athens7

I found Prototipos to be VERY narrow. I have a D width foot, and could not find a comfortable pair. The Monacos are wider, and Nomex lined, but they look like an Italian take on old Converse low tops (they are comfortable, though).

Mazda, my mutual funds are down 50% since 2007 and I don't have enough money to buy all the 7 related toys I want; can you help? Oh, never mind, I just figured I was asking for help with stuff, and...

I've been in and out of the site a couple of times now, and every time I come back, it shows my last visit was 12/31/1969 at 7 pm. Even if I close my browser and re-open, it is the same. What's up?

No matter what you choose, leave some budget room for upgrades. As soon as you start driving your new car, you will find things you want to fiddle with, no matter how it's equipped. Ask anyone here what their "upgrades accomplished" list looks like, or , worse yet, what their "upgrades still to do" list looks like. When I'm 3 years dead, my ghost will be fiddling with my car!

Got mine some time back (46). I thought I had replied; just another example of creeping senility.

What about the Braille batteries? Expensive, but an interesting argument about carbon fiber vs. metal jacketing, especially considering the heat under the bonnet of our cars. Has anyone tried one of these: http://braillebattery.com/index.php/batteries/b2015c/#

Thanks, Martin and Mazda.

Excellent link, Andrew. Hope it doesn't crash my network (just my virus paranoia)!

73 degrees today, so on the road!:hurray:

The connector visible in the foreground of the bottom center of the 2nd photo was spliced into the harness. I chose to keep the original connector to the distributor in place so that I could use either system (as much for testing as anything). Otherwise, no changes. It is not a true sequential system, as it uses stock engine management, and thus fires 2 coils at the same time, but most people I've spoken with say coil-on-plug is almost always preferable to distributors/plug wires for many reasons, including the ones John mentioned. My guy said he would be happy to make these for any interested parties.

Eliminates the distributor and plug wires (always trying to clean up a crowded engine bay) , plus picked up a couple of hp and lbs-ft using copper plugs instead of the platinum ones. If anyone knows what the electrical connector that mounts on the distributor bracket is for (upper center of picture, with green wire), please chime in; I'd like to remove the bracket, but don't want to eliminate a necessary ground until I have an alternative. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1515756239_DSC02193.JPG http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/151152531_DSC02194.JPG

Repairs: New right rear wing-injured during repeated cone killing sprees - DONE Maintenance: Replace brake/transmission/differential fluids Upgrades: Coil-on-plug direct ignition with copper spark plugs. I hope to free up space by eliminating the distributor so that I can install a cold air intake, as well as maybe pick up about 5 hp. Postponed due to economic impacts: Aforementioned cold air intake New exhaust system

Time or money; you spend one or the other. If you buy from Caterham USA, or a Caterham dealer, your only hassle is the state titling & registration (not necessarily without trauma-it took me 11 months to get my title!). Or, based on some of the anecdotes in this thread, you can do all the importing yourself and deal with the Feds, the shipper, etc. Also, the Caterham USA driveline will be, in most respects, ready to install and compatible with your chassis, vs. a complete engineer-it-yourself project. I've not for a single day regreted my purchase, but the car is a special purpose instrument and should not be bought new unless it's exactly what you want. The resale is fine, AFTER the initial depreciation, which seems to be substantial. I haven't seen a used Caterham change hands for over $50k, and this thread certianly illustrates what a well equipped new 7 costs, so it's not hard to do the depreciation math.

At current pricing and availabilty of new Caterhams, I think this car is a terrific buy. It's MUCH less expensive than a new one, and, at least for me, the purchase price was just the starting point of the investment (upgradeitis is an addiction!). So whatever one pays, there's always more $$$$ to spend as one discovers the idiosyncracies and opportunities of his/her car. Tom, I wouldn't dis anyone's 7, I was simply noting that more hp can equal even more fun. Of course, my car is a slug by Ebrahimi standards, so there's always a bigger fish.

A pretty, low mileage example. I've had my car about 15 months and it's got 5200 miles on it. Tom, I bet 150 hp makes it easy to handle; but having spent last Sunday on a dusty, 50 degree ambient temp autocross course with street tires, I can attest that 200 hp ain't easy, but it's fun!

Congratulations, Paul!:party:

My. that's much faster!

All the posts I have seen on Toyo tires reference the 888s and RA1s. Does anyone have experience with the R1Rs? That is one of the few aggressive tires available here that fit the standard Caterham wheel/tire package (205/45ZR16).

:thumbs: Sure is pretty!

I have always carried my spare, except for 2 weeks when one wheel was out to be replaced. Without the spare, the back tires would spin all the way to 7000 rpm in first gear. The little extra weight seems to be just enough to help the rear hook up better.

I order parts from RMSC/Caterham USA (now one and the same, for all practical purposes) when possible, but I also order directly from Caterham UK if USA doesn't have the part in stock. The shipping is no worse than ordering anything else from overseas, and the parts are usually here in a week or two. Darren in the parts department at Caterham is very dutiful about answering emails quickly, and has no peer when it comes to knowing the cars. I have never been told my order had to wait for the monthly container (I expect that's a Caterham USA thing).

David- The Spa mirrors in the Sevens and Elans link are the best solution I've seen, but the mounting can be done better. Contact Jeff Sloan at British Auto Specialist in Ft. Worth, TX. www.britauto.net He has the Spa mirrors with a pin arrangement, like a door hinge, that requires no drilling and uses the door pin recepticles on the windshield frame. They can be used with or without the plexi wind screens. Just remove them when it's time to put on the doors.

I'm still looking for the car in that picture!

A nice car with lots of options. Certainly a steal at the current bid, but probably a long way from the reserve. It's also a 2003, not a 2004. The 10th digit of the VIN is the year of the chassis: Y for 2000, 1 for 2001, 2 for 2002, 3 for 2003, and so on. Some states may give you the year of assembly as the year of the car, but most will title it by the chassis VIN.

Big improvement on the stock Caterham bulbs; whiter, brighter low beams, and x2 improvement in distance illumination on high beams. Purchased from www.powerbulbs.com. $45 including shipping, and a free set of peanut bulbs for the parking lights. I couldn't get the same bulbs as cheaply (without the freebie) in the US. Size H4, btw.