My Cat's been scalded

[Julian H]

Reading Pier’s [Kal-El] Project Scope Creep in this months LF encouraged me to write a little something about my recent upgrade.

My story started with exactly the same engine as Piers, the K series XPower 140, except I already had a suitable R500 exhaust with cat and R500 flywheel fitted by the previous owner. My first upgrade was a remap by Z&F Tuning as featured in LF which I was very impressed with over the standard ECU, a little more grunt through the midrange, much sharper throttle response, span up smoother and [optional] clicks and pops on overrun.

My appetite whetted for much more got me researching for the future of my engine upgrades. Reading various sources on the internet and speaking to some local L7C members I managed to get a copy of Oilys old videos. I watched them with keen interest several times. My enthusiasm took over and I decided I could do the job myself so bought some [supersport] cams. Then realisation struck. I don't have a garage, I don't have the tools, I don't have the time and don't have the skill or knowledge to do the head modifications as well as necessary for best performance anyway. So I made contact with Dave and after a few flutters on spec decided on one of his kits, although learning I would need to have to have work done to the bottom end to ensure it was going to be strong enough was unexpected. I phoned Dave a couple of times in March and after much emailing too and fro on the finer details I asked for a date to be put in the diary. October was the response. To say I was gutted was an understatement. Like the best restaurants being the busiest, I reasoned I should wait, so I agreed the date and sat back in anticipation.

In the meantime, Dave had suggested a wise move for me would be to get a 4-2-1 exhaust collector for my existing setup. Even though Caterham Cars website stated they were out of stock, I phoned them and was delighted to hear they had one. Despatched to me quicksmart, I removed my cat and fitted the collector in its place and straight away, more torque, just as Dave had predicted. So that little upgrade had to do me until October.

After the long wait, my turn had come. Leaving home last Wednesday in the pouring rain at 5.00am for a 2 hour journey especially to avoid the worst of the M25 traffic, I ventured up to see Dave in Milton Keynes. After two days work, totally unflustered and with meticulous attention to detail I now had an engine that is as bombproof as it needs to be for me and a very nice uplift in power from before. I have balanced rods, forged pistons, motorsport bearings. Including the skilled headworkmanship, the top end is fitted with my SS cams, Piper vernier pulleys, Paul Iveys 29.5/26mm valves and Piper bits and pieces sufficient for the best hydraulic cams [bP285 or 300’s], including preparation for future fitment of a manual cambelt tensioner. A nice and unexpected touch was Dave removing the spare engine mount and fitting a perfectly shaped and finished cover plate to fill the void left.

Top of new bottom end.

Porting work example

Head and plenum/TB in place

Piper vernier pulleys

Getting the timing spot on

Filled with suitable oil for running in for the next 500ish miles, I went out for two runs with Dave checking everything top to bottom on my return each time, then he pronounced me good to go. I was torn, I so much wanted to drive my new mini-beast but had enjoyed my time with Dave, met some of his neighbours and a few of his friends, including a couple of other K series engined car nuts [Elise and Westfield], and of course his lovely wife who made me feel as if I were one of their family, that I also wanted to stay! 

During my time with Dave he identified my slightly OCD nature. He knew I couldn’t go home without getting my new set up as good as possible. He’d already discouraged me from getting the Emerald at present, saying it would only make a modest difference unless I went to the expense of a rolling road session which would be wasted if I do the rest of my upgrades sooner rather than later.

Having the previously good experience with ZandF Tuning [now called Kmaps], on Thursday evening I dropped Mark Stacey an email in the vein hope that he could see me the following day [i had already found out he was only 50miles from Dave’s so had to be done]. He had a couple of other appointments but could fit me in if I could be there at midday. I was a few minutes late but after introductions and brief conversation Mark set to work with his computer, plugging it into my car and noting a few readings. Dave had suggested a new rev limit [of 7,800], changing fueling to suit the cams [which Mark had in his map already] and fine tuning the idle. Mark went into his office to do some work on the map on his laptop, loaded them onto my ECU and sent me off for a test drive whilst he tinkered with another customers MGTF.

Wow, my engine had been transformed, Dave’s hard work had been released, a huge improvement. The only negative was the idle speed. 1,250 was too fast, so Mark dropped it to 1,100. I liked the hunting nature of the new cams at idle [with verniers] anyway so didn't want to dial it all out. I am really impressed with what Mark had done with my ECU after an hours work. At my request he also retained the operation of the standard Rover immobiliser and the clicks and pops from the exhaust that I so loved from the previous re-map. I understand Mark is now offering loaner ECUs out too, so Supersported K series owners can even try one before they buy.

So, for now, I am running in my new engine, I so desperately want to rev it all the way because it really wants to go, it spins so sweetly that boring cruising along the motorway is much more tolerable than before but plant the throttle and you hear a much more purposeful exhaust note, cams buzzing away and the car flying off with gusto...

What does the future hold? TB’s and a new ECU first which I suspect I am going to do myself and the final cams which I won’t. Having read the Dynoplot website, I hope that will give me around 205bhp/149lb/ft with Piper BP285’s and in Daves words, the BP300’s should offer a little more. Maybe I’ll get to 210bhp, who knows, but for now, my strangled engine [on VVC plenum and 52mm throttle body] will have to do!

Roll on some induction roar! 

[Martin J]

That was an interesting read  thanks for posting Julian.

[John Vine]

Ditto.

JV

[tbird]

Not sure if you have already done this, but I think  this would be an interesting article for LF for those who don't do BC

 

Tim

[Julian H]

Glad you enjoyed it.

tbird, very kind of you to say so but I'm not sure my prose is up to publication in such a fine tome!

[John Cousins]

This is very interesting. I'm at the very early reading and dreaming/planning stage deciding what I might be able to do to my standard Roadsport 140. What spec do you think the future TBs will be? Will you be using Kmap for the final (next) ECU version?

[Julian H]

Hi John

I will probably get Jenveys.They seem the TB's of choice for the K series, and there is no good reason to go against the flow. Part of me would like CC/Titan RB's but I doubt I will be able to find a good set at a reasonable price.

My next ECU upgrade will leave the original MEMs unit behind. It is excellent what Mark can do to tweek it for the simpler engines [i guess those with plenum and single TB induction] but ultimately it does have limitations for the higher spec engines. 

If your enigne is stock, perhaps a 52mm TB on your existing plenum [or Daves mod to the 48mm] and a remap would be a nice move for little cost. If you have the removeable external cat exhaust, fitting the 4-2-1 collector decat pipe gives some nice extra mid range grunt. Those three things would work quite well with a ported head with new cams in the future. Making choices that limit redundancy and give a little at a time I have found to be an enjoyable journey.

[tbird]

tbird, very kind of you to say so but I'm not sure my prose is up to publication in such a fine tome!

Reads well enough but I'm sure John Aston or Michael Calvert, the editor,  would be happy to help titivate it, if you feel it needs it.  

Tim

[John Cousins]

Thanks - I will look forward to reading your future updates.

[OliW]

Good read, thanks for posting!

[Paul Richards]

[Julian H]

Thankyou for the kind words, glad it was of interest. I have been in touch with Michael at LF. Lets see!

[Alan Archer]

Makes me sick reading what others have achieved when the wait would be so long 

Alan