You running 18,s should cause no problems as this is a common thing in caterhams and we run 13's.
That is surprising to me.
In my experience, I have found that cycle computer pickup sensors start skipping at speeds above 45-50 mph.
This is not because the computer can't digest the information quickly enough. It is a matter of the linear velocity of the magnet as it passes the sensor. On my bikes, I move the magnet as close to the wheel hub as possible, thus slowing the speed of the magnet to where the sensor will read it reliably.
If the magnet is mounted out near the rim, it passes the sensor so quickly that at 50 MPH (coasting down a steep hill -- I'm not that fast a pedaler!) the speed shown on the computer fluctuates wildly.
Hmmm... 13" wheels on a Caterham, figure total wheel diameter including tire to be about 20". If (hypothetically, of course) the magnet were mounted on the tread of the tire, at 50 MPH the magnet would be traveling at (are you ready for this?) 50 MPH as it passed the sensor, or 73 feet per second. Since the magnet is not going to be mounted at the 20" diameter part of the wheel, but more realistically at about a 12" diameter point, the linear velocity of the magnet would be 12/20 of 73 fps, or about 44 feet per second.
On a bicycle wheel, with the magnet mounted out near the rim, we are looking at about a 26" diameter magnet placement, out of the total 28" wheel diameter including the tire. So at 50 MPH on the bike, the magnet would be traveling at 68 fps, and I know from experience that at that velocity things get dicey.
It would seem that perhaps 60 fps is about as fast as the magnet can travel and still be picked up reliably by the sensor.
That would translate to abour 70 MPH on the Caterham, assuming of course that you are indeed placing the magnet on the outer part of the rim, and not down closer to the hub.
Do you indeed get reliable results at high speeds? If so, where are you placing the magnet?
tanstaafl.
_________________________
"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"