SK400

I’m in the process of installing. In fact, I’ve been struggling to get the right fittings to connect properly to the bias valve. I assume caterham fittings are ISO bubble connectors. How did you install your bias valve? Next to the driver and cut through the rear copper line or closer to the master cylinder? if the pedal feel firm when the valve is closed, that’s at least a good sign. But I think what you are describing is what Roger at Meteor Motorsport warned me about. I’m trying to install in a way that I can remove valve or change if I don’t like the feel.

I have a 2013 r400 before they were called 420R but it’s essentially the same thing. The radiator, oil cooler and electric fan combo is in pristine condition, arguably like new. I’m selling it because I replaced it with the slightly larger new radiator model and integrated oil cooler that come with the newer caterhams or the 620r as I was upgrading to the R500 powerplant. Just because. I also have the newer race nose cone to fit the new radiator. attached are the pictures. @vovchandr, let me know if this would work for you.

In an effort to clean up my garage, I have a few R400 S3 parts for sale: 1. One R400 Aluminum radiator and one R400 Oil cooler and oil cooler mounting bracket combo, used and very good condition 2. One DeDion Tube in very, used, in very good condition 3. Two DeDion A frames, used, in very good condition 4. A set of rear brake calipers, Ferodo pads and disks, used and good condition 5. a set of Rear De Dion tube aluminum "ears" with negative 1.5 deg camber, used, look like new 6. a set of rear hubs and bearings, used, in very good condition 7. a set of front vented disks for uprated front brakes, used, 0.68" thick vs 0.70" new Let me know if interested. Questions welcome. Please feel free to send me a PM. Thank you.

That’s right. We moved a few years ago to Ann Arbor, MI. A great little town and some good local tracks. That’s said, miss the East Coast gang and our more regular days at NJMP or Lime Rock.

I’m upgrading my current 2.0l duratec R500 block to a 2.3l and have, as a result, have a few engine parts for sale. I have less than 1500 miles on the parts below and are in perfect conditions, essentially new. Parts for sale - set of R500 Ford Duratec 2.0L model Kent Cams DTEC35 - set of 4 K1 conrods for 2.0L ford duratec and matching King bearings assembled by Danbury Competion engine. - forged crankshaft for 2.0l Duratec, keyed for balancer - caterham factory ÉCU with R500 fuel map loaded - CR500 flywheel, clutch and pressure plate - optional 2.0l block and supertech pistons Questions welcome. PM me if interested. Thank you

Alright. So on this topic,, BY10 and G9 should connect to “free” flat connectors under the dash. I haven’t looked at it yet but I remember seeing a few available zipped tied connectors in the past when attempting to mess around under with wires under the dash. These should be power. Special thanks toJosh from Rocky Mountain for this guidance. the BY3 and BY4 connector is for flat shift. Will need to connect the various pins to the ECU and may have to pull existing pins out and replace with those. Left is the rear switch. Need to connect the chassis rear green wires to that switch through a Deutsch plug. BUT … it will take a bit of time to see if all of this is working. After some regular engine TLC, I decided to upgrade my engine to a 2.3l with a short block from Esslinger, (just because I can’t let Simon win too easily .. although some of this forum would be quick to add that he would still win if he rode an e-bicycle around the track against most of us). Will keep current 2.3l ported head and valves (well enough for what I want to do) and probably change cams to match displacement aiming at 285 hp and 200 to 210 ft-lb of torque. With the Sadev, on a. s3 chassis, this will be mental enough and suspect that anything more than this will be fighting for traction …. More to come on this on a different thread

Thanks a ton Croc. Some useful info in the document. I reached out to SBD to see if they had any insights on the loom and pin connectors. I intent to have "flat shift" functionality programmed so had planned to reach out to Steve at SBD anyway to update the map I made with him. I will circle back when I hear from them.

I did not purchase from Caterham directly and perhaps to a fault and paying the “price of figuring things out now”, I decided to buy directly from the UK Sadev distributor (from which I had outstanding service and decent delivery lead times of 3 to 4 months). question for Yellow7 or Croc: do you know how your respective Sadevs are connected to your cars and ECUs? (Orange monster and CatKong) Thank you

Sf4018 Yes. My ecu is an MBE9a4 from SBD. Following your logic, it seems that the connector on top of the diagram must be for flat shift signal to ECU. The left connector is for the Shiftec gear indicator. And the flat male BY10 and G9 connectors are for reverse switch. However if that the case, what should I do with the current reverse switch connectors? Splice them with BY10 and G10 to close the circuit?

