Caterham advice wanted
Discussion
Looking to buy first Caterham (after run of Porsche and Lotuses) - some advice needed:
- Do people find the 5 speed and torquier engine better for mostly road use, over the 6 speed?
- For touring in it, is there anything to quieten it down slightly (except earplugs and a light right foot?)
- Does the tonneau cover split in half to allow you to drive whilst other side covered? Does it work well?
- Is retro-fitting heater and heated screen easy?
- are there good wraps or resprays available for under £1000
- does anyone make a height and/or rake adjustable seat - needed so myself and my wife can both fit it (6' and 5'3")
xcentric said:
Looking to buy first Caterham (after run of Porsche and Lotuses) - some advice needed:
Dunno. I've got a coal-fired Crossflow driving a Ford Type 9 gearbox and that's grunty enough.- Do people find the 5 speed and torquier engine better for mostly road use, over the 6 speed?
- For touring in it, is there anything to quieten it down slightly (except earplugs and a light right foot?)
- Does the tonneau cover split in half to allow you to drive whilst other side covered? Does it work well?
- Is retro-fitting heater and heated screen easy?
- are there good wraps or resprays available for under £1000
- does anyone make a height and/or rake adjustable seat - needed so myself and my wife can both fit it (6' and 5'3")
Quieter? A Seven?
Yes. How do you mean "Does it work?". It keeps the rain out a bit and stop things blowing out of the passenger side, and covers the fuel gauge nicely.
Yes.
Depends how complicated and how good a finish you want.
The standard seats are adjustable and there are all sorts of options for making it fit you. I'm 6'2 and fit in a narrow cockpit S3 with a racing set bolted straight to the floor.
Xcentric
The 5 speed matched to a torquey engine like the Duratec is fine and will do all you want. The 6 speed is needed for low torque engines but is also nice on a torquey one - for touring, 5th gear on a 5 speed is lower rpm than 6th on the 6spd, so is something you might look at.
Standard seats slide fore/aft, but are not rake adjustable. Tillets can do both on the right mounting but are normally fixed to the floor.
Wrap - dunno. I just have a painted skin, which is fine.
Steve
The 5 speed matched to a torquey engine like the Duratec is fine and will do all you want. The 6 speed is needed for low torque engines but is also nice on a torquey one - for touring, 5th gear on a 5 speed is lower rpm than 6th on the 6spd, so is something you might look at.
Standard seats slide fore/aft, but are not rake adjustable. Tillets can do both on the right mounting but are normally fixed to the floor.
Wrap - dunno. I just have a painted skin, which is fine.
Steve
xcentric said:
Looking to buy first Caterham (after run of Porsche and Lotuses) - some advice needed:
I have a 5spd and find it rather nippy (2ltr/200hp) FYI- 3500rpm= 70mph, 4000rpm = 80mph (in mine) if that gives you an idea for touring and noise levels.- Do people find the 5 speed and torquier engine better for mostly road use, over the 6 speed?
- For touring in it, is there anything to quieten it down slightly (except earplugs and a light right foot?)
- Does the tonneau cover split in half to allow you to drive whilst other side covered? Does it work well?
- Is retro-fitting heater and heated screen easy?
- are there good wraps or resprays available for under £1000
- does anyone make a height and/or rake adjustable seat - needed so myself and my wife can both fit it (6' and 5'3")
Yes, the tonneau splits, does it work well? Define well...
Dunno abou the heater but the whole car is fairly basic.
Height adjustable seat not required- a 3yr old can see over the scuttle. Fore and aft movement will limit min-max leg length options, I'm 6ft 2" and fit in S3 chassis with normal floors ok.
I have the old pre-S type seats which do have rake adjustment (albeit stuck :-) but none of the modern seats have it, you may require cushions for your missus... oh and you can adjust the pedals to get a compromise that works.
I believe 6th in the 6 speed is almost the same as 4th on the std 5 speed. The 6 speed was originally designed to make the most of the lower powered.more revvy 1.4K series and naturally many liked the box for track work too as it keeps the engine buzzing.
