athens7

Very pretty, but, as usual with Zetec stuff like this, no go for SVT owners unless a hole is cut out for the vct solenoid. I have a contact who is working on a modified SVT insert that will clear the bonnet; pics for any interested SVT owners (all three of us) when I get them.

John- I had no interest in tuning this car when I bought it, and I still don't. In fact, I paid $55,000 for my fully dealer built car with a Caterham USA supplied, new-in-the-crate SVT motor, specifically because I didn't want to deal with this type of thing. My last car (a Beck 550 spyder) had a highly tuned Type 1 VW motor, and I was constantly having to get it fiddled with. I bought my car because it was, according to Caterham USA and the dealer, the last of the new SVT 7's, using factory engine management and a factory wiring loom. I had debated waiting for Caterham UK & USA to get the non CSR Duratec package put together, but Cody at Caterham indicated that after market engine management would be necessary, and I wished to avoid that. He stressed the great deal of development work that they had done on the SVT package. As part of the purchase process, I discussed with both the dealer and Caterham USA the camshaft upgrade. It was presented to me as a bolt on, 20 hp upgrade, sacrificing a small amount of low end torque for more horsepower at the top. I was told in no uncertain terms that no PCM reprogramming would be necessary. From the day I received my car, it has cut off every time I depress the clutch from any revs higher than 3000. Starting at 500 miles, it has developed first a cold hard start, now a hot hard start. All tuning and dyno work was originally intended to address these problems; the power issue is secondary. The issue isn't a pretty dyno chart, the issue is THE CAR DOESN'T WORK. Everyone's got an opinion (Cody, the dealer, blatchat members, USA7s members, etc), most of them conflicting, but no one's here but me, my local resources, and my $$$$. If the engine is sound, then there is no benefit to the cam upgrade, for I will have sacrificed mid range drive ability for no hp gain, and I will remove it, and return to the stock SVT configuration. If there is a separate problem, I need to resolve it, or the car will continue to function badly, regardless of which cams are in it. Unfortunately, the US distributor has basically washed his hands of me, and the dealer is 800 miles away. The engine management for my car is Ford, but has now been reflashed with a custom Diablosport Predator tune. As you so eloquently point out, not designed for my exact configuration. But then my motor was built for a 2900 pound, front wheel drive car with a different transmission, so I don't know that the factory suppositions for my PCM are any better than, or even as good as, my custom tune. As to the adaptability of the Ford PCM, the longer I drove it, the worse it ran.

2nd dyno run at Balanced Performance in Buford, GA. Nice shop, lots of fast Japanese stuff (GTR with 1200 hp!). 1st run was 148.4 hp, 1.8 hp off last run at Focus-Power. 2nd run was without the K&N filter. 4th run was without the exhaust , from the flange back, to check for restrictions. The numbers would seem to indicate Tom's assessment of the car's performance was accurate. Ed Senf (the tuner at BPM) said our drive trains should have about 15% loss on the dyno, so I'm putting out about 174 crank hp. He agrees with Tom that this number is too low, considering a stock SVT does 170, plus, the cat is getting too hot, and the air/fuel is still too lean (red line on the bottom of the chart). Tom had set the air/fuel target at 12.9:1. The exhaust, and the PCM programming, appear not to be causal factors, however, we will probably go back to VCT on the intake, as the low end drive ability should improve. Ed looked at the factory PCM settings, and indicated that the SVT seems to have a volumetric efficiency issue between 2800-3500 rpm that Ford compensated for with ignition and valve timing. It seems the hot cams exacerbate this weakness at the low end, and locking out the VCT makes it even more pronounced. The question now is, what's the cause for the power drop? If it's not an internal engine problem (which appears unlikely), it's either the cams, or air or fuel delivery. I don't have any check engine lights on, other than the usual ones which Cody at Caterham says are normal. The cold hard start is gone, as are the PATS immobilizer codes, but the car has a hard hot start issue. I wonder if the hard start, and the lean a/f ratio are related (note the a/f at idle). Ed says he thinks the car is gasping for air, and one of my mechanics wonders if Cosworth already maxed the airflow through the head, and the hot cams are just reducing dynamic compression by keeping the valves open too long. Cody continues to maintain that the cams up the power, and will do so without PCM mods, so I wonder if something else is causing the problem (TPS, air intake, etc., etc.). Ed is researching head flow rates, and some other things. I expect we will return the engine to it's pre-NC state (stock PCM tune, VCT), and re test. If the hp drops back to 135 range, we will remove the cams, go full SVT stock, and test to make sure the stock motor makes 170 hp. Nothing like throwing $$$$ at a problem to make it go away (hopefully!). Steve, I'd love to see your dyno runs. The a/f seems very high at 17.5 max; where in the power band does this occur? JBH, Tom spent hours timing the cams, he just couldn't flatten the low end dip. Ed says he feels Tom's tune was solid, but this problem goes beyond tuning. I will probably keep the adjustable exhaust cam gear on the car, so that the exhaust cam can be timed, even with the intake VCT. All runs were in 3rd, because Ed said the Dynojet's resistance is high enough that 4th gear runs don't work as well. He said the power loss would be minimal in 3rd as opposed to 4th. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1027191495_Nov 13 2007 chart.jpg