True to form Croc. Missed your salt and pepper! Regarding ratios, I ended up choosing the long Sadev ratio (19x22) transfer gear to give me a few more options and use a bit more the engine torque. I always thought that my 6 speed caterham transmission was a bit too short with 6th speed 1:1 ratio, especially with the new r500 engine that has a bit more torque. I think the 6 speed was best suited for the original zetec r500 not the duratec and as a result, never used 2nd and very rarely 3rd on tracks, spending quick a bit of time changing between gears. With that said, I thought that keeping my original final drive of 3.64 would be much too long for my engine and all the tracks I run inclusive of Gingerman, Mid Ohio, limerock and even the two NJMP tracks. So I opted to change my final drive to 3.91, which I think will strike the perfect balance for my engine, driving style and tracks. Please note that if I had more torque (like that of my red caterham with white stripes nemesis who is on his 5th engine in 2 yrs with a lot more stroke and hence torque than me to compensate for his lack of momentum he carries in corners…) I would have kept the 3.64 ratio. attached are the model output for the 3.64 and 3.91 ratios. In short the 3.91 along with the chosen Sadev ratios will be 10 to 15 percent longer than what I had, which feels right. Going the a 4.1 final drive ratio would bring it in line with my current caterham 6 speed setup. Regarding the wiring loom that I procured from caterham, I have several questions - if the yellow and black wire and connector is for the reverse gear, then why do we have an ECU pin for this function? Not sure why the ECU needs to know I’m selecting reverse but I’m sure I’m missing something important - is the connector with black and tallow for reverse of flat shift input? - the caterham connector is if course different than the connector from the Sadev so need to cut and modify. Okay - there are two leads with flat male terminals: one with green wire and the other with the same yellow and black wire. Where do these wires connect to? The reverse light circuit or something else completely? - does the loom and gear indicator get the power from the ECU pin? Pardon my obvious lack of knowledge on these electrical spaghettis

Greetings everyone. It’s been a real while since I’ve written on this forum. About 1.5 years ago, I took my car to autobahn country club in Chicago and unfortunately blew my transmission. After a good 10 yrs of reliable service, the lay shaft of my 6 speed caterham transmission decided to seize and let go, jamming the entire powertrain. I guess my new r500 engine was a bit too much for it. So… it was time and the occasion to refresh the entire car, and finally pulled the trigger on a brand new Sadev sequential gearbox to “finish the job”. The car is now in pieces. Engine is out for some precautionary TLC, differential is out for LSD refresh and final drive ratio change (another project on its own), I’m finally installing the uprated rear AP racing brakes, new dedion tube, new a frame, new bearings front rear etc etc. And I have the gearbox finally after a decent wait. I received the loom to connect the sadev to the ECU and the rest of the car and I admit, I could not find anything online to figure out what wire is what. Attached is a picture of the loom (and the gearbox and the child labor I exploit to work on the car). Any help discerning what goes where and what wire is what would be very helpful. I’ve been guessing and trying to use logic but I could use a bit of expert and friendly advice. thanks in advance.

KnifeySpoony Did you install a proportioning valve after all? If so, does it change the pedal feel and travel? I was told by someone to avoid the proportioning valves. I’m asking because I’m considering installing the rear AP racing brake kit from Caterham I had ordered 2 yrs ago and never installed. It comes with Pagid pads and of course the two piston calipers and concerned that I will increase the rear bias more than I’m looking for. Thoughts?

Based on your experience, are you then suggesting the Caterham “race” setup? You seem pretty happy with it, are you ?

I asked that very question to Simon. He assured me no understeer. I too currently have my rear ARB set at the second hole from its stiffest. Now perfectly balanced. I agree that I may have to get the next level of rear ARB diameter to balance things out.

Thanks all for the replies and apologies for the delayed answer back on the forum. KnifeySpoony - correct. After some research I do have the 170 lbs spring in front and progressive in the rear (probably 110 lbs). I think this is the standard Road setup that came with the R400 car when I bought in 2012. I’m quite amazed with the handling and until I started to drive with full slicks and with an R500 spec engine, I could argue that the setup was well sufficient for both road and track. I connected with Simon Rogers from meteor Motorsport in the UK. He recommends a set of Core dampers and track spring setup with 250 lbs in front and 150 lbs in the rear. He suggests that the ARB that I have from stock are sufficient (arguably the front one being a bit too stiff). i think I will pull the trigger and order a set. They come with bright red springs that will match my car quite well. (As the NJMP gang knows, these little things and color coordination matter a lot to me… ). What’s more, I think I’ll save a few more pounds of weight compared to the stock shocks. Curious to know if anyone in the US has already bought and driven with the above mentioned Core spring damper setup. Let me know. thanks all.

Winter is here! Which means I’m now shifting gears to maintenance and slight upgrades on the car. I finally plan to install the AP racing brakes (rear) I had ordered several yrs ago and considering changing my shocks / springs to nitron or core systems as I feel the car rolls a bit too much when leaning heavily into curves when using full slicks. With that said, I’m reaching out because I’m trying to find out what spring rates I have on my car right now (and wonder if changing the damper system will indeed improve or not the handling or should I only upgrade the sway bars). Suspension is stock 2012 R400 superlight (wide track) for s3 chassis. Any input or advice would be welcome. Thanks all.

Bruce. Good to see your car in pictures. I was your neighbor at eyes on design with the red r400/r500 caterham. Is your car sold? If not, might be someone in Michigan / Ann Arbor who might be interested. (Might). Let us know. Txs.