I have a 2ltr VX with the 5 speed and have done much touring. Perfect for it I'd say.
I pull just over 3k rpm at 70mph (on 15" Prisoner wheels) whereas a friend who had a VX with the 6 speed was well over 4k rpm. Then again, not sure if diff ratios are the same.
As for the tonneau, I have used it in the way you describe quite a few times. It zips down the middle so easy to split in half and does a good job of keeping things covered. Seems to work ok in that I had enough elbow room etc but as mentioned, it does obscure half the dash.
You could of course fold the the other half of the tonneau down the passenger side of the tunnel to completely enclose, might reduce the flapping about too.
Here is a pic of mine when I went to Le Mans
LMC110 by snapper seven, on Flickr
You won't find height or rake adjustable seats but most should have the option of fore/aft. At 5ft 3 I reckon your other half would need the pedals in the closet of the three adjustable positions in the box but not sure that would be comfy for you, even with the seat fully back.
Cheers
SS
I have a 2ltr VX with the 5 speed and have done much touring. Perfect for it I'd say.
I pull just over 3k rpm at 70mph (on 15" Prisoner wheels) whereas a friend who had a VX with the 6 speed was well over 4k rpm. Then again, not sure if diff ratios are the same.
As for the tonneau, I have used it in the way you describe quite a few times. It zips down the middle so easy to split in half and does a good job of keeping things covered. Seems to work ok in that I had enough elbow room etc but as mentioned, it does obscure half the dash.
You could of course fold the the other half of the tonneau down the passenger side of the tunnel to completely enclose, might reduce the flapping about too.
Here is a pic of mine when I went to Le Mans
LMC110 by snapper seven, on FlickrYou won't find height or rake adjustable seats but most should have the option of fore/aft. At 5ft 3 I reckon your other half would need the pedals in the closet of the three adjustable positions in the box but not sure that would be comfy for you, even with the seat fully back.
Cheers
SS
Owning an R400 6 speed, my opinion is that it's not a good car for touring. 4000 is about 72mph.
But for shorter blats and on track it's a great combination.
I prefer using a bigger car for 'touring' but if I were to fancy that in a Caterham I'd have to buy another to sit alongside the 400........now there's a thought
But for shorter blats and on track it's a great combination.
I prefer using a bigger car for 'touring' but if I were to fancy that in a Caterham I'd have to buy another to sit alongside the 400........now there's a thought
I've done 70k+ miles, mostly fast road/touring in a 1.6 supersport SV with 6-speed box.
Personally I'd want a bit more power before dropping to the 5-speed box, but then I avoid motorways/autoroutes like the plague, so the high revs when cruising at high speed doesn't bother me. I also like the way the 6-speed box keeps the k-series revving nicely.
Personally I'd want a bit more power before dropping to the 5-speed box, but then I avoid motorways/autoroutes like the plague, so the high revs when cruising at high speed doesn't bother me. I also like the way the 6-speed box keeps the k-series revving nicely.
6peed R400 - yes, it's noisy and a 5 speed(which I have also had )is far better for M-ways . But once on the right road the 6 speed isn't probably any quicker in higher powered cars(unlike the 1.4 where it made a big difference) as you spend so much time changing gear for the sake of it BUT it is huge fun.
And touring with a 6 speed is fine- I'm an old git but have done 500mile plus day (60% on driving roads)with no ill effects , just a big grin.
And touring with a 6 speed is fine- I'm an old git but have done 500mile plus day (60% on driving roads)with no ill effects , just a big grin.
I have a 6 speed in my CSR - it does 70 at 3500rpm, so about the same as some of the other 5 speeds. I use it a lot for touring with my wife - we have been away for 2 weeks, making use of the soft bits for sevens RE bag that sits on top of the boot. You need to pack light, but you can manage 2 weeks easily (even 10 days in Scotland).
You can work the 6 speed, but with a torquey engine you can also cruise it top if you feel like it from 30mph. As you tend to take the back roads rather than motorway, the revs don't really make much of an issue.
