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Hhttp://www.raceline.co.uk/e has it listed for 29 which seems high for a 97 or maybe I have no clue :o

 

What kind if 0-60/0-100 could one expect from these.

 

Raceline

 

 

http://www.raceline.co.uk/

 

It,s not high really, get a brandy and take a look at Caterham USA

 

http://www.uscaterham.com/

 

I found that when you are looking you can't find one, then when you don't need one they are all over...like the police.

Do u miss the smoke?

Edited by DB6
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Anyone know what that 3 prong 110v plug just hanging under the dash is used for?

 

http://www.race-cars.com/carsold/other/1185553968/1185553968lf.jpg

 

 

Place Bread in Bonnet Vents...

Plug in and 3 minutes later you are done.

whats a pui?

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I'm pretty sure that plug's for an onboard battery maintainer. I installed one on my Cat a few years ago but did it differently...clamped the ring terminals of the charger/maintainer cord to the battery terminal clamps and ran the wire out so the charger cord end peeks out between the ITG air cleaners and the welting around the filter opening in the bonnet. I use either a 900ma or 1.2a Interstate Batteries Mini-Charger/Maintainer, whichever's available at the time. Simply unplug when off for a drive and join the male/female ends upon returning. Can't make a mistake as it'll only go together one way. Don't know how to do it any simpler.

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Exlondonder, to respond to a couple of your questions.

 

Twin Webbers are the side draft carbs.

 

0-100 times in that spec 7 should be in the mid to high 9 second range, maybe more with the windscreen on. 0-60 probably around 4.2-4.5 seconds.

 

DB6, I like my Porsche, It's a nice comfortable car with good performance. It's just not in the 7's class except for top end and I never use that on either.

 

ExLondoner points out that the Porker weighs in at 2900+ pounds. The 7 weighs in at 1164 pounds. Huge difference that results in quicker acceleration, handling and stopping and ride.

 

I just said that the difference in going from the 7 to the Porsche is like going from the Porsche to the Olds. I like the ride of the Olds too when i need to carry the golf clubs and a couple of budddies around but it's no Porsche. :D

 

Tom

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0-100 times in that spec 7 should be in the mid to high 9 second range, maybe more with the windscreen on. 0-60 probably around 4.2-4.5 seconds.

 

That 0-100mph time seems really quick for a 185hp road car, even if fitted with an aeroscreen. Power to weight ratio is great for acceleration, but acceleration at higher speeds is more dependent on absolute hp and aerodynamics. Consequently modern high hp cars that may lose out to a se7en in the 0-60 dash will often claw back an advantage at 80+. The Car and Driver article pksurveyor linked to earlier tests a Caterham Superlight R with the SVT engine. I didn’t notice any hp claims in the article, but as I recall the plug and play SVT engine in a Caterham was rated at 185hp, more if it has cams. CD clocked that car from 0-60 in 4.0 and from 0-100 in 11.8.

 

The car you are considering looks very nice, but I’d think hard about buying a zetec on carbs unless the price reflected that setup and you were sure you wouldn’t have emission issues in your state. Don’t get me wrong, I love Webers and have owned three cars with dual DCOEs, but they are hard to tune for clean running and the more radical you take the rest of the engine in pursuit of more power, the harder it is to maintain civility in low rpm, part throttle situations. Converting to fuel injection can be very expensive. Throttle bodies, ECU, wiring harness, fuel injectors, high pressure fuel pump, and other items add up very fast. There are cheaper options such as motorcycle throttle bodies and Megasquirt, but that will also require more work on your part.

 

How do you plan to use the car? Is it primarily a track weapon with street mileage mostly to get you to the track and back, or do you plan to use it a lot on the street?

 

As for the Porsche comparison, the Caterham will certainly make your 996 feel bloated and slow to react to inputs. I have 993 and getting in that after driving the Westfield for a few days straight is always an eye opener.

 

-John

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That 0-100mph time seems really quick for a 185hp road car, even if fitted with an aeroscreen. Power to weight ratio is great for acceleration, but acceleration at higher speeds is more dependent on absolute hp and aerodynamics. Consequently modern high hp cars that may lose out to a se7en in the 0-60 dash will often claw back an advantage at 80+. The Car and Driver article pksurveyor linked to earlier tests a Caterham Superlight R with the SVT engine. I didn’t notice any hp claims in the article, but as I recall the plug and play SVT engine in a Caterham was rated at 185hp, more if it has cams. CD clocked that car from 0-60 in 4.0 and from 0-100 in 11.8.

