JohnCh

Another happy Ballistic Evo 2 owner here. I installed mine 2 years ago and it's worked great, even starting the car in low 30F weather. -John

My PC680 was 7-1/2 years old and still going strong when I replaced it with something lighter. -John

Worse. http://www.throttle-steer.com/uploads/1/1/0/8/11083275/1272213_orig.jpg -John

Never underestimate the power of compromising photos :jester: -John

I live in WA and own a Westfield and they let me join Just posted this info to the Superformance thread here. -John

Bruce, is there a functional reason for using the ducted nose on the SV, but not the S3, or is it simply a matter of cost savings by standardizing on the same nose for the wider models? Thanks, John

Curious what this will cost. Cartek makes an 8-channel wireless system that is available through Pegasus Auto Racing, but it's over $1k. Pretty sure you can get them in the UK for quite a bit less, but it will still be pricey. If you are only looking to avoid a separate connector for a detachable wheel, Spa Design makes 8 and 12 pin quick release hubs that might be worth looking into. You still need to deal with wires to the base of the hub though, which the wireless system avoids. My wheel isn't detachable, so I've opted to stay old school with a coiled cord feeding the buttons through the hub. And yes, having the horn button in the right place is nice http://www.throttle-steer.com/uploads/1/1/0/8/11083275/1334551_orig.jpg -John

Another option is the Schroth harness with their ASM technology. The inner shoulder harness has an extra flap of material sewn into it, which extends in a collision. The resulting twist in your body lifts your inner hip and keeps it above the lap belt, thereby minimizing the chance submarining. I run these in the Westfield and my track Miata, although when on track, I also use the optional 5th & 6th points. The video below shows what happens in a collision when using a 3-point, standard 4-point, and the Schroth with ASM. -John

Another good place to get input is in the Wheel & Tire forum on Miata.net. Although fat pigs by se7en standards, the older Miatas are still pretty light and are used as daily drivers in all kinds of weather, so lots of threads on all season and dedicated snow tires. -John

Ron, post something on California Caterham Club. There are several guys on there who live in the area, but who don't visit this forum very often. -John

A friend (and former Westfield owner) lives in Walla Walla. Supposed to be a lot of great roads nearby. If no one here has recommendations, check out the group tests and user reviews on Tire Rack. There is a lot of really good information there that should point you in the right direction. -John

I just happen to live near Seattle. To date I've run Yoko AO32R, Toyo T1S, R888, and RA1. The Yoko's were flat terrible when temps dipped below 60F. Back then I had a crossflow but could get wheel spin in 3rd gear in those conditions. The T1S was put on prior to USA2005 in anticipation of rain. They were later replaced by a set of 13" R888 that proved just as grippy in a back-to-back test on a 48F day. This comparison was done with both sets of tires stone cold. Although the R888 and RA1 both work significantly better when hot, they still work surprisingly well above freezing. Rain is a different story -John

That's the first turbo Duratec I've heard of on either side of the pond. Any additional details you can share about the engine? Thanks, John

Welcome Mike, and glad to see you picked the right color! It's well documented that red cars are fastest Are you planning to keep the engine stock or will you be exploring any upgrades? -John

I ran into this issue when bringing my CA registered Westfield into WA state about 12 years ago. Prior to purchasing the car, I called to verify that it would be a smooth transaction given the car had been legally registered in CA for the previous 5 years, and was told "not a problem." However, when I showed up to go through the normal transfer process, they took one look at the Westfield and told me they couldn't do it, and I had to see someone ominously referred to as The Specialist. When I countered that CA had already deemed the car worthy for road registration, they eloquently explained "This ain't California!" The Specialist (aka The PITA) initially planned to deny my request, but eventually relented because WA state law was changing the following month to allow for my situation and he would have to grant it if I simply came back in a few weeks. Bottom line, each state is their own fiefdom when it comes to registration. -John

