IanJ

Hi, I am about to buy a set of 4 6X13 Caterham 8 spoke wheels for my 1.6K Superlight (138BHP/Dry Sump). The idea is to keep the existing wheels (shod with A021Rs) for road use and buy something a little more grippy to put on the 8 spokes for trackdays. As the car will be driven to/from trackdays, the choice of tyre needs to be road legal. I think I have pretty much convinced myself to give Yokohama A048Rs a go. I am tempted to go for Medium compound on the rear and Soft compound in the front, but would welcome views from anybody else who has tried this combination. The current setup of the car in conjunction with my driving style results in a understeery bias to the balance of the car at turn-in which becomes more neutral as power is subsequently applied. Would anybody care to offer their views as to whether this sounds like a sensible approach or not? Thanks in advance. Ian 😬 1.6K SS Superlight #006 Penn Sevens Here

http://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/

A driveby reading will usually be much lower than static. If my SL recorded 89.9db driveby, I think you would be well inside a 98db driveby limit. Ian 😬 1.6K SS Superlight #006 Penn Sevens Here

I recently did a trackday at Bedford with a standard 1.6 Superlight. My car recorded 98db static (but they only tested it at 4000rpm) and then 89.9db driveby. The limit was 87.0db, so I got thrown off in the morning. Replaced the standard silencer with a CCC one in the afternoon and had no more complaints... Please note that as an early '97 superlight, it came with a 4" silencer. I believe later superlights were fitted with 5"/6" silencers so you may be OK. Ian 😬 1.6K SS Superlight #006 Penn Sevens Here

When I removed the cloth seats from my '97 superlight I found the floor was showing signs of bending, despite the presence of channels underneath. When installing my Tilletts, I therefore added some supports to the rear bulkhead (cut from wood) and extended the seat mountings to pick up on the chassis cross-member running just in front of the seats. There are some photos here: http://www.s7ian.f2s.com/gallery_technical/index.htm I also tried honeycomb which seemed to spread the load effectively (although it still needs to be supported by the rivets that attach the floor). I eventually discarded the honeycomb becuase I was unhappy with the elevated seating position. Ian 😬 1.6K SS Superlight #006 Penn Sevens Here

Thanks for the input, guys - the crank sensor idea hadn't occurred to me.

I am planning to perform an oil change on my 1.6 Superlight fitted with an Apollo and was looking for some further advice on the procedure I should follow for establishing some oil pressure before attempting to start the engine. Disconnecting the inertia switch will prevent the fuel pump from supplying fuel to the cylinders and with the Apollo I am expecting to need to crank for around 40 seconds before seeing any pressure registered. The question I have is whether it is better to take the plugs out (kinder on the battery/starter) or leave them in? If the usual practice is to take them out, should I be concerned about damage to the ignition system (coil/ECU) if the spark plugs are not able to dissipate charge? If the the usual practice is to leave them in, I assume that the loading on the bearings resulting from compression within the cylinders is negligible compared with the loading generated when the charge is ignited, hence the benefit. Is this understanding correct? Thanks, Ian.

Try here: here They were very helpful and efficient in processing my order. Ian 😬 1.6K SS Superlight #006 Penn Sevens Here

I am running a 1.6K Superlight with an Apollo and no backflow valve. This info has gone someway to answering questions I have had rattling around in the back of my head for some time, however I have a couple more: 1) Am I correct in assuming that lubrication benefits are only to be had from cranking an engine following an oil change/long period of standing if the spark plugs are removed? Presumably the idea is that there is no compression in the cylinders which reduces load on the bearings whilst oil pressure builds? 2) What precautions should be taken for an oil change? Presumably, benefits are to be gained by pre-filling the filter. As oil pressure never seems to build enough to register on the gauge whilst cranking with this setup, I guess it is preferable to start without cranking as indicated by Peter. Thanks, Ian.

I stand corrected on removing the tank then (assuming you don't have problems undoing any of the screws). Whether or not you use sealant, I would still recommend using a non-standard gasket for reasons which will become apparent when you get the pump out. However, if you do decide to go with the standard gasket, then I completely agree with Paul's comments about overtightening since this will distort the face of the tank and cause it to leak. Ian 😬 1.6K SS Superlight #006 http://penn.lowflying.co.uk/

This gasket has been changed twice on my car now and the tank came out both times. I would suggest the following: Get one of James Whiting's gaskets and NOT the standard Rover one! The Rover one has large (and unecessary on a 7) cutouts around the bolt holes which were always going to cause problems with the Caterham tank. Jack the car up as high as possible at the rear and drop the tank out of the bottom of the car. Take the opportunity to re-paint any corroded chassis members. Use some blue sealant on both faces of the gasket. Good luck! Ian 😬 1.6K SS Superlight #006 http://penn.lowflying.co.uk/

Thanks guys - as long as it's not just me then! The silicon option seems a pretty good idea, but will test to confirm exactly where the water is getting in. I couldn't believe how well it ran with a plug immersed in water either - not ideal though ❗ Ian 😬 1.6K SS Superlight #006 penn.lowflying.co.uk

Shortly after cleaning my superlight at the weekend it developed a rather nasty misfire. First port of call was the spark plugs. All appeared fine with cylinders 1, 2 and 3. However, when I pulled the plug lead off from cylinder 4, I was a little surprised to find the plug recess half full of water! Fortunately a closer inspection confirmed it to be water rather than coolant and the misfire was cured once everything had dried out. Now my driveway does have a fairly steep gradient which may have contributed to this situation, but has anybody else experienced this? If so, is there a standard solution that should be adopted before washing e.g. Lay some plastic sheeting between the engine and bonnet? Thanks, Ian.

Fred, You have even even more mail! Thanks, Ian. Ian 😬 1.6K SS Superlight #006 penn.lowflying.co.uk

> Ian 😬 1.6K SS Superlight #006 penn.lowflying.co.uk

test

I get the same error: esponse object error 'ASP 0158 : 80004005' Missing URL /post_info.asp, line 423 when posting using IE 6.0. Postings are successfully logged though... Ian 😬 1.6K SS Superlight #006

Test

Test

Test

Test

Thanks guys, an overwhelming response! Ian 😬 1.6K SS Superlight #006

Thanks guys, an overwhelming response! Ian 😬 1.6K SS Superlight #006

testing again... Ian 😬 1.6K SS Superlight #006

Testing