Thanks for all the kind words. I'd be happy to participate in a GA blat, or a track day. I'm currently wrestling with an engine problem I've had pretty much from day 1, so I can't run the car hard until it's resolved, but as soon as it's fixed I'll be ready to go.

The general consensus when I got my car was that the standard bar was a cosmetic item, and offered little in the way of safety. I felt then, and still feel, the FIA bar is a "must have" accessory. It is interesting to hear of the weight difference. How much did it cost to ship the bar from the UK? Mine came from Caterham USA, so I didn't experience the "pound"ing.

Next dyno run Tuesday the 13th. Different shop, also with a Dynojet dynomometer. I think having a 2nd set of numbers will be useful to both verify the curves, and check power. If the 1st dyno was off, or the tune leaves something to be desired, it may become evident here. As to the accuracy of the hp readings, even if they are inaccurate on a specific car, they should be accurate relatively between similar drive lines. Focus-Power had a number of charts for SVT Zetec engines, which with Tom's PCM tunes were putting out 145 hp at the wheels, basically the same as mine WITH the hot cams. The only question remaining there is whether the transverse fwd drive train or the longitudinal rwd drive train has greater power train loss. I emailed Caterham UK asking about any info they had on drive train loss percentages, but I haven't heard back from them. I did have a compression test and cylinder leak down test performed, to check whether an internal problem was at fault, but compression was 13 bar +/- 1/2 bar (182 psi) on each cylinder, spot on for a 10.2:1 compression ratio, and leak down was only 3-4%-good news!

I'll take 1 men's watch. At the price, maybe we should add $5 or so for USA7s operations.

Mazda, I am assuming the mapping is optimized. That said, I am going to a 2nd dyno shop next month, also with a dynojet, for a 2nd opinion. Part of my tune from Focus-Power was a Predator PCM programmer that also functions as a data logger, so I'm going to hook it up and put some miles on the car. Any specific data that would help with diagnosis? Yes, I can feel the dip, when I hit the throttle at 3000 rpm in any gear, the car does not pull strongly until 4000 rpm, then acceleration is much stronger. Drew, yes we were hooked up to the OBDII port, and no codes, other than a PATS code that may be related to the hard starting (immobilizer?) and/or the lack of a key on power signal (the Caterham wiring harness doesn't include that connection, apparently). The VCT was operating correctly, but now it is locked out. The DSI (dual stage intake) is functioning properly, and has been adjusted to switch at 6100 rpm, up from 5100, as this was the spot where power increased, instead of dropping off. WT2K, assuming 20% loss, 146.6 hp at the wheels equals 183 hp at the flywheel. This is AFTER a custom tune, and locking out the vct. Using the numbers on the engine as supplied by Caterham, 129.3 hp=162 hp; not even up to the original Ford factory number of 170 hp, let alone the 200 hp number I was quoted. Al, do you have a Zetec Supersport? Was it supplied by Caterham, and with any mods other than as listed on their website? Kitcat, Tom charges $450 for a full custom tune, plus $375 for the Predator PCM programmer (you keep the Predator, which retains the original factory map, and Tom will give you a copy of the tune he makes for you). Regarding the accuracy of factory hp claims, Ford's experience with late '90s Cobras indicates that traditional manufacturers have a responsibilty to be reasonably accurate, and are actionable if they aren't. Why should Caterham be any different? I paid a lot more for my car than a new Mustang! All of Caterham USA's promotional material represents this motor at 185 hp, 200 with the cams. Is it unreasonable of me to expect that to be correct, at least within some appropriate variance (10%?)? Several people have told me they believe the Caterham chart is actually for a Duratec 2.3, not a Zetec 2.0. Some of the Focus people with whom I've spoken say the SVT can bog down at lower rpms, and that the SVT's vct is designed to compensate. My cams would likely exacerbate this tendency, locking out the vct adding insult to injury. The graph shows the dip is less pronounced in the original form. So: Why is my car down, in Caterham supplied trim, 10 hp from stock when it should be up some percentage of 20 hp? Why does the dip exist? I've seen only one dyno chart with a similar dip, and it was corrected with cam timing, which Tom says he was unable to do on my car, even after multiple attempts. What responsibilty do the sellers have to help me resolve this problem? My plan is to data log some, then get a 2nd dyno run. If no solution is apparent, the next step would seem to be to return the car to stock SVT specs in all regards (cams, programming, vct), then test. It should be at least the same as a stock Focus SVT, if there is nothing wrong with the motor. This will get expensive!