I don’t have the Mega S2000, but I’ve had my SEiW for about 12 years. The only real differences between the Mega S2000 and my car are engine/gearbox, and the transmission tunnel is a little wider to accommodate the bigger Honda unit. Therefore, foot room is a little tighter than in my car. Although Westfields are very popular in the UK, they’ve never really seemed to catch on over here, and for some reason, virtually none of the owners participate on USA7s.com, so not lot of information on this side of the pond. However, the forum at WSCC.co.uk is a vibrant community and a great resource. Westfield places a larger onus on the builder than Caterham, so the end result is a little more dependent on their thoroughness. There’s nothing that requires additional skill, but there are more opportunities for shortcuts that can impact the end product. The flip side is there are more opportunities to take things to the next level and make the car exceptional. My Westfield started life as a crossflow powered car that was used for magazine tests in the mid 90’s, including Road & Track who gave it a positive review and praised the build quality. I disagree with the latter. I didn’t seem that the assembly was done with great care, and it looked a bit cheap in places. This is when Westfield seemed to have some steam in the US marketplace and most of the cars were assembled by the same person in the US. My personal opinion is that the build quality of these cars, including the chassis setup, was not up to par and negatively impacted the marque in this country. The car was fun, but it definitely had a kit car vibe to it, and underway it felt more vintage sports car than back road weapon. After undergoing a complete rebuild in ‘03/’04 where virtually everything but the frame was replaced and upgraded, the car was transformed. Even the fiberglass quality of the body was noticeably improved in the intervening years. The cars are sensitive to a proper alignment, and getting the rake wrong can really impact the handling, but get it right, and it handles beautifully. I’ve driven a highly specced Caterham on several occasions, and even considered buying it, but at the end of the day, I didn’t like it any better than my car. There were aspects about each car that I preferred, but ultimately it was a wash -- they are both great cars. There is more info in the Westfield section of my site, including some build pictures. Feel free to ping me if you have any specific questions other than engine/transmission. Edited to add: I forgot to mention that the Mega S2000 uses some of the chassis improvements from the Sport Turbo, so it has a revised front suspension, and improved stiffness from my earlier generation chassis. -John

I have the Land Rover lights on my Westfield and replaced the stop/tail lights with Radiantz 1.85" LED clusters. They are very bright, and maintain an edge over the outgoing 2357 bulbs even at extreme angles. It's available in a pigtail version that terminates in an 1157/2357 plug, which enables you to fit the large cluster at the base of the light fixture. -John

Somehow missed this the first time around. Very interesting to see the various views based on different camera mounting locations. Really like the ones where you can see the front suspension in action. -John

Bob, reading your description, I was having visions of a game of Twister gone horribly wrong...but then I came to the part about your car being RHD. Now it makes sense Like others here, I keep my left foot behind the clutch pedal, although with the interior panels removed, the Westfield has just enough room that I can slip my foot between the pedal and the outer aluminum skin, rather than slide it underneath. Given my left knee is shot, that makes driving a lot more comfortable. -John

First the new Aero Concept car, and now this. Has Caterham finally jumped the shark? :jester: -John

That's sounds like a screaming deal given the engine. mfast, if you're seriously considering the car, there's a slim chance I can swing by later this week and take a closer look. Send me a PM if you'd like to discuss. -John

Just read this tidbit in the press release: "the race-inspired steering wheel incorporates 'Road' mode, 'Flash-to-Pass' and 'Pit Lane Speed Limiter' functions." I can't recall how many times I wished I had that last feature on my cars... -John

Not to be mean, but that looks like I designed it -John

I have a Covercraft. They have a pattern for a Lotus 7 in their database that fits my car pretty well. It's a little tight in places, but a Westfield is closer in size to a Caterham SV, so it should be just about perfect for your Birkin. -John

DOH! I thought he meant Individual Throttle Bodies (ITB) and perhaps the bushings were wearing out. -John