martyn

I have the Thundersport mohiar half-hood. On two occasions I have had the outermost drivers side popper come undone on the motorway.

NGK TR5B-13 is a very popular plug and works well for me. I buy them from Opie Oils

Get the lowered floor. It sits you lower in the car, reduces centre of mass and increases resale value. Those are good reasons even if you don't need it. However, at your height I think the lowered floor will be preferable maybe even bordering on necessary. The negatives.. As others have said, it reduces ground clearance over bumps. Can also make it difficult if you have someone very short who wants to drive - usually requiring some padding on the seat for them to see properly.

A lambda sensor can fail in a couple of ways. In most instances the sensor will continue to work, but report an incorrect lambda reading to the ECU. This will cause the ECU to incorrectly adjust the mixture. As Damo says, it will probably run very rough, use lots of fuel, pop & bang a lot etc. The problem here is because the ECU doesn't realise there is a problem, you won’t see any error codes or faults if you examine the ECU with diagnostic software. So you have to look for other clues - e.g. a high or low lambda reading that doesn't ever change much as the engine warms up. Alternatively (and this happened to me) the lambda can fail internally in some way. Connector degrading or the wiring breaking down. When this happens, it is likely that the ECU will detect the wiring fault. Once the fault is detected, the ECU will ignore the lambda and instead defer to a default map. In my case (sigma 150) the car ran absolutely fine on the default map and I never knew there was a problem. That was until I plugged in easimap and saw the error code and that the lambda wasn't oscillating. The car even passed its MOT in this state! I replaced the sensor and everything in the ECU went back to normal, but the car felt exactly the same and maybe used marginally less fuel. I've done a lot of playing about with this and concluded that (for my car at least) the lambda sensor doesn't make much difference. Either in emissions or how the car feels to drive. It is narrow-band and oscillates too slowly (about 1.5 hz). This means that half the time it is slightly too rich, and the other half it is too lean. The net result there is that on average the fuelling is exactly the same.

When you arrange a single day cover, they need to know much more than just your additional drivers DOB. They need to know all about you, your history, your car, the track, the date, the organiser. How is doing that every single time easier than calling your road provider and telling them about a temporary driver. Of course none of that really matters, it’s all about the cost. My road policy with 5 trackdays is £230. Given your cheapest quote there, it would be £675 for 5 track days and that doesn't even include the road cover! Like I said, it’s just not cost effective to do it that way. Personally, I'd get a road policy with track cover included and that will cover 90% of situations. Then if you want to surprise a mate for their birthday, you can pay £135 for a single day policy and still be cheaper overall.

About 6:30pm today. I was in front of you at the lights. Nice to see a racer out on the road!

Have you got a quote for single day track cover with an additional driver? Single day cover is just so expensive. For the cost of just 1 day, it worked out cheaper for me to cancel my road policy and move to another provider that included 5 days with the policy! It is the only cost effective way to do it. How is calling up to add a temporary driver to your policy more hassle than arranging a complete new one day policy!?

An inspection pit or ramp similar to this is perfect because you can wind the spring perch from underneath without having to remove the wheels. Most people dont have an inspection pit, so try to figure some way to raise the car a little so you can lie under the back of it. Something like two planks of wood running lengthways might do the trick. Once you've figured out how to get under the car, it is likely that you'll still need to jack it up a little to take the weight off the spring before you can adjust it. But give it a try fully weighted first and see how you get on.

3.7% is used because testing has shown that this is a realistic level of water content after 2 years of service.

If you're interested then check the dry boiling point of each. You might find there isn't anything in it. A lot of DOT 4 fluids will have a higher dry boiling point than many lesser priced DOT 5.1. Of course the wet boiling point is of interest too. If you don’t change your fluid all that often then a DOT 5.1 may be better because they have other things in the spec that relate to longevity.

Agreed, I use a metric allen key, but couldn't tell you which size.

It seems that the ball inside the mount isn't perfectly spherical. This means that where you get it nice and tight, only a small nudge to another position will render it completely loose. I have to be really careful with mine. No matter how tight I make them, it only takes a little tap as I walk past for them to be swinging completely free as if I hadn’t torqued them up at all.

opps. deleted.

