Klasik-69

Ok, I give up. What's the liquid oxygen for ? Are we talking NOS ? Best set up I ever saw was the Tennessee Porsche club that came over to Roebling several years ago. There were about 12 rigs and at least 8 had the full toterhome deluxe chassis pulling a double stacker trailer. The inside of the trailers were shiny white aluminum adorned with aluminum diamond plate cabinets and work stations. Half of the cars were either GT2 or GT3 and 2 or 3 were GT3 cup cars (no windows, quick change wheels, full race clutch and sequential trannies). Just their double stacker trailer cost more than my entire rig including the Z06. Some of the toterhomes go for over $300K, $130K for the double stacker, and then add about $180K for a GT3. Money can't buy happiness but it can sure buy a lot of other things. By the way, they looked better than they drove.

Very nice, almost like staying home.

Well stated. When I had my F250HD with the twin turbo 6.5L diesel (twin turbo means it drinks fuel faster) my mileage at 75 to 80 mph was around 8. If I dropped to 65, it would go up to 10 to 10.5. If I got behind a semi and really got up close (Yikes that's stupid) my mileage would go up to 13 or more at 80 mh. F250 was too rough riding so I traded it in for a long wheelbase F150 King Ranch with built in brake controller and electonic sway control. Good ride, all the luxuries of a caddie, and pulls fuel like I owned an oil well, maybe 7 mpg at 75 mph, and maybe 8.5 at 65-68 mph. Like you said, its the width and not the length that's important (Does this sound like an Extenz commercial :smilielol5:) Having said all that, I'm not thinking about building a small single axle open tilt trailer like the one Brunton sells for going to autoX and other closer events. I'd still take the 24' trailer to major track events.

Wow ! Where do you put the car ? I have a 24' trailer too and can't see having all that and still fit the car inside. You did a great job, very nicely laid out, very comfy ! I also recommend an enclosed trailer so long as you have the vehicle to pull it. Mine weights 7200 lbs with the Miata in it, likely about 6200 lbs with the Lotus. Weight isn't as big an issue as the billboard wind effect. My Tahoe will pull it but it really strains and side wind makes me want a drink. My F150 crew cab 4x4 with electronic sway control makes for a much better tow. Having air conditioning, a generator, an air compressor, a variety of tools and spare wheels make track events more fun. I don't know that you have as much of a heat issue up north but down here in Florida, going in the trailer between runs and cooling off with the A/C running is very beneficial. By the way, I bought my trailer new for $5k but had to do everything else myself. So the Pace trailer already fitted at $5K is a very good price. Compared to the Pace, my trailer is pretty crappy.

I emailed Sam yesterday and received a reply last night from her. Apparently in order to participate in their Blatchat, you have to join the club and pay 47.50 british pounds per year (around $70). I would join if I could use the club's benefits in any way. However, adding one more club to my current roster (and dues) becomes a burden. Already a member in the local Corvette club, the SCCA, NASA, Chin, PBOC and probably a few others I can't remember. I'll just read their postings, that part is always available. Thanks guys for helping out.

Thanks for the help. I really enjoy this forum but am curious as to the take from the other side of the pond. I'll let you know if anyone contacts me.

I thought the british forum for these cars may be interesting so I joined the Lotus 7 club in merry old England so I could participate on their Blatchat. No problem registering and getting signed on to their club but it seems I'm having difficulty being allowed to participate on the Blatchat forum. I'm required to register for that as well, and in doing so I'm asked for my membership club number which they say is on my club membership card. Obviously I don't have one so I can't get any further. I've emailed them twice asking them about their requirements.............no answers. Anyone out there tried or are participating in their forum ? If so, clue me in.

I wasn't sure if the two were identical but from the outside, they sure look like they have a lot in common. I haven't had either one apart. Apparently they're not the same. I just thought that since Ford and Mazda were collaborating so much in the past, these might have something in common. I just went on line to look at the latest Hoosier tire sizes in the R6 compound and 13" diameter. I have the original 13" Caterham wheels that came with the car but wanted to share the Miata race rubber to cut costs and hence installed wheel adapters and the Miata wheels. However, now I see Hoosier has the 225-45ZR13 tires available which would effectively lower my final drive ratio and give me 121 mph @ 7000 rpm in 4th gear and possibly enable me to shift into 5th to up the speed a little .....maybe not. Not sure. It could be the drop in torque at a lower rpm may not raise the top speed. $800 tire experiment ? I don't see the problem in adding squirt holes for the pistons assuming I can get my machine shop to do it. However, if I can massage this car to do what I want as a NA, I would be better off. This car means more to me than the Miata. If I trash the Miata, no big deal. I would like to keep the 7 as pure to the original spirit as possible.

