Shaun_E

Managed a brief hello before the lights changed.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

IMO, for all round road use CR500s have it over anything else I have tried. The thing that makes them stand out is how much lighter thay are than any of the competitors which translates to a much better ride. They have a great compromise between dry and wet grip and they don't tramline.

FYI I have also tried A021R, AO48R, R888 and Kumho V70A.

Now for track use...

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

I have just put mine up for sale but not sure it will fit your car. It is for 1990 onwards.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

"Double Room Required" didn't you know? 😬

Camping in Wales at the beginning of May - you must be mad!

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Driver's side of the engine just above the large bolt that joins the bellhousing and engine. It normally has a blue connector.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

If you want to playback on a television then you really want a 520 line camera and either mini-DV camcorder or MPEG-2 (720x576) solid state recorder. For computer/internet playback only then 640x480 would be OK.

~£100 - all in one recorders such as the Oregon ones - OK for YouTube

£200-£300 - 640x480 solid state recorder + bullet cam - good for PC/internet

£600-£700 - 720x576 solid state recorder + bullet cam - DVD quality, good for TV

Just look at the packages on the DogCamSport website for easy to understand descriptions of the differences.

If you can find a camcorder at a decent price that has AV-in and LANC then that will be cheaper than an MPEG-2 solid state recorder. You can also save money by shopping around for the components of the kits shown e.g. use a cheaper clamp, forget the remote but you will then have a compomised set-up.

Edited by - Shaun_E on 9 Apr 2009 09:08:44

Hi Malcolm - several of us bought Radtec radiators about 3 or 4 years ago. Michael has had to replace his and I have just binned mine. They are great at cooling but both mine and Michaels eventually started leaking from the joints between the header tanks and the core and there doesn't seem to be a way of repairing this.

I have bought a standard Caterham one but with the alloy header tanks this one here. It's marked as for Ford engines but it has all the right fittings for an EU2 K series. The plastic tanked version seems to have an extra (small) connection in the top tank which I would have had to blank off.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Anyone know any nice but reasonably priced places to stay near Llandow?

Crossways will only take 2 night bookings, The Bear is £100/night and I'd rather not stay in a Travel Lodge.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

RiF wide carbon wings do the job perfectly but probably not what you had in mind price-wise. They fit on the normal wingstays - I've got the "race" stays which fit closer to the tyre. Fluke sell the MOG stuff and the do a wide wing which you can order in GRP.

215s (Kumhos in my case) do tramline a bit. Worst is on the inside lane of motorways where the trucks have carved out ruts slightly too wide for the car. On other roads its not bad and certainly not as bad IMO as 185 Yokohama A048Rs.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Edited by - Shaun_E on 7 Apr 2009 14:25:11

I use the Caterham perspex ones for hillclimbs/sprints/trackdays. The current design is a bent piece of perspex with holes drilled through it. I have attached them using rivnuts set into the scuttle and set screws so they are interchangeable - the rivnuts are hidden by the windscreen stanchion when fitted.

To be honest they don't do a lot - they aren't really upright enought to deflect the wind properly. It doesn't help that being a short 🙆🏻 I sit very close to the screen - it might work better if I was sat further back. I know some people have attacked them with a heat gun and managed to bend them into a more upright position.

I certainly wouldn't use them without a helmet on.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Edited by - Shaun_E on 6 Apr 2009 13:26:20

New Cat is right - if the car was registered before August 1998 and was built from a kit then, for an MOT, the car is subject to a visible smoke test only.

If you have a car built after that date or a factory built car then the emissions test can be related to the engine if you have documentation that proves the engine was built earlier.

So, buy any pre-1998 kit built car and you can swap the engine for any other engine. You only need to tell DVLA of a capacity change and give them the new engine number - this does not affect emissions testing.

The easiest swap would be to buy a x-flow car and replace the engine with a Zetec as that requires the least work. If you are stripping the chassis and having new panels then you could have it altered for a Duratec install.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

The problem with RS15s is the road use - they quickly glaze over and are then poor for hillclimbs. A good track session will probably deglaze them but I found they weren't suited to a car used often on the road. If it is purely for track and hillclimb then I am sure they will be fine.