Went to Gingerman, MI, last Saturday to shake the winter cobwebs and get mentally ready for the 2022 season and eventually NJMP in September. Starting to enjoy the new 500 spec engine after SBD fuel mapping session earlier this winter and almost a year of trouble shooting. Don’t want to jinx it but I think slowing getting there. The car is a real pleasure to drive.. sooo strong! A noticeable difference from our 400 spec .. might now have to upgrade the brakes!!! Gingerman was a real challenge to drive. Took me two days to recuperate physically trying to hold on to the beast. Can’t wait to seeing the gang soon.

Really - really - looking forward to it. Will be there guys! Thanks for organizing as usual. Can't wait to see the gang.

Standard duratec uses grade 6 NGK plugs I believe . Caterham recommends grade 7 for the r500 spec. I now use grade 8 and did the tuning using 8, cooler plugs. as for advance, unsure if Steve played with it honestly but could be wrong. We discussed it. I do know he focused on fuel across the range. proof in the pudding will be this summer. Will be inspecting the plugs on a regular basis.

Friends, Its has been a while since I've reported on progress on this topic. I took a day off on Friday, and my son and I spent a long morning at RM Motorsports (www.rmmotorsport.com) in Wixom, Michigan, for a Hub Dyno and fuel mapping session with Steve Boughton from SBD connected remotely. The goal was to identify potential lean conditions and adjust the fuel map to eliminate risk of auto ignition, burning the plugs and putting at risk the engine. It was a successful day. We had 3 computers going, one for the dyno, one for the fuel mapping connected to the ECU and Steve Boughton connected remotely controlling the Esimap 6 software, and one to connect with him via google meet in England. Overall Steve found the map to be a bit lean at mid range under load which might explain some of the challenges Simon and I had with some of the plugs. Steve did a great job smoothing the map and setting parameters to be slightly on the safe side. I've also installed a wide band O2 sensor that will adjust fuel plus or minus 4 percent in a closed loop system with the new MBE ECU. In terms of horsepower, the new R500 spec / blueprinted engine managed 235 hp at the wheels so 260 hp at the engine at 7950 rpm - 8000 rpm almost on the nose assuming a 10% transmission loss, 160 ish ft-lb torque at 6000 rpm, which is exactly what I thought we would get with the build specs (Kent Tec35 cams, Supertech pistons 12.5:1 compression ratio, fully ported head with 35% more flow than original head, custom oversized exhaust, 4-2-1 configuration, design from Dave Hershey engine). I've attached one of the HP graphs. Weighted the car at 1214 lbs, wet, with the Apollo wheels and Avon DOT tires ZZR A24 compound tires, or 1174 lbs with my Image Wheels and Avon full slick Kevlar tires. Happy to say that the car car bare the R500 name officially. I hope all of the above helped the car so that I can drive with confidence this summer, on roads and on the track, terrorizing pretty much anything road legal. Btw - the guys at RM were loading up their 53 foot long trailer with 8 cars to go to Sebring this week. Insane cars such as March 73S, Lola T70, Chevron B23S, formula 3 etc. Really impressive racing stuff. Clients are from all over the country. They have one of Ken Block's car at the shop too and a few Ligier Carbon Fiber F3 for sale. Awesome place. Highly recommended. Run1 Graph HP over RPM.pdf

Something seems off. What gearbox do you have if I may ask? Typically, peak horsepower for the r420 cams is at 7,100 rpm, so surprised the peak on the graph seems to be before 7,000. i did not dyno my car before adding roller barrels unfortunately but with the roller barrels, 6 speed gearbox, and the Caterham ECU, my car dynoed at 198 hp or roughly 200 hp at the wheels. The roller barrels made a difference but not more than 10 or 15 hp (felt it at top end). i ll try to find an old post on this forum where I had included a few dyno charts.

This is Star Trek stuff. How are you able to see all of this from the pictures Dave? From now on, you shall be known as Dr Plug. Yikes on the engine blow up Bball. Really nasty and very unfortunate mistake from the attendant. Sorry to see this. Makes our stomach turn. Carl - yes agree on the latest plug I’ve been using. They are the competition ones and these extend further into the chamber and have a longer ceramic nose. I plan to change back to B type NGK plugs that are shorter, with a protected ceramic nose, and perhaps go for an even colder plug, B9EFS. I’m also scheduling a road dyno tuning session and will have SBD connect remotely to fine tune the map, advance etc. Let’s see. I will keep the group posted. thanks all.

Thanks Dave Steve B from SBD is surprised and does not think this is the result of auto ignition. He states that he runs 13:1 on 98 RON / 93 octane with no real issues. On the other end, NGK had a closer look at Simons plugs and suggests that it is auto ignition or hot spots in the chamber. We will probably try a combination of mods e.g. grade 9 NGK plugs B9EFS that have a more protected ceramic than the grade 8 competition ones we are running and perhaps a bit of octane boost and yes, fuel mapping tuning. Perhaps one change at the time and see. I do agree Dave that WOT condition seems a bit lean but again Steve suggests that the spark plug “lean looking” color is quite normal when ones drives these race engines flat out.