RE: Driven: Caterham Supersport R
Discussion
Always makes me laugh when testers complain about the hood. In the "summer" (joke) I took my 7 from South Wales to MK (DVA Power for more totally unjustifiable engine work 
to Norfolk (Emerald RR setup) and back in 2 days. The weather was truly awful and it took me 6 hours to drive home without stopping (except for fuel). In a marked contrast to Harris' video of the Morgan Plus 8 (80 grand car) with water pouring onto his lap from the windscreen when he took it to Geneva, the 7 was completely dry inside. The only downside was I was slightly DEAF when I got home, and with the hood on the car it is such a handful at high speed into a southwesterly that I now know what re-entry in the space shuttle must feel like!
Car is a 2002 1.8k Supersport that made 201.7 bhp at Emerald by the way...;)
to Norfolk (Emerald RR setup) and back in 2 days. The weather was truly awful and it took me 6 hours to drive home without stopping (except for fuel). In a marked contrast to Harris' video of the Morgan Plus 8 (80 grand car) with water pouring onto his lap from the windscreen when he took it to Geneva, the 7 was completely dry inside. The only downside was I was slightly DEAF when I got home, and with the hood on the car it is such a handful at high speed into a southwesterly that I now know what re-entry in the space shuttle must feel like!Car is a 2002 1.8k Supersport that made 201.7 bhp at Emerald by the way...;)
This was parked in the reception at the hotel where the Caterham Motorsport Awards took place last month. It looked excellent. Not sure about the new badge though.
I've only driven a Caterham on the road once and didn't like it. Too vulnerable and the limits are too high. And that's me talking as a motorcyclist who does 15k miles per year on 2 wheels.
They're simple astonishing on track though. That's where they really come alive and can be fully appreciated in relative safety.
I've only driven a Caterham on the road once and didn't like it. Too vulnerable and the limits are too high. And that's me talking as a motorcyclist who does 15k miles per year on 2 wheels.
They're simple astonishing on track though. That's where they really come alive and can be fully appreciated in relative safety.
dapearson said:
I've only driven a Caterham on the road once and didn't like it. Too vulnerable and the limits are too high. And that's me talking as a motorcyclist who does 15k miles per year on 2 wheels.
I don't understand how you square owning a motorbike with that view? Leave the road/get hit on your bike and it will (bare minimum) hurt. It probably won't in a Caterham unless it's a big off (which hopefully shouldn't happen on road) or collision. Not having a go btw.Pugsey said:
dapearson said:
I've only driven a Caterham on the road once and didn't like it. Too vulnerable and the limits are too high. And that's me talking as a motorcyclist who does 15k miles per year on 2 wheels.
I don't understand how you square owning a motorbike with that view? Leave the road/get hit on your bike and it will (bare minimum) hurt. It probably won't in a Caterham unless it's a big off (which hopefully shouldn't happen on road) or collision. Not having a go btw.The caterham i tried was my own 1.6 k-series on A048 tyres with lots and lots of grip. I took it on some A roads near me and found i didn't really need to brake for corners!
I felt vulnerable because of the low driving position. It felt very much like being on a bike in terms of being alien compared to "ordinary" cars.
On a bike you get a more commanding view of the road ahead and have more options to get out of trouble (diesel, ice and lack of crash protection aside!).
I'm not knocking Caterhams for the road BTW. Just saying that for me i prefer trailering them to circuits and exploring their limits in a controlled environment.
dapearson said:
Pugsey said:
dapearson said:
I've only driven a Caterham on the road once and didn't like it. Too vulnerable and the limits are too high. And that's me talking as a motorcyclist who does 15k miles per year on 2 wheels.
I don't understand how you square owning a motorbike with that view? Leave the road/get hit on your bike and it will (bare minimum) hurt. It probably won't in a Caterham unless it's a big off (which hopefully shouldn't happen on road) or collision. Not having a go btw.The caterham i tried was my own 1.6 k-series on A048 tyres with lots and lots of grip. I took it on some A roads near me and found i didn't really need to brake for corners!
I felt vulnerable because of the low driving position. It felt very much like being on a bike in terms of being alien compared to "ordinary" cars.
On a bike you get a more commanding view of the road ahead and have more options to get out of trouble (diesel, ice and lack of crash protection aside!).
