MNlotus Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 I decided to get the widetrack front suspension for my car and now am just deciding what setting i want/need for my car. My car is a 2003 S3 dedion the the chassis options they have are imperial or metric, I'm pretty sure i have imperial right? Also which anti roll bar should i get, they have quite a few options, my car is a street/track car. Also they have an option for which brakes i have, standard or the HP upgrade brakes, which do have on my car? http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorsport/suspension-steering/caterham-widetrack-front-suspension-kit Thanks for the help, i want to get all the specs right before i place my order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 (edited) Are your front discs vented or solid when looking at the edge? If vented, upgraded, if solid, standard. I have a 2000 with the standard springs and shocks and my widetrack came standard with the Green Bushed front anti roll bar which I believe is the 18mm one. I have heard other say to go with the red bush version which is 5/8ths. I guess it just depends on your handling preference. Tom Edited December 20, 2013 by yellowss7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 You have Imperial, as the Caterham metric chassis did not exist in 2003. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNlotus Posted December 20, 2013 Author Share Posted December 20, 2013 thanks for the response, since the widetrack depends on the brakes i think i will do the brake upgrade as well. Now i have been looking at brakes and the have a few choices at 7 speed. 232mm or 260mm http://www.sevenspeed.co.uk/products/caterham-caterham-232mm-ultralite-4-conversion or http://www.sevenspeed.co.uk/products/caterham-260mm-ultralite-4-conversion would these brake kits work on my car, and will i need different rims if i go with the 260mm brake kit? also the higher the antiroll bar (1/2in compared to 9/16in) means it will be stiffer right? Thanks again for the help, i just wanna make sure i get all this right before i order it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 I don't recall the wide track as requiring the big brake kit. Unless you are racing your car, I doubt that you need the big brake upgrade. I track my car and can honestly say that Brakes aren't a big factor in making the car perform on track. Save the money. As for being stiffer with the thicker anti roll bar, yes, BUT, the question is stiffer better. Let me rephrase that, :rofl: Is stiffer suspension better on the track? I've seen comments that a bit of body roll is actually a good thing on our Sevens. I'll let the techie guys have at it, but consider How you use the car and how it feels to you before you start digging into your pockets. IMO I'd spend the money on a light set of wheels and some sticky slicks and maybe some driving instruction. just my two cents. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveD Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 This is just my opinion and I am not an expert, so take it for what its worth, just an opinion. I have heard that most any suspension will work if you just don't let it. I noticed at the track these last 3 years at the NJMP 7s event, that most of the faster 7s do lean when cornering and they eat pretty much everything at the track in terms of handling. I have an S1 and my suspension is very stiff. Not far from that of a go cart. As a result the car is easy to upset at the limit and it requires the utmost smoothness when driving. Otherwise I end up sliding. And from my days of autocrossing, sliding translates to slower times. Maybe some others with experience can comment here. Since I am looking to go with track tires this year with smaller rims 15" vs. 17" to get more rubber on the wheels in order to try and get some added softness to my handling. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNlotus Posted December 20, 2013 Author Share Posted December 20, 2013 alright thanks again for the response, i think i will go with the 5/8in like said before. now i just have a question on the brakes, i want new bigger brakes along with the widetrack suspension, which of the 7 speed brakes will work, 232 0r 260mm I am gonna get new rims too eventually, i want wider and lighter rims like yellow7 said, so will this make my my brake choice different? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 Wheel size and manufacturer may affect your brake choice. Might be a good idea to ask Carl (owner/operator of Sevenspeed) directly, to be sure you get a complete package that will work as it should with the wheels you have/will have right out of the box. I'm sure he would be more than happy to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dallasdude Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 The green bush bar might be a little much unless you have a rear sway bar. I think the rear bar was an option at one time. I second the not spending the money on brakes. The stock 14LF calipers are not extremely light or stiff compared to some modern calipers, but they are adequate. Plenty of pads and repair parts available. The Spitfire (stock) rotors.....there are drilled and slotted ones available who look sexier but probably don't work any better I suspect. And they cost way way more. The updated front spindles and hubs are something to consider, although I think they are a little bit of a mixed blessing. The spindle is far far larger and flexes less, but the bearings are no bigger...might even be smaller and they are harder to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 Dallasdude is correct, I do have a rear bar and it is set to the firmest setting. Again, I've seen the Blatchat guys suggest that the rear bar can be disconnected for better handling. I guess the point is to drive it, then make a change to one component and drive it some more and see which you like. I think set up is probably dependent on how you drive. I noticed that Croc likes to slide his car around on skinny tires, :jester:, I like mine planted so that it carves the turns without sliding around. I think both work, Just depends on what you are comfortable with. IMO Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNlotus Posted December 21, 2013 Author Share Posted December 21, 2013 alright, how do i know if my car has mounting points for a rear sway bar, where are they located? my car is a 2003 s3 dedion. Also are the only available rear sway bar kits from caterham or are there others available? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Coming off the rear dedion ear, you will see a drop link which connects to the anti sway bar which has several locating holes that allow you to vary the stiffness. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNlotus Posted December 21, 2013 Author Share Posted December 21, 2013 i know my car currently doesn't have a rear roll bar but wanted to know if my car has mounts to make it be able to have a rear roll bar, where would the roll bar mounts be located on a 2003 s3 dedion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bball7754 Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Believe the 2003 should be "underslung", with the mounting blocks attaching to the lower frame rail. My 1998 is "overslung", which is more complicated to install post-build. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNlotus Posted December 21, 2013 Author Share Posted December 21, 2013 alright, thanks, where can i get a rear anti roll bar kit? can i only get it from caterham? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Here you go. Bargain. :svengo: http://www.caterhamparts.co.uk/product.php?id_product=149 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dallasdude Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 (edited) The guys from Blatchat are right about not using the rear bar. I think the red bush front bar and no rear bar is a good combination, except maybe for autocross. I never liked the geometry of the rear bar, and it can contribute to wheelspin on the inside wheel coming off a corner because it is limiting the droop of that wheel. The downside is no balance adjustment because the front bar is not adjustable. Edited December 22, 2013 by dallasdude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNlotus Posted December 22, 2013 Author Share Posted December 22, 2013 ok sounds good to me, which one is the red bar? 5/8in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 Yes, but just make sure you get the one for the Wide track if you are going that way. They are not interchangeable between wide track and standard track. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 Meteor Motorsport offer a blade-type adjustable ARB for S3 widetrack, as well as a double-adjustable model (blades on both sides) and one for the SV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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