O.G.

Personal thanks for all the helpful advice and comments from everyone. I think that as they all stayed on point says a lot about how important we deem this to be. The suggestions about the regular torque checks/oil changes are really helpful. But - there's always a but, aren't we missing the point here. We payed extra to have a LSD, not a progressively degrading unit ending up with half an LSD at 6000 miles or so. It then requires £800 plus rebuild plus removal/refit time or cost. In the mean time we have had to put up with grating, clunking banging etc. No other component on what was spec'd and sold to me principally as a road car comes with this sort of baggage. It's just a LSD after all!!! That is why I think The Club has a part to play. Can anybody explain what the change to SPC entails. Is it just LSD innards? Are new shaft etc required? Thanks again to all. O.G.

Geoff, I think you have your answer about is there an iceberg of failures and concern. In 72 hours of your initial post you got 74 comments from 19 different members, nearly all expressing deep concern. Add to that nearly 2000 Views! I feel I was sold a LSD pup. New to Caterham ownership in 2015 when I ordered my kit, stating it was for spirited road use with a few track days in mind I was advised that a LSD would be preferable. At no time was any mention made of any noises, clunking or the extreme extra maintenance required. Some people have said that with LSDs these sort of failures come with the territory. I don't accept that, this is a light weight car with a Diff for cars with probably more power and more than twice the weight. I feel the problem lies with the modifications carried out by CC to adapt it to our otherwise brilliant cars. Where is it in the service schedule to carry out frequent checks of the Diff. function. There is not even in my hand book a mention of changing the oil and to add insult to injury your not even provided with a drain plug! I know these are specialist quirky cars and have to be maintained using a different philosophy to conventional cars but something lurking deep in the workings that needs extensive checking and rework and could fail with expensive consequences is not what anybody wants or expects. Is there a part for The Club to play in this regarding CC? O.G.

Having read the numerous threads previously on this subject I decided recently to have my LSD rebuilt by Road & Race. I had been concerned about the state of my Titan in a 360R (180hp). The car kit was supplied 2015, with only 3000 miles and 5 Track Days on the clock. I was worried about noises and what I thought was too much slack in the drive train. Road and Race replaced the carbon plates for sintered although as it turned out all internals were only moderately worn. Now I have found the drive to be harsh & even more noisy when not pushing along (we cant push all the time on the road). As an experienced engineer I find it difficult to understand why CC could not find a LSD to fit which was fit for purpose ie both on the road and track. After all LSDs are a piece of established technology in a very light weight and therefore lowish stress application. It has cost me more than £800 pounds so far and I'm not happy with the results. I will be following this and any further threads with great interest. O.G.

As K7 VCT suggests use double sided tape. Just done it myself. Halfords does a 6 mm thick foam tape for number-plates for less than £3. Having the thick tape increases the surface area sticking to the curves of the nose cone. O.G.

These straps are very broad and thick and quite stiff so are quite hard to manipulate. Difficult to explain. They go up over the wheels, each one hooked to the bed in 4 places. O.G.

We bought a new Brian James Trailer a year ago that came with Tie Down Straps. These seem more suitable for use to hold down a Traction Engine than our little gem of a car. Can anybody suggest a light weight strap and the supplier that they use that is easy and quick to attach. O.G. P.S. Maybe "Traction Engine" is a slight exaggeration.

Alan, The Two Steves remapped my 360 last week to run on throttle position. It has left me with kangarooing it low powers but much improved drivability above that. They spent over 8 hours unsuccessfully trying to fix the problem. My car has, what appears to be, excessive drive train slack so I plan to fix that first and see what it drives like afterwards. The Steve’s will revert my car to manifold pressure control with its attendant throttle lag if I require. The Steves give you a plasticised power/torque print out. I could send you a photocopy. The 182bhp at the flywheel they got out of it is quite enough for me so do not plan to upgrade. Gordon

I started a thread with precisely the same concerns on my 360R with LSD over a year ago. 2000 miles and four Track Days later its still the same. No better, no worse. I fixed it with good ear plugs too. O.G.

I don’t know why we bother......

Thanks guys for all the great ideas. This version of Kangarooing started after it was mapped by The Two Steves and it’s their suggestion about the stronger spring although I am planning to take it back. The previous rooing happened on overrun in low gears at low speed. Sandpaper, I had thought about mounting a bar on the floor to give your heel something to push forward on. I’m not so sure it is bumpy road related as we were even getting it when entering the track at our recent Brilliant Cadwell Park Track Day. I will be following up on the competition double spring idea and Associated Spring leads. Thanks Guys. O.G.

I find the standard throttle return spring strength a bit light on my Duratec 360R. I would like to increase the foot pressure required a bit when opening the throttle. Preferably I would like the modification to be at the butterfly end rather than the throttle box. It has been suggested this may assist in reducing a bit of kangarooing I have at the moment. Are there any proprietary replacement springs available or has anybody got any other bright ideas. O.G.