Looking for dyno charts of SVT Zetecs, with or without camshaft upgrades. While trying to solve a problem concerning engine cut off above 3000 rpm when the clutch is depressed, I took the car to Tom Lesperance at Focus-Power in N Belmont, NC. He put the car on his chassis dyno. The first run yielded 129 hp, and had to be aborted at 6000 rpm because the air/fuel ratio was 15:1, and the exhaust gas temperature was 1500 degrees, causing us to fear for the safety of the engine. 9 hours and 25 dyno runs later, with a custom PCM tune, vct eliminator, and adjustable cam gears, the engine put out 147 hp. There is also a good size "hole" in the torque curve between 2700-3700 rpms. As a stock SVT motor puts out 170 hp at the flywheel, and Caterham USA and the Caterham dealer represent that the Kent camshafts will increase hp by 20, my motor's performance seems wholly inadequate. SO: What is a typical percentage for hp drive train loss? Why is my motor down 25 hp from a stock SVT when it should be up 20? How do I eliminate the torque curve hole? Why would the stock PCM allow the car to run so lean? Before I spend yet more money chasing this problem, I sure would like to see some other dyno charts for comparison. Attached are my chart, and a chart from Caterham USA purporting to show what the SVT motor should run like, with and without the cam upgrade. Any insights are appreciated.http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1802166355_small chart.jpg

Yep, much fun. The Avon ZZ3s are enough tire for a novice like me. I look forward to getting much better next year.

I'll try to come by. My car has a couple of bugs to sort out, so I'm going to see Tom at Focus-Power before I put the car on the track/parking lot.

Finally got the October issue. The cover story is titled "Lotus Seven: The Best Ever Sports Car?" It's a very nice article, with driving impressions and specs on the S1, S2, S3 ,and S4 models.

Are there any good zetec specialized shops in the southeast?

While looking through the September issue of Classic & Sports Car magazine (60 years of Ferrari!), I noticed that the October issue will have a feature on 50 years of the Lotus Seven. According to the blurb, the issue will be available September 6th-probably in Britain, later here in the colonies. It's something to watch out for, though.

The man, and the car, that pushed me over the edge into Seven ownership!

Less than 1 week old, and I've destroyed both exaust mount rubber bushings. The design is horrible; soft rubber with nothing inside to keep it from separating. My mechanics solution was to craft new rubber mounts from hole sawed round sections of a Z rated tire sidewall (about 3 stacked, with 1 more on each outer side of the bracket), with a fender bolt and washer running through the whole shooting match. I get a tiny bit more vibration, but a nice stable exhaust that is no longer hitting the side of the car, or vibrating against the frame at the rear suspension (I thought my roll bar had a rattle in it!). What other solutions have members created for this problem? I'm sure someone has come up with a better idea.

Car nut since a toddler, in the car business for 24 years (46 now). Saw my first Seven 20 years ago, when a guy drove one to the dealership where I worked. Didn't start owning my own cars until about 10 years ago (demonstrators are nice!), but since then I've had a 1971 240Z, 1987 MR2, 1993 Miata, 1987 Alfa Spider Quad, and a 2003 Beck 550 Spyder. The Spyder and the Caterham were the two cars I had always coveted, and, thanks to an understanding wife, I've had a chance to own both. Northeast Georgia is a great place to drive fun cars, with lots of nearby, quiet, twisty roads, plus, Road Atlanta is 45 minutes away. The Spyder was neither safe enough, nor strong enough to track, so now I have the car for the job, it just needs a more skilled driver. Any thoughts on driving school choices (expensive!) or other opportunities to gain experience would be welcome; I know just enough to know I don't know much.