I'm not knocking Caterhams for the road BTW. Just saying that for me i prefer trailering them to circuits and exploring their limits in a controlled environment.
jason61c said:
Schnellmann said:
Simply solution: move to Switzerland for a while. Here a new Caterham costs around £50k (for something similar to the one in the article). Then move back to the UK and appreciate that there they are cheap as chips!!
That doesn't help make it better value for money? If I did move there could I have your higher quality of life and income? 
On the upside, we have perfect roads for a Caterham. On the downside the speed limit is only 50 mph and the penalties for exceeding them can be harsh.
Mellow7 said:
Always makes me laugh when testers complain about the hood. In the "summer" (joke) I took my 7 from South Wales to MK (DVA Power for more totally unjustifiable engine work to Norfolk (Emerald RR setup) and back in 2 days. The weather was truly awful and it took me 6 hours to drive home without stopping (except for fuel). In a marked contrast to Harris' video of the Morgan Plus 8 (80 grand car) with water pouring onto his lap from the windscreen when he took it to Geneva, the 7 was completely dry inside. The only downside was I was slightly DEAF when I got home, and with the hood on the car it is such a handful at high speed into a southwesterly that I now know what re-entry in the space shuttle must feel like!
Know what you mean. Obviously the 7 in the pics doesn't have the roof on (or even in its cover), so I wonder whether it even went on for this test. I do hope our man from PH wasn't being lazy... to Norfolk (Emerald RR setup) and back in 2 days. The weather was truly awful and it took me 6 hours to drive home without stopping (except for fuel). In a marked contrast to Harris' video of the Morgan Plus 8 (80 grand car) with water pouring onto his lap from the windscreen when he took it to Geneva, the 7 was completely dry inside. The only downside was I was slightly DEAF when I got home, and with the hood on the car it is such a handful at high speed into a southwesterly that I now know what re-entry in the space shuttle must feel like!Yes it's a bit of a pain to put on and it makes getting in and out more tricky, but it keeps the water/snow out, which is all you really need to worry about. I've had mine on a fair bit recently and it feels like driving a cosy (but noisy) little tent!
Citrus7 said:
I usually keep my cars 6-8 months before getting itchy feet, with the last couple including a 911 GT3 and Ariel Atom. However a more modest purchase of a 140 BHP caterham about 6 months ago has changed things.
Suddenly the search for more power and faster 0-60 times has been replaced by real enjoyment of driving at sensible speeds on the road. Over the summer I often finished work for the day and took off for a 100-150 mile blat around country roads. I've found driving bliss.
So 6 months later I have sold the car, but replaced it with another caterham. A modest jump to a R300 probably has me in the sweet spot of the Caterham range for spirited road driving.
Some how I think I will always have a Caterham in the garage moving forward
Dave
Agreed! They just feel so right!Suddenly the search for more power and faster 0-60 times has been replaced by real enjoyment of driving at sensible speeds on the road. Over the summer I often finished work for the day and took off for a 100-150 mile blat around country roads. I've found driving bliss.
So 6 months later I have sold the car, but replaced it with another caterham. A modest jump to a R300 probably has me in the sweet spot of the Caterham range for spirited road driving.
Some how I think I will always have a Caterham in the garage moving forward
Dave
Noger said:
Angus7 said:
Wheel spacing in the arches may just be down to the diameter of the wheels, which are available in 13" to (I think) 16" sizes.
Yeah, they are 13x7 all round. Which does look a bit tiny on the rear. On the front you can lower the cycle wings to hug the wheel a little more. More pronounced due to the light colour. Get some proper carbon fibre wings on there, and some mud in the arches....and you won't care However I still feel earlier cars also with DeDion axles did not have as much space between wheel and arch. Even bigger wheels will not really bring it down to an acceptable level.
They must have made a change in design at some point.
Wheel sizes: Will the wheel diameter change with a bigger wheel rim (say 15" instead of 13") or will a lower profile tire compensate for the larger rim? If not you will have to change the speedo if 'upgrading' to a larger rim.
Edited by speedsix on Thursday 13th December 15:56
speedsix said:
I see the point with the DeDion axle vs. the independent susp. in the CSR and also with wheel sizes.
However I still feel earlier cars also with DeDion axles did not have as much space between wheel and arch. Even bigger wheels will not really bring it down to an acceptable level.
They must have made a change in design at some point.
