David Ward Posted July 30, 2001 Share Posted July 30, 2001 Some answers to help as I decide which route to follow in pursuit of the great god UPGRADE. My '99 Clubsport vs an SLR - where are the weight losses apart from the obvious (heater, weather, carpets etc) ? Is the chassis of an SLR different/lighter? I presume a VHPD engine is lighter than an ordinary K engine? Would the chassis of my Clubsport(which I presume is the same as any other 1.6K) cope with a substantial power hike without the need for strengthening? Is the SLR rear suspension any different? Is the rumour I keep hearing about a shed full of VHPD engines somewhere just that (a rumour)? What a lot of questions - thanks for any thoughts. P.S. If Jerry or Bill read this then it's all your fault - I was v. happy with 135bhp 'til you both poled up in SLR's...! Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FH Posted July 30, 2001 Share Posted July 30, 2001 Not managed to persuade certain people of the alternative alternatives, then David wink.gif FH The waiting-to-be-annointed-not-so-slow-old bird teeth.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murph7355 Posted July 30, 2001 Share Posted July 30, 2001 The road chassis' nothing special I think (race chassis is different though). SLRs+ do have Watts linkages to avoid lateral movement of the rear suspension (again, I think!) but how much difference this makes to ultimate lap times is open to debate. I suspect not much for your normal driver. So screen/weather gear removal and to a lesser extent the carbon gear (which I think you'll have anyway?) help reduce weight. You'd also typically have much lighter wheels (and tyres if you go for ACB10s) and no spare/carrier on an SLR. Seats may also be something that you can save plentgy of weight on if you forgo "proper" ones. Once you take all this into account and empty it of all fluids etc you'll get somewhere close to Caterham's quoted SLR weight. Don't think the engine weighs radically less. The flywheel may be lighter but from there who knows. I'd guess that the combined effects of throttle bodies, dry sump or apollo tank etc. will contrive against it (?). The easiest place (in my case anyway!!) to lose serious weight is from the driver. Which also has the advantage of saving money rather than costing it! Less fun to do though, by a significant margin. From there, it's power you'll be wanting smile.gif. The std. chassis can handle more power quite readily. But then you'll be wanting suspension tweaks, brake tweaks, ancilliary tweaks to keep the engine together etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bees Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 The VHPD engine can't be lighter. If anything it'll be slightly heavier given that the inlet system isn't plastic. Add a kg or 2 more for the dry sump system too. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Green Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 David, Your Clubsport should have Watts Link as standard, the same as an SLR. Easy to check: Look under the rear wheel arches. If you can see rods going backwards as well as forwards from the end of the axle, you've got Watts. If forwards only, you have standard suspension. As Andy says, Race chassis are different. Weather gear was an extra cost option on Clubsports, just like SLRs. Things like the lightened flywheel, 4-pot front calipers and LSD are common to both. The rear exhaust box your car should have is the CS exhaust, but I've seen that box on SLRs. In fact the only significant differences between a CS and a SLR are the wheels and the engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Sewell Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 Gerry Taylor was racing last year and trashed his SLR during qualifying. His mechanics rebuilt his car using a spare roadsport chassis. As he had not qualified, he started at the back of the grid and he finished on the podium. Therefore, I cannot believe there is that much difference between the two chassis. Cheers, Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Green Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 Graham, I think there are some diagonals across the footwell floors, and the upper engine bay diagonals are welded rather than bolted in. There may be some other extra bracing, but I think that's the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bees Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 All the race chassis have the non-removeable diagonals etc. (including this year's Academy cars) so I suspect there is no basic difference between a Roadsport race and an SLR race chassis frame. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 Mike. My '94 chassis has non-removable engine diagonals. Does that make it closer to the later type race rather than road chassis? Probably not, but it's good as a discussion point in the pub!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murph7355 Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 Can we give Chris the "I should get out more" tag please smile.gif. Or maybe a "I should stay in more" to save the other pub goers teeth.gif. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FH Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 Andy, if you put on your newly acquired spex, cool.gif you'd see that Chris has already been there and done that classification teeth.gif Monsieur Barry-of-the-Web is currently considering his next moniker wink.gif FH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ward Posted July 31, 2001 Author Share Posted July 31, 2001 Thanks all - fine advice as usual! So that's settled ... a VHPD to be shoehorned in to the Clubsport. Now to find an engine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 The 'A G A S' title is as high as it goes so stop 'avin' a go!!!! Sir Barry has better things to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bees Posted August 1, 2001 Share Posted August 1, 2001 Chris - I remember reading *somewhere* that the race chassis are (or were at one post-96 time) indeed based on the pre-96 chassis. Things might have changed since then of course. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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