Yes I do have the scuttle trim, but I took it off when playing around with this aeroscreen. I have noticed that the fit is a bit better with the aeroscreen base (curvy bit) overlapping the trim. That holds the base squarer onto the poppers. Mounting the aeroscreen that far back also means I have less far to bend the legs to get the bolts through the holes. Just waiting for the dot fastener tool to arrive tomorrow then I'll go for it.

You need to mount them with the lever of the red QR facing down. That’s the most important thing as it is a safety issue. After that, if possible, put them to the inside so they don’t dent the sideskin. Also.. have a test fit with you in the seat to ensure you can get the lap belt tight enough. If you're particularly skinny, you may want to go for the rearward belt mounting point.

Damo, did you have the same problem with the base plate being up at an angle? Is your screen carbon or composite? I wouldn't have though carbon could lose its shape, but I could be wrong. Did you find the poppers more secure than you expected once connected up?

Ozzy, are you saying that each one you received was slightly different? I'd assume that they all come out of the same mould.

Thanks John, Its good to know that most people need to do some DIY before it will fit properly. The problem with mine is that none of the aeroscreen overlaps the hole - not even close. In fact, the end of the aeroscreen is closer to the "Superlight" decal on the bonnet. So it's going to be a case of bending it into place and securing the best I can.

I'd prefer not to mess with the captive nut brackets too much as I need the windscreen to be easily interchangeable. And actually the problem isn't the height of the hole but the fact that they seem to be too far back towards the rear of the car. With the aeroscreen unbolted and held in place in the middle, the ends of it are nowhere near the holes. In fact the ends are out where the bonnet meets the scuttle - That's how much adjustment or flexing/bending I'll need to get it to fit. For me the holes will need to be fatter rather than longer as it is horizontal movement I need. I think a combination of the following should work.. Mounting the aero as far back as possible. Maybe even removing the scuttle edge trim to get it further back. Placing the rear of the aero base over the edge trim also seems to work well as seen here. This holds the base horizontal rather than pulling it down at an angle. Moving the captive nut brackets forward 2mm. Enlarging the holes on the aero.Any other tips to get this to fit?

Today I received a Caterham interchangeable aeroscreen. While trying to set it up, I realised that the fit isn't that good.. With the aeroscreen bolted at the sides, the centre base sticks up at a considerable angle.. I can press the screen into place; it takes a bit of force because the carbon is reasonably stiff. However, doing this means that the base is at such an angle that the dot fasteners (when I fit them) won’t be square with each other. Because of this I am concerned that they won’t be able to hold in place over a bumpy road with the carbon pulling up on them. Another concern is that the base piece is bonded onto the main piece. Over time, will this joint be able to take the twisting load that would be put through it. Are they all like this, and should I just get on with fitting it? Or should I consider sending it back? It’s a 2008 factory built car with nothing unusual about the scuttle (as far as I know). Thanks.

Yes, not worried about front, back left or right etc. Just the order for the front callipers that have two bleed nipples. They suggested inboard first as it prevents bubbles getting trapped there when doing the outboard side. That seems wrong to me so I am wondering if the technician I was speaking with got it mixed up.

While at the Get To Know Your 7 day yesterday, we were given some instruction on bleeding the brakes. When bleeding the fronts, we were told to do the inboard side of the calliper first followed by outboard side. The explanation was that bubbles would rise and get trapped in the inboard side if done in the wrong order. At the time, this made sense to me but I didn't really think about it too much. Looking back now it seems that it should be the opposite.. outboard first then inboard. What’s the correct sequence? Does it really matter that much?

I’ve previously heard someone recommend putting a piece of thread or dental floss under the adhesive before mounting with the end of the thread sticking out. Pulling it provides a quick and easy way to remove without leaving residue. That was in the context of sticking down a GoPro mount. Dont know why you'd want to do that with a number plate, but I thought it was a good idea.

Search for 3M Dual-lock. It is similar in concept to velcro but much more robust and doesn't wear out over time. They offer two different types of adhesives on the backing - normal and heavy duty. If you're worried about the adhesive weakening then go for the heavy duty. I've got the normal and haven’t had any problems with it. I wanted something removable / interchangeable because I run a 3/4 plate. Makes it easy to switch at MOT time. I also remove the plate altogether when on track for better airflow into the radiator.

Any info on what washer I need for the drain plug? I know it's easy to find out once I start draining it. I'd prefer to have everything ready to complete the job in one go.