Tiff

These questions are bit technical for me ,I'm afraid elie boone - the spring rates I don't know. But if it helps the live axle started life as a 1997 Classic 1.6 X/Flow. The De Dion is on my "standard" 2003 R300. STEVE GILBERT - I can't tell you. Symptoms were whining getting louder and louder, then grinding with occasional horrible crunching noise. After seeing a live axle car at an Elvington track day lose all drive throuh the Diff and have to be trailered home - I had it changed.

I wrecked my Ital live axle with 155bhp. I believe the damage was done flooring it on bumpy roads where the live axle can't cope. The stresses as the wheel goes on and off the ground are too much. I now have a de-dion car with Watts link and the wheels remain on the ground (mostly) on the same bits of road. The overall handling on bumpy roads is vastly improved with de-dion. If you have 160 - 200bhp and you want a live axle I'd definately get a Ford. But to be safe I'd recommend de-dion.

Interesting reply. Wish I'd known this when I had my X/Flow. I was advised to overfill the diff, as I used it hard and had 155bhp, and from the moment I overfilled it, it leaked from the breather.

I'm no expert but my old 1600 X/Flow used to spit a lot onto the wing. I then had it upgraded by Roger King from 100bhp - 155bhp - I'm not sure exactly what he did to the carbs, but they stopped spitting and amazingly to me, despite staggeringly improved performance, my fuel economy also improved, driving like for like. When on a long run (eg to the Pyrenees) I could get 28mpg. Conversly on the track 11mpg. So............. if you are not an expert either I'd suggest youy have someone not just tune the carbs, but check all the internal workings, jet sizes, chokes etc.

I'm 5' 10" (just) and have the interchangeable screen for track use. There is a lot of pressure at speed with a crash hat on pushing your head back. Its not noticeable on the track as speed is constantly changing, but on a motorway or dual carriageway on the way to the track, my neck muscles really feel it after a while, (obviously too weak!).

I've been thinking about this too, but on slightly different lines. With all the teeny weeny lights that are available these days, has anyone fitted any as a permanent solution? Even the Caterham "small" lights are large by today's standards. I recall seeing a 7 with small rectangular lights somewhere, but there must be very small round ones available now?

I made a deflector that fitted snugly inside the Roll bar. It had a shaped aluminium frame and the material was a very fne plastic mesh - similar guage (different naterial) to that found on Porsches' deflectors. It took me ages to make .................what a waste of time ! - didn't make the blindest bit of difference.

My switch goes on the blink every so often. I sort it by loosening off the lock nut and pushing it in and out vigorously twenty or thirty times. This - up to now - has sorted it.

Hi Phil, My X-Flow suffered quite badly from just being run at weekends in winter on the salted moors roads over 5 years. Despite waxoiling the front suspension seemed to suffer most, and the powder coating on the rear underside of the car. The only car I have seen used daily (blue VVC) at our club meets was in a sorry state after being used as a commuting car on motorways during the winter. I'm not taking my R300 out if the roads have been salted - until a good rain.

On my first 7 I had brooklyn screens, and in the early days the tonneau came off and wrapped itself around the face and body of a motorcyclist behind me. Luckilly he managed to stop without incident and proceeded to give me the biggest bo**ocking I've ever had. Somewhat chastened, I went home and resolved the situation by making a small piece of metal, shaped like a roof with flatened ends, with a poppoer at each end. This attached over the existing left front central popper on the tonneau (adapted to a double popper) and onto the right central popper, thus giving a double anchor point. It never came off again.

My live axle started to develop a noise (deep whine) at about 15,000 miles - 5,000 after I upgraded the engine to 155bhp. I drive a lot on bumpy roads on the N.York Moors. As I was off to the Pyrenees in the car and wanted to eliminate possible breakdowns I got the diff changed by the Darlington Caterham agent - despite them telling me that the noise was in no way unusual - lots of Ital diffs develop this noise they said and it's not a problem. Anyway I got it changed. On examination of the diff that was taken out there was nothing visibly wrong with it.

Driving my previous car, a 155bhp RK X/Flow engined X/Flow very hard, on track and on bumpy Yorks Moors roads, managed to strip a gear in the 4 speed box, and later caused horrible noises to come from the live axle diff (which I renewed). 2 Satudays ago at Elvington trackday a 150bhp Caterham broke it's Live axle diff completely. My experience says if you want to go above the "standard" power - drive it carefully.

