Ground clearance with dry sump

[KevSull Too]

Do you gain any additional ground clearance with a dry sump on a 1.8K?

Anyone got a ball-park figure for the cost of a dry sump kit, and the challenges fitting it?

 

Thanks.

[bl0498]

KevSull,

 

I have the Caterham Dry Sump setup on my 1600K. I enquired at the time as to whether it would increase ground clearance - it doesn't basically.

 

I believe the bits are about £1100 as an option on a new car and about £1700 afterwards. Fitting it from new which I did posed no major challenges -not sure if its so easy afterwards though!

 

Hope this helps.

 

Brian

[V7 SLR]

It "changes" your ground clearance somewhat. The normal sump pan has a rather bluff front edge which is quite close to the front of the car. Whilst the dry sump may not actually increase your clearance (although it does, but only by a half inch at most), it does give more clearance at the front. The sump pan slopes downward towards the back of the engine, which is a rather nice thing as is leads into the bottom of the bell/tank housing.

 

My dry sump pan used to have CATERHAM embossed on it. It now says CATErh.... although it's nowhere near to being marginally thin. I know of one person who has cracked a standard sump pan because of it's bluff front edge, and another whose standard sump pan wore so thin, that when he replaced it for a dry sump system he could push a screwdriver through the tinfoil-thin leading edge.

 

I run 13 inch ACB10's (so far) which are known to be low profile and I've not had any trouble other than cosmetic damage to my sump pan. I do have rather stiff front springs though, which tends to keep me off the ground, and I avoid cats-eyes just in case....

[KevSull Too]

I ask because I've now dented the bonnet twice by whacking the sump and pushing the engine up. I think the sump is OK at the moment (although it has quite a deep scar down one side), but at 1700 quid I'll probably start playing with the ride height to gain clearance!

 

Thanks for the replies.

[V7 SLR]

You have a more serious problem than you originally thought. Your engine mountings have sheered. There is no way you could hit the bonnet with the engine unless this was the case.

 

Do not be fooled into thinking the engine mountings are OK. Unless you have the latest mountings with integral restraints, you will find they are knackered. They look like lumps of rubber, about 3 inches in diameter and an inch high. The plate to which they are manufactured just comes off. My engine used to lead over under extremely high cornering forces yet when I pushed the engine it wouldn't move, so I thought my mountings were OK. Not so. If you put a jack under the sump and raise the enging carefully you will see one or both mountings separating in the middle.

[KevSull Too]

Ahh, that would explain why the exhaust has been touching the ally on exit when being driven hard, although - as you said - the engine can't be moved manually. Looks like another job to do!

 

Are the engine mountings only available from Caterham or are they nicked form another application?

 

Cheers,

Kev

[V7 SLR]

Well, you really want to get them from Caterham anyway. I'm not sure if they can be sourced elsewhere but you risk getting the wrong ones. Caterham only sell those with integral restraints now, which is a million percent improvement on the previous ones.

 

They're about 35 the pair. A lot, but then, not a lot... IYSWIM.