Shaun_E

Some good info there - thanks.

Oliver - one can never have enough power - I'm up against R500s and 2.3 Duratecs. I already have an airbox and will keep that - have not run without it so don't know if I would get more power. Noise is a major issue these days!

I will go for the 1444 inlet and re-use my SLR exhaust. The 1721 inlet doesn't seem to fit my requirements as my new rev limit will be 8500rpm so I really need peak power to be below 8500rpm.

BSA - everyone I have talked to says the 4-1 will give you a dip in the midle of the torque curve. I can't comment as I have always had the SLR pipes on my (226bhp) engine.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Hi Neil - I might be interested depending on the specification. Do you know the length and diameter of the primaries and secondaries? I won't need a silencer.

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Does anyone know the specifications for the Powerspeed primaries/secondaries?

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

BSA - I don't know yet - engine has yet to be built!. I am seriously thinking about sticking to 1444 for the inlet as well as the exhaust as I can't find anyone running the 1721 inlet cam yet. It's not even listed on the Piper website unless it has an alternative designation.

I have decided to stick with the SLR exhaust for now but have the specification for a possibly more optimal design should I need it.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

What are the latest thoughts on exhaust tube diameters and lengths for a 240-250bhp K series? Engine will be a 1.9 with ported VVC head, larger valves, 1721/1444 cams, 42mm Jenveys.

I have an SLR 4-2-1 exhaust at the moment which has 1.75" primaries, 2" secondaries and a 2.25" collector.

Although achieving good power and torque are the primary requirements, it must be quiet so the silencer needs to be a decent length which may compromise the primary/secondary length.

Most of the big power Ks seem to use the R500 4-1 or similar - is this the best route?

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Nick - could you get me a photo of your install please. I am going to install the QED kit and wondered how the bypass is plumbed in.

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Cheers Simon 😬

Paul - they are a bit oversized for my requirements but if nothing else turns up then they are a possibility.

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Dave is building my engine and is going to let me know the part number of the R500 injectors but there are bound to be (hopefully cheaper) alternatives. For eample QED sell the Pico 330 injector for £75 plus VAT.

Dave also suggested Saab Turbo while Track and Road have in the past suggested Volvo injectors. If anyone has used any of the alternatives or has a source of them then I would like to know. ebay is not much help at the moment.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

I am having my engine rebuilt this winter with a bit more power (aiming for 240-250bhp) and need to replace my injectors.

Does anyone have a recommendation for an appropriate injector and where I might get them at a reasonable price. The Caterham R500 injector is £120 (each) so I hope there is something out there a bit more reasonable. If anyone has a set of R500 injectors or similar they want to sell then please let me know.

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YHM - I would like the scuttle please.

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Hi Duncan - I am interested in the scuttle.

Does it have no holes in it or are there windscreen wiper holes in it? I am after one with no holes at all but would consider one that had the w/w holes.

What do you mean by slightly furry? Is this just the usual aluminium surface oxidation?

Is it this one?

A photo would be ideal if you can send me one (shaun dot elwell at blueyonder dot co dot uk).

Thanks,

Shaun

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I know this is a "hens teeth" request but, on the remote chance that someone has one that they would like to sell, I am on the lookout for a K-series R500 crankshaft (or any other suitable steel crank).

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Well it turned out to be a glorious day and here is the evidence:

Photos

Video

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You can get 185/55R14 Kumho V70A in soft compound so I think class 3 it is!

We did 2 seasons driving to all the events on soft compound and I got a full season out of a set of tyres.

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Link here

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Chris - you will need wider front wings to run 215 tyres and wheels of the correct offset.

If you look on the Kumho website, the optimum width for 215 tyres is 8" but most of us are running them on 7.5" so either will do.

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Alan - at that price you may as well get 2 new ones from SVC. The 5.75" ones are cheaper than the 7" but even they are only £120 per pair. Make sure you tell them it's for a Caterham so you get long enough wires.

To get the wires out you have to remove the connector which is a bit fiddly. I doubt you'll have a problem pulling the wires through.

On reassembly be careful you don't bend the tab that stops the headlight from rotating - I know from experience that it is easily done!

