scannon

My Caterham is the Roadsport SV model and came with non adjustable coilovers. I added an adjustment sleeve which has about 3" of thread to work with for corner weighting purposes. I don't know how much that 3" translates to the range of height adjustment. If you do a system like this you will have to realign your suspension each time you change the height.

My Caterham has about 2.5" clearance under its Miata oil pan. I am very careful about rocks, road debris and speed bumps. Last time I looked there was a very small but fresh scratch on one of the oil pan's fins. I was trying to make my way through a neighbor hood with speed bumps this summer and each one seemed to get larger. I finally went up on one very cautiously and when the wheels started down the other side the pan grounded out very gently. I backed up and turned around and made my way out. That was the only speed bump I have encountered that I couldn't get over. The fact that I had a 240+ lb passenger probably contributed to the problem. I have adjustable coilovers and could raise the car but it is set at the correct frame to ground height and I don't want to change that. The car is running 205/45-16 tires for the street and 205/50-15 front and 225/50-15 rear tires for the track. The dry sumps I have looked at for the Miata gain you less than an inch and are quite pricey. Raising it that much just leaves the bellhousing (which is part of the transmission casting) as the next item to hit.

It is much harder and more expensive to get 200 hp out of a normally aspirated Miata engine than it is to turbo a stock 1.8 motor with 10 - 12 psi boost. Depending on which ECU you use you will probably get around 220 hp. The N/A Miata motors get very peaky up there around 200 hp. Another solution if you are wanting only 200 hp in a Miata engine is to use a smaller turbo which will feel very much like an N/A motor as there is no lag. You will give up some on the top end. It is also easy to upgrade when 200 isn't enough HP anymore. A friend did this on a 1.6 Miata motor and was very satisfied with the results of the small turbo.

A cheaper and IMHO better way to go is with an earlier Miata 1.8 engine and 5 speed transmission. These engines are far stronger than the Duratecs if you want to go for big hp. They were turbo engines in the Mazda 323 GTX/GTR cars. They fit nicely in to a Caterham SV chassis although sump clearance is a little low but I am careful and have not hit anything in 6,000+ miles of driving. The best year is a '99 - '00 engine. It has the best head and does not have the VVT. The engine in my Cat is an '00, completely stock except for turbo, manifold, injectors and a Hyrda ECU. It dyno'd at 301 HP at the wheels and 262 lb ft of torque. People have pushed built up versions of this engine to 660 hp and 500+ lb ft. Should satisfy most anyone's desire for a good power to weight ratio. In my car that would yield a 2.045 lb/HP figure. I'm perfectly happy with a mere 4.45 lb/hp figure and the car is not high strung or finicky at all in traffic or on the highway.

Before anyone gets excited about trying to buy this car, I know the owner and have been trying to pry it loose from him for several years. Its not for sale.

A new Orange for Al?

I have the PC680. No problems for three years starting my Miata engine. I don't have any accessories for it to support other than a radar detector which shuts off when the key is turned off. It weighs 15 lb. I got it through a Google search for about $95 delivered from some place in the NE USA.

Welcome aboard Kenny. The best thing for you to do is to find and drive several different types of Se7en to make sure the car itself is the one you want. They can be quite different from brand to brand, then determine what engine you want. I drove FM's Westfield when it had a bone stock 1.6 Miata engine with only a Link ECU, no turbo. The car's acceleration amazed me even though I had just been giving demo rides to people in my Caterham. Had the Westfield Miata version been available when I bought my Caterham I probably would now own a Westfield (with a turbo Miata motor). The engine in my Caterham is an internally bone stock 1.8 liter Miata engine with the addition of a turbo, manifold, intercooler, larger injectors and a Hydra ECU. It makes 301 RWHP and is as easy and pleasant to drive as any Miata. Right up until you floor the GO pedal. Then your right hand better be on the shifter and one eye on the tach as you have less than 2 seconds in 1st gear. Miata engines were engineered for turbos from the get go and very reliable. They only get high strung when you try to get big HP without a turbo. Those engines cost far more than adding a turbo to a stock engine. The big difference between a turbo Miata engine and a stock Honda S2000 engine is the bottom end torque. There is no comparison. Drive an FM turbo'd Miata and then the S2000 and you will see what I'm getting at. If you get to the Denver area, stop by for a test ride.

Can I get a Lotus Twin Cam version for my smaller deck?

Those nozzles look to be about the size of those on a 3rd stage Peacekeeper missile. Four of them should be sufficient to put that lightweight Elise straight up into orbit.

V-Robb, What are the specs on the car you drove? I want the green one at the front of the queue, badly. Skip

Original factory roll bar that came with the car. Replaced with the FIA bar. Good shape, never tested its ability in a rollover accident. $50 plus shipping from 80516

New, still in the plastic wrapper. Center zipper. I bought this thinking I had ruined the first one in the installation process. Turns out the original works so this one is for sale. $225 plus shipping from 80516. Probably fits the CSR series as well.

I find my Caterham to be quite stable at 130 mph and have driven it many miles over 100 mph. It has cycle wings and a CSR260 chin spoiler and nose whiskers which help a bit. The spoiler is hard to see in the photos as it is black and mostly covered with the license plate.

Could this be the "black" Al was referring to?

Here's another suggestion from my friend in Arizona: By the way, it is not clear on the last leg of the trip back into Prescott the planned route. It looks like 169, but I'd bear a little to the south across the top of Phoenix, Wickenberg, and north into Prescott on White Spar Road. Another relatively worthless 'by the way': There is essentially no 'real' town called Pumkin Center. There might be one building with a sign on it or something, but it nothing more than a cute bumpkin sounding name.

I agree on the Colorado 550. It is a fantastic road, I've had a few fun dices with sport bikes on that road in my Miata. None of them could keep up. If it would work with the rest of the trip, I'd vote for it's inclusion

Roman, Did you give up on the Miata motor and install a Honda S2K???

Hey Al, If you find a 200+ mph Se7en, I want a ride.

I asked a friend who is a native of the area his opinion on the route, here are his comments: 89A, 191 and 60 are fine roads, definitely in the top 5 Arizona roads. Depending on where you are from, you will be variously impressed. Sedona is interesting to people who have not seen it. Strip mines are visible from 191. Traffic and enforcement are usually light on 191 and 60. Of course Colorado US 550 is better. The route is generally on the Mogollon Rim and White Mountains. Expect low of 30-40F in Show Low and high of 60-70F. At lower elevation Punkin Center about 50-60 low and 70-80 high (although 90 F is possible in April). Snow anywhere on this route in April would be totally freak.

I've seen 130 on the speedo on two different tracks with the regular windscreen. Car was stable but the wind buffeting was pretty bad. Nothing fell off. I've had passengers at that speed a couple of times and none of them commented on it, perhaps they didn't look at the speedo or had their eyes shut. Car was still accelerating when I hit the brakes but at a MUCH lower rate than when I turned onto the straight at about 75 mph. One of these days I will get around to finishing the Brooklands screens and find out if I can get a higher speed at the end of the straight.

How much of that is dirt, Gert? I'm interested.

Does carbon fiber block radar? If not you could mount it on that center support tab of the windscreen. That would keep it dry when driving in the rain.

What a gorgeous car. What a great track day car (assuming it can be made to turn left AND right). Think of all the passengers you could terrify with that baby. I'll bet it pulls a lot more than $40k

Are you going to have them added in the V-nose as well?