I spoke with several people about either a turbo or supercharger for the Zetec and was told this engine doesn't do well with either choice. Jon @ Caterham advised against it for several reasons, one of which there is very little space available for the intercooler on a Caterham chassis layout. I agree with him on that. William at CFM said it has been tried many times with big dollars spent and disastrous results. I assume he means the thing blows up. However, if you look at the Mazda 1.8 Liter engine in my Miata (don't laugh), the engine seems pretty similar. Ford and Mazda were partners for many years during the development of the Zetec and I wonder how much they do have in common. Also, the Miata engine does very very well with turbos or SC's. If I remember correctly, Scannon has an incredible Mazda powered 7 with a turbo pumping out big power. However, I believe his is the SV whereas mine isn't. All that being said, I'd rather do a little here and there, more or less massage this car into getting a little more top end since the rest of the car is in my opinion nearly perfect. Its like wearing a big sneeker with wheels underneath. I would never want to compromise the handling of this incredible car. Dallasdude, thanks for the graph, it really illustrates well the speed vs gear vs rear end. It illustrates the benefit of a close ratio tranny in keeping the engine in the power curve. Since I doubt I'll have the budget to change the gearbox, I may want to entertain the change in the rp of the rear end. I think Jon @ Caterham has them in stock or perhaps someone on the forum has a used one not being used that I can buy after massaging the aero of the car, should the need still exist.

I would be remiss if I didn't thank all the guys who chimed in to help me. It also gave me an opportunity to kind of meet you guys. So to dallasdude, croc, rnr, kitcat, yellowss7, KiwiBirkin, JimRankin, hoefi, pi7ot, and DeanG (and anyone else if I missed someone), thanks for the help and all your valuable info. You guys are a wealth of information and a lot of fun to chat with. I hope to see you guys on a track somewhere. However, it does seem like everyone is spread out everywhere...........New Zealand being the furthest away.

The tire size I use is the 205-50ZR15 which if my calculations are right is about 23 inches. As far as rear end ratios available, you're quite correct that the 3.92 is the lowest ratio available. In fact, according to Jon @ Caterham, its either 3.62 or 3.92 at this time. There could be some old stock laying around on either side of those ratios. The 6 speed gear box seems more in line for this car and what I intend to do with it. No doubt, the Duratec is the better option unless you already have the Zetec (which I do). Yes, I thought about pumping up the HP and talked to William at CFM in Orlando about cams and pistons. By the time you buy the parts and have the head re-worked, cost is likely to be around $6K and the HP gains may be around 40 or 50 HP. Or about $120 per HP. And as you pointed out, how much HP will be needed to get to 140 MPH ? I don't even want to try to get to that level. 130 would suit me well, and 125 would make me smile. If I could go on a diet, I could lose maybe...........well, never mind, it may be easier to buy the horsepower than to gain the willpower. I contacted Cosworth for engine quotes. A 290 HP 2.3L Duratec was around $18,000. I could buy a LS9 with 638 HP for less but, yes I know, it won't fit in the R300, and I don't have an extra $18,000 laying around anyway. I'm going to be running this car in the SEDIV TT and I think if I can get a little more on top, I should be in good shape. I'll need to sharpen up my corners to make up the other shortcomings.

Yeah, :iagree:. How many times have you heard the Miata guys say "its a momentum car and it will make you faster !" Yeah, I know how it will make me faster, I jump into the Z06 or the 7, and then I go faster. Actually, I'm in the process of installing a turbo in the little bugger (Miata), and that will make me faster too. Ever notice the Miata owners are the ones happy doing 55 mph on the interstate when the speed limit is 70.............give me a breakkkkkkkkkkkk.

I guess from what you're saying, what I posted for ratios may not be the right ratios. Now I'm not sure what I have. I'll have to jack up the car, mark the driveshaft, shove it in first and rotate the engine until the shaft turns 1 turn and see how many engine turns it took to be sure. I would think if I know 1st gear, the rest follow true to form (???). Also from the ratios you show on the 6 speed, this would work a lot better for track use as it gives me a wider range of choices to keep my engine at its peak power band. Oh God, more $$$. Better not buy another tranny, the wife will leave me, and that will cost me a lot more than a tranny !! My perception on the track with the car: Acceleration is excellent in 1st, 2nd and 3rd. 4th is a bit of drop off. On some tracks (Sebring turn 7) I do drop into 2nd but for the most part its only 3rd and 4th, even at Barber. If I go into 5th, may as well slam on the brakes (hey, a good emergency braking option). My thought (feel free to kick me to the curb): If I help aero a little, lower the rear ratio to allow me to use 5th, overall trackability will improve (????) Please keep in mind I took off the 13" wheels with the Avon CR500 tires and using the 15x7 wheels, which likely didn't help me on the top end since I increased my overall wheel diameter.

