billywhizz Posted December 8, 2002 Share Posted December 8, 2002  Hi guys, can anybody tell me if this model 7 was fitted with widetrack suspension as standard equipment. Also Chris Rees magnificent 7's book mentions the car requires leaded petrol occasionally. Can anybody elaborate on this please. Thanks Guys 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul McKenzie Posted December 9, 2002 Share Posted December 9, 2002 IIRC, it came out in '97/98 and was definitely not wide track. Several Caterhamesque books mention occasional use of leaded for the VX 2.0XE, I think they all copied from the same erroneous source. The engines were built for unleaded, but using leaded would give an octane boost, which you can now get with Optimax. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billywhizz Posted December 9, 2002 Author Share Posted December 9, 2002   Paul, Thanks for the reply,I am considering a 2.0 VX 7,and was a little bit concerned about having to find a source of leaded every 5 fill-ups as suggested in Chris Rees book.Do you know if unleaded would be alright all the time? or do I need Optimax once every 5 fill-ups? Are you running one of these units in your own 7? Please forgive my ignorance on this subject as it,s new to me!Would appreciate your comments and anyone elses on this engine.Car incidently is 97/98 on an R plate 😬  Thanks Billywhizz brakepedal ! what's that for then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul McKenzie Posted December 10, 2002 Share Posted December 10, 2002 Standard engine is OK on 95 all the time, but when you're thrashing it or on a track day I think it's good practice to up the octane to 98 with Optimax to avoid any possibility of detonation. Paul Billy, if you decide not to go for that motor, can you e-mail details as I'm looking for one for a mate of mine? Thanks, Paul Edited by - Paul McKenzie on 10 Dec 2002 11:52:18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Morris Posted December 10, 2002 Share Posted December 10, 2002 Hi guy's, I have a 40th Anniversary Vx (mint condition) The engine does not require anything other than std unleaded for life. My car made a genuine 175bhp at the flywheel on std supermarket fuel. I have since re-cammed it with new cams and she now manages 190bhp on the same stuff. We had to reduce the mains as she was actually running too rich restricting the max output. The cars runs perfect even with the bigger cams pulling like a train from 2,500rpm whilst ticking over with a nice steady idle. One advantage of this engine is that it is so able to be tuned without loss of strength of bottom end power. I have tried it on Optimax and she goes even better, but its not required for the life of the engine. If you are looking at buying a Vx and intend to tune it you should look to see if it has a Coscast head (these were cast by Cosworth for Vauxhall) as they are better and stronger than the latter items. The heads are clearly marked on the underside where the head joins the block with the word "Coscast". Whilst they will only return 20 - 24mpg they are bullet proof engines and are very easy to drive, as for the extra weight due to the cast iron block this can be compensated by revised springing. Obviously weight is weight and the springs will not eliminate it, but I have chased a Superlight accross Wales with only yards between us. Only difference is that my engine will last longer than the Tower of London. To be honnest the fuel bit is nothing to worry about. Just work out how many miles you do in a year, divide it by 22 for Vx and the same by 30 for a K and see how little extra you will be paying in fuel.  As for wide track, my car in No2 of the limited edition and I have all the original sales stuff. There was NO wide track offered at the original time of sale, however, I do know of one owner that has retro fitted it. How much improvement is difficult to calculate as some owners say they have not noticed any improvement, whilst other claim the world. If I had paid loads of money for a few inch's then perhaps I would also claim a benefit? Biggest improvement, I've made is the installation of an SPC Semi-helical gearbox (don't consider a 6 speed, as the engine rip's them apart and the Vx doesn't need many gears due to the high levels of torque). Next best mod has to be the genuine big brakes and master cylinder along with a second set of wheels (13" minitor running 021R's) As you may have guessed I kind of love my Vx, but then why not she never gives any trouble (head gaskets on K's) and is mint.  P.S. She could be for sale if interested, not cheap, but compare the performance and conditon with what you would pay for a K-Series and shes is 100% value for money. P.P.S. If I can be of use on Vx issues please feel free to phone me 01952 240730 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billywhizz Posted December 10, 2002 Author Share Posted December 10, 2002   Thanks Paul and Rob, That,s very helpfull. The car I am looking at is a mint condition specimen and it,s breaking the owners heart to sell it! He insists that it goes to someone who will cosset it I just wanted some reassurance with regards to VX models. Sounds okay to me! Think I,ll go for it! Regards Billy Whizz 😬 brakepedal ! what's that for then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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