Is an R400 really an upgrade?uo

[SidewaysSi]

I currently have a k series Superlight which I absolutely love. On the.road with the 175 section rear, it is so well balanced and to be honest as fast as you could ever want.

People do say they in this guise it is the best 7 of all time and I can see why. So is there anything to be gained moving up the chain or keep/modify what I have?

[DCL]

I think this one of those 'every man to his own' type questions. What you like about a Caterham, and what you get out of it, is up to you. The R400 chose a particular line of development (and compromise) that filled a niche the competitors were exploiting. The R400 has it's following

[SidewaysSi]

In what way is it compromised? Does the power overwhelm the chassis if driven with commitment? Suspension etc is identical so all it is is another 60-70 horses. My 140 and rear tyre width compliment each other very well. Is an R400 all about the engine?

Maybe a trip to DVA would give the best and best value solution?

[Token Jock]

I've been thinking the very same thing, I love the way my Superlight drives but do wonder what an R400 would be like as well.

For some reason I have no real desire to have an R500 and reckon the R400 could just be the ticket

[DCL]

'Compromise' in that changes are needed to provide, and cope with, more power - it changes the character. Not saying it is worse, just that some of the things you suggest you like in the original post will change. But the R400 is a quicker car, and that's it purpose.

[Andy Bell]

from my limited knowledge it appears the R400 is the peak of performance without the additional pain of upkeep - could be totally off mark. In terms of power on the road I am sure you have absolutely more than enough (i have 140bhp and have no wish to drive to limits) but on track you probably get frustrated with the current straight v's twistie battle - pull away in twistie in caterham lose speed in straights.

I guess it depends where you desire to use the car and if its about driving at limits track is awesome - only done one at its amazing how much more fun you get driving to or close to limit.

[Grubbster]

The difference in pace between 140 and 200 BHP is huge, it is a completely different experience - but not necessarily an improvement for everyone. I went from 140 to 165 and this was a decent step up, then to 232 which is just another world. I seldom drive the car on road any more though, you can't have the fun of keeping it on the boil around the B roads, just tooo much. I now alos have a 125 Sigma which I'm racing, really enjoying the challenge of extracting the max from it all the time, lots of fun!

Best bet is to blag a go in an R400, you'll no doubt love it as it is one hell of a car, but whether it is the right model for you is really down to how you like to drive and whether it is a road or track car. Of course you can drive an R400 slowly like any other car and enjoy the effortless overtaking of course.

[Gingerbread Man]

I'm personally tempted by a upgrade in power from 175BHP to 200BHP. I'm just deciding my options, to buy an engine or to upgrade mine. Where is a good place to get am engine valued?

[grenpayne]

Funny, I watched a video of the new 140bhp supersport this morning and it got me thinking that it might actually be more fun to downgrade to it

[TeflonTurd]

DCL said:

changes are needed to provide, and cope with, more power - it changes the character.

I don't think 200bhp requires much in the way of changes external to the engine. Sure an SL if it did not have the wide wheels and CR500's option, needs the 8" rear rims and wider rubber, but what else? An SL has an LSD, 6 speed, light flywheel etc.

Even 300bhp needs only better rear brakes. (and a stronger chassis).

I am actually finding my R300 spec car (with a properly set up engine) is the best setup you can get. Stock K series = cheap replacement engine if it grenades, plenty of power for brisk sub 100mph progress.

I decided keeping more power (my car had a 260bhp 1.9 for a while) would only result in a driving ban/prison sentence or worse, an end to my mortality. Having a 7 which is only fun over 90mph means you tend to drive it like that alot. I've been there with this car, and its predecessor its not a good situation.

Edited by TeflonTurd on Saturday 11th May 13:48

[SidewaysSi]

grenpayne said:

Funny, I watched a video of the new 140bhp supersport this morning and it got me thinking that it might actually be more fun to downgrade to it

Was that the EVO video vs the Cayenne by any chance? Yep, I need to think if I will honestly have more fun with the 10k spend.

Faster is fine on the road but after taking my car for a 3 hour blast yesterday, I was left feeling that the state of UK roads do not allow a really quick car to stretch its legs for more than a few seconds.

I may just enjoy the thing this year then see. That 10k could go towards a Defender...!

[grenpayne]

Yes it was Looked cracking good fun, although it was on an empty, dry track. I very rarely get to do track days and the last time I did it was chocker and wet! I was told that I would get be bored of the 170ish I have but I'm honestly not, I think any more would be a waste for the way I use the car.

Oh I was quite impressed by the 'brute force and ignorance' approach of the Cayenne too

[sundance002]

I decided to keep my Superlight R 1998 instead of spending the money on a R500 spend it on the Superlight, and now it is a higher spec than the 500 for the same money if not less, A link to the conversion.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[JeffC]

Ive had a R300 spec 175bhp duratec , 210bhp, R400 spec, 300bhp R600 and current car 265bhp R500 . I found the lower powered duratec too slow on the road to excite me , just didnt do it for me, but I would say it was one of the best trackcars as on circuit as it made you try a lot harder to keep with quicker machinery getting every last bit out of a lap, the 300bhp was absolutely mental on circuit and I found was backing off all the time for traffic and had a couple of really close shaves with closing speed on slower traffic , the R400 to me was pretty much the perfect balance of enough power to keep entertained and have good battles on circuit. Ive now upgraded to R500 spec (and those that say a R400 will stay with an R500 really need to drive both) the difference is staggering in power and I love it, It possibly is too much and I know on track it will prob be too quick for a mixed trackday but I look forward to driving it and grin like a Cheshire cat every time I nail it which is what owning a 7 is all about !

So in my opinion I would say an R400 or any 7 around 200bhp is pretty much the perfect package.

[coppice]

I went from 130k to 160vvc to 210d to 220d; they are all massive fun. 130 in K form meant you had to drive the wheels off it to keep up; 160 was just great - a lovely torquey engine wheich pulled like a train low down and gave R300 pace higher up.210d very quick , hugely torquey if a bit characterless compared to k series, also underhwelming noise. 220 d with roller barrels is insanely fast by my standards and the increase in power feels far far more than the alleged 10bhp. Much more responsive too and amazing noise.Totally better than a 130bhp car then ? No not really- they are all great fun but in different ways . Would I do it differently? Hmm- I wouldn't get a duratec without rollerbarrels I think and a well sorted 160 K will give you all the fun you ever need.

[BertBert]

You need to drive them and see what you like. My best upgrade was selling my r500 and getting a 1600 exec superlight. A much more enjoyable car on road and track for me.
Bert

[framerateuk]

I love my 140 (Sigma Supersport spec) on the road, you can really drive it to the max and enjoy it. I would like more power on the track for overtaking, and when you're two-up, you notice the weight difference a lot. My dad was in the car with me last weekend and I noticed it took significantly longer to overtake someone than when it was just me in the car!

[Darumvej]

Fit a aeroscreen certainly makes you feel like your going a lot quicker.

[SidewaysSi]

Thanks all, something to think about. I will try a drive in an R400 when I can and see if I can justify the change. As I said, it maybe better to put the funds into another motoring toy instead!

I do have an interchangeable aeroscreen but I prefer the windscreen. For safety I only drive aero with a full face helmet which does sanitise the experience somewhat.

[DJWuk]

Token Jock said:

I've been thinking the very same thing, I love the way my Superlight drives but do wonder what an R400 would be like as well.

For some reason I have no real desire to have an R500 and reckon the R400 could just be the ticket

Don't you dare, otherwise I'll have to upgrade mine too, to keep up