The Caterham Seven 420 is a rear-wheel drive car with 157 kW and a kerb weight of 560 kg. That’s 280 kW per tonne, in the supercar tier. Traction is the limit. Tyres are usually developed with the car and marked for it.
280kW/t
Potentially P-plate restricted. Over 130 kW/t on kerb weight. Legal eligibility uses tare mass, which usually pushes the ratio higher still. Check eligibility →
For a mild, wet climate. Cold and snowy climates are further down.
Daily driving
At 280 kW/t, your car leans hard on its tyres under power and braking. Max-performance tyres are what cars like this are engineered around.
Also consider: if you want longer life, UHP summer.
Spirited road driving
At 280 kW/t, your car leans hard on its tyres under power and braking. Max-performance tyres are what cars like this are engineered around.
Road + occasional track days
At 280 kW/t, your car leans hard on its tyres under power and braking. Max-performance tyres are what cars like this are engineered around.
Also consider: optional track set, track.
Estimates from power and weight. The tyre placard on the driver’s door jamb is the legal minimum.
Max performance summer: character
Cold winters, little snow
Summer set: Max performance summer
Bridgestone Potenza Sport · Continental SportContact 7 · Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
Cold-season set: Winter
Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 · Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
If you want one set: All-season / all-weather
Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 · Continental AllSeasonContact 2 · Michelin CrossClimate 2
Snow and ice
Summer set: Max performance summer
Bridgestone Potenza Sport · Michelin Pilot Sport 4S · Continental SportContact 7
Winter set: Winter
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 · Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
Buy the marked fitment
Tyres for cars like this are often tuned with the manufacturer and carry a mark on the sidewall: N0–N2 (Porsche), MO (Mercedes), ★ (BMW), AO or RO1 (Audi), T0 (Tesla), MC (McLaren), L (Lamborghini). The marked version can differ in compound and construction; stick to it where one exists.
Rear-wheel drive
Rear traction decides how much throttle you can use, especially in the wet. Many cars at this level run wider rear tyres (a staggered set), which can't be rotated, so budget for rears roughly twice as often as fronts. Never run worn rears.
Buying only two?
Put the new pair on the rear axle, even on a front-driver. Grippy rears keep the car stable when braking or cornering in the wet; worn rears are what cause spins.
280 kW per tonne (376 hp per tonne), from 157 kW and a 560 kg kerb weight. That puts it in ratio's Supercar tier.
For everyday driving, max performance summer tyres. Good options include the Bridgestone Potenza Sport, Continental SportContact 7, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. Always match or exceed the load index and speed rating on the car's tyre placard.
Probably not. At 280 kW per tonne on kerb weight it is over the 130 kW/t limit for P1 and P2 drivers in NSW and Victoria, and for under-25 P-platers in Queensland. Legal eligibility uses tare mass, which usually pushes the ratio higher still; check your state's vehicle lookup.
Cars in the Supercar tier typically run Y or (Y)-rated tyres. The legal minimum is whatever your placard, on the driver's door jamb, specifies.