MichaelD

Good points all. However, by most standards, buying a Seven is not a rational decision. Period. But the members of this list know why those who have driven them all love them.

All I said in the Caterham pricing thread was "Sevens are the most fun you can have with your pants on" and now Mike is talking Debbie does Dallas and a Porn theme for his movie.

I believe all used Caterhams are now worth more money than they were before the new Caterham prices were posted. Buyers that feel those prices are to high will either buy a used Caterham or a different brand Seven to save money and still have a car "that's the most fun they can have with your pants on."

John does support a lot of race cars so this is his busy season.

John Esposito Quantum Mechanics 315 Riggs St., Oxford , CT 06478 203-463-8299 john@quantumechanics.com More info on them and T9s here: [url=http://www.topdocsracing.com/pdf-links][/url]http://www.topdocsracing.com/pdf-links __________________

The silver lining is that used pricing just went up.

Call John. He got mine fixed and back to me in under ten days.

Bummer. I had the same thing happen to mine last year. It is a very common problem with T9s. Sounds like the baulk gears. I sent mine via UPS from MD to CT for about $75 each way to: John Esposito Quantum Mechanics 315 Riggs St., Oxford , CT 06478 203-463-8299 john@quantumechanics.com More info on them and T9s here: http://www.topdocsracing.com/pdf-links

Klasik, That is about the same as mine. I run 5W-50 Mobile One and 93 pump gas.

Mike, Yes, I tried to trailer with a car cover on. Bad idea. Even with it strapped down to keep the wind out it only lasted about twenty miles before it tore apart. Don't worry. They have hoses at the track to wash off the dirt and bird droppings.

I like the UK site format much better as has more complete info and parts.

Not a very good site at first glance. Does not seem to offer much if any support for current owners.

Like the time you rode the bronco at the Texas Steak House. I still can't get that image out of my head. I look forward to the BarBQue and the creation of new memories and tales.

My motor is a Formula Atlantic motor built by QuickSilver Raceingines in Frederick, MD. The redline is set for 7,200 and the cams were kept somewhat mild so I can keep it on pump gas. That seems high enough for me and changing the oil after track events seems to be working for me. I would just like to see higher HOT Temp pressure. Any suggestions?

Mike, Mike & Tom have said it all. Think Safety, Safety and Safety first. Watch your mirrors and let the faster cars by when you feel safe to do so. Don't crowd slower cars and don't give or take point by's that can't be made safely before the next turn. Have fun. Drive safely. Enjoy the day and our time together on the track and after. I look forward to meeting new friends and being together with old ones again. See you all soon.

My concern is keeping the oil pressure up. Why would a billet pump be better thab a stock pump?

Good to have you aboard. Can't wait to hear your experiences.

Steve, Don't worry about the shine. Are you bringing the wife to NJ? It's not the same as Tuscany or Japan but maybe all the wives can all go to the beach together then join us for dinner.

Mondo, What track do you go to? They don't have the same cars at Summit Point, WV.