I have a Circa 2016 360R SV kit built that I also bought a Carbon Aero Screen. Only now have I come round to fit it. If there were any instructions at the time they have disappeared. Does anybody know where I could find drawings/dimensions for the mirror attachments. O.G.

I have decided to bite the bullet, go in big and have the engine remapped by “The Two Steve’s”. The way the car is, it is taking 50% of the enjoyment out of driving. Hope they can fit me in before the Cadwell Park track day. I will fill everybody in with the results of The Steve’s endevours. . Thanks all for your input. O.G.

Just finished a little test drive after some investigation. I removed the throttle assembly and found the “throttle bypass” went nowhere. It hits a brick (plastic) wall where it’s bolted to the manifold. My manifold is the grey/black very rigid plastic type with big “Caterham” letters on the top. As you say Chris, the only adjustment is on the butterfly, nothing on the sensor. As an aside, what is that flatish plastic object bolted to the side of the crankcase with the heater size hose connecting it to the bottom of the inlet manifold. I disconnected the battery for five minutes. Sadly no improvement in anything. Doesn’t start when cold without a feather of throttle but starts OK when hot. Idles at 1050. Hesitant at any rpm when opening the throttle quickly, often with inlet pop. My car also suffers from severe kangarooing with closed throttle, at rpms below 2000 in 1st & 2nd gear typically when coming to a stop before it would be normal to dip the clutch. Is that connected? O.G.

Thanks ChrisC your extensive reply. The car has just come off a 4 month winter lay up (alright, I'm a Wimp) with the battery disconnected but will give it a go and report back. For Info my car has that big black plastic inlet manifold with, if I remember correctly, a built in air bleed bypass around the butterfly. Currently the car doesn't start from cold without a touch throttle but idles fine at 900ish after that. Puzzled by soft bungs, what are they? O.G.

Throttle Response - Duratec I have a problem with my 360R Duratec (180 hp) when opening the throttle. There is a short lag before the power comes in. For those who remember carburetors, it would be like the accelerator pump isn't working. This happens from idle and decreasingly so further up the rev range. Sometimes it is accompanied by a misfire or pop sound (too lean a mixture?). I originally posted this question over a year ago and got numerous replies saying theirs was the same. Since last year my car seems to have got worse giving rise to some "interesting" moments when applying power. Anybody, any ideas? If I require professional help, any suggestions? I live in the Heathrow area. O.G.

Thanks to Jim and all. Ordered and received Jim's suggestion, all but identical, at a quarter of the CC price, delivered. Just waiting for the temperature to rise before gluing on. O.G.

Thanks for all your help! I may have to go with the Ford one from Onlinecarparts but has anybody seen a Carbon finish one? I've been looking for ages. O.G.

The reflective finish has started to fail around the edges my standard CC supplied interior mirror. The type that is stuck onto the windscreen. Annoying, as the car kit was suppled late 2015 and put on the road late 2016. Its not like it has been wet or anything. I see a straight replacement from CC is £58!!! for something that might fail again in 3 years. Don't really want to have a MOT failure so has anybody got a suggestion for a replacement. Can it be dis assembled and a new glass put in or is there a quality assembly on the market, even better with a carbon finish to go with my "wing mirrors"? O.G.

Acceleration of a car is proportional to the torque at the rear wheels. Theoretically this is Engine Torque x Gear Ratio (of the gear your in) x Diff Ratio. Obviously the variables are Engine Torque and the Gear Ratio as Diff Ratio is a constant. For Max overall acceleration you need to plot the graph of torque at the rear wheels for each gear against RPM. You set your change up lights for the revs at the point between say 3 & 4 when the two torque figures at the wheels are the same. Typically this is in the range of 500-750 revs more than max torque depending on the ratio difference between the gears. I've never done the maths and just use these figures on track days, close enough. O.G.

Has anybody else noted that the standard 360/420 air box intake does not line up fully with the hole in the bonnet? I have seen this on numerous cars. Take a squint through the hole in the bonnet. I can see no adjustment and I got the usual "they are all like that" from CC. These cars, I would suggest, are getting a mix of hot and cold. O.G.

Peter M It seems to be which branch or fitter you are served (if that's the right term) by as to the level of expertise. Mine was a brand new assembly from CC. O.G.

I finally went through the insurance but unfortunately did not have a good experience. Two and a half weeks. Numerous chasing calls. Most of the office staff did not understand anything about car windscreens let alone the specifics of Caterhams. When I finally got the name and number of someone who did know something I still had to chase otherwise it would not have been ready for this Bank Holiday. The final straw was the person who came could not have done the wiring connectors. We fitted it ourselves. Anybody else had similar experiences? O.G.

Thanks Guy's. I'm awaiting a reply from National Windscreens for either them to supply a glass and seal or do the job. I understand the wiring will includes fitting Bullet Connectors. Salvaging and gluing the mirror might be interesting. O.G.

I have managed to crack my SV heated windscreen. Has anybody any advice on sourcing a replacement glass and possibly a seal? The job look relatively straight forward but are there are any tricks to it? O.G.