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The makers of Optimate also make Accumate conditioners which are designed for larger capacity batteries. You can buy them direct from the manufacturer here.

hi Nigel - Red Top Batteries are "Absorbed acid" batteries not Gel. They are very much like a conventional battery but the acid is absorbed into glass mat within the battery casing. I am surprised you have a problem as my Optimate has worked well with my Red Top for years.

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MacP - that is my understanding.

Kevin - do you really need 125mm backdepth on the rear? An 8.5" rim with that backdepth will probably stick out from the wheel arch. I run 235 Kumhos on 8.5" rims with 140mm backdepth (which is also what the Caterham 8" wheels are) and have the top mounted ARB but with the drop links repostioned inside the ARB. The tyres definitely "fill the arches"!

I have ordered 2 sets of wheels from Image in the past and only ever specified the back depths as that is the critical measurement. They seem happy to work with that and the wheels fit perfectly.

As Pendennis says, you may have to fettle your de-dion tube depending on which tube you have and the design of the wheel.

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Unused (still in box) 2008 JustKampers Spacemaker driveaway awning for RHD camper van. Will fit most VWs, Mazda Bongo Friendee, etc.

Canvas is green. Pictures/dimensions/etc. here. Price new was about £250, for sale at £150.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

On a Caterham the most useful measurement is the backdepth which is the measurement from the inside edge of the wheel rim to the hub mating face - dimension "B" here. Any wheel supplier/manufacturer should be able to work with this dimension. Offset is dependent on the exact width of the wheel which will vary slightly from supplier to supplier. I have bought a couple of sets of wheels from Image (my link above) and both times just quoted the backdepth which I measured from my existing (Caterham supplied) wheels.

For 6" wheels the backdepth is 110mm and for 8" (rears only) the backdepth is 140mm.

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My 2p worth:

The banning (what a horrible word) of expensive kit is for one reason only - to remove any perceived barrier to entry. It is the perception that is important, not the reality.

In my early days of competition (when ACB10s were all the rage ) I believed that, to be competitive, I needed ACB10s and would need to set the car up appropriately - this was beyond my means and ability at the time and could easily have put me off competing (luckily it didn't). The reality is that I had several seconds to find as a driver before tyres/dampers/set-up would really become important.

This perception that certain (possibly expensive) pieces of kit are required to be competitive is the thing that is most likely to put people off competing and therefore is the thing we most need to address in the technical regulations. For this reason I agree with Mark that we should limit class 4 and below to 1-way adjustables as it addresses the perception that 2-ways are required to be competitive.

The reality is that class 4 are not so far off class 5 times and that the expensive dampers give less benefit than people might think. A well set up car on 1-way adjustables (or even non-adjustable Bilsteins) will be better than a poorly set-up car on Ohlins 2-way adjustables - that doesn't change peoples perceptions though.

My thought's on ACB10s are that they are still significantly more expensive than even ZZRs (and require a different car set-up). Should someone decide to run with them and suddenly run faster than before then we would create the perception that ACB10s are required to be the fastest taking us back to square one.

It can be very difficult to convince a driver that they have much to learn in order to go faster - it is easier for them to think that they have a sub standard car (I know I did) and that the answer lies in tyres/dampers/engine. It is only once people have been competing a for a while that the truth dawns on them but we need to address the perceived barriers in order to get people competing in the first place.

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If you run RS14s front then you could try RS4-2s at the rear - thats the combination that I am using as suggested by John at Performance Braking. The thing I don't like about the Pagids is that they glaze over if used lightly i.e. on road. I used to run an RS15/RS14 f/r combination but that is only really suitable for track use as they glaze over very rapidly on road. Also they do need some (only a little) heat in them before they work so the first stop is always a bit interesting.

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Please send me your clips as soon as you can.

As a change from last year I am going to put the emphasis on fun stuff. Spins, slides, yellow trowel moments, "on the edge" runs and any record breaking stuff is what I am really interested in. It would be great if anyone had footage that isn't "in-car" as well. Photo sequences of anything entertaining would also be good.

Please edit your clips to a reasonable length and either send them to me on CD, give them to me at Anglesey or use an internet based large file transfer site (e.g. sendbigfiles). I can accept most formats but please use high quality (at least DVD quality) which normally means AVI or MPEG2.

Thank you.

Shaun

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MOT rules here. I suspect it will be a fail as it is likely to fall within "Zone A".

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