 

The car you are considering looks very nice, but I’d think hard about buying a zetec on carbs unless the price reflected that setup and you were sure you wouldn’t have emission issues in your state. Don’t get me wrong, I love Webers and have owned three cars with dual DCOEs, but they are hard to tune for clean running and the more radical you take the rest of the engine in pursuit of more power, the harder it is to maintain civility in low rpm, part throttle situations. Converting to fuel injection can be very expensive. Throttle bodies, ECU, wiring harness, fuel injectors, high pressure fuel pump, and other items add up very fast. There are cheaper options such as motorcycle throttle bodies and Megasquirt, but that will also require more work on your part.

 

How do you plan to use the car? Is it primarily a track weapon with street mileage mostly to get you to the track and back, or do you plan to use it a lot on the street?

 

As for the Porsche comparison, the Caterham will certainly make your 996 feel bloated and slow to react to inputs. I have 993 and getting in that after driving the Westfield for a few days straight is always an eye opener.

 

-John

 

 

I think there is a Colin Chapman quote that says:

Make the suspension adjustable and they will adjust it wrong -- look what they can do to a Weber carburetor in just a few moments of stupidity with a screwdriver.
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I think there is a Colin Chapman quote that says:

Make the suspension adjustable and they will adjust it wrong -- look what they can do to a Weber carburetor in just a few moments of stupidity with a screwdriver.

 

In that case, I should definitely stay away from a programmable ECU. There is a lot more to screw up than with a pair of DCOEs :)

 

-John

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Hi John my initial pursuit was for an Elise or Exige but I was offered a trade for the 996 with this Caterham therefore I decided to do a little research.

 

The next car will be similarly used just for weekend purposes and starting light track duty during the warmer months.

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In that case, I should definitely stay away from a programmable ECU. There is a lot more to screw up than with a pair of DCOEs :)

 

-John

 

I agree with that.

Interesting to see that Raceline uses a lot of Weber aps.

I have a pair of DCOe's and have not had a problem.I don't know if it's an old school thing but many ppl prefer them, plus I guess one big advantage is the total lack of electronics or computer control which appears can be a problem when dropping a modern engine into a 7.

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In that case, the amount of time you will spend accelerating at really high speed probably won’t be that significant, so I bet the 185hp will be more than enough in the beginning. Given that you are trading a car that you like for something that is radically different and has its own set of unique challenges though, I recommend you do the following:

 

  • Find out the registration requirements for MD. Some states will require you to pass emissions for the year of your engine. Although Webers don’t necessarily cause big problems in that situation for an old crossflow, the zetec is a different story. Again, might not be an issue where you live, but if it is, then you don’t want to find out after you have swapped the 996. Mazda (slngsht) may be able to offer some advice here.
     
  • Go for a ride, or better yet, drive a se7en. They aren't for everyone, and some people just aren’t comfortable driving them on the street. I have some friends who are instructors with my local PCA chapter. They love driving my Westfield, but none of them would ever consider buying a se7en of any type for themselves. They feel they are just too small, raw, and exposed for their liking.
     
  • Drive that particular car. If you are using it primarily for street use, then you want to make sure you are okay coming from a car with a sophisticated engine management system to something with a pair of Webers. Webers add their own additional level of character to the driving experience. For you that could be good, or it could be bad. Only you can answer that.

 

-John

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Hi John thanks for the informative reply. The individual mentions that the car has already been licensed in MD - does this mean that there will not be any issues come emissions inspection (held every two years in MD).

 

Thanks and Mazda has been very kind to introduce me to a fellow local whom I hope to experience the se7en with as passenger!

 

In that case, the amount of time you will spend accelerating at really high speed probably won’t be that significant, so I bet the 185hp will be more than enough in the beginning. Given that you are trading a car that you like for something that is radically different and has its own set of unique challenges though, I recommend you do the following:

 

  • Find out the registration requirements for MD. Some states will require you to pass emissions for the year of your engine. Although Webers don’t necessarily cause big problems in that situation for an old crossflow, the zetec is a different story. Again, might not be an issue where you live, but if it is, then you don’t want to find out after you have swapped the 996. Mazda (slngsht) may be able to offer some advice here.
  • Go for a ride, or better yet, drive a se7en. They aren't for everyone, and some people just aren’t comfortable driving them on the street. I have some friends who are instructors with my local PCA chapter. They love driving my Westfield, but none of them would ever consider buying a se7en of any type for themselves. They feel they are just too small, raw, and exposed for their liking.
  • Drive that particular car. If you are using it primarily for street use, then you want to make sure you are okay coming from a car with a sophisticated engine management system to something with a pair of Webers. Webers add their own additional level of character to the driving experience. For you that could be good, or it could be bad. Only you can answer that.

 

-John

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