
sdca7
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Location
San Diego
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Moving to Albuquerque this year, and bringing my Caterham R500 from California. Looking forward to spending some time at Sandia Raceway, and hopefully visiting some tracks in Colorado and Arizona. Any other Sevens in the Albuquerque area? Justin
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I've run both the A60 and A24 compounds on the Avon ZZR, and have really liked he A24. Great grip, good longevity, and very nice feel. Take a look at the Avon ZZR from Roger Kraus Racing. Even though they are heavier than the ACB10, they are much cheaper and very fast. Just ask for the A24 compound rather than the A60 compound. I have found the A24 ZZR to be nearly as fast as slicks, longer lasting, and far cheaper. Justin
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I called ATL last year to order the 10 gallon cell for my 2008 R500. It came in about 2 weeks, cost 2400 including fuel probe and gauge, and fit perfectly in the stock location. I had to also get an external fuel pump, and a fuel pressure regulator. The install was pretty easy. Justin
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I haven't had any problem with the A6 getting too hot - as a matter of fact, on some of our tracks I can't even get them up to the temperature I'd like to run them at! We have guys in SCCA T1 corvettes using the A6's for 30 minute races. They can work for 30 minute sessions, and are more durable than you'd think for road racing. You still have the "hero" laps where the first few sessions are incredibly fast, but even after a dozen heat cycles they are still pretty sticky. The sizes I run are 13 255/40 rear and 13 225/45 front. After using the ZZR's for a while, I feel that although they are a very good track tire, they are slower than the A6 or the Kumho V710. They feel great on track, but just don't have the traction that I had hoped for. They are probably an ideal tire to drive to the track on and then use for lapping, but not sticky enough for me. I am using the 13 215/55 rear and 13 185/55 front for the ZZR's. I wish they would release the ZZR in a softer compound like they did for limited production runs in the UK. I have tried 10 inch slicks on front and back like it seems that many of you use, but I don't tend to have any faster lap times than with 8 inch rears and 7 inch fronts. The most incredible setup I've tried so far is Avon A11's, 8 inch rear and 7 inch front. So much faster than the Hankook and Goodyear slicks I've tried, but not cheap! If I were wealthy enough, I would run Avon A11's all the time. But I will probably continue to run Hoosier A6's since they are much cheaper and very durable. I am mostly using the Caterham for fun, and to improve my driving skills. So even though it is entertaining to torture the Cup Cars and the Radicals with the Avons, I can live with losing a few seconds to them on the A6's! I'd love to hear any one else's opinions on tires they've tried. Justin
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Does anyone have an idea how to unlock the MBE computers that come on current Caterhams? I've spent a few hours googling, and it seems that there is a program floating around there to unlock the older MBE's, but I'm not sure this works for the newer ones. I would like to work on the mapping for my 2008 R500, but we are unable to because it is locked. I am e-mailing SBD to see what my options are. A new computer from them would be about $850. Ouch. Their site says: "Please note that all Cosworth & Caterham MBE ECUs are locked during manufacture, which means they cannot be modified in any way. You can only use the CAN mapping kit & Easimap 6 software for Real Time Viewing as an aid to diagnosing faults with sensors & replacement or setting up of throttle pots." http://www.sbdev.co.uk/Engine_Manage...rogramming.htm Among other threads, here is a recent one: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1338322 But it looks like current computers may not be so easily unlocked. Anyone found a way to get around this? Thanks, Justin
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Will look forward to seeing it! There aren't many options for a lightweight car with an aerodynamic body. I would love to see a hard top version of it.
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I love it! Randy, do you know if they will have a cage for it? Or how much side impact protection there is without the cage? This really looks like a wonderful car. Justin
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Thinking of selling my seven for a 911. Any input?
sdca7 replied to Robert O. Urfer's topic in General Sevens Discussion
You certainly do get "thumbs up" at least once a block when driving a seven! -
Thinking of selling my seven for a 911. Any input?
sdca7 replied to Robert O. Urfer's topic in General Sevens Discussion
Funny how many of us who own sevens also have or had Porsches and Corvettes. I've had all three too, and they are certainly all very different cars, with different purposes. Don't sell the Porsches short though on either the road or the track. My 996 turbo is a blast both on and off track. It has the right bits, so runs about the same lap times as my R500. I much prefer the Porsche on the road. It's no cadillac, but I never want to get out of it. Even long drives, I am sad when I get there and have to stop driving it. Z06's are fantastic values, so are a great option. But if you can afford to maintain a Porsche (which can be very expensive), they are extremely rewarding cars! Hence the almost fanatical following. Justin -
I had the ZZR's out on track this weekend. I was only able to go out for a few sessions due to some electrical gremlins who came along for the ride. But my first impression is that the ZZR's are a wonderful track tire. Good feedback, great grip, and probably only a second or two slower than medium compound slicks. When I chase away the gremlins, I will take them back out for a head-to-head with some sticky tires and report back. Justin
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I had the clear brake light cover like those on your car, and found that they were less easily seen than the standard brake light covers. Even though the clear light covers with LED's look cool, you might consider changing out to standard brake light covers. Also, since our brake lights are mounted lower than most cars, I just installed a brake light bar on the roll bar - this is something everyone should consider! Justin
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Simon, I have several people who have expressed interest. I will check with them again in the order that they contacted me and let you know. Justin
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I track a turbocharged larger car, and the "lag" really isn't a problem. Even the smallest engines in sevens have enough power to throttle steer through corners, and you don't need tons of low end torque on the track. And on track your revs will be up anyway, so there is always some pressure built up. You really could argue that in many situations a big turbo which does not come on strong at lower rpm's will give you lots of potential power on the straights, where you really need it, without the excessive low end grunt that can make it difficult to manage the throttle coming out of corners. Either way, I have found that the "turbo lag" has not been a problem for me on track, even with a heavy car and huge turbos. That being said, I would prefer to put a Rotrex on my seven if it were easy to do! Someone come up with a kit for us!
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I do not know of anyone specifically. Caterham sells the rear seals, so that part should be easy to replace, but I don't know about the rest. Justin
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I am hoping they will live up to all the hoopla! I've seen a few comments on the internet of people who were ordering them to try them, but not a lot comparing lap times to slicks or other R compound tires. I will see how they compare in lap time to the Hoosier A6's, and if not considerably different, will try the Avon slicks in A11 or A53 next. I love trying new track tires. Would buy a few sets a year if my wallet would cooperate. Justin