Shaun_E

The CTEK and Accumate work in the same way for the main charging cycle. They both charge at a constant current until a preset voltage is reached at which point they swap to a constant voltage until the battery is charged. They appear to differ in the way they deal with sulphation and the way they maintain the battery once charged. The CTEK uses pulses in both cases whereas the Accumate uses high voltage if sulphation has occured and in maintain mode it just repeats the bulk charging stages until the required voltage is reached. An Accumate will work well with an Odyssey battery as will a CTEK. Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Simon - I have some footage of the Manx Classic if that is of any interest. Not much point in me sending you more class 5 exploits although you can have my off at Harewood for the rogues gallery. Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Adrian - thanks - that is close enough to the 111mm I've measured to convince me I haven't made an 🙆🏻 of it. I meant the outer edge of the inner rim IYSWIM. I will go ahead and order tomorrow. Mike - I thought I'd seen them on another car. Good to know they really are low maintenance. I will be getting the centres powder coated and both inner and outer anodized. Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing Edited by - Shaun_E on 20 Oct 2008 21:58:25

When do your new wheels arrive Michael? I guess I'll go the tried and tested route then and stick to a 7.5"/8.5" combo. Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

I have decided for next year to go with the following Kumho tyre combination for sprints and hillclimbs: Front 215/50R13 Rear 235/45R13 Kumho recommend 8" wide rims for the 215s and 9" wide rims for the 235s. However most of the people who run this combination of tyres have 7.5" front and 8.5" rear - is there any reason for this (apart from not having to change the rear wheel width from standard with MB wheels)? Why move to 7.5" front and not 8"? I have decided to buy Image Billet 4 wheels as they have powder coated aluminium centres which will be lower maintenance than the MB magnesium wheels. People who know me will realise that is an important factor! I therefore have the luxury of starting from scratch with the sizing and offset. I will be fititng wider front wings but with the existing stays so will need to keep the inner edge of the wheel in the same postion relative to the wingstay. I have measured the backdepth (hub face to inner rim edge) at 111mm - does that sound right? Could someone measure theirs for me please. I intend to keep the same backdepth on the new wheels which will therefore have all the additional width on the outside - the offset will change significantly but will this cause any problems? On the rears I also intend to keep the (139mm) backdepth the same to prevent any possible fouling problems - it looks like there should be enough room under the arches. Can anyone forsee any problems there? Cheers, Shaun Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing Edited by - Shaun_E on 20 Oct 2008 17:11:06

The only other CR500 supplier I have heard of is BMTR or I believe you can get them from Avon direct. As they are bespoke for Caterham I don't think you'll get them any cheaper but it may be worth a try. Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

A048s seem to have very stiff sidewalls. I never really got on with them on the road and despite dialling out bumpsteer with washers under the steering rack and adding a bit of toe in they never inspired confidence on a bumpy B road. They are great on track though. I have since tried Toyo R888s (admittedly in soft compound) and these were much better - the sidewalls seem more compliant which not only reduces the tendency to tramline but also improves the ride comfort. I would be tempted to try R888s on the front and replace the rear AO48Rs with R888s when they wear out. If you are feeling flush then a set of Avon CR500s will give you the best road experience - they are lighter as well as more compliant and IMHO are the best road tyre for a 7. Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing Edited by - Shaun_E on 16 Oct 2008 13:30:56

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

The camera lives on the car permanently and it is driven to events come rain or shine (no trailer for us) so gets wet a lot! The lens cover has an O-ring. This is a new camera which I have never taken the cover off. I had this problem with the old camera and often took the cover off to wipe away condensation. I thought an airing cupboard would be a dry environment. I might try putting the cover on the camera in the airing cupboard. Alistair - the cable enters the camera at the other end and, having dimantled my old broken one, is sealed with lots of black silicone. The issue is obviously moisture in the air gap between the lens and the cover but how can that be eliminated? I might have to try Rain-X anti fog stuff! Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

SM25T - The theory is sound but nowhere to drill a hole really. I will take a closer look though. Thanks. Alistair - a very lateral thinking approach! As above there isn't much room between the lens and the protector but I might be able to get a few grains in there. I guess I could try assembling it in the airing cupboard to eliminate any moisture. Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

That sounds fairly unambiguous. Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

I often have an issue with condensation on the inside of the lens protector of my RF Concepts bullet camera. Does anyone else suffer from this and has anyone found a solution? On initial use it is fine but after a while it steams up. I noticed at Anglesey this weekend it was fine on Gill's runs but by the time I started my run it had steamed up. This suggests it is heat related - i.e. it happens when the camera has got warm but the outside temperature is cold. Suggestions on how to eliminate this gratefully received as it is ruining most of my video. Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Are you sure the rule applies to non-roadgoing cars? I thought it was only for roadgoing classes. Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Last timed run on Saturday (NB not my quickest but the best video). Last but one on Sunday. Again not my quickest as I forgot to record the last run. I had loads of problems with the lens protector misting up. ☹️ Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing Edited by - Shaun_E on 14 Oct 2008 18:24:30

Metal ready is not required unless painting on bare clean metal. On a powder coated but rusty chassis, the "POR15 rust prevention paint" is the stuff. The 6 pack sounds like a good idea for the reason described above. If you put 2 layers of clingfilm over the can before replacing the lid it does help to prevent the lid and can becoming one. On the Dinitrol front I used the cavity wax following my rebuild but that was on clean surfaces. In your case the Coromax sounds like the right product. No point in spraying the inside of the skins but do spray the grot traps and where the chassis and skins meet. Basically, anywhere that steel and aluminium meet is a good place to spray. Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

You need ones with thin walls. I have used the Halfords Professional 1/2" drive 19mm sockets successfully - you need a pair of them. Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

I'll take it please. Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Yes please for the rest of DRR. Cheaper one (Hydra) is fine but we are happy to go for whichever the majority choose. Size large for me and a small for Gill. Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Is it a SuperSport engine? The standard pistons are allegedly marginal for the red line the Superpsort is set to. I would replace all 4 pistons with forged items. As above contact Dave Andrews at DVA Power. There are some mods you can have done to the oilways and oil pump and you can get the liner standoff checked and corrected if necessary. New bearings and headgasket will have your engine better than new. Of course a conversation with Dave can end up very expensive once you are tempted by the dark side 😬. Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

534kg with half a tank of fuel. It's a Superlight but has windscreen, wipers and heater. Also it's dry sumped which adds a bit (Caterham bellhousing tank). Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Caterham 8 spokes only come in 6" or 8" so if that is the wheel you want you have no choice. Putting a 205 tyre on them is fine. I've run 205/60R13 A048R, R888 and CR500 on Caterham 8" rims with no problem. Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

You could also say fatter rear tyre = better traction = understeer. You may need to adjust the suspension set up to eliminate this - first stop could be to increase the rake slightly. Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

21/22psi hot sounds about right - probably 16 to 18 cold depending on ambient temperature. Check the oil regularly and keep it at the specified level. If you are using a good fully synthetic then no need to change it more than normal - lots of people do but there is no need to. I only do an oil and filter change once a year! Spanner check - always check the wheel nuts are torqued correctly (55 lbft) and do this several times on a trackday. As they heat up they can come loose (I speak from experience having wrecked a wheel ☹️). Its worth going round all the suspension bolts now and again to make aure none have worked loose. Brake pads - I a use Pagid RS14s front and RS4-2s rear but there are lots of alternatives - do a search. Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

The dip switch is the most likely candidate. You can check by switching the connections at the back. If you then get dipped but no full beam then you have your answer. Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

Video of my two timed runs here. Nearly went off on the 2nd run . Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing