Kitcat

Whoops/double post, sorry

Some would say that the '97 Caterham was the highpoint for that brand:). Looks like you have the original Michelin "pileup" tires. If your car handles poorly, that's why. They were so-so when new, after 12 years of hardening they may be dangerous. Mine were: sudden, near disastrous break away, without warning. Yes, they still have lots of tread left and as long as driven in moderation they will be fine, just don't explore the limits. Cycle fenders? If lift at speed is your concern, try it first. I have had zero lift in my clammed Cat, tho lack of power/speed could be a partial explanation. I have had it up to 108 mph w/o lift tho. I just added a Caterham carbon fiber seat. So I added saftey, subtracted comfort. And I ditched the passenger seat since no one wld ride w/me anyways. Check the radiator hoses for cracks, age (12 years) is as much an issue as mileage. Check the engine mounts, they seem to be good for about 5K miles. Check the engine mount bolts, mine came loose after just a few thousand miles. Mite be worth swapping out the battery too, they seem to fail when you are miles from help. Mirrorsforsevens.com sells a mirror system that fits at the top of your windscreen. Mite be worth exploring as your side view mirrors are attached to your side screens and will be in the boot anytime you run w/o your "doors". I have one. Most of the others here who use them swear by them. Car looks terrific and I'd love to have that engine. Happy motoring! Mike

A Se7en on the Beltway at rush hour, yikes!

I induced power over-steer in my 93 hp Cat on my way in to work today. At 20 mph, in 2nd gear, with race rubber on a deserted and very twisty park road. Turn, goose it, rear slides around, counter-steer, repeat. Very controllable, very toss-able, exactly what you expect from a Seven. I have never experienced plow, even with a 240 lb passenger. Alignment mite be off, suspension mite be bent, air pressure, as noted, can be way off. Or maybe someone helpfully added a front anti-sway bar, wh/cld easily cause plow. Or disconnected the rear bar? Miata's and Sevens are on the opposite end of the spectrum as far as reliability. I have had both but prefer the Seven.

On Vacation, PM mail address or e-mail address and I will forward a copy nxt week when back. Mike

Got mine also-thx Skip. If ever in Cincy.... Mike

All are nice, Caterham MAY have some slight advantage for having the Caterham name. And it had a more serious rollover bar. Both need an anchor strap if you are serious about maximizing safety at the track (5pt belts vs. 4 point-do a search for this wh/has been extensively discussed here in the past). Hard to tell what the story is w/Cat engine but sounds like the standard 140 hp model-vs 200hp for the Birkin. Also, the Cat is 21 years old, the Birkin is 7. Stuff wears out over time, even with light/no use. Here's a partial list of what I had to replace on my 10 y/o Cat soon after I bought it 2 years ago w/13K miles: Engine mounts, suspension bushings, all radiator hoses, a fuel line, clutch master cylinder, rivets holding floor in place, battery, spark plugs/wires, speedometer drive, tires. Here's a partial list of what I did to enhance safety: 6 pt harness, carbon fiber race seat with anchor strap cut out, FIA rollover bar, engine cutoff switch, honeycomb cladding to gas tank, arm restraint straps, HANS unit. And I wont even go into all the optional stuff I just did, like premium tune ups, Brooklands screen, car cover, etc,etc. I agree that driving them all makes sense, then decide. Mike

Maybe it's normal? My Crossflow is anything but smooth-plenty of popping, occasional backfire. Nothing like a modern ECU-managed, fuel-injected engine. But mine has always gotten smoother, etc., at higher RPM's, sort of clears its throat and then goes.

One of my Bilsteins is oozing a bit of oil. Chris T at 7's and Elans says the useful life of a Bilstein on a Caterham is 20K miles (I have 24K). Anyone else have shock life issues on their car? If so, at what mileage/age? Also, I discovered my engine mount bolts were loosening on the carburetor side where they bolt to the frame: 1 was gone, 2 were loose. They were tightened less than a year ago so I am mentioning just so people know to keep an eye on this. We added a little Locktite this go-round. Last year I replaced the engine mounts: 1 was virtually gone, the other 1/2 collapsed. This was causing the engine to move and hit the frame causing huge noise and shoving the carburetors into the bonnet, resulting in an air leak at the carburetor and engine sputtering. BBall has a similar problem in his Cat. Just mentioning (again) so people know watch for this issue as well. Mike

Welcome:car and driver both look good! There are many se7en options out there. My impression is the Vauxhall engined Cats were very fast, at least compared to my Crossflow. Have you looked at Texas Motorworks lately? They are now a US dealer for Birkins. I have read many good things about the new IRS Birkin-seems like a lot of car for the $. Caterham USA is building an R500 w/263 hp Duratec. That wld be a nice step up:). Tho a bit on the steep side $-wise. Mike

Yes, anyone interested, just PM me address and I will forward a copy. I am not planning on needing this guide but, ya never know. BY THE WAY, CONGRATS TO SKIP FOR HIS 1000TH POST-IMMEDIATELY ABOVE!!!!!!!!!!! Mike

I knew when I "corded" my prior set that it was time to replace them:).