I have some solid specs on the transmission and rear end for those of you analyzing where I am and where I could improve; Standard T9 5 speed 1st - 3.65:1 2nd - 1.97:1 3rd - 1.37:1 4th - 1.00:1 5th - 0.82:1 Rear end ratio is 3.62:1 according to Jon @ Caterham. He indicated that 3.92:1 is an available ratio but more people are going from the 3.92 down to the 3.62 than the other way around. Street vs track use ? Currently from a rolling start, the car will literally break loose the rear wheels with ease in 1st, 2nd and if its a cool morning, 3rd as well under full throttle.

I still own the Z06 and run occasionally at the track. However, as you know, $1600 for a set of Hoosiers, $490 for a set of Carbotech pads, 60 to 80 gallons of high test fuel, it adds up to a pretty expensive weekend. Thats's why I got the Miata. Wow, talk about slow. I have time to call the wife between turns and ask what's for dinner, play solitaire on my Iphone, etc. The R300 is a blast, an absolute kick in the pants, makes my heart race just thinking about it. Its more fun that anyone should be legally allowed to have................except for the top end. Such is life.

Actually, 135 mph would thrill me spitless. 130 would put a big smile on my face. I don't want to destroy the virtues of this car, that being a very quick corner car in order to get the high speed buzz. You're right about Roebling being a big HP track with the long straight. I also run at Sebring with a nearly as long straight from 16 to 17. I'm going to research the papers that came with the car to see exactly what my gear ratios are. I do know that if I go into 5th gear on the straight at Roebling, the car slows down since I'm going down into a lower power band. What is making this car have such a high Cd ? Is it the wheels sticking out or just the shape of the main body and the lack of low ground effects ? I read on the history of the 7 that Chapman added a full body later on to help with the aero of the car, although with an added weight penalty.

Just to clarify a few things about the car. Its a standard T-9 gear box, 5 speed. Rear suspension is the stock R300 with the Dedion rear axle setup and the rear end ratio is around 3.3:1 Track wheels are 15"x7" fitted with Hoosier R6 SM6 tires (205-50ZR15). Front wings are custom made aluminum fitted with asphalt dragging mud flaps to keep me from getting rocked to death. Weight of car is 1180 without me.........I won't say how much it is with me. Other than that, its a basic stock R300. Now I'm going in the garage to wax the helmet.......never thought of that before :cheers:

Hey guys, thanks for all the input. Many good points made here and a wealth of information. 1. We all agree that the 7 is aerodynamically challenged............weird, however, since by looking at it you'd think it was a rocket. 2. It is best in the corners............absolutely no argument from me. 3. It won't run with the big $ high HP cars on the straights. Yep, that's right. My Z06 at Roebling is good for 158-160 MPH, 1:16 lap time. The 7 is good for 118 mph and 1:26 lap time, but with more practice and better driving, can be improved. 4. Higher top end takes BIG HP with the 7. Ok, accepting all the above, I wanted to be able to roll down the straight at Roebling while still accelerating, not just maintaining. I'm not looking to match the speed of my Z06, won't happen. I've hit 175 @ Daytona (and scared the poop out of me). But if I can help the aero of the car a little and possibly get it up to 130, I'll be happy. Some of you pointed out that my speedo may be off to begin with. It is, which is why I use my GPS based electronic track box to base my numbers. Also, as some of you pointed out, my real HP may not be 202 at all and actually be a lot less. It seems all suppliers fudge on their engine's HP, like the fish caught and the guy's .....never mind. HP doesn't mean squat anyway, torque does. I will get the car dyno'd in the next few weeks and find out where the torque curve is. Do any of you recommend paying attention to the rear end ratio ? Jon @ Caterham told me most guys move up to my ratio but some of you seem to have gone to a higher ratio (around 3.65) At this point, I'm waiting for the new non-windshiel windscreen (fiberglass) from Jon since it had to be ordered from England. Once I get that installed, I'll get back on the track and see where I am. Please keep chiming in on suggestions and advice. I'm new at this with the 7 and need to learn as much as possible. Thanks a heap.

Hello to everyone. I just bought my R300 superlight last year so I'm on a learning curve, probably always will be. My car is equipped with the Zetec 2.0L with a claimed 202 HP. I have yet to dyno the car so I can't be sure as to how much its really puting out. However, my top speed on the track is around 120. I'm a little bummed out about that so I did some checking. Turns out the Cd of the 7 is similar to a school bus. So I've starting to change a few things. I changed the big bug-eyed headlights for some smaller 3.5" units. Next, I'm getting rid of the windshield & replacing with the R500 windscreen. So I was curious as to what kind of top end you guys had and what powers your cars to get that. By the way, I'm running a 5 speed tranny and running on 15" Miata pattern wheels. 5th gear on the track is useless since the car will actually slow down in 5th, which may indicate the rear end ratio is too high, not allowing enough revs.