martyn

If you reduce the width of your front wheels, you may want to consider doing the same at the rear as well.. I also have 150bhp and run 185 width tyres all round. Its a nice balance, but even still I have the rear ARB fairly stiff and rear tyres pumped up to encourage a bit more movement. In my opinion 185 front / 205 rear would be over tyred at the back (for my preference at least).

Thanks. Seems like its not on the parts site anymore. I did already try searching for every combination of "shim", "bracket", "high effort", etc. But it doesn't recognise the part number either. I'll give them a call tomorrow.

Cant see the angled shim in the parts site.. do you have a link?

This is interesting.. Mine has a very buzzy rattle at a little over 2k rpm. Its been driving me crazy for ages now. Will take a look at the wiper assembly.

I've had better luck by not tightening the TPS so much. I went through a cycle of tightening it more and more when it would never stay stable. Just seemed to make it worse. The problem is that the body is made of plastic and it starts to distort easily. Try setting it just more than finger tight, using the short leverage side of an allen key.

I always run different tyres front and rear on my daily tin top. I do this intentionally because I wasn't happy with the handling balance. For lack of any other adjustments, this was the easiest way to address that. No different to running different brake pads front and rear. I dont see the problem with intentionally running different tyres. As long as its planned for a reason and not just "whatever the garage had in stock" when it comes time to change. If you run same size rims front and back you could choose to put the new tyres on the front for the time being for some nice lively tail-happy handling Or keep them on the back for security - probably with a noticeable increase in understeer until you replace the fronts.

I've had very conflicting advice regarding the rear wheel bearings. Ranging from: "they're not user serviceable - check for play and replace as necessary" all the way to: "its an annual service item - pull back the seal, clean and regrease". So I'm quite interested in the collective group wisdom on this.

When you say "fixing kit" do you mean runners? > http://caterhamparts.co.uk/product.php?id_product=4563

See my thread here asking pretty much the same questions: http://www.lotus7.club/forum/techtalk/sigma-sump-drain-plug I've never bothered changing the plug, and its really not necessary unless it is damaged.. I do however change the rubber o-ring/washer. This article explains the different plugs. (Its the SP3 on my Sigma): http://www.ebay.co.uk/gds/How-to-know-which-sump-plug-my-Ford-engined-vehicle-takes-/10000000178114024/g.html I buy the washers from the same shop: http://www.smartearlybird.co.uk/ford/ Oil filter is here: http://www.fordpartsuk.com/shop/ford_focus_oil_filter_2011_onwards_f_1883037.htm I've come to the conclusion that something like a sump plug is better done up by hand rather then torque wrench. I've stripped far more threads trying to get them to some predetermined value rather than going by feel and using common sense. It really doesn't need a lot of torque - it is the rubber that seals it. If it leaks after you've filled it up then give it another 1/8th turn. But I've never found that necessary.

I doubt it is too late to change the order. Especially for something like wheels which they will throw in a box the day before it is delivered. People generally have a hard time finding a good range of tyres in the 14" size so 13" or 15" is definitely the way to go. Wheel size is of course a matter of personal preference, but 13" is generally considered the upgrade option, giving a more compliant ride and progressive handling near the limit. You can buy the 15" Orcus wheels direct from Caterham but you may possibly need to change your wing stays: http://caterhamparts.co.uk/product.php?id_product=5257

Your old floor fits between the bottom of the chassis rail and the exterior side skin. That piece of floor will no longer be there. You could just rivet it back up, but it will probably buckle and wrinkle the side skin. Instead a strip of aluminum will take up the space the old floor was occupying. A lot of people cut the strip directly from the old floor itself.

I had my car out for the first time in about 2 months yesterday. While sat at the lights, I was thinking to myself about how unpleasant it sounds at idle. Without actually recording it the best way I can describe is a mechanical click / tap at a regular fast rate. My understanding is that it is the injectors but don't quote me on that. If it is any reassurance, pretty much any ford engine from the last 10 years sounds the same. I have the 2 litre duratec in my fiesta and it is exactly the same. Although because of all the sound proofing you need to get your head under the bonnet to hear it. Hopefully it is a case of "they all do that sir" otherwise both or our cars (and my daily) could be in trouble!

Thanks, thats interesting. I've always thought my car has a particularly long pedal travel. Can't imagine it getting any longer so I suppose this may already be fitted.

What does the Drive Quadrant thing do Chris?

If you only have the problem at idle and everywhere else in the RPM range is fine, then it could be because your idle screw and TPS have become out of sync with each other. Resulting in the throttle being closed more than it should be for the amount reported by the TPS. Yes that difference will be present across the rev range but at wider openings the difference becomes insignificant. Are you certain this emissions test "failure" is a new thing? It is possible that the car could have been like that since it was new. I'd be cautious about associating it with the lumpy idle unless you can determine that they are related somehow.