clarkey

I still need another set of wheels, 2x6" and 2x8" would be good, but I'll take 6" or 7" for the back as well. If no one has any second hand ones, which suppliers should I speak to other than Superlite or Caterham? Thanks

I am looking for a spare set of wheels for a Superlight R, 2 in 6x13, 2in 8x13. I'm not too concerned about condition as long as they are straight and not too badly corroded, and don't require tyres. Thanks for any help you can give me, or advice on where I may be able to pick up a cheap set. Steve.

Arnie Cheers for that, just the answer I was looking for. Steve.

I recently bought a second hand SLR from Caterham. As a part of the deal they replaced the ACB10s with CR500s, and gave me the old tyres. The ACB10s are 245/45-13 rear, 185/55-13 front The CR500s are 205/50-13 rear, 175/55-13 front. Is it usual for these tyres to be different sizes? Can 245s and 205s safely fit on the same rim?? The rolling radius of the two must also be different, so for which set will the gearing be correct? Thanks for your help.

My SLR had ACB10's on when I test drove it, and in my 7 virgin's hands it felt nasty - little grip, terrible tramlining and bump steer. it feels completely different on CR500s - plenty of grip (even in near freezing conditions), no tramlining. I've still got the ACB10s, so I may well get a spare set of wheels for track use. Or I may just be a tightarse and put them on when the CR500s have worn out.

Tom, Caterham have 3 at the moment - 98R in yellow (about 23k), a grey 99T (about 25K) and a black new car at about 27k ish. I think they have a couple more coming soon too - if you speak to Jason he will be able to help.

Luke, cheers for the tip, that looks about the right price for me! I might give it a go. I've finished the bracket for my camcorder now, total price was about £15 including a microphone. I got a U bolt from B&Q (£1.50) that was a bit bigger than the rollbar, and drilled a couple of holes into a large right angle bracket (from the decking section in B&Q), cost about £2. I bought a metal universal tripod adapter from Jessops (£7) and rivetted this to the top of the bracket. I wrapped a lump of rubber (part of an Escort cam belt, I think) around the rollbar and mounted it on one of the rear bars on the FIA rollbar. Very secure, held firm by a bit of insulation tape and long cable ties. The microphone (Maplins, £4) is taped to the inside of the car, everywhere I put it seems to give loads of transmission noise though. Very easy to do, about 30 minutes work and £15 to get it right, and it only take 5 minutes to fit.

I wish I hadn't started this one now....................

Thanks to you all for your advice. I'll try to get the tyre changed then.

I have a new set of CR500s (150 miles old) and one of them has lost 2 lumps of rubber, each about 2 inches long and a millimetre or so thick. Another appears to be starting as well. As this is all on one tyre, I suspect a faulty tyre. Has anyone else experienced this, or am I just worrying about nothing? Thanks.

I've also been told that pretol degrades fairly quickly, and the octane rating falls over time (not a very technical description, sorry), so that SUL can be of a lower octane rating than UL when you buy it as it tends to sit in the tanks at stations for longer. So try to find a station that sells a lot of SUL as it should be fresher. Not sure is this is a load of old b*ll*cks, but seems to make sense.

And I'm not a novice anymore, and I haven't even got the car yet.......roll on 11.30 today!!!

I'll go along with that - I bought about the cheapest DV camcorder at the time, a Panasonic NV-DS11, and it has been excellent. The quality is easily good enough for me. I've only got a laptop, so firewire is more of a problem - I still can't find a reasonably priced PCMCIA card / firewire adapter, so if anyone knows of one, I'd be grateful. The still shots off the camcorder are excellent though. Thanks

Thanks

Does everybody use Super Unleaded? I always would on the track, but is it needed on the road? Thanks

Classic Additions charge about £125 for a decent outdoor cover delivered (www.classicadditions.com). I believe that Covercraft supply Caterham (www.covercraft.com), who charge about £175 (before haggling). Both seem like a lot of money to me for a big bedsheet and a lump of tarpaulin. If I can haggle a bit with Jason when I pick up the car next weekend I'll go for the Caterham supplied one (mainly because I'm lazy). If he won't move on the price I'll order the Classic Additions one. Unless of course some kind person sells me one first.............

I hadn't really thought about extra protection, but you'd be really, really unlucky to have the lense hit by a stone, especially hanging from the bar. I always fit a UV filter to all cameras, as it is far cheaper to replace than a lense in any case. I've never noticed vibration to be much of a problem - this is partly due to modern camcorders reducing a lot of shake and vibration on their own. I own a digital Panasonic and have never noticed any vibration from hours of footage mounted on tripod in the back of an Impreza, held steady with rear belts and a bungee. On the 7, keep the bracket as short and stiff as possible, and wrap tape or some rubber (maybe part of an old inner tube) around the roll bar before you mount it. You shouldn't have any problems.

I hadn't really thought about extra protection, but you'd be really, really unlucky to have the lense hit by a stone, especially hanging from the bar. I always fit a UV filter to all cameras, as it is far cheaper to replace than a lense in any case. I've never noticed vibration to be much of a problem - this is partly due to modern camcorders reducing a lot of shake and vibration on their own. I own a digital Panasonic and have never noticed any vibration from hours of footage mounted on tripod in the back of an Impreza, held steady with rear belts and a bungee. On the 7, keep the bracket as short and stiff as possible, and wrap tape or some rubber (maybe part of an old inner tube) around the roll bar before you mount it. You shouldn't have any problems.

I asked last week if anyone had one - I guess not. I suppose I'll just have to fork out for a new one to protect my new toy that I'm getting next weekend.....

I need one too........

Steve I'm busy making one at the moment. Basically, I am making a bracket that will hang from the horizontal bar and attach to a (decent) quick release tripod mount. It shouldn't cost much more than £10 to make, and if mine works, I will gladly make one for you or give you the details...but I will wrap a bit of tape around it just to be safe, you can't be too sure with my engineering! Off the shelf brackets are ridiculously expensive; this should be sturdy enough as the bracket will be very short and stiff. For sound, I'll be running a cheap tie clip mike to the passenger footwell. It sounds OK so far, not bad for £4.95. I'll let you know how it goes in a week or two, but if I forget, drop me an email at stephen.clarke@sage.com

I'm looking for a decent outdoor car cover, must be waterproof and breathable and fit well. Oh, and I don't want to pay £150+ for a new one.. Has anyone got any suggestions? Does anyone have one available? Thanks

I'm looking for an immaculate Superlight, Superlight R or Supersport. Must have weather gear, 13 inch wheels, 6 speed box, low miles and full history. Any advice on which dealers have cars at the moment would help too - I know Caterham and Classic Carriage Co have plenty, but I'd like to pay private prices if possible....... And no Vauxhall vs K-Series vs Zetec vs bike engine arguments please, this is confusing enough as it is!! Thanks.