Kitcat

Guys-simplify-stop towing and just drive your Sevens. You will have more fun & adventure, make lots of new friends and accumulate many more stories. So what if you have a little tinnitus and back pain when you arrive? That's nothin an extra beer or two won't fix!

I am very happy with my Garmin NUVI 270. It comes with both US & Europe maps already loaded. We went to Italy for 2 weeks in October and were lost leaving the airport. The GPS (nick named "Lucy") saved our butts. We went with another couple and they were highly skeptical. They were loaded with maps and directions but we kept getting lost, only to have Lucy rescue us. It had "pedestrian" mode, so you can put it in your pocket and it will run for abt 5 hours on the built in battery. (Also handy in a Seven w/no cigarette lighter). We bought a recharger and refueled it at nite. It was amazingly helpful in Venice (no cars/roads, just a maze of narrow sidewalks). Again, it saved our butts. Of course, remembering to turn it back to "Automotive" mode is critical (wh/we learned as I was directing my co-driver down what looked like a side walk, which it was-oooops, it was still on pedestrian mode). Need a bathroom? In Europe they don't have fast food places every block so finding a "WC" was critical. Lucy always knew where they were. Ditto restaurants, gas stations etc. Here in the states I used it yesterday on my blat into the unknown. The system has a loud "voice" so I just turned where directed. I also used it to reconnoiter. It also tells you your speed and is much more accurate than the laughable device in my Caterham. It has a trip data function that tells you what your top speed was. Of course, in Europe, our daily challenge was to beat the top speed from the day before-we finally hit 103 mph-not bad for a 1300 cc diesel mini van loaded to the gills It can be hooked onto the windshield with a suction cup so you can watch its excellent visual directions too. Cost was about $500-worth every penny. I have a 2007 Accord without nav and use this all the time. Same with the Seven.

Blatting here also. Poor weather had kept me from doing much more than cleaning/waxing the car. Road & Track says when you are spending more time rubbing your car than driving it, you have a problem. So my 3 hour blat yesterday has helped restore balance to my driving:rubbing equation. BTW-I am a big fan of cold weather Seven driving. I can control the temperature in the vehicle with the heater as long as the top is up, unlike the summer when the car is almost too hot to sit in. Also, the raised top actually cuts noise substantially (a quiet 7?). And the engine seems much happier in cool weather.

Any updates/progress?

The Constitution applies to DC. So the citizens there enjoy free speech, freedom from discrimination, etc. But, the part of the 2nd Amendment establishing gun rights seems to predicate it on the need for a STATE militia. Since DC is not as state, the gun-rights part of the Constitution mite not apply. In spite of their frequent claim to being "strict constructionists", and not adding or subtracting anything to/from the Constitution, I expect the conservative Court majority will decouple the right to a gun from the language about needing a militia (Wh/were pretty much replaced by a professional army for the last 100+ years). The Court got itself into trouble over Roe v. Wade and abortion. It will not repeat that mistake since the gun rights folks are no less passionate. So you can count on the DC gun law, which is extremely broad (all hand guns are banned, period), being struck down. Regardless of any inconvenient language in the 2nd Amendment that would support the ban.

Slngsht: On the gun control issue: the US Supreme Court just accepted an appeal of a gun control case-first one in 70 years. It specifically will decide if the "right" to a gun is conditioned on the existence of a well regulated state militia, as suggested by the wording of the 2nd amendment. It has to decide that since the case comes from DC-which is not a state. Since it is not a state, there is no state militia and thus, if the literal wording of the 2nd amendment is given meaning, no right to a gun. Early betting has the DC ban on hand guns going down and the Supremo's deciding that the existence of state-regulated militias has nothing to do with the right to a handgun. In fact, I will give odds:).

Subtracting lightness?

Did this sell? Did you get your price?

Lovely driving up to that point, nice lines, little wasted track. Looks like it really started to go around the 7'40" mark. How long did it take to get all the f*&%ing sand out of the engine compartment?

I suspect that the percentage of Ron Paul supporters in the voting population is roughly the same as percentage of Seven drivers out of the general driving population. Return to the gold standard? No thanks Ron, we WOULD all be living like Atilla the Hun. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I like the guy who sees flying saucers myself. I say if you can believe in UFO's, your imagination has no limits. That's what I want in my president: a person untethered by reality, who thinks out side of the box and thinks really big. Sort of like Ron Paul in a lot of ways, but he thinks small.

Based on above, my 1700 Kent Crossflow weighs about 260 & the T9 tranny 90 for 350 total. I like to think of it as being stout, not heavy. My car weighs 1225lbs, or 875lbs for everything minus power train. The wheel/tire combo is about 30 lbs per corner so that's another 120 lbs., leaving the rest of the car at about 755 lbs. Lightness abounds.

