Gregs79 Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 Hi all, I have just joined the forum following a visit and test drive of the Supersport and Supersport R at Caterham. I was wondering if anyone else had driven the two and what you ended up purchasing? Anyone that has a Supersport, have your tried the R? How did it compare? Finally, anyone with a Super sport, have you done any engine upgrades and if so what were the results? I look forward to becoming a Caterham owner and joining in some more chit chat as time goes on. Kind regards Gregs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CageyH Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Whatever you get now, will be upgraded later anyway. I had a 1.6 super sport, and have now upgraded the engine to a 1.8 VHPD. Before that, I fitted throttle bodies, cam Verviers and an Emerald ECU. I have not driven a Super sport R, but I don't see it being much different from my upgraded 1.6 in reality. If it were me, ai would get the more powerful beast now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Welcome to Blatchat. Give us a clue to your location. Maybe at 79, you should start with a lower powered engine ? 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregs79 Posted June 25, 2013 Author Share Posted June 25, 2013 Quoting Stationary M25 Traveller: Welcome to Blatchat. Give us a clue to your location. Maybe at 79, you should start with a lower powered engine ? 😬 Based in York and born in 79 ;-) Edited by - Gregs79 on 25 Jun 2013 07:43:22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team SLR No.77 Posted June 25, 2013 Leadership Team Share Posted June 25, 2013 Welcome Before committing speak to a couple of insurers .... in a recent discussion with one of our "preferred" brokers I was told they weren't starting policies for anything over 140bhp for anyone who hadn't previously owned a Caterham. Maybe the stats are showing too many first timers buying R300's and doing a lot of damage! Stu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKC Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Morning All, Insurance is an interesting point. I went through Competition Car Insurance where I got a policy with restricted road use (5000 miles a year) and cover for six trackdays. When I explained to them that I had a modified Sigma with 200bhp they said it didn't matter. I also got a quote from Adrian Flux who weren't bothered about performance either. I did approach another broker who advertises in Low Flying that wouldn't insure me because I hadn't owned a performance car for five years. Regards SKC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makingff Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Welcome! I have around 150bhp (the Supersport is 140 I believe) and it's plenty for the road. However, on track I'd love a bit more... The Sigma engine in the Supersport has a good upgrade path to about 200bhp but it's likely to cost more than going straight to the 185bhp of the R (which is a Duratec and has potential of a lot more than 200!). Personally, I'd go for the R. Simon Edited by - makingff on 25 Jun 2013 08:53:13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewGP Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 The only way to really know for sure is to drive both of them. I'd suggest the Supersport first, followed by the R, followed again by the Supersport. If the second drive of the Supersport doesn't cut it, then you know you'll want the R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team Garry7 Posted June 25, 2013 Leadership Team Share Posted June 25, 2013 Its definitely worth checking the insurance position in advance - although that shouldnt stop you going for the bigger engine . I have the 175 Duratec and Flux gave me the best deal for my experience (1 Year 4k miles at the time). REIS wanted £1200 because of my lack of experience. I agree with greenayne - try again and then decide - go with your instincts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z3MCJez Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Hello Guys - he says he's driven both already and wants our opinion! Not an opinion that he should drive both again! However, you don't say how you're going to use the car. Are you going to be running it on track exclusively / never. Are you going to want to tour, or do local day trips. I presume you are aware that the Supersport R is a Duratec whereas the Sigma powers the Supersport. The R is therefore heavier, but has an upgrade path to nearly 300bhp (even before you get to the Supercharger) whereas the Sigma upgrade path only runs to around 200bhp. However, 200bhp is a *LOT* on the road in an overgrown go-kart weighing 600-650kgs, give or take. When I bought my Sigma (125, now 140) I thought I'd both race it and use it on the road. Reality is that the setup requirements are so different that if I was to drive a Caterham on the road, I'd want another one. Like the Fireblade that's currently for sale 🥰 My Supersport is now track-only. Jez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 I went through a similar process as I drove the Supersport - Sigma and the R300 - Duratec back to back. I wanted primarily road use. I agonised for some time and in the end I went for the Supersport as I felt the drive had more "zing" and was just a bit more "peppier". The R300 was undoubtablty a bit faster and my head was just saying buy the quicker one, but to me it just felt not quite as alive as the Supersport. Of course sigma upgrades are available and i have already been up to see Stuart! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_pank Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 For an awful lot of us we end up modifying and tuning a lot anyway. My own personal 2d's worth is to start with something (relatively) low-powered with upgrade potential and then go from there. It's a bit like motorbikes, until you've owned one for a while, you won't really know what you want in a 7 or why you want it and part of the pleasure for me has been the fact that my 7 has grown with me over the years... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FramerateUK Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Mine has a 140 Supersport engine in it. Plenty fast for the road, and on track, the limiting factor is certainly the driver and not the car! Personally, I'm very glad I went for the 140 engine. Any faster and I I'd feel a bit out of my depth. I was used to hot hatches before the Caterham, and since buying it I'm trying to get to as many trackdays as possible. I did Anglesey this weekend. While in some areas I was managing to keep up with a friend's R400 (I was most definitely out-braking him), on the faster bits he was getting away from me; not just because of the increased performance, but simply because I didn't have the cojones to keep my foot flat! High speed sweeping bends are pretty scary - especially with high winds! I'm looking forward to getting as many trackdays in as possible in the next few years, and when I've finally decided that I'm getting the potential out of my Seven, I'll think about getting some more power, but for now, I couldn't be happier with my decision! Edited by - FramerateUK on 25 Jun 2013 17:02:08 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A_redstone Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Quoting Gregs79: Hi all, I have just joined the forum following a visit and test drive of the Supersport and Supersport R at Caterham. I was wondering if anyone else had driven the two and what you ended up purchasing? Anyone that has a Supersport, have your tried the R? How did it compare? Finally, anyone with a Super sport, have you done any engine upgrades and if so what were the results? I look forward to becoming a Caterham owner and joining in some more chit chat as time goes on. Kind regards Gregs Gregs79 - welcome Perhaps you could share your experience of the 2 drives and tell us how you felt they compared ? How do you want to use the car ? What's your motivation ? Lots of advice on Blatchat ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregs79 Posted June 25, 2013 Author Share Posted June 25, 2013 All, Thank you for your responses. I am coming from the world of 2 wheels which I currently ride on the road, tour on and on track. I will be looking to do the same on 4 wheels in the Caterham! As for my test drives I went out in a series 3 supersport r with lowered floor and tillet seats first and it felt very quick, I then went out in an sv supersport with standard floor and leather seats and pea shooter which felt markedly slower, but quite different! To be expected. Both made me grin for different reasons! The supersport r for the pace and the supersport for the sound! I did seem to use the torque in the r and rev it less on the road, but I was only driving each for 10 mins and was getting used to both, as a result I didn't get a chance to drive it like i'd owned it for years! Hence the question re your experience as owners. 😬 It will be a series 3 with lowered floors and fillets for certain. What difference does the sv chassis make to performance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david nelson Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 I would look at the whole package not just the engine. A 6 speed gear box, ltd slip dif, big brakes. are you buying new or pre owned? It might just come down,to money. For the road 140 is fine, and is still quicker than most cars on track. If you do a club day and your a quick driver you may get frustrated as the bigger powered 7 may hold you up in the corners and then power away on the straights. i have a 140,189, & a 210 bhp k series seven and all are fun in different ways. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregs79 Posted June 26, 2013 Author Share Posted June 26, 2013 Quoting David Nelson: I would look at the whole package not just the engine. A 6 speed gear box, ltd slip dif, big brakes. are you buying new or pre owned? It might just come down,to money. For the road 140 is fine, and is still quicker than most cars on track. If you do a club day and your a quick driver you may get frustrated as the bigger powered 7 may hold you up in the corners and then power away on the straights. i have a 140,189, & a 210 bhp k series seven and all are fun in different ways. David David, Thanks for the response. I am looking at a new Winter project to build ready for next year. As for the other options the LSD is part of the Supersport, 6 speed I'm unsure about as I will be touring in it and have considered the big brakes, but they seem cheaper to buy as a part than as an option! Does anyone know why?! Am interested to see that you have had a good selection of Caterham engines and not on the most powerful now. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Welcome to the mad house. On the assumption that money isn't a controlling factor, I'd go for the R. Most owners end up wanting more power, better this, better that. The higher up the chain in standard spec you start the better. If your used to a reasonable bike then the R will be much closer to your expectations, I assume that you've driven these cars from a Caterham showroom and as you said only for some few minutes each, in which case I doubt you were really "pushing on" when you own a car and have got used to it you will use the top end of the rev band much more, this is where the difference between the two is to be found. The SV option is good for touring, simple because you can get more in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigCol Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Quoting Boris: The SV option is good ... because you can get more in. I went for a Supersport 140 SV so I could get more in... ME! 😳 An S3 was far too tight a fit. Edited by - BigCol on 26 Jun 2013 09:37:11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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