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Shaun_E

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Posts posted by Shaun_E

    Tyre change

    in TechTalk

    Posted

    For purely road use I think that the Avon CR500 is the best tyre you can run on a Caterham.

    1. It is significantly lighter than any of the competition and that translates to a good ride quality. You don't get any tramlining with them.

    2. It has ample dry grip and is one of the best in the wet - you can get better dry grip but this is only really relevant on track.

    3. It wears well under road use - it will last longer than R888/A048R/etc.

    The only downside is cost but, as you should get at least a year out of a set (unless you are doing intergalactic mileage), it's not a massive cost. In the past I have run CR500s for road and track and they have lasted well - and that is with 226 bhp.

    Regarding use of trackday tyres (like the ZZR) in the wet, as long as you drive to the conditions they are fine. I have driven thousands of miles in all sorts of conditions on R888, A048R and Kumho Ecsta V70A all of which have very limited tread and none of which have caused major problems. Caterhams are crap in standing water whatever tyres you have - just take it easy. Most Caterhams don't venture out much in the wet anyway.

     

    Yellow SL *cool* #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

    Spring rates, plus wheel widths?

    in TechTalk

    Posted

    I can't help with spring rates but what tyres are you planning to use? This will help decide on the wheel width you need. Are you intending running list 1A or list 1B?

    If 1B then the tyre of choice at the moment is the Kumho Ecsta V70A in soft compound (supersoft if you can get it). On 13" rims you have the choice of 175/60R13, 215/50R13 or 235/45R13. For 215-225bhp most of the sprinters are running 215 fronts and 235 rears. Optimum rim widths for this are 8" front and 9"rear although most of us are on 7.5" front and 8.5" rear.

     

    Yellow SL *cool* #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

    Introduction for a novice?

    in Speed

    Posted

    You can attend as few or as many as you like. For the novice championship it's your best 5 scores and for the class/overall championship its your best 7. If you just want to enter for fun then you don't need to do that many but if you enjoy it as much as us you will end up doing nearly every round 😬.

     

    Yellow SL *cool* #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

    Using VVC Head

    in TechTalk

    Posted

    Oily can normally provide you with the VVC blanking kit and cams to suit - they are both made by Piper so could be sourced direct from them. He can also modify your head for you but if you are happy drilling and tapping the engine block then you could do it yourself.

    You are right about the VVC head being a better starting point - my 226bhp engine uses one which was ported by oily but uses the standard valve sizes.

    If funds are tight or you want to do this in stages, hang onto the VVC head for the future and swap your existing head to the new engine.

     

    Yellow SL *cool* #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

    Knocking in Transmission tunnel following an enthusiastic Blat!

    in TechTalk

    Posted

    Check both engine mounts first - they could simply be loose or they could be broken. If both engine mounts are solid then it could be the gearbox mount - again could just be loose. To check the gearbox mount you'll have to get underneath the car.

    You should be able to get a finger in betwen the gear box and the nearest chassis rail on both sides - if it is close or touching on one side then the engine or gearbox has moved on it's mounts.

     

    Yellow SL *cool* #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

    2009 Speed Championship DVD

    in Speed

    Posted

    The DVDs are ready and will be posted later this week.

    Cost is less than £1 so I don't want anything for them. If you wish to make a donation to NTL or a charity of your choice then please do.

    I am posting them to the following people:

    Mike Burnham

    Richard Price

    Matthew Willoughby

    Neil Fraser

    Malcolm Hickey

    Robin Brackett

    Andrew Willoughby

    Paul Brown

    Stuart Miller

    Gavin Craig

    Nick Chan

    Mike Sankey

    Carl Van Baars

    Matt Jenkins

    David Horne

    Chris Alston

    Paul Boston

    Alistair Gibbins

    Rob Grigsby - waiting address

     

    for collection:

    Adrian Williams

    Mark Gibson

    Michael Calvert

    David Nelson

     

    If I've missed anybody who requested one or if anyone else wants one then blatmail me your adddress.

    If any arrived broken or unreadable then let me know and I'll send you another.

     

    Yellow SL *cool* #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

     

    Edited by - Shaun_E on 25 Nov 2009 21:08:14

    2009 Speed Championship DVD

    in Speed

    Posted

    A few of you asked for copies of the DVD at the awards lunch but of course I can't remember who *redface*. If you want a copy then blatmail me your address and I will send one to you as and when I get time to do them.

