Delberts Wallet Posted January 16, 2002 Share Posted January 16, 2002 How can I tell if I have a quick rack in my 7? Gareth Who Dares Twins bum.gif bum.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Sewell Posted January 16, 2002 Share Posted January 16, 2002 If the car was built in the last three years - they all have a quick rack - the question is which one 8% or 22%. THis is determined by the colour of the casing, but I cannot remember which colours mean what... Cheers, Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberts Wallet Posted January 16, 2002 Author Share Posted January 16, 2002 Cheers Graham, The car was built March 99 so will soon be three years old. The casing is black with Caterham on it. Gareth Who Dares Twins bum.gif bum.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Sewell Posted January 16, 2002 Share Posted January 16, 2002 I think that means an 8% rack (now standard issue unless the 22% is requested at build time or added later). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony isherwood Posted January 16, 2002 Share Posted January 16, 2002 Can any one tell me what the number of turns of the steering wheel from full lock to full lock V's the rack ratio i.e. 8 % or 22 % or any other % Caterham may have manufactured ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EFA Posted January 16, 2002 Share Posted January 16, 2002 22% is 1 3/4 turn L2L. Fat Arn The NOW PROVEN R500 Eaterid=red> See the Lotus Seven Club 4 Counties Area Website hereid=green> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian Thompson Posted January 16, 2002 Share Posted January 16, 2002 Anyone care to comment on what it is like to drive a 7 with 22% rack? 8JU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gridgway Posted January 16, 2002 Share Posted January 16, 2002 twitchy but fine when you get used to it. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted January 16, 2002 Share Posted January 16, 2002 Well I would say the 22% rack is one of the best mods you can make. I went from the std in '93 'Mini' (0% !) rack to the 22 with no trouble. Colour is black. Arnie. Is your rack worn,(joke!) 'cos mine is 1.6 turns lock-lock on a std (not wide) track car? Maybe w/track is different though I can't see why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EFA Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 Sorry Chris, I'll use a protractor next time. Mine is a very early 22% rack and may be a flared wing version (now discon.) Fat Arn The NOW PROVEN R500 Eaterid=red> See the Lotus Seven Club 4 Counties Area Website hereid=green> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 Not twitchy. Gearing is a funny thing. Although you don't have to move the wheel as far, the force required is larger. Therefore the 22% is actually steadier - less prone to change when you twitch. If a 22% equipped car is twitchy, it is because the chassis has been set up to be twitchy. The rack itself just transmits the feedback and mechanically translates the input - it itself cannot make the car twitchy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simos Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 Peter, I think the twitchiness was being attributed to the excessive movements of the wheels that result from people unaccustomed to 1.6 turns lock to lock rather than the forces involved being transmitted through the steering wheel. Most folk, especially in these days of power steering on everything, turn the steering wheel by "a number of degrees" rather than apply a force to the wheel. Result :- the car is wandering by so much, so I turn the wheel this much - result... car dives for the nearest hedge as the wheels turn 3 times more than the driver intended. You can do the same in reverse by getting into a truck which has 7 turns lock to lock and trying to negotiate the first junction. After putting on what seems at the outset to be a reasonable number of turns you'll find the truck still heading more or less straight across the junction at speed, it then becomes a sudden race to put on as many turns as possible, really really quickly. At this point I can assure from experience it seems like infinite turns from lock to lock. You could not however say the steering is mushy, it just requires more input at less force. Exactly the reverse of the 22% rack. Of course you could question the intelligence of the truck designer to require such massive numbers of turns on a truck with power steering which doesn't actually need the gearing to turn the wheels even when laden... I did. smile.gif Cheers, Simon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elie boone Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 Black:8% RHD Blue: 8% LHD Silver: 22% RHD 22% LHD is a black rack with silver label. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A10ROX Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 what is a dark green one? the not so light Superlight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EFA Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 Its also worth remembering that changing the rack from the 0% type means the rack height needs to be set. Also several different blck heights exist for the quick racks. An incorrectly set rack height will give mild bump steer. This could be described as "twitchiness" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EFA Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 Peter "Gearing is a funny thing. Although you don't have to move the wheel as far, the force required is larger. Therefore the 22% is actually steadier - less prone to change when you twitch." But for a given force on the roadwheel, the quick rack will also cause the steering wheel to move further. Is it this greater movement of the steering wheel (and this could be bump steer see above)which gives a greater impression of twitchiness? The bump steer may be less prominenat with a slower rack...... Fat Arn The NOW PROVEN R500 Eaterid=red> See the Lotus Seven Club 4 Counties Area Website hereid=green> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelspeed Posted January 18, 2002 Share Posted January 18, 2002 Green is RHD, 8%, widetrack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian Thompson Posted January 19, 2002 Share Posted January 19, 2002 It is interesting to note that when Caterham lent Lotus (YES) a 7 as a handling benchmark for developing the Lotus Elan FWD, Lotus returned the 7 to Caterham with a few "pointers" on handling. One of the recommendations they made was to increase the amount of on lock toe out bump steer. This was reckoned to make the car more stable over a bumpy road! 8JU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Day Posted January 20, 2002 Share Posted January 20, 2002 OK so which one is it? Chris says a 22% rack is black & Eli says it should be silver. I've just bought a RHD 22% rack from Caterham & it's black (with no label). Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elie boone Posted January 20, 2002 Share Posted January 20, 2002 Mick, The Caterham live axle parts catalogue says silver for the 22% (page 54 ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Day Posted January 20, 2002 Share Posted January 20, 2002 Thanks Elie, I've got a de-dion so maybe this is where the colour coding differs. I'll give Caterham a ring to verify. Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mav Posted January 20, 2002 Share Posted January 20, 2002 I have a RHD de-dion SV. It has a sliver rack fitted, however the invoice / pick list shows an 8% rack. So, which have I got question.gifquestion.gifquestion.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stijn LUYCK 1 Posted January 21, 2002 Share Posted January 21, 2002 Mick, so you finally decided to get a 22% one .... GREAT! Don't worry, mine is black as well (but its a LHD ofcourse) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogvet Posted January 21, 2002 Share Posted January 21, 2002 L2l 8% is 1.93 turns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted January 21, 2002 Share Posted January 21, 2002 Mick. Yer gonna love a 22% (whatever b****y colour they are spraying 'em now). 1.6 turns L-L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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