Buying a SLR - things to look out for?

[Jas]

I am thinking about buying a used SLR.

 

Are there any things I should look for?

 

TIA,

 

Jas

[V7 SLR]

Get one with a dry sump, even if you have to pay a disgusting premium over one without. You'll never regret the decision as you sleep easier prior a track day.

 

The only other thing is mileage. I've no idea how long a VHPD engine will last, although I know mine's running fabulously after 10,700 miles. I know a couple of others still problem-free at 22,000 and 26,000 miles too. I have a concern that any engine tuned so far beyond it's original design spec can only produce those power levels by sacrificing something else. I'm hoping the sacrifice is the huge amount of money that went into developing it, rather than longevity.

[Jas]

Thanks for the advice.

 

I have the choice between a highre mileage SLR with a dry sump and a very low mileage one without. The dealer told me that I don't need a dry sump for occasional track day use. Is that not true?

 

Jas

[julians]

I think general opinion is that you'll be fine without a dry sump if you're using regular road tyres, but if you're using slicks then a dry sump would be better,it would certainly give peace of mind.

 

It has been said (cant remember by who), that if a wet sump is designed/baffled correctly then there *should* be no need for a dry sump even with slicks. However I dont know how good a design the wet sump on the SLR is.You could always retrofit a dry sump to the car after you have bought it (dont know what cost would be like though, ask Alex Wong he fitted one to his VX recently)

 

 

[Jas]

Julians, thanks for the advice. I'll see which SLR I end up getting (if I go for a Caterham), and then look into the dry sump issue.

 

Is anyone aware of any more general issues to look out for in buying a 2nd hand SLR? I mean, are there things that go wrong & should be looked for?

 

Cheers,

 

Jas

[Mike Bees]

I concur with V7. Plenty of people with non-dry-sumped K's and road tyres (some road tyres are very sticky!) have reported oil pressure loss in right hand bends. I've seen it myself, even on Michelins. Some have run bearings. Not worth the risk.

 

Mike

[julians]

I stand corrected (said the man in the orthopedic shoes).

 

Is the wet sump in the SLR (and therefore all K's??) not very well baffled then, or is it more of an issue in the way the K pumps oil round the engine.

 

 

[V7 SLR]

Don't know the reason, but all K's suffer oil surge. SLR's come with ACB10's as standard so can produce higher cornering forces than those shod with "lesser" tyres. I don't know if the Watts linkage, which is standard on SLR's, also adds to that high cornering forces but the upshot is you have an 8 grand VHPD engine there. Get it dry sumped. The cost of a dry sump represents 1/16th of the cost of the whole car, but will protect more than 1/3rd of the cost of the whole car.

 

I love stats.

 

I know of lots of people who have fitted Accusumps and Apollo tanks in a bid to protect their K's on tracks. All have reported the fact that oil surge is NOT eliminated, merely reduced, but is that enough. I know of more then 2 K's that have failed due to surge despite being "protected" by one of these devices, yet I know of none that have failed when installed with a WORKING dry sump.

 

I know of 1 whose dry sump scavenge pump belt departed, causing a minor problem, but that engine was not a VHPD and was revving to more than the SLR's 8000rpm rev limit. The dry sump works brilliantly well on the SLR.

[Roger King]

Sorry guys, dry sump really is the only way to go with a very high performance K-car that gets used on track. The wet sump is marginal in my opinion and all the trick bits to improve it are really only sticking plasters on a gaping wound.

 

The feelings of relaxation and lack of worry that a properly sorted dry sump arrangement brings are worth the money on their own.

 

 

[Jas]

Thanks guys.

 

If I were ordering a new SLR, I would get a dry sump without hesitation. The problem is that one of the 2 SLR's I am considering does not have one.

 

The dealer says it's ok (you all disagree) because it has an "anti-cavitation" tank. It seems he's trying to pull the wool over my eyes.

 

He said it is v expensive to add a dry sump on an existing car.

 

Thanks,

 

Jas

[Mike Bees]

The inappropriately-named "anti-cavitation" tank (it's actually an oil/air separator) doesn't perform the same function as a dry sump. It helps a bit under surge conditions, but doesn't completely prevent pressure loss.

 

If you buy the whole dry sump kit from Caterham as a retro-fit then it's 1700ukp (probably plus VAT). I dare say you could do it a lot cheaper by sourcing an external dry sump tank instead of getting Caterham's fancy tank-in-bellhousing job. Another advantage of doing that would be that you won't have to take the engine out.

 

Mike

[Paul Ranson]

The dealer says it's ok (you all disagree) because it has an "anti-cavitation" tank. It seems he's trying to pull the wool over my eyes.

 

It is OK. The "anti-cavitation" tank does a good job of preserving the engine. You might not want to race it on slicks but otherwise it's fine. It's certainly not a reason to not buy the car, unless it is otherwise expensive.

 

He said it is v expensive to add a dry sump on an existing car.

 

IIRC about UKP1500+VAT and fitting. It's an engine out job. So budget UKP2000. You can save money up front by having a non-standard installation.

 

On a new car it's a UKP1100 extra, but it should add rather more than that to the value.

 

I had a Superlight (the original best type) and didn't specify a dry sump. I later regretted this, but only because I was competing in hillclimbs using slicks and wanted the certainty. And would have been quite happy to carry 2.5litres less oil. I think the current 'extra' price is rather keener than it was then. Anyway no engine damage resulted, and the engine has been stripped and examined since.

 

Paul

 

 

 

Edited by - Paul Ranson on 26 Jul 2001 12:38:48

[Jas]

Thanks guys. Just so I have all the facts at hand, any ideas how much an alternative dry sump would cost - fitted? And where could I get one?

 

Cheers,

 

Jas

[aideen]

Ah - now you're entering real seven territory - the joys and woes of DIY tweaking and fettling.