     

    Yellow SL *cool* #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

    O/T Removing Rain-X

    in TechTalk

    Posted

    Halfords sell "Intensive Glass Cutter" which does the trick. I use their own brand of Rain-X and find it excellent on the 7 - hardly ever have to use the wipers.

     

    Yellow SL *cool* #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

    Replacing Stack Speedo Sensor

    in TechTalk

    Posted

    Thanks Richard - I've got a plug and the pins already. Would have preferred a plug already fitted as they are a pain to assemble but at that sort of cost saving I'll go DIY. 😬

    Mark - I would be like one if you happened to pop in there. I am sure Michael will too - I'll prompt him to reply to you.

     

    Yellow SL *cool* #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

    Replacing Stack Speedo Sensor

    in TechTalk

    Posted

    Does that one have an LED in it to show operation? My speedo has stopped working too and I need to prove whether it is the sensor, the wiring or the display. If it does then I'm up for buying one as well assuming it has the right conector at the other end.

     

    Yellow SL *cool* #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

    Shift Light

    in TechTalk

    Posted

    Whichever you go for make sure that you can program it youself - I seem to remember that Caterham used to supply shift lights that could only be re-programmed by ACES themselves.

    They are very expensive though and there are lots of options around the £100 price point. I have a set of DRE shift lights which work very well. Obviously you don't get the nice mounting bracket like you do with the Caterham set, but I have just velcroed mine to the scuttle.

     

    Yellow SL *cool* #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

    205's on the front?

    in TechTalk

    Posted

    Most of the Class 5 sprinters (and a few class 3 and 4) are running 215/50R13 Kumho Ecsta V70a on the front wheels. We are using 7.5 inch wheels (8" is recommended by Kumho) with the same backdepth as the caterham 6" ones. They don't make the steering any heavier and tramlining is nowhere near as bad as with 185 Yoko A048Rs. You will need wider front wings - either CSR style or RiF and some others do wider normal style. Turn in seems slightly improved but the biggest improvement is under braking.

     

    Yellow SL *cool* #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

    End of season DVD - final call for video footage

    in Speed

    Posted

    Thank you to all those who have already given me their best video clips but I need more.

    I don't have any class 2 - Mr Price where are you?

    I am especially interested in any "moments" and in class winning runs. If anyone has some good/amusing paddock photos then please send those to me as well so that I can include a photo montage in the DVD. Video other than in car would also be interesting.

    Please blatmail me and I will email you my address to send CD/DVD/USB stick to or you can use something like YouSendIt.

    Please edit your footage to just the run to make it easier for me and save it in as high a quality as you can.

    I hope I can live up to Simon's previous efforts.

    Cheers,

    Shaun

     

    Yellow SL *cool* #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

     

    Edited by - Shaun_E on 13 Oct 2009 08:28:47

    Bespoke wiring loom - what would you include?

    in TechTalk

    Posted

    The rewiring was completed a couple of months ago. It ended up taking far longer than originally quoted and costing far more than I ever imagined. It was not good value for money so I will not name the supplier nor will I be pressed on how much it cost.

    On the plus side it is of a high standard and incorporates the changes I wanted.

    Implementing the Savage Motorsport switches was not trivial - it would have been cheaper to buy the R500 PCB at £300 than the time it tooke to get them set up properly. It looks good though and the switches all operate through relays and they have a soft glow when the headlights are on which brightens when you operate the switch.

    Most of the fuses have been replaced by circuit breakers - I am still waiting for the rest. Nearly everything has it's own fuse and relay. The indicators are no longer through the hazard switch. All the excess wiring and long loom lengths have been removed - there is no doubling back of the engine bay loom for instance.

    There is an 80Amp fuse to protect everything (e.g. in the event of the alternator shorting). The earthing has all been redone and there is an earth post in the engine bay along with a +ve terminal - there are only 2 cables to the battery now.

    I have had a radiator fan override fitted and a switch to override the inertia cutoff - essential for a couple of tracks we do where the curbs can trigger it.

    The MFU hasn't been replaced - perhaps I should have done that but the number of extra relays would have been a pain. As it is space on the bulkhead is an issue (yes I have a heater). I have changed to wasted spark ignition.

    If you have any specific questions then please ask. I'll post some photos later today.

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