Kitcat

The Simpson diagram proves a picture is worth a 1000 words. Also interesting that the Simpson instructions call for a seat with 2 anti-sub belt holes for a 6pt installation. I don't recall ever seeing one like that.

I have done a simple test: Sat with my restraint system (brand new Caterham 6 point belts-NOT cheap, btw) buckled up, as currently installed. It feels great. But when I lean forward with even slight pressure on the shoulder harness, it pulls the lap belt up a little. Assuming a front end crash and the much higher forces it wld generate on the shoulder harness, Scroth's concern that it would lift the belt off my pelvic area into the "soft, squishy" stuff (the gizzard???) are valid. It is simple physics. A very strong upward force on the belt will lift it up. What is needed is a strong downward force in exactly the opposite direction. Hence Schroth's recommendation that the anti-sub belt be mounted thru a hole in the seat centered directly below the lap belt buckle. My anti-sub belt is at a 90 degree angle to the belt buckle and, therefore, useless as a means of stopping it from riding up. I guess it would help restrain my squishy parts post-impact, but making it easy to remove my body from the wreck isnt one of my goals. Since it is a 6 point harness with the anti-sub strap similar to the one pictured above, I may, for now, mount it on the seat belt posts sit on it and buckle it up between my legs. I have read a post on the Miata Forum by a racer who has had this set up and survived 2 bad accidents without harm. Also, the Elise forum notes this is how US fighter pilots do it. But long term, my plan is to knock a hole in the seat and mount the strap there, or buy a dedicated racing seat that has the sub-belt cut-out in place.

I replaced my 195 Pilots on my 15" Prisoner wheels ago w/Toyo RA1 205's a few months ago. I use the car mostly for track days and quite a bit of commuting to work. With full tread they have decent grip and are fine in the rain. They are a mammoth improvement over the Pilots. Hoosiers have more grip but have a very short life span, I expect to get 5-10K miles out of the Toyos. I doubt I'd get 500 miles from Hoosiers, which aren't really appropriate for general street use anyhow. Perfect for auto-x tho and I ran them on my CSP Miata for years in auto-x. Anyhow, I am planning on bumping the rears to 225s as I have had an imbalance between front and rear grip, with the rears breaking lose much more easily. Also, the car can get real squirrely if braking occurs at the same time as turning. My son did a lovely 360 degree spin in it at a track day where we shared the car. (Fortunately it was all spectacle/no damage). Heat isnt an issue as high speed laps on a race course are different than the few short, relatively slow blasts around an auto-x course. I will file a update once the switch is made and I get some more track days under my belt, probably next spring (sadly the season is over for now in my chilly, soon to be snowy, area of the country).

Gee, an actual back-to back comparo! I'd like to see more of that, tho I don't think the words "quiet", "roomy", or "comfortable will come up much, unless it's: "Not very quiet, roomy, comfortable...":).

RMSC says the strap can be side mounted and used at an angle. After I read and digest the Schroth article (a mere 73 pages!) I will post my conclusions.

First: Where'd the engine heat go? All summer I suffered in a cockpit heat-wave comforted by the idea that when it got chilly, that heat would be great. I laughed at the redundancy of a heater & toyed with adding lightness by ditching it. This a.m. it was 32 and I was grateful for the modest warmth dribbling out of the heater. All semblance of engine heat was gone & I would have frozen without my little heater. Of course, it might have helped to put up the top, or at least the side screens but that seems unnatural unless it is raining. Second: I just replaced the 3 point inertia reel seat belt system with the Caterham 5 point harness system. The car feels so much better. Instead of feeling like one good bump would pitch me out, I feel velcroed to the seat and have a better sense of what the car is doing, feel more in control and certainly safer. Biggest single improvement to the car so far (aside from rebuilding the starter so it starts regularly:)). Third: Safety. I added the FIA roll bar and feel more secure with it in place. It weighs about 25 lbs and the little one weighs about 12 pounds so all that metal must be worth some rollover protection. Fourth: Seat belt installation. The shop that put in the belts mounted the crotch strap just in front of the seat. Everything I read says it should be mounted at the back & the Caterhjam guys at Rocky Mountain said mount it on the side seat belt anchor and sit on it and then fasten it. Apparently its main function is to keep the lap belt from riding up above the hips and squashing vital organs. So, does the current mounting location seem reasonable? The installers have built many race cars and have a reputation for being knowledgeable.

One (men's). Mike

Offhand, I can only think of one forum member who has been described as "ruggedly handsome" (by no less an authority than Automobile Magazine).

As a Midwesterner, I have watched with interest as S Calif goes up in smoke. And, the local paper today featured an article abt three southern states who are running out of water. That's nothing new in the West where water supply is a constant worry, except when they have too much, causing mud slides. Or when they are more worried about earthquakes Then there are the hurricanes in Florida, etc, and apparently the entire east & west coasts are going to be submerged after 50 more years of global warming. But, while we sit here high and dry with tons of water and an absence of most of the above natural disasters we are cursed nonetheless. We have to deal with rust! No wonder everyone is moving out of here and to those other more desirable locales.

Southwind 25: It's unlikely that I will head to Nelson's Ledges. The track days there are cancelled if it is raining much (Wimps!). As you know, it has been raining off & on for 3-4 days with more projected tomorrow. It's a 10 hour round trip from Cincy + hotel + dog boarding, missing work etc, etc., and is too much & too far for maybe not getting to drive.

Manufacturer's horsepower claims are right up there with diet claims ("Lose 30 pounds in the next week!). The dyno is merciless in exposing the puffery. For the record, I would kill to have 148 rwhp. As the dyno showed on my "135 hp" Crossflow recently, I was putting out 93 hp. Where did the other 42 hp go? Maybe it never existed, except in the advertising claims of Caterham. BTW: what did 9 hours and 25 dyno runs cost, if you don't mind my prying (I paid $500 for a dyno tune up of my carburated Crossflow 3 weeks ago)?

Tried stickier rubber?

The Sept/Oct LOG magazine lists a '99 Caterham for sale in Canton, OH. Mite have been mentioned here, or elsewhere on the Forum, who knows w/all the pseudonyms. Mite be long gone at this point. Anyhow was asking $28K, has 185 bhp Raceline Zetec, Webers, various goodies: Call Craig 330-807-0742. The price is fair if is as represented.

My experience has been a bit like scda7's. I bought a Caterham sort of cheap ($22.5K) and have spent a lot bringing it back to spec, including upgrades for more serious track use. At one point I had the chance to buy a 4 year old Caterham Superlite w/220 hp etc, all goodies for $32K, a price I am fast approaching in my 93 hp Caterham. I am a dyed-in-the-wool Caterham lover-think they look just right, etc. But the Dragon meet convinced the the alternate cars are just as nice. And, if reliability is an issue, and if my car is at all representative, you will spend a lot of time fiddlin with every kind of mechanical problem imaginable. In 4 months of ownership, my car has had more mechanical snafus than all my other cars combined, over the last 20 years. Not that I don't love it:)!

No problemo here-the last thing I need is an even more tempting diversion from gainful work:).

Someone on this board, who has a 7, lives in Canton, OH, sister city of Akron, not sure who. My hope is to do a track day at Nelson's Ledges (about 45' northeast of Akron) at end of the month (Fri 10/26). If that happens, feel free to stop by, check it out & even and go for a ride with me around the track (bring your helmet). I guarantee you won't be bored! Mike Mooney

Yes 35,000 RPMs. It's a pretty trick set-up, tho the engine life is reduced considerably:).

My test was also on a Mustang dyno at a place that specializes in Ford V-8 engines. Hey, the Crossflow is a Ford engine! I continue to be amazed at how nice it is running: starts right up, no issues while engine warms up, much more drivable between 2000 RPM's and 35000 RPM's, etc. The Big test will come after I take it on a trip: we'll see if the dreaded large gas deposit on the clam/windshield/rear wheel arch occurs.

The car: she is beautiful. How much? What additional features, if any, does it have (cam, oil cooler, etc.)? More pictures. As I have posted elsewhere, I boughty my Seven from this site because I was transfixed by its pictures, which I looked at every day for 2 months, before finally sucumbing.

Wow, your wife drives a Porsche at track days, sweet! Your Seven should not be squirley, just the opposite. If you have decent tires, you will have predictable handling, tho maybe not optimal handling, which takes a proper alignment, good shocks, etc. I recall a story about the Miata engineers, in 1987-88, buying an Elan to "benchmark" the newly designed Miata with. The Elan was far superior. Only later did they discover it was way off spec but its basic design was so good, it still shone. Why do a track day with out head resraint, seems dangerous, no?

I got the car back today. Wow, it runs so much nicer! No coughing, spitting, popping, backfiring or wheezing. It's almost like a fuel injected vehicle. The guy who tuned it wasn't there so I have no details as to what he did except the power level is the same per the dyno: 93 ponies, just a lot smoother delivery and the correct air/fuel %. The work sheet shows it had a damaged venturi that had to be replaced and some parts were loose and some jets replaced.

I have a heater but I also noticed this summer that when I took off the shroud that covers the pedal box, that the interior was even more flooded with heat. A possible strategy for what will be my first winter in my Seven. Keeping my ears warm will be a different issue. I have lots of ski stuff so that should work. In fact I am hoping to drive the Seven to the nearby slope to ski this winter (top down so the skis fit).

My bias is obvious since I own one. But as an owner for just 3 months (after a mere 45 years of waiting), my impressions of the car are still fresh and I have to say: there are cars, and there are Sevens. I have driven and owned many exciting cars but the Seven is an entirely different experience. It is extremely small, low, responsive, cool looking, fast and fun. You will be dreaming up excuses to drive it. The experience is totally intense, all of your senses, even smell & feel, are heightened. As noted elsewhere, most modern cars make 100 mph feel like 60 mph. In the Seven, the opposite is true: Cars are decaf, Sevens are double shots of espresso. You will make friends at every gas station and stop light and everyone, even the cops, will smile when they see you. It's like nothing else.

Sounds good, thanks. My oil pressure had dropped to a steady 22lbs, after warm up. The previous oil change, with Mobile 1 15-45, pure synthetic, had 1500 miles on it including one track day. When I went to all new oil, again Mobile 1, 15-45, the oil pressure bounced back up to 40 lbs, warmed up. I will try some Redline 20-50 next to see if it holds up a little better. Are people doing a routine oil change after every track day?

My Crossflow came with a spare oil filter: Fram PH2874, made in the UK, according to the box. I can't find them in the US. Fram's website doesn't list them. So what oil filter are people using on their 1700 cc Kent Crossflow Super Sprints?