soareyes

Brad, what size wheels do you have with the Kumho 710's? Do you run the same size wheel/tire front and back? It looks like the only 13" size Kumho makes in the 710 is 215/50/13. Thanks!soareyes2007-01-23 08:35:26

I asked this on the Birkin-owners forum, and I wanted to get other owner's opinions: I'm considering the purchase of a set of 13" wheels for the track. From previous discussion it seems 13x7 fronts and 13x8 rears are the generally recommended sizes for Birkins. If I went with 13x7 all around, what would I be giving up in potential performance and handling? I'm just wondering if the ability to rotate the wheels/tires would make it worthwhile for the 4 to 6 track days I plan to do a year (not racing, just track days). Thanks for any opinions! Also thanks to those involved in researching the tires spreadsheet as it is very useful.

Way off topic, but I noticed your RC sailplanes hanging from the ceiling. I think I see a Bandit, Sagitta, a Jade something-or-other, and maybe a Wanderer. Did I get any right? I use to fly occassionally down at Torrey Pines and Poway with TPG, but not much since getting the Birkin!

PM sent.

I don't know, but if I were riding along I think I would be shouting something that rhymes with this sign! http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/20070121_192940_ring.jpg

Gert, I've got Toyo T1R's in the size you mentioned above front and back, and as I remember they were 4 or 5 pounds lighter than the Bridgestone's per tire. However, I don't know how they compare to the Yoko's in price and weight, but might be worth looking into: >http://www.toyo.com/docs/tires/tires.asp?lpid=18966&name=Proxes%20T1R%99&category=sport

I'm interested in the silencer. Can you send dimensions/photo/price? Thanks! soareyes at aol dot com

I put an Ultrashield seat in my Birkin. Specifically, the Spec Miata seat at 15" width as that was the widest that fit. They have many others too. http://www.ultrashieldrace.com/

One popular seat is Tilletts: http://www.tillett.co.uk/index2.html They make car and go-cart seats, and I think Caterham uses their seats as an option. Another is Mog Racing: http://www.mog-racing.com/ (click on "carbon" to see the seats, then open your wallet wide!) I've sat in the Tilletts and found that there was little lower back support, but I am 6' 3" tall, so that may have been a problem. soareyes2007-01-15 15:34:10

Good one! Jeremy builds a Caterham in a day. I think I would avoid this car if it were put up for sale.

I only visit monthly, but this is a good Elise forum: http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/index.php?

About 6 months ago I came across a Caterham owner's web site where he had retrofit a lowered floor with success. Unfortunately I can't find that site now! From what I remember, he ordered the lowered floor kit from Caterham and it was a fairly straight forward install. I lowered the driver's side floor and seat in my Birkin, and it made a huge difference in visibility and comfort for me. I look through the center of the windshield now, and my head gets much less wind buffeting. My head is even below the roll bar, so hopefully a bit safer too!

Under the category of "more retarded" at SEMA, clear wheels!: http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/11/img_7098a.jpg http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/11/img_7084a.jpg http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gifhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gifhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gifhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gifhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gifhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gifhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gifhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gifhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gifhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gifhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gifhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gifhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gifhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gifhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gif

Not us! http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/wink5.gif

Today actually seemed like the first day of "winter" here in S. Calif., cold, windy, and some rain. However, we had perfect weather for our "holiblat" the day after Thanksgiving! http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/hurray.gif http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/20061127_173618_DSCN1929.jpg PS - That's Gert sitting on his Birkin's fender, and my Birkin just to the right. The other two are Caterhams.soareyes2006-11-27 17:40:05

I agree with John on the Toyo T1R's. In my size (195/50/15 fronts and 225/50/15 rears) they are 4 to 5 pounds lighter than similar performance tires from Goodyear (F1's) and Bridgestone (SO3 pole positions) (if you can believe their web site specs!). I've been happy with mine for mostly street use. Stan

Here is another scratch builder: www.dpcars.net Its track use only, but he also built a bike engined Westfield thats a good read too. In fact his whole site is a worthwhile read! Stan

I'm posting this for a gentleman on the Birkin forum. Please contact him for questions: Just wanted to see if there was any interest in a really nice Birkin...... fully sorted great trackday, autocross or cruising car. 2004 with 3k miles, Zetec on Throttle bodies and the following updates... 1. Woody's water header tank 2. Woody's oil catch tank 3. Woody's oil cooler kit 4. Quaife LSD 5. Ultrashield seat for driver and passenger 6. Tonneau cover modded with new zips to go over the new seats 7. Roll bar extension for track 8. 6 point harnesses both sides 9. Hawk brake pads 10. Uprated adjustable shcoks with spherical bearings 11. Custom side exhaust with really nice Burns stainless muffler 12. Second set of wheels with Kumho 710 tires for track day or Autocross...phenomenal grip. 13. EFI calibration updated (what I do fro a living) drives really nice.... 14. Side screens and wind deflectors but no hood. 15. Registered as a 67 Lotus in MI. 16. British Racing green nose and fenders aluminum body/hood. Really nice car.... open to sensible offers around $25k Paul Shipp 734 658 5154 pkship@roushind.com thanks Paul Shipp Program Manager Powertrain Systems Roush Engineering

Al, Here is how I got it to work on my Mac: Control/click on Gert's link and choose "Save linked file to desktop". Find the file on your desktop and change the suffix from "kml" to "kmz" (I changed it to "maliblat.kmz"). Double click the file and Googe Earth should open with the file in your "temporary places". Highlight "path" and hit the play button. The tour will hopefully play now. I had to download the newest version of GE too. Hope this works for you!

Here's a picture from the blat that Gert mentions above (dang fence in the way!): [/img]</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> edit - sorry about the red X, I http://web.mac.com/soareyes/iWeb/Site/Blog/2DB8D123-63D4-4ACE-B587-33BE2F676DE7_files/DSCN1800.jpg' alt='DSCN1800.jpg'> Success! There are a couple more pics in this thread in the California Caterham Club forum: >Maliblatsoareyes2006-10-03 18:11:07

Wow, those old bushings were monsters! Much larger than the old bushings off my Birkin. Glad to hear there was no noticeable increase in harshness, the same as my experience with the upgrade. Good job!

Nice save at the end of the first video! http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/hurray.gif Someday I'll try autox. I noticed your locost is rhd but your location is Kentucky. Do you prefer rhd over lhd?

The Elise guys have their web site set up this way: http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/index.php Overall, the whole site is very well organized.soareyes2006-09-08 07:12:03

One more for those interested in Birkins: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/birkinowners/

http://www.californiacaterhamclub.com/ Despite the name, all brands are welcome. The front page isn't kept up to date, but the forum has new posts daily.soareyes2006-09-05 07:08:14