Bster13

I always traveled with string plug kit and rubber cement for plugging motorcycle tires plus a small set of tools. Looks like a lot of you do the same. :cheers:

My trips generally consist of backroad twisties. If I'm heading south, I most likely will bomb down I-81 to make some time though and get out of the congested NYC area. (as nice as the twisties are in the NE, it isn't worth my vaca time to take them when I can scoot down the highway and get to the good stuff ) I plan to wear a helmet 24/7 with the car w/ earplugs (habit w/ bikes) and install an intercomm between myself and a passenger. I can wire in music here as well. Hopefully the helmets/earplugs quiet things down a bit, but I understand the car will not be quiet, it is minimalist afterall. If reliability is not a real worry for you guys (provided a good build and drive train) then I will try to take in as much as I can on the drive on the 19th to see if the suspension and other factors are too much or just right for my taste. I am 32 yrs old and really enjoyed getting on the road at 8am and finishing at dusk during those long summer days. Granted with a passenger the time on the road will be cut down significantly.

I spoke to a forum member who tours a bit and it brought into question the 7 replica's ability to tour for a few thousand miles without mechanical/electrical trouble. I'm wondering who trusts their 7 to tour these distances, and if you don't, what sort of tool and spare parts do you arm yourself with while on your trip? I'm trying to weigh if the 7 is the right vehicle for me... I am confident it will give me the fun factor, but if the car is not relatively reliable (we are assuming the person who put the car together did a good job and it was made from a decent kit), and I will have to worry about things vibrating lose, or electrical connections getting water in them, or worse yet the drive train going (not likely if you keep the drivetrain stock as this is a mass built item), then it might not be for me. I used to enjoy endless, carefree miles with my Honda touring bikes. Most I ever had to do was fix a flat tire: http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v360/90/8/17506531/n17506531_31391988_7228.jpg If the 7s tend to need a little more (too much for me?) TLC while on the road, a turbo miata might be the next step towards reliability, but a loss in fun factor. Thanks for your input!

I will be at the drive on the 19th!

Looking forward to it, thanks for the offer Croc. I might be the weirdo with a helmet on (Haven't decided yet. Can't help it, I used to feel naked on the bike w/out one ). but I'll be there.

Urge the new owner to sell the car to me. Thx.

New June 19th thread: http://usa7s.com/vb/showthread.php?t=5092

New June 19th thread: http://usa7s.com/vb/showthread.php?t=5092

Subscribed..hoping to get a ride in a seven as a future owner. I am in Norwalk, CT.

Grrrr... I forgot I'm booked this wknd. I'll keep an eye out in that forum though, thx.

I have an EVO IX, I'd love to see how it compares by following at the back of the pack, but most likely I'd enjoy being a passenger more and getting as much time in a seven as possible. I appreciate the invitation. I'll check out the thread.

Thank you for the details powderbrake. Sorry about that I've updated my profile. I am in Norwalk, CT and willing to drive a few hours in any direction for a ride. Heck, I'll even pick up lunch! I posted on the WCM Yahoo group (http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Ultralite_USA/) looking for a ride as well, but no luck yet. Unfortunately there are no super stalkers around me either. Just one stalker that runs, but is not currently insured/registered, but I did get to sit in it and hear it run.

@Powderbrake. Hrmm tough to know how big that tank is then. Looks like your tank is at least 10 gallons, all depends on how many gallons you can burn up b4 you start sputtering with the fuel pickup. If you're out cruising the highway (pls. specify whether u have helmet/earplugs or not), will 4k RPMs get to you over time?

