murph7355

For the really hot items, I'd go ebay.

Slope. Very slippery. And expensive. I'd take a long hard look at what you *ultimately* want to do with the car. Something like the exhaust, or for a bit more cash the ECU or for a bit more both will possibly see you with some mild gains but set you up nicely for the next steps. Also, appreicate you've been on the board for ages but what sort of spec does the rest of the car have? In terms of point to point speed, other forms of upgrade often give more bangs for the buck.

If you haven't already, driver training in the Caterham is one of the best things you can do. If it hasn't been flat floored with you in it, get that done also. Oh yes, and get out there and put plenty of miles on it! As for the quick shift, do a search on the forums (from a fair while back). An esteemed SL owner noted they were junk and people should save their cash and the extra weight (where the 6spd is concerned). And keep look after it. These are surefire classics of the future.

Do CC sell their system without the bell housing tank? Possibly answers your question alone. My car had the first Pace system installed. Not been a problem with it. Biggest pro is cost and being able to site parts like the sump tank where you want.

Are there any detailed pictures anywhere of the engine bay? Quiet exhausts? Why ever would you want one of those (apart from on tracks too close to residents who should have known better!).

You should delete this post, and say something like "wife is about to divorce me if I don't sell it and the kids will get a piss poor education too". Racing a Radical and not being interested in driving on the road is not going to make people feel sorry enough for you (even considering the 5k saving - firkin hell, are R400s with sensible options really that much these days?).

This happened to me on Le Sept one year. Only having bench seats I was able to support myself a bit on the centre tunnel and sill. When I got out I fell through it :) Would have been an interesting way to slow the car - though at the time my arse was big enough to have done it. You'd be doing very well to spot this before the event. I think they usually start to go in one corner, so you could try looking there first (press it from inside and look underneath, but it'll be small amounts of give). I think the only real way to do it properly is to get the car high up and redo the rivets every now and then. Bummer of a job, but easy enough.

Ammo - I agree with you totally. Enjoy Milan. It's a great place, though the roads are terrible. All the more reason to sample the other delights of the place.

PS I like the sound of a 380bhp V8. If only it'd fit in a std 7 chassis.

We're a funny lot. Bit like the carbon threads :) Does any of it make a fig of difference when we're overweight ourselves and/or piss poor behind the wheel (I slight myself only here). Seeing a proper wheelman behind the wheel of a BEC at Mas du Clos, and seeing him keep with cars significantly more powerful is surely the point. There's joy to be had overtaking more "powerful" cars, and lessons learned when lower powered cars drive by you. I used to yearn for 200bhp. But now I'm a few years older and couldn't give a monkey's chuff. I was probably a good bit quicker in my old K than I was in an R500. A few extra years familiarity might have changed this. It might not have. Only on long straights did the old K seriously lose out. The Duratec is a great engine it would seem. Which we should all applaud and be thankful for. I'm not sure having the exhaust on the driver's side is a step forward, but then I also like my iPod turned up loud, so am thus a hypocrite in more ways than one. Get your tallywhackers out on the bar and quote numbers all day long. It'd be interesting to see some of the protagonists out on track and see what the only numbers that matter are... Incidentally, it would seem that quoting numbers and making bold statements is only as good as the science that supports it. So noting that we shouldn't get too scientific or tedious about it all is self defeating. If we're seriously going to compare sizes, let's get a serious ruler.

Twig See you outside in Ginza. Or Roppongi. :) Hope Diana and the kids are well. I'l drop you a note to let you know when I'm back (which will be brief). Scuffnut PS To all those expecting something more exciting, I apologise. I did just cut myself on some paper though, so I can tell you that Angus is on to a hiding to nothing with his materials.

Aves - you're not a lawyer friend of EFA's by any chance are you? Angus - I only looked briefly into your brown stuff products but they look ****. hot to me. You're a cheeky monkey! But glad to see you're still enjoying the 7 scene and hope Tessa's well and beating you on the circuit by now :) At the end of the day, most people, on here, buying carbon products don't need them. For strength (because the body bits on a 7 add feck all here - I know, I've broken three genuiiiiiine cf noses on twigs). For weight (because the 7 weighs feck all anyway and most of us are fat - except Jan, who's a twig) Or for aesthetics (because the 7 is an ugly wee fecker). We buy them because they gives us (a) bragging rights down the pub or (b) because they're something to upset the other half with, rather than buying shoes or makeup (for them, or yourself - but that would likely upset her more. If it doesn't, pass her my address). If your arguments with the better half are to have any credence, you have to be able to prove the technical superiority of your product. Similarly, if you are to have any hope of coming out tops down the pub, and/or proving to Peter Carmichael (sorry PC for dragging you into this) that you are right, you need to be able to demonstrate that your nose is indeed stronger and lighter. People like PC (or 7 addicts down the pub in general) don't care about aesthetics as most people who have met him (them/us) will realise. Just technical savvy. And he's a god amongst men for just this reason. So come on Arnie, stop being evasive. No one cares if the "carbon" is 1% carbon, 100% carbon or 50% dog poo. If it's stronger and lighter, and (for the ladies) looks better, it's a done deal. Get your nose out for the lads and get it tested with the Carbon Baron's finest and let's have an end to all this "handbags at dawn" rubbish. PS Other halves never take you seriously if you say it was the cheapest available. They suspect you spent the saving on a hairy lipped Russian lap dancer called Eva and are keeping secrets from them. so this barely registers in any "scientific" equation. PPS If either of you (or RiF if he can see through the tears of laughter) fancy making sill protectors for a 355, or engine bay shields, or gear knobs at a sensible price, drop me a mail. Aesthetics and price are key here, as it's a fat old bird and there are huge swathes of metal to protect the unfortunate/careless.