Enjoy! Wow, 500 miles, I put 700 miles on my Caterham in the 1st 2 days of ownership(drove it from NJ back to Ohio)! There are an endless amount of "improvements" that can be made-that's part of the fun:). Mike

Steve: There is a lot of rubber below the grooves. You have "naturally shaved" yours. When I was auto-x'ing my Miata I'd have the vendor shave the Toyos down to those 2 grooves. It was worth about 2 seconds a lap on the auto-x course. I now run these tires on my Caterham and, like yours, mine are now naturally shaved also. So, I'd say your tires are just now getting properly broken in. My experience has been, and others have confirmed, that this particular tire seems to get better w/age and seems impervious to "heat cycling" (wherein even tires with tread are prematurely worn out and lose their grip after a few competitions). Given how light our cars are, we get an amazing amount of use out of our race rubber (and brake pads/discs). So I wld predict a lot more use is available from these tires (assuming driving is done in the dry-they will be useless in the wet). I have "flipped" my Toyos to extend their life. Tread direction is irrelevant on a bald tire. What track day event?(I am jealous). Mike

The SCCA Solo rule book seems to require hoods in the Mod categories. Says hoods can be modified as needed to allow for induction systems. Doesn't say they can be removed, and do list other stuff that can be removed (bumpers, etc.), See Rule 18.1A. Perhaps a vestigial hood cld be used and you cld argue the hood was so modified for your induction system? I never went to an auto-x where the organizers or other competitors cared about the legality of a non-competitive car. I should add that my car was never challenged:). Mike

I added double adjustable Koni's on my Miata back in my auto-x days. I quickly learned that it gave 2x as many chances to screw things up. I am sure a good engineer could have established a baseline and gone from there, but I was clueless. When I ordered my '08 BMW M3 I passed on the driver adjustable suspension for that reason. I assumed the standard shock settings set at the factory were superior to anything I could have come up with on my own. Mike

I watched my first F1 in many years (decades?) last Sunday. I couldn't believe how ugly the cars had gotten. I was amazed also to hear that one team's new driver had been forbidden to test in the car prior to the race. I don't follow the logic of saying the race will be more competitive if new drivers to F1 must drive their cars with zero preparation-in competition.

I some Lotus Evora hints in there too. Much nicer than the current crop of Ferrari's, IMHO.

I like the Vette's plate! He's probably struggling to stay up w/an Caterham R500.

The e-bay auction is now closed (2 days early). The car was listed elsewhere by the seller for $64.5K. Something tells me he got his price.

So pretty, it hurts my eyes to look at it! It should sell fast. Mike

Yes, carbs tend to go off-song slowly and this was sudden. When mine did what you describe, my radiator hose had sprung a leak which blew coolant back onto the distributor, which soaked it and eventually shorted things out inside. As you say, it was ugly (first and only time in 12K mikes of driving my se7en I ever needed a tow). Mike

The Crossflow should be resgister-able in NJ-mine was. And you have all that new $ burning a hole in your pocket:)! Mike

The gaps on the die-casst look much more authentic than on the e-bay car. My relentless internet research reveals a comment by a Lotus employee who helped write the shop-manual for the Elite. He notes it was difficult to put anything in writing about the car as the specs were constantly changing. He says if a part lasted a day as deigned, Chapman put it into production. If it lasted 2 days, Chapman considered it to be over built:).

The e-bay auction still has 4 1/2 days to go on the Elite. My brief internet research on prices for Elites suggests it will go for something around $65K, assuming it is as represented. Thankfully the color isn't BRG (My son's college fund is still safe, for the moment). The baby blue does little for me, tho shows the soft brown interior well. My brief research also showed that Time magazine listed its as #11 on the all-time 50 worst cars (What do they know!?). Apparently they were put off by the fact that the car, frame and all, was fiberglass and had a tendency to break at certain stress points (e.g suspension failures). That may have been addressed if it was a high-end restoration as those weak points are typically reinforced if the car is conscientiously rebuilt.