rnr

We should do lunch one of the days when you are in town. I work in Berkeley and try to drive my Seven in once a week.

What is the weight of the original hood? I'm impressed and would like to know more about the process. Would love to make some interior pieces on my car.

The plug with a wire looks like a standard threaded sensor+drain plug to me (pic of mine below). The position is definitely not stock (should be at the right front of the car) but it should work to drain the oil just fine. You could help it drain better by jacking up the opposite corner of the car as well. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7391/12711387475_55978cb35a.jpg

The bolt with the wire might be the drain plug - I have the oil temp sensor in the drain plug of my car.

My car originally came with 235 RT615s all around as well and would slide around everywhere. The 235/275 NT01s were a huge upgrade as they are a true R-compound (like the R888) Its not a giant difference so if it costs more than $100 bucks to switch I would just stick with what you have already bought. For future sets I would suggest the narrow sizes as they are lighter, cheaper and warm-up faster. Also look into the Nitto NT01s as they are the same compound as the R888 but a lot cheaper.

I am 215/245 and they do warm up a little faster than my old 235/275 set. Plus they are quite a bit lighter as well.

Who did you speak to at VW - was it engineering or some customer service person? While I don't doubt the statement itself the fact is that unless if came from the head of engineering it will not carry much weight in the real world. We have all had interns answer the phone and say/do dumb thing and what they said to you sounds like a remarkable PR blunder regardless of the truth of the statement.

I had the windshield on my Elise explode at ~45 mph on a country road. It looks like something hit it but I did not see anything and there was nothing at the site of the impact. AAA glass coverage meant it cost me $50 for a $1200 repair. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7090/7174883807_1d9d562a80.jpg

I havent ever driven a Seven with a V8 but I am sure it would be a hoot. To me it would come down to how it was going to be used. I'd probably prefer a high revving I4 on the track and a relaxed V8 for the street. Which is not to say that the V8 would be slow on track - instead its power would both mask my deficiencies and likely terrify me in the braking zones.

Le Mans winners routinely do over 3000 miles in the race so it will have to have a pretty decent life if they plan on completing the race. 3k is probably more than most Sevens get driven in a year.

16 cell. Also check amazon for prices - I got mine for ~$200

Good to know. If blatchat regulars see updates it would be great if you could post a link here as well

I hope this will still happen even though Terry has left the forums

Use the Ballistic Lithium - it has no direct CCA rating but they do have an FAQ on why: http://www.ballisticparts.com/tech/faq.php Been running my S2K lump for over a year and 4k+ miles http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8330/8393755404_0a4c4ef998.jpg http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8492/8393756634_9d84def88b.jpg

I had terrible luck with the PC 925 going through 2 of them in 3 years. Been using a Evo2 lithium for the past year and things have been fantastic with faster cranking and 22 lbs saved. Plus it has no issues sitting for a couple of months without a trickle charger.

Found some more info on their website: http://www.zenoscars.com/zenos-range/e10/ Sounds like the price is all inclusive and the launch edition cars (http://www.zenoscars.com/zenos-range/e10/e10-launch-edition/) have a a few extras and are priced at ~29K GBP. No mention of kit or US plans means they may not be coming over here at all.

The final product looks very much like a 211 and is priced at 25k GBP: http://skiddmark.com/2014/01/zenos-e10-available-now-just-24995/ Not clear if that price is assembled with engine or just the kit

If only the 211 was street legal here - I imagine a lot of Seven owners would at least seriously consider it if not switch all together. The Zenos project is interesting if for no other reason than the Caterham pedigree of the people involved - I guess we'll find out on thursday

Was a chilly 44F when I came in to work this morning. ;-) http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3722/11820084814_df83e61a2c.jpg

1400 and 200 hp is waaaay faster than an Elise. The federal Elise was 1950 lbs and 189 bhp and the fastest S1 was 1600 and 143 bhp.

Great article on Zenos cars which was founded by the former MD of Caterham http://skiddmark.com/2014/01/behind-story-zenos-cars/ An older article about their tech: http://skiddmark.com/2013/09/zenos-cars-breaks-mold/ Their new car is launching of Thursday and should be interesting.

Sevens are smog exempt in CA. Originals are too old and SB100 kit cars have a lifetime exemption

If you like driving a Seven (and not everyone does) you will have fun at all speeds regardless of the engine. The sensory experience is unique and is fun even in slow traffic. As for speed the weight difference means they are fast regardless - the S2K puts down just 162 lb/ft but can spin its wheels in 3rd gear.

And I am trying to state that it is not only the 10 commandments or christianity at work. Most civilized societies have gravitated towards fairly similar value systems since before christianity and will continue to do so well whether or not they have heard of Jesus. Plus what you call christian values (and I call social values) have changed radically over time (slavery, segregation, gay marriage) while the bible and the 10 commandments have not which to me is more proof that social value systems are not tied to christianity or any single religion. They are certainly influenced by various religions including Christianity but they are also impacted by leaders and philosophers (Confucius, Lincoln) so to call them only "Christian values" does a disservice to everyone else that has affected our society.