MikeE

Mickrick No the clubman is the cheaper version of the minno, I bought mine 4 years ago when they first came out and BJ told me that they were selling them at cost to put the competition out of business, so at the time it was a very good deal. I suggest you just give them a call, they know all about Caterhams and will be able to advise you on the options. cheers R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

Look at their website, sure they have lots of trailers that would suit an SV, the reason the minno (and now the cheaper clubman) are so popular is they will take an S3 and fit in a single garage, I guess the SV size won't though. R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

As MickRick says just drop a 2.3l Duratec with a Rotrex supercharger in it, close to 400bhp should be doable for £12K ish (plus a new gearbox, diff, drive shafts, chassis ) R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

I have the standard issue R400 diff from a year 2004 Caterham kit, whatever that is Anyone know if this would benefit from being modified and if so is it a diff out job (i.e. a pain in the 4rse 😳) R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

Well I've had a 1.6l 135bhp Super light, a 2.0l 230bhp R400 Duratec and now a 2.3l 280bhp Duratec in the same R400 chassis so I'll let you know once I get it on track next year Would say though that the 135bhp Superlight was simply superb, very delicate and I suspect I used to put far more effort into carrying speed through the corners, the more power you have the more temptation to concentrating on applying the power out of the corner at the expense of entry and mid corner speed - maybe 🤔 R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

Nah can't be driver style I have the smoothness of Alan Prost 😬 It may well be I try taking too much speed into the corner but frustrating none the less. It tends to be in high speed corners, typically something like the last corner at bedford autdrome, a 90mph right hander. It turns in just fine (so not a weight transfer issue?) but then starts to understeer mid corner and can be horrendous if you try and get on the throttle all the way to the exit. At the end of the day I can of course take less speed into the corner but the car isn't displaying the characteristics I'd like - i want it to be more 'pointy' so if it's going to start sliding then it'll be at the back first. So how do I achieve that other than slower in, 1 gear lower and then use the throttle to adjust the attitude from the apex out? Adam, I thought you had the CSR front wings (and custom wingstays) and before I went to all the effort and expense I wanted to know if it made a appreciable difference? Slipperman - don't understand your comment, you think I'll be ok with 7" rears when my Duratec should have 50bhp and 30lb/ft more grunt than your R500 Surely I need more grip at the rear! I did run with 7" slicks all round with the 230bhp 2.0l last summer and destroyed the rears in a morning 😳 R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

For the 3 years I've had my R400 Duratec it's always suffered from understeer in high speed corners to a lesser or greater extent despite having changed the springs, fitted Nitrons and having the suspension setup by Gary May. I've tried the usual things like playing with tyre pressures, adjustable roll bars, damper rates etc but still haven't managed to dial it out completely. Having now gone from a 230bhp to 280bhp engine I'm expecting that the understeer maybe now be worse (I know it's called throttle control ) so was interested in peoples experiences of Aero and tyre width (I run ACB10s and CR500s but will probably go the slick route too) solutions which have made a difference. 1 - So do the CSR front wings and nose winglets make a difference? (think someone like Adam Hay might be able to answer this) - are there any other aero tweeks which would help? 2 - I'm thinking I probably need wider rear tyres anyway (running R500 widths at the moment) so while I do that I'll need to tackle the fronts too - what are the options and what effect are they likely to have? I think a combination of CSR front wings, new wingstays and wider rims all round might do the trick but that's obviously going to be a significant outlay so want to know if anyone can confirm that the Aero part is actually worth the investment? cheer R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here Edited by - MikeE on 28 Dec 2007 14:29:22

When I got out of my tin top today (a 2001 Mondeo) I noticed the familiar smell of tortured brake pads (smelt it enough on trackdays to reckonise it instantly 😬) so I walk around the car and realise the nearside rear disc is very hot. About 2 years ago I had the same problem and the garage ordered me a new handbrake cable and told me the part was marked up as modified so there must have been a fault with the original design whereby the handbrake didn't release properly. That time I think both rear brakes where binding. Anyway this time it's just the near side so don't no if it's a repeat of the same problem or just a sticking caliper. Does anyone have experience of this and know how I can cure it or should I just buy a new caliper? TIA R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

It's flouro..... R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

Where are you Dave, if you're near Fleet, Hants then I'll show you the brightest green 7 there is R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

Brent, Is it a Duratec and Pace external setup? If it is then you're welcome to look at my car to see what hoses are necessary. Oh and yes Think Auto provided mine (well Peter did actually) R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

I suspect that was a typo and Ammo meant go for a S/C not a turbo Ammo? R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

and what's that bollox about a dry sump not working on a Duratec R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

I had exactly the same scenario and tightening wasn't a sensible option. PTFE tape will be fine but as Brent says avoid getting any in the oil - if you only put it on the upper part of the thread you'll be fine. As I say mine did 4,000 hard track miles and my bearings were fine - having said that I've sold the engine now so it might well have grenaded itself since 😬 R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

had exactly this problem on my duratec when i built it 3.5 years ago. I removed the adapter and put ptfe tape around it, threaded it back in and it hasn't leaked again in 3.5 years and 4000 track miles. R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

What about a 280bhp Duratec engine caterham that does 80% trackdays? R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

If you think you might ever go Duratec you could have the removable engine bay chassis member mod to the RHS R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

Sorry Willie feel a bit mean saying that now I know you're 22 Was only meant as a bit of fun - anyway good luck with the scrap heap challenge R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

and Mic put them on the car when he originally built it..... R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

Steve If Martin can't take it I will (and I'm in Farnham!) cheers R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

The reason for saying the above is because the price of a new engine is a very small percentage of the total installation cost and therefore there's not that much to be gained from saving a few hundred quid on a dirty old 2nd hand unit......... .....anyway I have an aversion to cheapskate penny pinching tactics, I prefer the warm feeling of knowing I've just blown significantly more than I needed, but hey maybe that's just me 😳 R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

Why are you proposing buying a whole car to get your hands on an engine, you can buy a new Duratec for £1.5K (ish) so why bother with the hassle? R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

that's word for word what I said Adam R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

How old's your chassis? Mine's a 2004 and the front of the cage attaches to the chassis boss just below the scuttle, I think sometime before this it attached above this point, to the scuttle, in which case it's more likely to foul the aero (maybe ) Oh and your response to the first reply was a bit harsh - bad day in the salon? R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here

My Duratec was mapped at Emerald a couple of weeks back and I noticed the stack was reading 82 and the Emerald 96 - I queried this with Dave and he said the stack was probably the more accurate. R400 Duratec Build and Modification Pictures here