Ok, so I'm convinced on the race track, it's a wash...comes down to the driver, tires and setup. Both cars work well in that environment. My questions now turns to touring... MPG and Tank Range. These cars had the engines that are in the two 7s I am considering, or very similar. I know stuffing that engine in a 7 makes a completely different ballgame, but hey it's something: 2002 Pontiac GXP (auto) City / HW. / Avg. 16 mpg / 25 mpg / 19 mpg 2007 Honda S2000 (manual) 18 mpg / 24 mpg / 20 mpg The Stalker has a 10 gallon tank I believe, and the owner of the S2k says the same. Which has a better tank range in your opinion? (Stalker has 3.42 gears, S2k has 4.44) Weather protection. It looks like I'm on my own for both cars, I can accept that. Highway/Crusing backroads. From what I read, the stalker will seemingly "idle" along at low RPMs when cruising. Speaking to another S2k owner, the S2k would be at 4k RPM from his best guess (he AutoXs the car mostly) and he has 4.08 gears as opposed to 4.44 like the S2k for sale. I would think the Stalker would be more liveable in this case while touring. Luggage. Powderbrake, great pics, thanks for taking the time to post them. That certainly is bigger that the trunk space available in the stalker I visited in person last Saturday. Here is the pic of the rear trunk on the S2k for sale: http://crashton.smugmug.com/Cars/Desktop/CRA9578/782235600_5gEjc-L.jpg @Powderbrake. I'm not sure if that looks like the same tank and resultablt trunk space as your car, but if it is, than there is a discrepancy as the current owner is telling me he thinks he has 10gallon tank, and you state your tank in 13 gallons. That would certainly make a big difference in tank range. But advantage S2k in trunk space none the less.

@Mondo: The only pic I see showing the inside the trunk is this one: [/url]http://usa7s.net/vb/album.php?albumid=2&pictureid=94 I don't see any other unfortunately. @WestTexasS2k That's insane compared to the Stalker I saw in person. There is no storage space on the Stalker in the trunk that I can see. I'd really like some other pics and have been scouring Google Image results with no luck. As for all out performance between the two cars I've been able to find only two sites that list any accomplishments at the Run and Gun events where they go head to head: http://www.angelfire.com/biz6/stalkerv6/ and http://www.automobilsport.com/%20wcm-best-ultralite-classic-performance-cars-brian-anderson-world-class-motorsports-heritage-dodge-viper-mustangs-automobilsport---6937.html Very difficult to make heads or tails of it and the Run and Gun website (http://www.runngun.net/) doesn't tell you what car won, just the owner. Oh well. :boxing:

Let me try: http://www.usa7s.net/vb/picture.php?albumid=2&pictureid=94 Is there a cover for that in case it rained to protect your items? Thanks again!

Thanks very much for the softbits link Mondo, never seen that before. Perhaps I can use some of those ideas to handcraft some stuff. Unfortunately the pic of your trunk did not come through. Could you post a link perhaps? And does "Loren" have a screen name or a way I could contact him/her? thx.

GBOLT, good to know you fit. WestTexasS2k - your lap times 4 sec with your WCM vs. a Stalker? I guess it may come down to the driver in the end. Great point about the trucnk. Might u have a pic? I've seen the inside of the Stalker's trunk, not much there at all. I'd love to see the rear of a WCM S2k for comparison. Maybe not enough space to go away for a week, but perhaps for a day's outing.

It's very hard evaluating cars from such a distance away. Simple things like "do I fit in it?" come to mind very quickly. But hearing the base Stalker V6 this Saturday....yeah Buell comes to mind. Definitely. hehe.