I swapped to RS14 front and RS4-2 (Pagid "blues") at the rear and they are much better. This is with AP 4 pot front brakes and standard rears.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Whilst I agree with the posts about using a MiniDV camera (that is what I have), it is increasingly difficult to get one with "AV in" and even more difficult to get one with a LANC input for remote control. I therefore suggest that, if you only need this for the car, you look at a solid state recorder.

I would take a look at this kit here or slightly cheaper here. Both those sites appear to be part of the same company and they both do multi camera setups as well. The neatest camera mount i have seen is the Goldstar - they also do packages and multi camera set-ups.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

I have the cheap CBS one and it works fine. However it's not that robust and if you squeeze too hard you could damage the threads on the tool. For occasional use it is great.

I wouldn't recommend using rivnuts to fit wing protectors as the protector will end up standing slightly proud of the wing allowing dirt and grit to get between the wing and protector. Normal rivets are the best way to secure wing protectors although I have seen them glued!

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Edited by - Shaun_E on 1 Apr 2009 09:01:25

The other good choice is Autocom.

Whichever you choose, take a look at the Sensorcom headsets - they are far more comfortable than ear defender type units. Not cheap but worth it in the long run.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Is this a "non-race National B" for speed events (i.e. to enter the club championship)?

If so then you do not need a medical or an ARDS test.

For a "race" licence I believe you need both.

One upgrade signature from a hillclimb school can be used as one of hte 4 required if you wish to upgrade from "non-race National B" to "Speed National A".

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Actually it's August 1998 that is the cut off date - i.e. when SVA came into force.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Mikalor hose clamps make a huge difference. The cheapest I could find were here:

www.actionsealtite.com.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Had my first drive of the year this afternoon. 😬

Non-starting was due to the main power feed to the engine loom (the purple wire) disconnecting itself. Having stripped back the cable sheath I found the offending (dis-)connection and fixed it.

Went for a short blat to make sure nothing fell off and, apart from an injector connection coming loose, everything remained attached to the car.

Proper shakedown next weekend at Llandow and hopefully will be ready for Goodwood.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Kumho soft is softer than Toyo SG - no-one has tried the super-soft yet as it's new this year. I used to run Toyo SG when most of the class ran Kumho soft but later switched to Kumho which was a big improvement.

Lots of people are now running 215 fronts. This requires a 7.5" to 8" rim.

Class 4 and below are limited to 215 rears. Class 5 can use 235 (which require an 8" to 9" rim).

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Chris - Gill and I will be there and the Calverts too.

Some other tips:

1. Have as much of the car prepared as possible - I assume you are trailering so you can have it all set up before hand. As we drive we have to fit timing strut, numbers, remove windscreen, etc. as soon as we get there.

2. Sign on as soon as you get there - get's it out the way.

3. Make sure you know how scrutineering will be done - at some places they come to you, others you go to them either 1st come 1st serve or, in some cases, in class order.

I was a bit pannicky at my first event but the reality is you will have plenty of time to do everything you need to.

Shaun

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Thanks, Dave. I think I have that one but in case its different to the one I have I'll drop you a BM.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Has anyone got a wiring diagram for an EU2 engine loom please?

Car is a 1997 so anything aroud that time should do.

Thanks.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Robin - thanks for the link - any idea what length would be best for the floor? 12mm or 14mm?

Michael - that sounds like a nice healthy number.

Malcolm - sounds like you had the same sort of day as I did - hope it goes right from now on.

Hopefully mine will start tomorrow.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Nice one Robin.

I had hoped to get mine going today as well. Unfortunately I got the dreaded K click . I had a spare relay lying around so have bypassed the MFRU. The car turns over now but the battery wasn't exactly full of beans so I will have to wait until tomorrow to get the engine running ☹️. To rub salt in the wounds, Michael turned up in H5URF.

I've still got to rivet the floor back on (guess I ate too many pies last year ). Where can you get appropriate steel rivets from?

I need to get the car running for Llandow in a couple of weeks time.

See you at Goodwood.

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing