on your hub is the shallow depth of material supporting the shank of the stud, which, as mentioned, looks to be threaded with the head recessed into the hub metal. This is another reason why Lotus used steel, as mentioned.
The second big problem is that the type of alloy wheel you have on your car is in my opinion design flawed, to say the least, as it makes no attempt at all to spread the wheel cornering loads evenly across the full face of the hub, but concentrates them at the studs and the design also leaves half of the spokes with no direct load path into the wheel hub - this combination almost certainly caused the localised fretting and eventual fatigue cracking of the hub and in my opinion compromises the wheel integrity long term.
I am sad that you seem to have discovered the worst imaginable combination on your car.
I’m also sorry that this post may seem a bit negative and I can only suggest Triumph 3 & 3quarters PCD steel hubs with reputable wheels of your choice and rear adaptors to point you toward a cheap(ish) solution.
As enthusiasts we all buy our car parts in good faith, assuming what we buy is ‘fit for purpose’
We all eventually pay for bad design, by increased insurance premiums at the best - and with ours and others lives at the worst.
Well chaps, something to discuss here over Sunday lunch! Enjoy!
Thank you for the reply, intriguing to say the least!
I have now replaced the hubs with upgraded versions. Picture below.
I'm hoping these will be better although I still have the same wheels. The wheels are from an ex Caterham Academy car so are Caterham supplied. In your opinion would you blame the wheels or the hubs more?
Many thanks
Ed.
So finally getting round to fitting the new hubs and unsurprisingly there are no instructions from Caterham!
I have two spacers both the same diameter as the stub one which is around 6mm and another which is around 2mm, where do they go?!!?
I have called Caterham and unfortunately the parts staff don't know and the service department had gone home, they only work until 4.....
If anyone knows the answer or has photographs of an uprated hub assembly that would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Ed.
I have two spacers both the same diameter as the stub one which is around 6mm and another which is around 2mm, where do they go?!!?
I have called Caterham and unfortunately the parts staff don't know and the service department had gone home, they only work until 4.....
If anyone knows the answer or has photographs of an uprated hub assembly that would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Ed.
F355GTS said:
Brilliant thank you!So by my reckoning the small shim locates behind the inner bearing and the large one goes between the castle nut and the outer bearing.
What did we do before the internet!
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