The car finally arrived Friday afternoon, so no more athens550. Now its athens7, and a new 2005 Caterham SV SVT motor with Kent camshaft upgrade 5 speed box with standard 1st gear ZF limited slip 3.92 rear AP brake upgrade 3 pass aluminum radiator FIA roll bar w/petty strut race fuel filler sump skid plate Jet hot coated exhaust leather seats carbon dash/sills/stone guards adjustable spring seats quick release Momo steering wheel 16" wheels w/Avons weather gear hood bag perspex wind deflectors carbon side mirrors interior insulation kit From the first drive, one can clearly see how solid the car is, much better than my Spyder. The rear end steps out easily, but is easy to control. Much fun ahead, especially as the weather here is getting nice and cool (only 90 degrees!). Thanks to Jeff Sloan and the guys at British Auto Specialists, and to Jim Robertson for letting me ride in his car and also for referring me to Jeff. Looking forward to blats with any willing co-conspirators.http://www.usa7s.org/aspnetforum/upload/964753258_DSC00653.JPGhttp://www.usa7s.org/aspnetforum/upload/1973465412_DSC00654.JPGhttp://www.usa7s.org/aspnetforum/upload/1560777431_DSC00655.JPGhttp://www.usa7s.org/aspnetforum/upload/1346971800_DSC00656.JPG

$1100.00 to ship a big brake kit, racing fuel filler, petty strut, and some other odds and ends for my car, so I'm in at $4000.00+

My roll bar is the current Caged X brace FIA bar. When I was learning about them, I got the following info from Cody @ Caterham USA: The standard bar is made out of 16 gauge (.065” wall thickness) ERW steel, and as Jez told me is “cosmetic”. The FIA bar I sent you is made from .090” wall thickness cold rolled seamless steel and has been crash tested for FIA approval. I will take it back if you want, but that is the only other bar they make. The only other option is to go for a cage. The petty strut (bar from the roll bar to the passenger foot well) is a separate option. I got one of these as well, as it is easily removable. A little more info from Jeff @ British Auto: Received the roll bar. The hoop is only 1.5 inches as the original bar presently on the car is 1.75. The diagonal bars are the same for both. Do you know if Caterham offers the track day bar in the original size which is 1.75 inches. Don't think my customer will go for the smaller size bar. Why would a track bar be smaller in diameter? Oh,I know the answer........ it's Caterham. Please ignore the avatar image; it's a picture taken before I bought the car and had the mods done. When the car arrives (Saturday?!), I will post pictures.

Don't let GA DMVS force a Rebuilt branded title on you. Rebuilt means wrecked and rebuilt. GA can and will issue a "special construction" branded title: I had one on my Spyder. It took some work, but much better than a salvage title. Kit cars are handled by the DMVS Salvage Section: call the main number in Atlanta, stay on hold the requisite 30-45 minutes, then asked to be connected to the Salvage Section. When you get them, ask for a supervisor, leave a message with your cell phone number. They will call you back from a direct line; keep the number and handle all future business direct. The salvage section people can get you a list of inspection stations in various parts of the state. I had my car inspected at my dealership; the inspection was easy, but much follow up was required to get the special construction title (the inspector didn't know it was available, and wrote rebuilt on the inspection form). Of course, this was all in 2003, and some things may have changed since then, but Georgia is actually pretty lenient on kit cars. Good luck.

I had the car built as a complete car in 2003. There are several builders of both complete cars, and kits, just like with Sevens. Originals are worth $800,000 to $1,000,000+++, and are rarely seen outside of museums, concourse events, and vintage racing gatherings.

I thought I heard the sound of sudden wallet decompression...

Dave- The original cars came with full or half racing windscreens, not windshields, but US import regulations required the cars to have tops. The solution was a birdcage frame with a top stretched over it, and strapped to 4 dash loops. Original pictures exist, and boy was the top ugly. My loops are a cosmetic shout out to the original, commonly installed an more detailed builds of the car.

Per Mazdas request, a couple of pictures of my previous toy (now sold). I await the parts fairy from England for the upgrades Jeff at British Auto is putting on my SV; hopefully, I'll have the car sometime in August.http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/202319896_DSC01167.JPGhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1121233690_DSC02149.JPGhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1773767639_DSC02153.JPGhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/235828378_DSC02146.JPG