Tim Smith

I'm thinking about selling my Supersport R and getting either a K Series R400 or possibly R500. The R500 is an iconic car and doesn't seem to be a whole lot more money so my man logic suggests it's a good idea 😬. However I have a few questions about the R500: 1) From what I can gather 8-10,000 mile between engine refreshes doesn't seem unreasonable if it's not purely track mileage. However how much should I budget for an an engine refresh? 2) Noise - I assume the standard R500 setup is with the foam filter on the roller barrels and a relatively small silencer can. Any ideas on what dB this is likely to generate for a trackday noise test. If I'm to have any chance of getting it through a 100dB limit is a full carbon induction system and a large repackable silencer(eg Raceco) the only way to go? Any answers and thoughts on the wisdom of going for a K Series R500 much appreciated. Edited by - Tim Smith on 8 Jan 2013 20:04:11

Quoting OliverSedlacek: Rover V8 I'll admit I don't know the exact weight but suspect the Rover V8 falls into the boat anchor category 🤔[:E

Roger, I believe he does have the original 16v engine and possibly a spare 16v head too. I think the idea is to sell off the original stuff to use the money to part fund something a bit more modern. Jag 3.0 V6 is definitely interesting and well beyond anything I had thought of. Edited by - Tim Smith on 15 Nov 2012 17:51:48

Quoting keybaud: As bhp is related to torque, this request seems a little misplaced. Good to see the pedants are alive and well, I'd never have worked out that torque is related to power. 😬 My friend is unsure what he wants, he knows he wants 300bhp, likes the idea of having some torque but wants a relatively lightweight motor, hence the no American V8 statement. The principle behind my request is to get an idea of what's out there in the way of engines in a variety of configurations and doubtless a very wide cost range too.

A friend of mine is looking at engine options for a Chevette HS rally/trackday car he is building, he's not keen on the original 2.3l engine it came with and is looking for some naturally aspirated alternatives. Ideally he's after around 300hp with a bit of torque but the torque idea isn't an absolute must have, more the power output. Target weight for the car is 850kg so V8 American boat anchors are not in the frame here. He mentioned the Millington Diamond engines and I could think of 2.3l Duratec and RST V8. What's the small V6 Mickrick has in his car? Any other suggestions, recommendations and links to suppliers would be most appreciated. Is Ammo still building engines, I vaguely remember he got out of it?

I am aware of two on the GT Circuit. The first is between the Hangar hairpin and the Club Chicane, the second on the back straight ie. behind the pits. They look like a small ariel about 10ft high with a sensor on top and I think a box at the bottom. It's a long lap so if you have to lift off in both places it isn't going to make a huge difference to your time. My R300 on roller barrells scores 95dB static and goes past with a bit of a lift and doesn't set them off.

Blue one, reg R400... This afternoon, Plough Lane near Loch Fyne. Fine afternoon for a spot of Sevening!

Tin Man, I have a Cat in silencer system that bolts into my supersport exhaust system for use at MOT time. You're welcome to borrow it for your MOT if it fits and you can collect from Wokingham? I also have discovered an MOT place that happily tests my 1999 car without the Cat.

Hmm, someone with more knowledge will have to explain the subtle difference between matt black and grey. I'm beginning to think kangarooing is common to all 7s, mine is on roller barrels and does it all the time at low throttle openings. I suppose there's an obvious answer to that but it's slightly impractical in trafffic!

Spotted this morning in Guildford. Very tidy looking car but perhaps not the ideal vehicle for pottering around a town centre?

Hi Tony, *wavey*I followed you most of the way to the M26 where I turned off to my office in lovely Snodland. I hope the worst of the rain held off, I got soaked even with the full hood up over the weekend ❗ Tim

...FPX, blue with orange stripe, very pretty car, I like the colour scheme.

I think it was an FIA bar, didn't see properly as it came up behind me and then turned off towards Bramshill.

At around mid day today, like me enjoying the traffic free roads for a fine blat I suspect. ps. One of your headlights isn't working!

At the A322 crossroads, heading towards Windlesham. I hope you enjoyed the blat in the sunshine as much as I did! 😬

I was impressed with the circuit too, it wasn't too fast at all and had some interesting corners. I wasn't too keen on the flooded muddy road to get to the paddock area though, that needs sorting out asap. The MPS things were quite quick in a straight line but the MX5s looked far more fun. I passed one that was definitely been driven in a spirited manner.

One of them was me! Had a fine day out once it dried up and despite the length of the straight enjoyed the circuit a lot. Is the MPS as bad as it looks?

So a variety of responses ❗ I managed to have a word with Avon Motorsport's technical department yesterday and they were of the view that a repair wasn't out of the question as long as it wasn't anywhere near the sidewall and that the structure wasn't damaged. I'll take it down to the tyre fitter's later and see what they think and have a look inside. Thanks for the replies.

I've just got the car out from the garage to clean it after a castle Coombe trackday and discovered that it's got a slow puncture. A quick re-inflate and inspection reveals what looks like a nail hole in the middle of the tread leaking air. Annoyingly it's a new tyre I put on for Coombe. What's the view on repairing it, particularly as I will be taking the car on track again several times this summer so the tyre will see hard use? As it was a slow puncture and is in the middle of the tread I'm assuming it's unlikely to suffer a blow out but would appreciate the thoughts/experience of TechTalk.

I have run CR500s for the last 7 years on road and track and like them a lot as a compromise tyre. 12psi is far too low, the sidewalls will be flexing lots, my car fels a bit wobbly at 16psi so 12 must be awful. As stated previously 18psi cold all round is a much better starting point. Tim

Miles, I have a silencer with cat that bolts straight onto the Caterham competition exhaust system for exactly the reasons Alex describes. You are welcome to borrow it if necessary. I'm in Wokingham if that helps, blatmail me if you want to give it a try. Edited by - Tim Smith on 16 Mar 2010 14:01:49

It did look very nice and shiney but I bet it needed some serious cleaning by the time it reached you, far too much salty spray on the motorways yesterday. Hope you enjoy it!

As above, on a trailer heading towards the M3

Spotted at about midday today, British racing green and judging by the noise crossflow powered. You inspired me to get mine out for a quick blat this afternoon! Tim

Steve, Mine has been rewired so that power to the solenoid comes from the start button direct and not through the ECU. I had problems with the ECU 20amp fuse blowing and the usual fun and games with hot starting, this appears to have cured it. If the same mod has been done to Ivaan's car it could still be the isolator switch? Is there definitely power to the ECU?