I am considering two used Seven replicas. One is a Brunton Super Stalker with a "locker" differential, registered as a 1962 Lotus. The other is registered as a 2006 WCM Ultralite S2k with WRX limited slip diff. This is what I plan to do with my Seven replica and questions/considerations i have on my mind: - Take a week long trip at least once a year, and plenty of long wknds on backroads. I used to play in the Smokey Mountains a lot on my touring bike and wish to return. - Occasional trackday/HPDE. I know both cars will spank the average car on the track with a decent driver, but given the same driver, which car is going to put in a faster lap time? I know it is common for the Stalkers to go from 15 (or 16?) in wheels to 13in slicks on the track. Is it common to do that for the WCM Ultralite S2k as well? WCM Ultralite S2k: Horsepower 240 @ 8300 rpm Torque 153 lb-ft @ 7500 rpm 1240 lbs Brunton Super Stalker: 250hp @ 5200 rpm 290tq @ 3600 rpm 1550 lbs More torque w/ the Stalker, but less weight with the WCM. Which wins out in a straight line? The differentials are a little bit confusing: WCM Ultralite S2k- From the WCM website: "Subaru WRX with Limites Slip centers, hubs and axles. 10 bars IRS differential." Brunton Super Stalker- From the owner: "Detroit TrueTrac differential." From what I can research, the TrueTrac is a "locker" differential, not a true LSD (?). From my reading, the locker only works going straight. You really want an LSD for track days. 1-way, accel. 1.5 - accel, some decel. 2-way - both. - Weather protection. The car does not need to protect me from the elements necessarily. I'm used to wearing rain gear and I plan on wearing a helmet/ear plugs. But.. the cars needs to just run well in the rain, have drain holes in the floor, and have (vinyl?) seats, dash and cockpit that will be up to the task. - Tank range over 250 miles while cruising would be nice. The Stalker runs with 3.42 gears and the WCM S2k Ultralite runs with 4.44 rear end. Both have 10gal tanks. - Cockpit room. I recently sat in a local Stalker. My GF was fine in the passenger seat, but at 5-10, 190lbs, my legs were cramped. The owner was 5-7, 5-8, so I'm betting the foot pedals have some room to move back. I keep hearing of all these big guys fitting in Stalkers just fine...hrmmm. Would anyone say the WCM Ultralite S2k is bigger/smaller in leg room? - Luggage. This is something neither car has I've come to find. I want to take a passenger on my trips. I like this design: http://home.earthlink.net/~slomove/id12.html, but the other option is the car on the left (It's a stalker, don't know who owns it, but I screen-captured it from a video I saw): http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b50/bster13/Super_Stalker_Givi1.jpg - Reliability. My gut gives the reliability factor to the WCM Utralite S2k's drivetrain, but if the super-charged GM engine in the Super Stalker goes, they are cheap to replace. The Super Stalker look cheaper to replace parts if need be overall, but I kinda think the engine will be stout/reliable too. The Super Stalker is easier to get more power out of as it is already forced induction (not likely going to want more). - Community. The Brunton owners have a private forum, but at least they have one. They also have the yearly get-together down in the Smokeys called the "Ambush." I'm not aware of a user community w/ the WCM owners or get-togethers. Anyone know of any? I always appreciated the riding community. Yes, I know it's a lot of thoughts in one post, but I don't want to get this wrong. I miss motorcycling a ton.. the sites I saw, the people I met etc., and this is my way to get it back. Cheers!

Hello afs. I am in the market. I am considering cars like yours and the brunton super stalker. Can you tell me how you think your car differs from the brunton, or some of the positive points? -How "all-weather" is your car? I plan to drive around the country in mine and do track days. -If you got caught in a downpour, how would the car make out? -Drain holes in the floor? -Are the seats vinyl or leather? -What sort of MPG do you average cruising on the highway? -Tank range and size? -How hard would it be to modify the roll bar to make it a full cage? -How would you car's exhaust loudness rate vs. a harley, sportbike, corvette w/ aftermarket exhaust? When you start it up and drive out of your neighborhood at a sane pace, are you waking the dead? Turning heads? Going unnoticed? Thanks in advance, and good luck with the sale!

Which Zetec engine is this? ZX 1...2.0 liters hydraulic lifters Ford Contour to 1997. ZX 2...2.0 litres, solid lifters Exhaust valve timing variable. It has a bump for the sensor on the valve cover above cyl #1. Found in Contour late 97 up, Ford Escort ZX2 Coupes, Mercury Cougar. ZX 3....2.0 litres, solid lifters. (Ford Focus ZX3)

How big is the fuel cell in this car? I'm interested in it's touring range. Any performance numbers for this car w/ regards to 0-60 or 1/4 mile? What state of tune is the engine in? HP/TQ? Thanks, and GL with the sale. Bryce