I vote the laminating route. Dead simple solution and I've done it for 7 years with no problems.

I had a RK 155bhp 1800cc upgrade on my XFlow and did 12,000 miles in it with no problems before I sold it. RK recommended Mobil 1 to me to use in it, which I did. It used oil with no evidence of any leaks or smoke. Harder driving used more. I'm desperately trying to remember how much it used - I THINK half to a full litre every 2,000miles.

Contrary to most views, I've left my R300 CAT in place. I actually like the look of it. However after talking to people who have removed them off R300s and 400s, the consensus seems to be that there is a marginal power increase, the noise level is slightly increased, and the consequent moving of the Lamda sensor from its CAT position to the first primary resulis in more popping and banging. I've also read somewghere that the engine mapping was designed with the Lamda in the CAT position.

Ref John Hughes comments: This will presumably stop the sidescreens opening fully. I've successfully carried out a mod on 2 Sevens now, where the Spa mirror is still fitted to the sidescreen, but I've drilled a third hole through the metal suppoting bar in the sidescreen of a diameter that will accept an allen key. Thus if it gets knocked I can re-align and re-tighten it very quickly. A grommet fills the hole to make it look OK. I've done 25,00 miles in these 7's with this arrangement.

Dave W. The splashing is quite bad. If I take the dipstick out completely I get a lot of oil splashing out of the top of the tube. At a recent track day at Oulton Park I didn't re-seat the dipstick properly after checking the oil - I left it about a third of an inch above where it should be - and by the time I had done 2 more sessions and driven 2 hours home the RHS of the engine and pedal box where covered with oil. When I mentioned the splashing problem to the 7 agents in Darlington they said it can happen if too much of something (baffle?) is cut off when modifying the K engine? The engine seems to be performing fine otherwise - 2 trackdays and some hard early morning N.York Moors blatting - I've done 3,000 miles in 4 months no probs. I'd like to know if the splashing is acceptable though.

My R300 with Apollo takes 8 litres to fill to the Max mark. The instructions say check the level withe engine running but In practice this is extremenly difficult, as there is a lot of splashing going on and it's hard to get a reading. I manage it about one in six times. These days I measure it immediately after the engine has stopped.

Noise - I don't know the actual figures, but my R300 (with cat) passed the 105db test at 4,500rpm at Oulton Park recently. Catch tank - I didn't fit one as there was nothing in the manual, but had the post build check done by Caterham Midlands, who said the car sould be fiited with a catch tank, and fitted it on the top chassis bar passenger side between the radiator and the headlamp rear bracket.

Having hired them up till now, I'm thinking of buying a basic version. I understand that BS 6658 Type A is likely to be required, but in the bike shops I've visited they talk about ACU Gold standard, which if I understand correctly is an EC standard, (EC 2205). Is this comparable in terms of being allowed on track?

My R300 is the same, and after converstaion with several owners who have the same noise, i'm happy with the explanation that it is gears rattling on one of the shafts in the gearboxbox.

I put SPA race mirrors on my sidescreens and was advised by Caterham Midlands that they were too small and did not conform to the SVA regs. They said the mirrors have to be of a certain size - but I know no more than that. As both Caterham South and Midlands offer the service of puttting your car through the SVA test for you, it might be worth giving them a ring.

My R300's done 1K miles and has always pulled smoothly from low revs. I have the lambda in the CAT (as advised by Caterham technical !!). However I have experienced the kangarooing a couple of times, but put this down to wrong revs/wrong gear like when I was learning to drive. Generally no problem. My fuel consumption varies greatly depending how I drive it. I've had so far figures varying from 18mpg to 34mpg.

Ooops !! - wrong forum Edited by - Tiff on 16 Apr 2003 14:09:15

I'm relieved to hear this. My R300's been on the road a month, and the LSD whines at lower speeds, occasionally makes big 'clunks', and on overrun sounds like a load of nails being shaken in a tin can. Anyone else get a noise from the clutch? At halt in neutral it makes a whirring sort of noise which disappears if I depress the clutch pedal.