gulf 1

Good spot,Yes it was my first run out in this car,have had it since last November but did not want to take it out on salty roads.Forgot how good it was.Going to Shelsley Walsh breakfast club in it tomorrow. Dave

I am looking to do my first trackday this year in a 2.0L Supersport R.What is the concensus on whether you need a dry sump or not. I am using 13" wheels with CR500 tyres.I am sure there must be plenty of cars that don,t have one.Any opinions either way would be appreciated.

Hi I used Uniroyal Rainexpert tyres on my 1.4 Classic and found them to be very good in the wet and also in the dry.I was on 14" rims and ran them at 17PSI.They gave a very compliant ride at that pressure and plenty of grip as they are a soft rubber.Wear was very light as well. Dave

Have put mine in the boot attached to rear bulkhead with cable ties and bases.

Hi Paul Can you not make something up with a piece of studding of the correct thread or cut off a long bolt to use the thread.

I got an all ali rad from Radtec worked out cheaper than one with plastic headers.Nice looking piece of kit.

Brand new and unused wet sump pan £250 New and unused Throttle cable (RHD Rover & LHD Cosworth) £25 SBFS Sprint tunnel bag 2 years old £25 All parts plus p&p Dave

Thanks for all your input,having looked at all your comments and speaking to other Duratec owners I have pretty much decided I will go for a used 2.0L Duratec.I didn,t want to spend a lot uprating my present car when I could get the performance I am after from an engine that is not working too hard.

I have tried an SV and didn,t feel comfortable in it,so not an SV.As you say a 5 speed box for the overdrive.Probably 13" wheels with ZZS tyres but I will take advice on them. Thanks Jonathan Dave

I have a 1400 k Series Classic at present which I am considering replacing.I would be grateful if anyone could give me any thoughts on suitable cars.It would be used mainly for blats and touring and possibly the odd trackday.What are the merits of a 1.6 sigma engine versus a 2.0 duratec.I am thinking of a 5 speed box with 13" wheels wide track suspension etc.Any views would be appreciated.

I have the standard cc cooling system but I have noticed when the heater is turned off the coolant temp fluctulates slightly up and down although not enough to worry about,however with the heater on the temp.is rock steady at 80C on the gauge.I have changed from an 88C thermostat to 82C with a 2mm hole drilled and fitted a Radtec radiator. The symtoms I describe also happened before changing to a lower temp stat but just at a higher temp.I am inclined to think it is just another Caterham quirck with their cooling system set up.

have ordered a radtec it works out cheaper than caterham or demon tweeks

I need to replace the radiator on my 1400 K series and am thinking of fitting a Radtec.Does anyone know if it is a straight replacement ie are the hoses in the correct position and does the fan fit on with no modifications I assume the temperature sender can be moved easily as its just a wire.

Thanks to all for the suggestions Dave

Cheers Andy I have mounted it on one of the diagonals, just need to test it with another radio, hope to see Andrew to try it out.Dave

I have mounted a Starcom intercom in the boot but am not sure of the best place to mount a 2 way radio in order to get a strong signal, if I mount it on the roll bar what happens when I fit the half hood ?Any thoughts please.Dave

I have just fitted a starcom 1 intercom system.I have a battery master switch so I have fitted a second fusebox next to the heater control to run any other accessories from ie. power socket, intercom.I took the power for the fuse box straight from the master switch through an inline fuse (15amp) so that all the accessories have power without the ignition on but are switched off with the master switch.I have fitted the Starcom 1 on the bulkhead on the passenger side using the Velcro pads supplied.My car is an S3 but I found there was still enough room to fit the unit.I haven,t tried it out on the road yet but it seems to work in the garage with the engine running and no interference was evident. Dave

With regard to getting tyres fitted I would like to warn members of getting them fitted at a Halfords Autocentre.I recently had some tyres fitted to my tintop at Halfords in Gloucester,not a pleasant experience.On picking up my car the tyres and wheels were covered in tyre soap but worse than that they had chipped a spoke and the rim on my 18" alloy.On pointing this out to them they did not want to know saying it must have been like that before.After a heated argument with them and getting nowhere I had no option but to leave.I eventually got in touch with their customer services team and after sending them emails and photos. of the damage they admitted liability.To be fair they did pay for the wheel to be repaired but did not compensate me for the time and expense I incurred in getting it done.So all in all I would urge caution in who you get to fit your tyres.PS does anyone know a trustworthy tyre fitter in the Gloucester area.

I have a soft bits half hood which I had occasion to use on the IOM no limits tour.I had an indicated 80mph over the mountain road and can report no trouble with the hood other than a slight flapping near the back end of the doors.

I bought an indoor cover for my S3 from Cover Zone. It is called a Sahara Car Cover.It is a good fit and covers the wheels as well.As I remember it was reasonably priced and way cheaper than someone like Hamilton covers.

I have been in touch with Caterham regarding what coolant to use and they have assured me that Comma Xtreme G30 is fine to use in a K series with silicone hoses. In fact they said this is what they now put in all their new factory cars all of which now come with silicone hoses as standard.So this is what I shall be using.Thanks for all the input and I hope this has been of use to anyone else.

I am losing the will to live over this issue.Nobody seems to have a definitive answer.I am going to change from Comma G48 to G30 purely because it does not appear to have 2-EHA in it although it does have OAT, and a few people have recommended it.I did see some Triple QX antifreeze in Europarts that did,nt contain OAT but who knows what else it may contain.

After a lot of asking around I phoned Comma and spoke to somebody there who seemed to support your theory about using a coolant with no OAT in it.Everyone seems a bit vague about the subject, some suggested that some silicone coolant hoses may have a coating in them to protect them from OAT damage. However as I have no idea whether mine do or not I have chosen to use Comma G48 as you suggest. Thanks for everyones input.

I have a classic with a K series engine to which I have fitted silicone coolant hoses.After casually talking to a friend at a club night he informs me that OAT RED antifreeze eats silicone hoses/seals.This was news to me,is everyone aware of this.What antifreeze should I be using.

Hi Duncan. After your suggestion to try Uniroyal Rain experts I have spoken to a few people who are also thinking of trying them, so I have bitten the bullet and bought a set.My thinking was they do not have a very good fuel efficiency value which I hope suggests they are reasonably sticky.I managed to get a set fully fitted and balanced for £47 per tyre.Will see how good they are when the weather gets a bit better.Thanks for your input Dave.