7 Cockpit Heaters, Why?

[jeffs]

I'll use it once or twice a year if it gets down in the low 40s, but I'd rather turn the heater on than put the top on.  Admittedly it doesn't do much, but helps a little keeping the hands warm.  

[MoBoost]

The heater in my car is pretty effective at cooking the lower part of my legs. The upper half of my body is cold, so on average I’m okay. 

[Reiver]

I've used mine on cool days...works fine. 

[Vovchandr]

I love using mine. Life saver when there's no other option on a cold day. One of the biggest things that makes a 7 better than a bike for transportation. 

 

Also on a Zetec it's one of the only sources of heat for passenger. I went as far as trying to make a HVAC tube to channel heat directly to passenger that can be deployed as needed. 

Edited April 20 by Vovchandr

[pethier]

On 4/16/2025 at 4:40 PM, Jbrueckh said:

Here you go. I included a couple to show that the system on a seven is simple, with just holes in the sheet metal . 

 

 

I plan on taking out my heater.  My first Caterham, a 1979 model, had no heater and I never missed it.

 

I am going to guess that the outside slots in this photo are the where the hot air gets to the people's legs. 

 

Is the big round hole in the middle how the cold air gets to the heater?

 

Where does this cold air come from?  

 

I assume that if I remove the heater I need to cover up all of the holes with aluminum.

Edited April 24 by pethier

[Marek]

This thread helped me address a problem I did not realize I had; as so often happens on this forum.

 

It convinced me to add lightness.

 

My Seven came with a heater, but not connected and the fan does not work. I did intended to fix it eventually. But I've had to remove the cowl for other reasons and the heater is now out in the open just staring at me. This thread convinced me that removal is the obvious fix. In cool weather my lower body is never uncomfortable. And with a barchetta-height windshield, no heater is going to affect my upper body.

[pethier]

I don't know how a Rotus is configured, but on my Caterham with the hood off, my heater is out in the open just staring at me.

 

 

I figure I could remove the heater and move the battery aft into the area vacated by the heater.  That would partially make up for the extra poundage of the Zetec.

 

Edited April 24 by pethier

[Reiver]

^^^ Nice set of hooters... 

Edited April 24 by Reiver

[pethier]

4 minutes ago, Reiver said:

^^^ Nice set of hooters

They do make some noise. 

 

Getting the battery out of the line of fire can't hurt.

[Reiver]

The later units appear more compact and that would give you more area to arrange things.  I like mine as I'll never have the hood up and it works well on chilly days when you are in the wind.

[pethier]

I have a Cayman for chilly days and an F-150 for actual Minnesota cold.

 

I use the top almost all the time.  My Elise had a hardtop and I only took it off twice, to work on the interior.

[wobblyweb]

Quote

I am going to guess that the outside slots in this photo are the where the hot air gets to the people's legs. 

Is the big round hole in the middle how the cold air gets to the heater?

Where does this cold air come from?  

The heater re-circulates the air. The air is drawn up through the big round hole from the cockpit blown out of the slots then sucked back into the round hole.

Some heat does manage to escape the cycle onto the legs

[jbcollier]

In a perfect world, and you are parked, it does just recirculate.  In real life’s turbulent cockpit air, it actially works quite well.

[IamScotticus]

This makes sense in an open cockpit,  the wind direction is forward into the footwells.

[jbcollier]

Most “early” cars had in-cab heater units that blew cabin air through a coolant powered heat element.  Are they ideal?  Absolutely not.  Are they better than nothing?  Yes, thank you very much.  They “work” is about all you can say.  Later the same units grew demister ducts and flaps which you had to manually work, reaching way under the dash to do so.

 

Eventually some bright bulb figured out that using fresh air greatly improved both air quality and demisting ability, and we were well on our way to the voice-controlled, 5-zone, climate controls modern cars provide.

[pethier]

15 minutes ago, jbcollier said:

Most “early” cars had in-cab heater units that blew cabin air through a coolant powered heat element.  Are they ideal?  Absolutely not.  Are they better than nothing?  Yes, thank you very much.  They “work” is about all you can say.  Later the same units grew demister ducts and flaps which you had to manually work, reaching way under the dash to do so.

 

Eventually some bright bulb figured out that using fresh air greatly improved both air quality and demisting ability, and we were well on our way to the voice-controlled, 5-zone, climate controls modern cars provide.

Most cars I have owned had Climate Control drove me nuts.  I was always having to figure out how to lie to them to get them to do what I wanted.  My Suburban was terrible that way.  My Fusion was a little better.  My Cayman is pretty-damned good.  My newish F-150 is pretty good also. 

 

Both the Cayman and the F-150 are nice freeway cruisers.  The truck tows my trailer well regardless if the Cayman or the Seven is in it.  I'm still undecided whether to drive or tow the Porker to the Parade in OK, but for the LOG in Pittsburgh, it's a no-brainer:  The Seven is going in the trailer.

[S1Steve]

The most inept heater install in a 7 , was made by Superformance …😭😀😀

[slowdude]

Love mine. Full hood i drove through last winter until it showed in February.

 

Having roof and heater makes the business case for the car greater.

 

@CBuff and @Vovchandr are doing it right. We need to convince the other Northeasterners of the way.

[IamScotticus]

At some point, Lotus began adding road going automobile accessories to the 7 which had been a minimal race car having only the bare minimum requirements for road driving.

And the transition began.  Dipping spot lamps, large chrome spotlamp bowls, carpet, doors, wipers, center horn button, recoil seat belts, hood, speedo, canceling signal switch,  a petrol level gage (Oh, the blasphemy!),  boot covers, doors, sill protectors, scuttle edge trim, useless wind deflectors, screen washer, padded tunnel, map pockets, floor mats, overstuffed bucket seats with headrests on rails and knee pannels.

All this and I'm just getting close to Dreamer's car.

The Caterhams never got radios  but the German cars had to get sun visors (Ive never seen a German short enough to use sun visors).

I don't know which came first, the heated wind screen or the petrol guage?

Edited April 26 by IamScotticus

[pethier]

1 hour ago, IamScotticus said:

The Caterhams never got Radios  but the German cars had to get sun visors (Ive never seen a German short enough to use sun visors).

Perhaps you could flip the sun visors UP to shade you from sun coming over the windscreen.  I have been known to do that.  Impossible on an Elise of course, but I only once ever drove mine without the hardtop on.