Only 2 ways to sort this one: 1) Go outside and have a fight 2) Supply some parts and have them tested, perhaps as a sponsored (by the companies) LF article? You could include Caterham's own bits. Suggested criteria: a) subjective aesthetics/quality b) weight c) strength (tested by applying load to the same area of the part and seeing how much load it takes to break it) d) subjective "safety" (does it break into a million sharp pieces etc) e) price Come on gentlemen. Fisticuffs and banter is so passe :) Losers buy the beers.

Dbl post! Edited by - Scuffnut on 26 Sep 2004 02:43:33

Caterham fitted one to mine in 1995. It's abut the only original part left on the car and works nicely... Tey allegedly stopped putting them on as they were unreliable.

Another thing to be careful of on wipers is how much meat you have on the blades, and/or what condition they're in. It's not unheard of for the metal bracket to scratch arcs in the screen. Unless they've changed to plastic jobs recently.

And wouldn't the carbon need to be bonded on to give its best efforts at stiffness?

Here you go fellas click here. And always remember, 2nd is first of the losers 😬 😬 😬

Get the hole. It has a velcro flap anyway so doesn't let in much/any water/wind, and gives you the option. The FIA bar is only really homologated with the strut in place, so when you're not carrying a passenger, fit it. Only takes 5mins to fit. I like running with the tonneau on track days. It seems to help with buffeting if you're running without doors and definitely helps keep crap out of the car

The Manfrotto stuff at B-Hague is very good quality, but a few tips for you to take note of: 1) ALWAYS use tie wraps as a second restraint for your camera. Through the wrist strap and round the roll bar. 2) ALWAYS check the tightness of ALL fixings after EVERY session. If I had a penny for every time I've come in with the camera at drunk angles... 3) Buy yourself a UV filter for the lens. These are clear filters that screw into the lens (or on some cameras, push on). If something hits the lens, it'll take the UV filter but probably not the lens. Do NOT think that thiings won't hit the lens. I have some interesting shots of the last seconds of numerous insects on the 30mm lens of my camera! UV filters are 10 quid or so. A busted lens and you may as well write off the camera. 4) Always check the integrity of your camera's case regularly. The mounts and the anti-shake on cameras make it seem that these things are vibration free, but they most definitely are not. Many modern cameras have plastic bodies around their metal tripod mounts, and the vibrations can, and do, cause these to crack (I can show you my Sony DCR-PC9 if you're a non-believer). If you can afford a sports housing for your camera (if one is available), it would be a good investment. 5) Don't let any of the above stop you putting the camera on the car. It's great fun and even the most non-car person amongst my mates was fascinated by the footage! 6) Get yourself an external mic as the onboard one will give horrid sound through wind noise. One of the freebies that come with PCs work if you're not using a bullet cam. Blue-tac'd to the passenger front bulkhead (inside the cockpit) gives awesome sounds (induction, exhaust and gearbox) and little or no wind noise. Edited by - Scuffnut on 21 Apr 2004 18:55:00

Slicks.

There's no specific value per se. Ordinarily I'd say as low as you can go, but there are obviously road considerations. Have a read of the "perfick" thread which I think mentions rake etc. Start point is how much clearance you want for your sump, then work out where the rear needs to go accordingly. Good luck in your testing.

Picking hairs, but on original SLs the CR500 wasn't even made... However. Key facets in wheel choice are as follows (and in no particular order). 1) Weight 2) Available tyre sizes 3) Desired brake size 4) Aesthetics 5) Strength 6) Suitable offsets and PCD A bigger wheel also gives you a marginally bigger contact patch all other things being equal. It depends how much money you want to spend. If you really want to change to 15"s (for aesthetics?), then do it and get the suspension set up nicely with these wheels on. If, on the other hand, you want to limit expenditure, first check the tyre pressures and then get the suspension set up nicely with your current set up. Either following the links I directed you to or by taking it to a specialist. The SL can be made to ride nicely and handle supremely, but it will *always* feel different to your Roadsport as it's a different animal. It's meant to feel more alive and much sharper. From a handling point of view, I still think 13"s are the way to go. Going on my points above: 1) Equivalent 13" rims will always be lighter. A VERY good thing. 2) Tons of great tyres available in 13", incl. a good selection of slicks. Note that 13"s are usually a lot cheaper too. 3) More than enough braking power can go inside 13" rims. 4) Aesthetics - subjective. I think 13" wheels look better. 5) Strength - equal for comparable wheels. 6) Suitable offsets and PCD - irrelevant as we can get plenty for 7s. PS Note also that Alex has a VX engined car. Another big factor in the way the car handles and how it willultimately feel on different wheel combos. For road use, you will have no hassle with 13"s if it's well set up. I've done over 40k miles on such a set up. Edited by - Scuffnut on 12 Apr 2004 21:49:43

Having said that about sizes, though, I do have some recollection that the 175 Avons are actually about 184 in width. Don't forget also that the car will feel VERY different to the roadsport. My car started off as an RS with the same tyres as yours, and it was definitely much more eager to responde to steering inputs when I went to 13"ers...much more alive.

At first glance that strikes me as an odd tyre size to have on the back. I'm not suggesting for one minute that this is the root cause of your hassles, but... And check your tyre pressures. In line with increasing your vocab 😬, this is one of the most critical factors to remember in setting up your 7 and therefore in life.