Wheel sizes: Will the wheel diameter change with a bigger wheel rim (say 15" instead of 13") or will a lower profile tire compensate for the larger rim? If not you will have to change the speedo if 'upgrading' to a larger rim.
I don't think they have changed the design. Rear arches are rear arches, the only options are wider ones. This goes for CSR/De Dion/Live Axle. However I still feel earlier cars also with DeDion axles did not have as much space between wheel and arch. Even bigger wheels will not really bring it down to an acceptable level.
They must have made a change in design at some point.
Wheel sizes: Will the wheel diameter change with a bigger wheel rim (say 15" instead of 13") or will a lower profile tire compensate for the larger rim? If not you will have to change the speedo if 'upgrading' to a larger rim.
Edited by speedsix on Thursday 13th December 15:56
Actually the Caterham price list suggests that the standard SuperSport R comes with 6X13 CR500s. Which unless they have stretched the 205s over the 6" rims (which is possible, but I doubt Caterham would) then these are the 175/55R13 CR500s. A good 2" smaller diameter than the CSRs rears. And pretty small.
People do go for 6" front and 7" rear to get the 205s, which are a little bigger.
Here are some 13" CR500s in a standard carbon wing, on a live axle (a 1992 chassis).
Small !
I use my Caterham as much as possible. It's done about 700 miles since September and while you obviously want a dry day for it, if you have to drive in the rain it's not a huge problem.
With the roof up it's noisy, but regardless of what other people say about the hood - ours keps us completely dry and warm inside. Visibility wasn't an issue either. In a Caterham you're always so much more aware of the cars around you - you'll pick up on things that a drive in a normal car simply wouldn't notice.
I was out driving in the cold last weekend, had a load of fun. And I hope I'll be around this weekend if it warms out and the ice goes away.
They're not that much of a handful in the rain either. Like any car, don't thrash it in the rain. I just keep the revs low and you'll have no problems at all.
With the roof up it's noisy, but regardless of what other people say about the hood - ours keps us completely dry and warm inside. Visibility wasn't an issue either. In a Caterham you're always so much more aware of the cars around you - you'll pick up on things that a drive in a normal car simply wouldn't notice.
I was out driving in the cold last weekend, had a load of fun. And I hope I'll be around this weekend if it warms out and the ice goes away.
They're not that much of a handful in the rain either. Like any car, don't thrash it in the rain. I just keep the revs low and you'll have no problems at all.
It's an option.
With Caterhams though, the models are only there to make it easier to pick things, you could buy a Roadsport and spec it to the same as a Supersport R if you wanted. You make the car as you want it with the options you pick.
The 6 speeder is a good bit more expensive though. I love mine, it's only downside is on motorways, but that's not where you want to be in a Caterham anyway!
With Caterhams though, the models are only there to make it easier to pick things, you could buy a Roadsport and spec it to the same as a Supersport R if you wanted. You make the car as you want it with the options you pick.
The 6 speeder is a good bit more expensive though. I love mine, it's only downside is on motorways, but that's not where you want to be in a Caterham anyway!
speedsix said:
The Caterham is not about pretty looks.
Really loved the CSR with Cosworth engine I rented for a weekend a few years ago.
Drove superbly and I thought it looked stunning.
What I don't understand is what they have done with the rear axle on the one described here - the space between rear wheel and rear wing looks absolutly appalling.
Does anyone know what the necessity is behind this? The CSR did not have that and looked great.
That's always been my criticism of recent caterhams.I think it's probably more to do with the bodywork than the chasis.It looks wrong.A friend of mine has a Mnr vortx and the fit of the rear arches to the wheels is perfect.That's with 13's,same as caterhams run.Really loved the CSR with Cosworth engine I rented for a weekend a few years ago.
Drove superbly and I thought it looked stunning.
What I don't understand is what they have done with the rear axle on the one described here - the space between rear wheel and rear wing looks absolutly appalling.
Does anyone know what the necessity is behind this? The CSR did not have that and looked great.
danny84 said:
.That's with 13's,same as caterhams run.
Caterhams run anything from 16" to 13" although the tyre profile make a lot of difference to diameter. 70 profile A021s on 13s fit the arches OK. 15" Prisoners look good. On the edge of legality sticky Avon stuff on 13s look a bit small. But they weight nothing. Which is kinda the point
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