Keith

Started with a premade frame, but it needed light-to-medium modification. The welder was not optional.

Mine's not there either, but I guess maybe that's not a big surprise... :lol:

C&D tested the 260 CSR over a year ago. http://www.caranddriver.com/features/11001/specialty-file-review-2006-caterham-csr260.html

I have RPVs in my brake system because of my low master cylinders. Never tried running without them, and I have a nice firm pedal due to fairly aggressive MC sizing I'd start with brake pedal adjustment if there's too much initial travel, but watch you don't go too far. It's possible to take out all the free play and then have your brakes apply themselves as the fluid heats up!

I've had the chance to run Eagle's Canyon. It's a fun little track. I think it's one of those ones you could drive on for years and still find little tricks - a good one for a club membership. Can we have one of two of your tracks in Colorado please? I think there are more tracks within an hour of Dallas than there are in our whole state!

Yup, I'm in Grand Junction. Isn't night travel through the mountains fun? I'm betting you came over Monarch Pass on highway 50 - that's a risky one with a lot of weather. Shortly after is a real black spot for deer on the road. But you probably remember this. If you run the One Lap again (you're nuts), I'll give you my contact info in case you are in need again. I have a collection of brake lines and tools in my garage along with a pile of other bits. I even know a couple of S2000 owners who could act as "parts cars" as long as we don't ask first.

Most excellent!

I was worried about parallelogramming, allowing the whole box to flex (or collapse) sideways under a wind load. The skin will certainly help here of course. I know, this is how all other trailers are built. But I can't help myself

I was thinking of triangulated members instead of the vertical ones. Right now it looks like the walls of a house, could it be lighter and stronger if it looked more like, oh, a Se7en? They still make hot rods on ladder frames but that doesn't mean it's right... Just thinking. I'll probably go with diagonals on mine when the time comes.

You might get better aero if you tapered the height of the trailer down towards the back instead of concentrating on the "bow". Tapered fronts do improve the jackknifing angle, that's handy. I like the looks of your trailer, I've been kicking around the idea of rebuilding my open one with a box. Thanks for sharing! What's the estimated total weight of the trailer? Hmm, would the sides be stiffer if they were triangulated instead of vertical studs?

Be patient I've seen the draft of the article and it's BS Levy in full flight, quite entertaining. I hope it doesn't suffer much at the hands of the editor to squeeze it into the magazine.

Wow, thanks for the plug Al. You can also get a free copy of the magazine from grassrootsmotorsports.com. Just tell 'em why you want it In the October issue (I think), there's an article on what happens if you show up at a Atom track test with a Locost.

Al, the current issue (current being the most recent one that's hit subscribers, it may not be on the newsstand yet) has an article of mine on "15 tips to Locost success". But yes, there's an Atom test with my little car present to provide a counterpoint coming in August. I didn't think they'd mentioned it online but it does get a little plug at the end of my Locost article. I wouldn't pretend I could keep up with an R500 or JPE, but I've done okay against a Zetec-powered Superlight in the past And we have the tools around here to bump my power/weight into the R500 Evo range Tom, thanks for that video! If that was a Caterham R400, the driver was being very polite to the little Westfield with a stock Miata motor! The only thing better than running a Se7en on track is chasing another Se7en with one, it's a riot.

How did you get that so fast? Man, I think we just got the previous issue on the stands. I didn't know they had a Westfield Miata. Very cool. Let's hope it had good brake pads this time The Atom's managed to grab the public consciousness amazingly well, probably mostly due to the Top Gear video. Fine with me, the world needs more cars that rely on clever design instead of a "HEMI" badge. But I've had the chance to run with them on track and the performance didn't quite line up with the specifications for some reason. I've found that about a few cars, some of them shaped like a Se7en. Al, I think you'll find the August issue of GRM pretty interesting.

One thing you could do to make it more "viable" would be to raise the trailer hitch on the car, making the bed of the trailer slope down. My trailer was built this way and with a pair of 6' ramps, there's no difference between the angle of the ramp and the angle of the bed. Shown here, the nose is lifted a little so it would come off the ball. But you get the idea. http://www.cheapsportscar.net/images/IMG_5262.jpg http://www.cheapsportscar.net/images/Img_5762.jpg

The cars don't have any trouble with approach or departure angles thanks to little or no overhang, but they have a problem with breakover angle. In other words, if there's a sharp angle between your ramps and your deck you might ground out. The actual length of ramp needed is going to depend on the height of your trailer, the angle of the deck and your own car's clearance. The length of the bed is irrelevant. You can help a little bit by getting ramps with a curve in them, or by raising the bottom edge of the ramp a little with some wood. Longer ramps will also help. I've also cheated in the past by using the trailer jack to lift the front of the trailer up and tilt the whole thing - keep it attached to the tow vehicle though. I guess you could also let some air out of the trailer tires

Oh man, I love the circuit.

Despite the "old tech" Skip is using, he's limited by the strength of his engine internals.

http://www.gbcarparts.com/proddetail.asp?prod=StoneGuard&cat=22 Keith

Flyin' Miata has an Open House every year, complete with track time (my little car owns the track record) and right in the middle of some great roads. Sevens of all flavours are welcome - we'll have a Locost, a Westfield and a Caterham there this year. http://www.flyinmiata.com/news/openhouse07/

I'll second Nathan at RMSCI. He'd be pretty interesting if you let him loose.

Yeah, my 2000 GC already cooked a set in 26,000 miles of driving around town, before it had ever seen a trailer. Didn't realize it was endemic to the breed, I thought it was just my girlfriend's driving http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smile5.gif

Towing over the Colorado passes with my 2000-2500 lb setup hasn't caused any problems for me, but I always make sure to use engine braking when descending a pass.

That's why I use fresh trailer-specific tires. Tongue weight can be fine-tuned by the position of the car on the trailer, too. It's all about choosing the best tool for the job, I suppose. A light single axle trailer is easier to tow with a smaller vehicle than a heavier dual axle setup, and at approximately 2000 lbs all up it's well within a safe range for a single 3500 lb axle and good tires. My primary tow vehicle is a Jeep Grand Cherokee with all the tow options and it's happy with my Seven trailer. It would not like our big dual axle enclosed race trailer at all.

Keep in mind that a light trailer with a Seven on it weighs less than our race trailer - a 20' enclosed Pace with brakes and two axles - does empty. I don't claim to be a towing expert, but I've put a lot more mileage on my trailer than I ever expected (I'd guess at least 12,000 miles) and it's never given me a tense moment.