Academy 2012 13" alloys offset? Avon CR332 move to CR500

[tordep]

Hi am the proud owner of a 2012 academy with the 125 sigma engine and could not be happier , if only I hadnt wait so long to get my first caterham but hey, better late than never.

I got a good deal on the car as it had some minor cosmetic blemishes that some TLC should sort out. Unfortunately it also had a set of CR332 in standard academy 13"alloys that are pretty much done thread wise.

What would be the best size to replace the CR332 for CR500, I dont really know the offset of wheels but are they the 6" front an rear like the wheels that are standard on the supersport and superlight?

Any help greatly appreciated.

PS:is it worth joining blatchat? which forum should I be a member of to get hold of some technical tips from other 7 owners?

Pedro

[framerateuk]

You could get some 175/55/13 CR500 all round to replace your academy wheels. You would need to raise the height of your car a bit though since the academy tyres have a higher profile. I think Academy cars have adjustable suspension platforms so this shouldn't be a problem.

The standard wheels (and I assume yours) will be 13x6 ET24 all round - which is what the Supersport runs also.

Superlights have larger 13x8" wheels at the back, though I'm not sure of the offset. This would probably be overkill on a 125.

Also, L7C is well worth it . I've had lots of help from Blatchat and it's a great resource to have access to!

Edited by framerateuk on Thursday 24th April 17:29

[downsman]

You might also consider swapping your tyres for 185x70x13 Yokohama A021r.
They'll be a straight swap without ride height problems, give a better ride and are much more grippy than your Avons.
A fair bit cheaper than CR500s too

[tordep]

Thanks for the tips guys much appreciated, I will see if I can stretch to the CR500 as I also have to corner weight the car and could use that to raise it, failing that the yokohamas will keep me safe.
The car is already touching the ground on some massive bolts that I assume are the runners for the drives seat.

Is raising the car an easy job to do and is there a recommended height front and rear (maybe measured from the bottom of the chassis to the ground or something), the adjusters on the bilsteins look easy enough to move with the right tool, or is this a job to have someone do properly.

Thanks.

[framerateuk]

Are you intending to use the car on road mostly or track mostly?

I do about half and half in mine, so my choice goes to the CR500 since they're a track orientated tyre that perform really well in the wet and dry. The 21R are highly regarded as a road tyre, but will eventually overheat on a warm trackday.

The platform are easy enough to adjust. Most of the "C Spanners" you'll see have square ends on them while the platform on the 7 have round holes. I bought some cheap C Spanners, and then used a dremel to round off the edges, They did the job perfectly. As far as the adjustment goes, mine handled pretty well when I bought it, and I ended up raising it by the same amount on the back and front by mesuring the distance between the frame and the floor on all sides. It ended up working very well as it handles wonderfully on track, but it was probably more luck than judgement! The general consensus is to have the lower front suspension arms parallel with the floor, and the back should be a little higher (1.5cm I recall reading). I initially felt the front was a little high on mine and raised the back to compensate - this sorted the problem and it's solid under braking and cornering is very neutral. Some drivers will prefer a more mobile back end, but I like mine as it is. An experienced race prep garage will be able to sort the car for you, if you're willing to spend the money then it's probably a good idea to get it done.

I was having the same problem as you with the bolts holding the seats on rubbing against the floor, I ended up buying some new shorter bolts which don't stick out as much, and combined with the additional ride hight that seems to have sorted the problem.

[tordep]

Good stuff, i can get a set of 21r very cheap from George polley and that will save me sorting the Speedo if I went with the cr500. The suspension arms are already parallel so doing the bolts should sort things out with the corner weight sorted just to top it up, i like the car tail happy as it is now so the balance is probably ok.

Thanks @framerateuk