Kitcat

Sooner or later, nearly every crossflow owner decides he needs a BDA engine (or a newer car/engine). They are very expensive ($12-14K?), unfortuately. IF I had it to do over again, I wld do that (even had a BDA spotted for $12K), rather than buying the two newer cars I have now. BBall is upgrading his X-flow and I suspect he has some more constructive/less expensive ideas. I will say that by recently adding just 8 hp, 10 lbs torque to my already powerful Duratec Birkin, via a tune up, I gained a very noticable performance difference. Brakes-stock are pretty wonderful. I changed pads after 20K miles, more because I thot I shd than because it was needed. Given wind resistance, low weight, high cornering speeds and lack of power, the stock Caterham brakes are excellent and need no improvement (IMHO) even for track work which, like you, I have done a lot of. There is a nice CF Tilet seat in the for-sale section here for abt 1/2 what I paid 4 years ago. When I swapped it for my stock cloth Cat seat it really made me feel planted in the car-far less sliding around. Ideal for the track, not as comfy as the stock seats for street use. And 34" waistline, 40" chest size is about tops (it helps to be a shrimp). Caterham also sells a nearly identical fiberglass seat for abt 1/2 the CF version. Have you thought abt a Brooklands screen, with mirrors? When I did that I gained a bit of top speed, acceleration and less cockpit heat. Not cheap tho, a simple wind-deflector, while looking less awesome, also works for less $. You have to add a mirror system to either of those options. Fuel cell? Nice saftey feature. I just added the honecomb aluminum cladding due to cost and occasional stories abt fuel contamination. Ditto a big bright red igintion cut-off switch as a safety feature? Did that one too. New bushings for A-arms etc. Did that one. Did all that stuff (then sold the car, sigh, an up-gradeitis victim). Smaller battery for lightness? Widetrack front end (I have a brand new wide track streering rack I cld let you have for 1/2 what i paid). But then I think you need wider A-arms etc. Ditto Croc's idea of better shocks and maybe adjustable shock perches so you can counterbalance the car? In all honesty, I think Caterham nailed the stock suspension, shocks, narrow track etc. It produces a very neutral, balanced, driveable car. FIA roll-over bar is a MUST, stock is a decoration. Electonic ignition. LSD? With so little power not sure it's needed. And w/open diff, I found my car rotated better on sharp turns-outside wheel had massive grip and it sort of pivited where the inside wheel was sliping, Army tank like:). Happy updgrading! I mite need a 12 step program myself (Maybe Karl and I will start one together:)).

Some X-flow owners have had oil starvation/engine failure w/stock wet sump using the super-sticky racing slicks. Mite be a reason to add an accusump? Dry sump is ideal. Or just stick w/Toyos, CR500's, etc (street legal race tires).

Mine is on far right side of this photo-see rectangle on the bulkhead just above the black windshield water bottler.

Bought it, read it, our kind of guy: total car nut. And fearless. Many of us met him at LOG 30, an event he discusses in his book. Given age, advancing senility, etc., I dont recall a whole lot about this event anymore. But this guy I remember. I was feeling pretty studley as I had driven my Caterham all the way from Cincy (top up, doors on, it was chilly). But nope, no trailer for me, I am too manly for that!(obviously, I have evolved-or regressed:)). Then we meet this guy and turns out he's driven his Lotus 7, sans top/doors from Denver. And is headed back with wife following him in the chase vehicle, an oginal Elan. He's got to be 5-15 years older than me, ditto the keeper-wife. Jeez, just under 5000 miles in an original 7 with all the built in reliabiliy they were so famous for and none of the improvements my Caterham had-no top, no nuttin, but attitude and optimism.

I had good luck w/my '97 Xflow Cat on 15" Prisoner wheels w/Toyo RA1's (205x50). I put a set of Avon CR 500's on the front (after a flat) and they were no better than the Toyos wh/cost abt 1/3. They were 195x15x45, I think. The 13" wheels mite give you better acceleration tho.

Croc, great write-up, as always! I cant believe people took their cars out in those conditions the first day. I guess repair work is part of the Cat rental co's profit center:)? It is very hard to have fun when you have to dial back so far just to keep from wrecking. The vid shows you definetley had some "momments".

Let me know what you learn. I need a backup key and my local locksmith is also stumped.

Check axle boot attachments (mine came off right away), oil pan installation (mine was intalled w/washers that compressed the seal and allowed oil out), rubber boot around gear shift into transmission (mine was missing allowing fliuid to spill out), all electrical relays and connections (many of mine were bad). IF you plan to track it, ask Dick about the necessary "trap door" mod to the Raceline oil pan. Without that mod, you will have oil starvation and blow up your engine, as I did. Check brake lines to be sure they are securely attached to callipers. When I added a Caterham Tilet seat (just like the one for sale on this Forum for abt 1/2 price), I gained abt 3" of room between me and the wheel. I am only 5'9" and it was the best thing I did to enhance comfort, useability.

BEAUTIFUL car! The off-beat green and CF work perfectly! Much discussion hereabouts on merits of SC engines so will be interesting to get your impressions on that upgrade. I immediately replaced the seats in my Birkin for thinner Caterham seats that, by shrinking seat size, added room for me. Also had many issues w/TMW build "quality" so double ck everything you are able to. Welcome to this forum, you are clearly a good match for your remakable car.

