A couple of questions from a new owner...

[Andy1912]

Hello

I recently bought a Caterham Roadsport with a fairly new R400 engine, this is it here: http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/c...

I wonder if anyone might be able to answer a couple of questions I have?

1. I bought some oil today and simply bought what the previous owner, Joe, used which was 5W-40. I noticed some 0W-40 with an indication this would be especially good for cold starts. I live in Aberdeen and it's going to start getting pretty cold soon so I was wondering if I would be wise to buy this next time? (I plan to use the car everyday no matter what the weather.)

2. Is there any way that I can treat the underside of the clams to try to limit the probability of damage from stones and so on?

Any other top tips for using the car everyday would be great....

Thanks

Andy

[ghibbett]

Andy1912 said:

2. Is there any way that I can treat the underside of the clams to try to limit the probability of damage from stones and so on?

I've not used it, but I would imagine something like this would do the job: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0066GXQKS/ref=wl_it_dp...

[dptdpt]

If you are going to use it in Aberdeen in the winter, and it really has 200bhp under the bonnet, look very carefully at those big wheels and if they are fitted with Michelin Pilots or any other hard compound tyres get rid of them as soon as you can. Fit 13 inch wheels and something softish like Kumhos.
The clams are the least of your worries. I speak from experience.

[Andy1912]

Thanks for that. It had the 13" wheels on it when I bought it as it happens (the others are 16" not 14"). The tyres are Hankook Optimo Sport 185/60R13 80H. Should I be looking for something else for the winter?

Thanks again

Andy

[Andy1912]

ghibbett said:

Andy1912 said:

2. Is there any way that I can treat the underside of the clams to try to limit the probability of damage from stones and so on?

I've not used it, but I would imagine something like this would do the job: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0066GXQKS/ref=wl_it_dp...

Cheers. I see that Halfords have something similar too. Seems fairly straightforward....

[Steve Campbell]

185's all around ? Standard set-up on an R400 is 205's on the rear.

185's would be a tad "twitchy" in the wet and cold......

Edited by Steve Campbell on Monday 1st December 13:00

[dptdpt]

It's not an R400 though, it's a Roadsport fitted with an R400 engine (or SLR engine if without RB's) and whilst an R400 would have wider wheels at the back, this has minilites or 16in HPC wheels. Just thought the combination of cold damp road, cold hard tyres, and lots of power has the potential for causing rather more damage than stone stars in the clams. Especially on 16in wheels which (jimo)require low profile tyres that are devoid of any feeling.
I've no idea what Hankook's are like, but I would be thinking about Avon CR500's or Kumho Ecsta V70A 185/70R13 or 175/60HR13 in either K61 or K22 compound. But then, I need all the help I can get.

[Andy1912]

OK thanks. Would be great if anyone knew if my current tyres on the 13" wheels are good for the winter or not. I can't find any information on the web.

Thanks again

Andy

[huwp]

To protect my rear wings from star-cracks I glued some thin rubber sheet to the inside. Has worked a treat.

[BritishRacinGrin]

Andy1912 said:

OK thanks. Would be great if anyone knew if my current tyres on the 13" wheels are good for the winter or not. I can't find any information on the web.

Thanks again

Andy

Define 'good'... Regular tintop tyres aren't designed to work well with about 150kg load. Personally I don't think I'd run normal tintop tyres on a car with that kind of power/weight. One problem is that they never wear out which means you end up with 8+ year old rock hard bakelite tyres waiting to catch you out.

[Helluvaname]

Hi Andy, I'd agree with the above.

I don't know the tyres you have, but get some decent soft compound ones for the 13" wheels.

Any of those mentioned, plus Toyo R1R (or even the slightly harder T1R which is better in standing wet but not quite as grippy as the R1R or Avon CR500 for example).

It may be a bit late in the season to see many cars, but I'd also suggest getting along to the North Scotland Lotus 7 Club meet here which isn't far from you, and pick the brains of the locals for their views

[Powdernick1]

huwp said:

To protect my rear wings from star-cracks I glued some thin rubber sheet to the inside. Has worked a treat.

I love this idea. such a simple but clever method. Oh and now we can all start talking about what kinda rubber is best.

[huwp]

Powdernick1 said:

I love this idea. such a simple but clever method. Oh and now we can all start talking about what kinda rubber is best.

The car is away at the moment, otherwise I'd post some photos. From memory I used 3mm sheet. I made a cardboard template allowing for the reverse of the light fittings. Then used a spray contact adhesive.

Huw

[DVandrews]

Rubbercoat applied to the underside of the wings does a similar job, it is a moisture curing PU coating.

Dave

[IBDAET]

Car Builder Solutions sell something called Wunderseal which is very good.

[Andy1912]

Thanks again, all.

I have come across yokohama A021 tyres which seem to be well thought of re: wet weather performance. George Polly has them in 185/70/13 for £50 which seems very good. These would be a touch taller than my current ones but the 60s are quite a bit more expensive + the extra height may be a good thing because Aberdeen City council have stuck large speed bumps everywhere....

Does this seem a good idea?

I had a great drive along the coast this week but I just don't feel confident in the wet despite the fact that I am being very sensible at the moment.....

Cheers

Andy

[downsman]

Yes go for the 185 70 13 a021r tyres you won't regret it

[anonymous-user]

Not wishing to hijack the thread but I have an R400 kit being delivered to me in a week or so and have started to wonder about which oils and brake fluid etc to use.

I see from the manual that most oils recommended are Comma. Are these really the best available? Would something like Miller Nanodrive or Redlone not be better?

What do people use?

[DCL]

I think it is easy to get overly concerned about oil and there's nothing wrong with using what you consider to be the best oil, but the Comma (or Halfords) 5w50 is a good all-rounder and will do the job perfectly well. The Duratec does have very tight bearing tolerances, so don't go for anything other than a 5W unless you understand the limitations to what you are doing.

Having built a few Duratecs, what I would recommend now, is using a running-in oil such as Millers CRO 10w40 for the first 20 minutes or so. It just settles the engine down so much faster, and helps makes the running-in process a little less hit-and-miss.

Edited by DCL on Saturday 6th December 23:42

[anonymous-user]

DCL said:

I think it is easy to get overly concerned about oil and there's nothing wrong with using what you consider to be the best oil, but the Comma (or Halfords) 5w50 is a good all-rounder and will do the job perfectly well. The Duratec does have very tight bearing tolerances, so don't go for anything other than a 5W unless you understand the limitations to what you are doing.

Having built a few Duratecs, what I would recommend now, is using a running-in oil such as Millers CRO 10w40 for the first 20 minutes or so. It just settles the engine down so much faster, and helps makes the running-in process a little less hit-and-miss.

Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 6th December 23:42

Thanks, I'll bear that in mind.