I am no expert. I do trust experience over theory and you already are running considerable stagger w/no ill effects so bumping it up a notch may work great. At the track, I catch people, if I do, by a combo of late braking & quick turn in. I got nuttin out of the hole (93hp) so my car is set up differently than yours. I have 205x15 all around. I am toying with going to 225 in the back just to keep the tail more planted, esp in trail braking, which as with you, isn't always planned! Such instances have been the only times my car has suddenly wanted to go backwards, an experience I prefer to avoid:).

EburgE. What is the estimated delivery date? How do you replace the foam without returning the tank (cut it open yourself)? Is it your understanding that it just bolts right in? I am v close to making the same purchase, but may wait to hear your experience as to quality and performance issues. Mike

One of the auto-x tire manufacturers (Hoosier?) noted 2 years ago that going to v wide tires hurt times because the tires didn't warm up to operating temperatures in a typical 30"-60" auto-x run, followed by 15-25' wait for the next run, since the 7 is so light. I am sure on a road course that would be less of a concern. When I spoke to RMSC about it when replacing my stock 195's they suggested going up to 205 and avoiding 225's, for the same reason. My auto -x experience, in my Miata, was Hoosiers were best (tho v short -lived) then Kumos, then Toyo RA1's. But the Toyos stayed grippy, even after 8 years. The Kumos only had so many heat cycles then they were shot. Hence the 205x15 RA1's on my Prisoner wheels. They are a nice comprimise between all out track tire and a comfortable street tire. JBH: 185 up front & 235 at the back would really imbalance my car and would cause huge "push" since the back would have so much more grip. Why are you thinking about such a large stagger (massive engine power?)

Call Tire Rack. They love these kinds of questions. I thought all of the current DOT legal race rubber was radial (Toyo/Hoosier, Kumo, etc), but I am certainly no expert.

I started a discussion a few days ago on the Sevens list about replacing my stock 36 liter Caterham tank with something from ATM or Fuel Safe. The downside of the stock tank is it is in a vulnerable spot and has little impact resistance. The downside of fuel cells are cost ($4K+ for the 55 liter Caterham unit, about $1.5K for the 7 gallon Fuel Safe unit). They also have a limited useful life and should be inspected annually & replaced every 5 to 7 years (more cost). They also reduce tank capacity and there can be the usual fitment issues Both Nathan at RMSC and Chris T at Sevens and Elans recommend the honeycomb stuff. Nathan said that the kit supplied by Caterham (for about $400), provides a very tough, nearly impenetrable surface protector. I am inclined to try it. The tank has to be partially removed to glue the pre-cut panels but otherwise it is simple/cheap and, no loss of tank volume, annual inspections/fitment issues.

Jon: When are you going to get some Hoosiers and kick butt? Even a nice set of shaved Toyo RA1's would cut 2 seconds off your times and they last forever (tho are useless in the rain). Mike

Per Fuel Safe, their foam cell reduces capacity by 8%. But, their standard size is 7 gallons, whereas, per RMSC, the stock Caterham tank is 36 liters, or about 9 gallons. So the FS tank wld reduce capacity by abt 1/3, as noted above. I seem to need to stop & refuel every 100-150 miles in my Crossflow and reducing that by 1/3 is not going to work. So I may get a larger size FS, and sacrifice some "boot" space or I may follow RMSC's suggestion and simply add the honeycomb panels Caterham sells (for about $350) which can be glued to the existing tank and make it much more resistant to puncture. I must say I am heartened (stunned even) by the fact that a guy walked away from an endo in a Seven!

When chatting w/Nathan at RMSC yesterday about a safer fuel tank for my car, he mentioned they have Seven there that had been recently rolled several times and then stuffed backwards into a tree (no the gas tank, which did have a 11" gash, did not explode). Anyone here know anything?

Gentleman: We thank you, and others, for your service. I recall the hostile treatment soldiers in uniform got during the Vietnam era (a mere 10 years). This summer while at the airport some soldiers in uniform got off an airplane and the entire airport broke into applause. Wow!

Nice Numbers:)!

Hey-remember I said it could be 65+ too-think positive.

Since it's Veteran's Day I want to pass on my appreciation to our members, and others, who have served their country in the military. Feel free to ID yourselves and take a bow. As an attorney who handles VA disability cases, I am painfully aware of how often veterans are forgotten/overlooked/ignored by the government after their service has been completed. So a special thanks to those who have accepted the responsibility of service, only to be frustrated when it was the government's time to return the favor. Mike

It better have a great personality because it sure is ugly!

Thanks Al/Box. I m prepared to sacrifice some "luggage" room for safety. I can always get some soft-bits luggage if storage becomes a concern. I have to say, my "boot" looks abt the same size as Al's anyhow.