Steve
You can work the 6 speed, but with a torquey engine you can also cruise it top if you feel like it from 30mph. As you tend to take the back roads rather than motorway, the revs don't really make much of an issue.
Steve
You'll want to consider a car with lowered floors, that'll give you an extra inch or so of leg room and keep your head under the rollbar line. The Tillett seats will provide a bit more customisation because they're installed with spacers to give your preferred incline (although thats only for personal preference, it wont really give you much more space). It may be necessary to use some padding or foam to give you wife the height she needs - this isn't uncommon. If you wanted to do a proper job then look into making a racing driver's ' bag seat' that could be moulded to fit inside your seat.
Probably best to get yourself along to a caterham dealer where they have plenty of stock. They'll be happy to let you try out the various options to see what fits. You may actually find that its not as big a problem as you think.
Probably best to get yourself along to a caterham dealer where they have plenty of stock. They'll be happy to let you try out the various options to see what fits. You may actually find that its not as big a problem as you think.
thanks - have been to Caterham South - definitely need lowered floors for me, and she definitely needs a wedge behind her back and possibly something under her bum, but with pedals forwards it works ok.
Re the racing bag seats, are they swappable from passenger to drivers side and vice versa, simply, or not? If so it may be an option, as it needs to coe with us swapping drivers when out; if not then standard seats are the best choice for us I think.
Re the racing bag seats, are they swappable from passenger to drivers side and vice versa, simply, or not? If so it may be an option, as it needs to coe with us swapping drivers when out; if not then standard seats are the best choice for us I think.
xcentric said:
Re the racing bag seats, are they swappable from passenger to drivers side and vice versa, simply, or not? If so it may be an option, as it needs to coe with us swapping drivers when out; if not then standard seats are the best choice for us I think.
A bag seat is simply a load of expandable foam moulded into a comfortable position. They dont look the neatest but work very well and are extremely comfortable. The driver's and passenger's seats in a caterham are symmetrical and interchangeable, so no reason why the foam couldn't be swapped between the seats. Or even stored in the boot when your wife isn't driving (depending on how big you make it). In my head this would work a lot better with the Tillett seats than the leathers, but who knows..xcentric said:
Re the racing bag seats, are they swappable from passenger to drivers side and vice versa, simply, or not? If so it may be an option, as it needs to coe with us swapping drivers when out; if not then standard seats are the best choice for us I think.
They wont swap side to side, and they're a pig to get in and out anyway.http://www.halfords.com/motoring/car-accessories/c...
Works for my short Dad in my SV with lowered floors.
Works for my short Dad in my SV with lowered floors.
xcentric said:
So with the tillet seats, do most people make a bag seat for them - or sit on the hard surface, or what?
No, people rarely use a bag seat inside another seat. If you want to use a bag seat for its intended purpose, you'll probably ditch the seat all together and mould the bag seat to fit the cockpit floor. See this blog here for an example and some pictures.My suggestion was to use bag seat type foam to create a thin 'booster' to sit inside the Tillett (or whatever seats you have). If you mould it to the seat with removability in mind it'll swap sides no problem. You could probably also just use a couple of cushions, but I'd be worried how stable they'll be in a crash.
The Tillets are snug and very comfortable, no need for any padding generally.
Edited by mharris on Thursday 28th April 09:41
I think the 5/6 speeds is really a matter for taste. The touring/noise debate doesn't work for me. Any 7 is really noisy and you need ear protection for comfort and to protect your hearing. So whether the engine is doing 3800 or 4200 or 4800 makes not much difference. It's just a number.
So I'd go with what you enjoy driving most. I far preferred the 6 to the 5 speeders. But that's just what I prefer. As I say, I don't think noise should be the deciding factor.
Bert
So I'd go with what you enjoy driving most. I far preferred the 6 to the 5 speeders. But that's just what I prefer. As I say, I don't think noise should be the deciding factor.
Bert
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