Setup morning, notes from Caterham Factory in Dartford Ride Height Description Measured from the chassis rail to the floor just in front of the wishbone attachment point. This needs to be a minimum of 140mm for the Academy, although it is generally set at 145mm minimum as there is little benefit to running on the limit and this doesn’t allow for any suspension sag or tyre wear. It should be checked regularly. Track miles will wear out tyres and cause suspension to settle and sag a little. Adjustment To raise the ride height, the upper platform at the bottom of the spring/damper unit should be screwed further up (compressing the spring more). To lower the ride height, the top platform should be loosened (decompressing the spring). Once set, the lower platform should be tightened up to lock them in place. Benefit Lowered centre of gravity of the car. This aids in all cornering, braking and accelerating. Drawback Little drawback other than grounding out or sailing too close to the wind with the regulations. Camber Description Camber is the angle off vertical that the tyre leans sideways. It can be positive, where the tyre leans outwards, or negative, where the tyre leans inwards. You will only ever want negative camber. The regulations allow for 3 degrees negative camber at the front. Adjustment Normally, this is set at 2-2.5 degrees for Academy cars. Front camber is adjusted by releasing the top wishbone from the upright. The ball joint assembly is on a thread and ‘tightening’ the ball joint onto the wishbone will increase negative camber and ‘loosening’ the ball joint will decrease the negative camber. Rear camber is possible to achieve with metal shim inserts. The De-Dion has in built camber and for the Academy, it is rare to add any different setting as this reduces traction under acceleration. Benefit Adding negative camber allows tyre to sit flat on the road when leaning over under cornering load, therefore increasing tyre contact patch and so, grip under cornering. Drawback In a straight line there is a reduced contact patch on the tarmac and therefore less grip available to accelerating and braking. Caster Description Caster is the angle around which the front tyres pivot when being turned. (The front wheel of a bike has lots of caster). Adjustment Front caster is adjusted using the lower wishbone, by using washers to push the attachment points forward or backward. Factory set is even with two washers either side of the attachment points. It can be moved forward or backward where all 4 washers are one side of the attachment points. Rear caster is not relevant as the tyres do not turn. Benefit When the wheel turns, the caster adds additional camber. It is a way of getting more camber at the front of the car without breaking regulations. Most race engineers will want to set large amounts of caster. Drawback The trade off is heavy steering, making it harder to finesse the car and the car is less sensitive at turn-in. Driving style will determine whether these drawbacks are costing more time the the additional camber offers in grip. Toe Description Toe is the angle that the wheels point away from parallel to each other. Where the front of the tyre is closer to the car than the back of the car, that is toe in. Where the front of the tyre is further away from the car than the back, that is toe out. Toe out is set for Caterham’s as this makes the car eager to turn. Adjustment Caterham’s are generally set with a toe out maximum in the region of 1.5 degrees per side at the front. You adjust the toe of the front tyres by turning the steering pushrods at either side of the car. This adjustment can also be used to centre a steering wheel that is slightly off centre. In order to measure the toe, you need to set up axle stands around the car with pieces of wood or similar across the front. Tie string around the wood so that it goes from front to back parallel to the side of the car. (The exact dimensions of the ‘box’ you create around the car doesn’t matter.) You then position the string box so that the centre of each wheel is exactly the same distance from the string. You can then measure the distance from the front and rear of each tyre out to the string and the difference between the measurements is your toe. Benefit The car is eager to turn into corners. It wants to be going around bends and so makes turn in more responsive and positive. Drawback The car is more unstable in a straight line and will tend to move about. The tyres pointing away from straight ahead also causes drag in a straight line on the tyre as it slips sideways slightly. Rake Description This is the amount that the rear of the car is set higher than the front of the car. Rake pushes more (raised rake) or less (lowered rake) weight onto the front of the car and therefore adds/reduces front grip. Lower rake lessens oversteer and increases understeer. Increased rake increase oversteer and reduces understeer. Adjustment Normally, this is set between 10-15mm higher than the front ride height. It is adjusted by raising / lowering the top platform of the rear dampers. Loosen off the lower platform, turn the top platform to adjust and then tighten the lower platform again once complete. Benefit / Drawback It’s more a case of driver preference and track requirements rather than benefits/drawbacks. It is a good way of adjusting the amount of oversteer in the car. Flat Floor Setup This doesn’t refer to the car sitting flat relative to the floor, it relates to the setup being carried out on a perfectly flat floor. For this reason, carrying out the adjustments for a flat floor is generally beyond the scope of an amateur builder. As the car sits on scales on the flat floor, the weight that the car is putting down at each corner can be measured. The weights can be adjusted by raising or lowering the damper platforms. In Caterham’s it is important to have the weight balance even across the front of the car to ensure maximum stability in braking. Repeat Process As each suspension component works in conjunction with all others, changing one will affect the others. Generally speaking, the setup and flat floor process is then carried out again until such time a geometry and weights are as good as they can be. Front Anti-Roll Bar Another element of the suspension that Academy cars have an option over is the front anti-roll bar. This bar dictates how much the car is able to lean over in corners. Academy cars are only fitted with a front bar and there are only 2 options. An orange bar, that the car is supplied with, and a red bar, that you can buy. Theoretically, a softer anti-roll bar should be quicker however, a harder anti-roll bar gives a far better feel to the car and therefore many opt to use the stiffer bar. However, in the wet, the orange bar would be preferable as you generally want to increase grip as much as possible in the wet. Full article here: http://www.academyracer.co.uk/setup-morning-notes-for-the-absent/

http://www.sjmmarsh.com/7files/Caterham%20CSR%20Superlight%20Suspension%20Set%20up.pdf

Registered at Marriott Fairfield Inn.

Mazda, Nice smile. Who did the paint job?

What happens without his speech writers. Uh, Ah, Ah, I Think, Ah

I haven't been in touch for a while but I prefer the "Born on Date" to the "Expiration Date".