Took the car for a drive last night: the hp/torque bump from the recent tune was very noticable, car was faster than any car I have ever driven, incl my 414 hp BMW M3. Much faster than my track-only Zetec Caterham. There has been a flurry of interest in this so I am holding off the E-Bay route til see what if anything comes of this renewed interest.

For sale on E-Bay under "Lotus other" (I will rely on a more tech-savy member to do a link) . Race prepped for vintage racing. For sale in NJ. Someone shd buy it and bring it to our se7ens track day in June:)! Even with skinny tires and 1 liter engine, I will bet it is no slouch.

It is being sold by TMW, one of the US Birkin dealers. I know they recently developed a supercharger option. I have a hunch that, since this is described as "virtually new," it was the first one they did. Just like the '09 I have for sale here was their first Duratec Birkin. The photos are of a stock Duratec engine set up just like mine w/o a supercharger. Unlike this one, the previous owner of mine eliminated the piles of electrical wires etc., and cleaned up the engine bay a bit. This a beautiful car and with the extra torque must really fly. I took mine for a spin last nite and my head kept banging on the headrest with up shifts so I cant imagine what this one is like!

I feel your pain. I had one last fall while towing Birkin to car repair in next state. Was in agony on way there. I thot it was a stomach ache. Never felt anything like it. Dropped the trailer, unloaded Birkin, happy talk with mechanic, back in SUV to Ohio and it got much worse. Wasnt sure I'd make it home, stopped at house, picked up wife who took over driving, on to hospital where no one was in any hurry to deal with pain so bad I was unable to sit down, kept pacing around ER, many hours later, drugs, relief, TG. Doc said :"Oh that's a tiny one, they are usually much bigger".

I agree that a test drive is on order. You mite be surprised at how different (for better AND worse) it is than you are expecting. If none are available, ride a motorcycle: the two experiences are similar, from a heat, noise (dis)comfort, exhilration, acceleration, visibilty perspective. Daily driver: sure, if you want this more than anything. Kinda like using a steak knife to eat peas. But, your publc transportation system will do most of the heavy lifting on a day to day basis so you are really talking about a weekend car. Caterham only? I have owned two of them and a Birkin and driven and seen most others. Keep an open mind, there are many reasons to own ''the real thing" and many not to. They do hold value well but buy-in is much steeper. And all suffer a huge depreciation hit between new and used, so buying used can be a $ saver. My Caterham insurance is same $ as my other cars all thru State Farm. But, it is based on not exceeding 5K miles a year, premium is adjusted upwards after that.

Sending a "care pkg" of leftover parts (engine mounts, hoses, solenoid, ignit switch). Werthie says that when car caught on fire, even tho shut off, the starter engaged and the car started to move as it was in gear! And I thot I'd heard it all:).

Can't wait to see how Sabbot's BDA stacks up against the newer engines (It wldnt bother me if he ran away from us:)).

Since someone else has posted on this general issue, I thot I'd update my previous comments. Biggest lesson so far-A trailer is another vehicle, with all vehicle issues/problems: flats, license, insurance, storage, security, etc. And they are often old tech (bias ply tires wh/are easily punctured), wheel bearings that need to be repacked every 5K miles, drum brakes. Yes, they are very handy to have but they do come with their own set of separate issues.

There is an active "trailer" thread at "general discussion" section. Plus many discussions in the past so a search may produce some helpful info. BBall has what I consider the ultimate se7en trailer (lite, small, enclosed, etc). He mite chime in or you may find info abt it w/a search as he has posted in past and included photos.

Termpting. And, my math says it's a total of 3 days also. And if I did all 3, it doesnt mean I'd have to do every possible run, I mite take a break here and there. The Thunderbolt track is awesome and a nice counterbalance to two days of Lightening. IF, I signed up, who else wld be going from USA7's? Croc, Tom, Karl ???

NY Times article today said the whole public school/private school/voucher debate is irrelevant: Either we do intense early education (age 3-5), or forget it-nothing helps underprivileged kids catch up to the avantages that most of our kids had. Why shd we care? High unemployment, crime, prison system come to mind. Folks who hate spending $5K a year on early ed have no problem spending $30K a year to lock that guy up once he turns 18. So let's say normal inflation and the guy does 30 years. That equals $1M. So do I expect things to change now? Nope, just food for thot.

Truly sorry to read this. One of the pieces of advice I got when I bought my X-Flow was, tho counter-intuitive, "If you ever see flames coming out of the carbs, giver 'er the gas, the vacum will suck the flames back in!" Fortunately I never needed to do that. Certainly a good reminder to the rest of us to carry a fire extinguisher at all times.

JBH: You are such an experienced, steady hand at the track, what happened? Apart from this hi-jack, go cheap and save big $ when/if the next "OFF" occurs. And if you sell, as others have noted, then go high end on CF.

Hey, nothing wrong w/specators, if you have a se7en, come, watch, enjoy. If we know anything, we know that you dont have to put yr se7en on a track to enjoy it with others.

It looks totally legit! And I heard that some of the F1 teams have actually started a bidding war for Blubarisax to serve as coach for their drivers since he is a track savey Lime Rocker (apparently he has finally figured out how not to get big air over that one uphill turn and not land in the tire wall!).

If it ain't broke.... And, separately, as MoPho noted, Caterhams have what I will call a "self lowering" floor system. So all you Caterham owners mite want to look at the rivets holding your butt upright. I know my driver's side rivets all started to go south and had to be replaced. A problem I noted only because I had the car up for other repairs.