Caterham Weight

Author
Discussion

texr2000

Original Poster:

59 posts

108 months

Monday 18th May 2015
quotequote all
I been looking into Caterham Weights to try and get a idea of what BHP per tone mine will be once engine is done. Of course i will get it on the scales once the car once finished but when caterham quote there kerb weight what is that based on? 1/2 tamk fuel etc?

I always thought mine was around 550KG a 2002 ex academy 1600 SS but now more road sport spec with hood, heater one tillet and one normal seat. But spoke to someone with a R300 who said his was around 530kg. then read somewhere a r500k was around 500kg.

In a car that has little to it I'm trying to work out where all the weight is that superlights seem to loose.

anonymous-user

53 months

Monday 18th May 2015
quotequote all
texr2000 said:
In a car that has little to it I'm trying to work out where all the weight is that superlights seem to loose.
Superlight(weight) refers to the drivers usually as they drink yellow beer and don't like pies.
Buy a Crossflow and develop a taste for real ale. Kerb weights become so irrelevant after that.

bobdylan

574 posts

210 months

Monday 18th May 2015
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Mite take mine to the local tip they got a weigh bridge,charge per tone .... Pull in Chuck a can of coke in , pull out and get a reading :-)

DCL

1,215 posts

178 months

Monday 18th May 2015
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It's difficult to get below 550KG with fluids and fuel in it. The K is lightest engine and the quoted superlight weights are with aero, no heater, not oil, no fuel, and the standard roll bar. IIRC the R500K has lighter gauge alloy panels too. Typical 'on road' weight with a driver is 620KG - 700KG.

ghibbett

1,900 posts

184 months

Tuesday 19th May 2015
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My Sigma Superport weighed in at 526.5kg with front screen & doors on, along with 3/4 tank fuel and the HH and tonneau in the boot.

texr2000

Original Poster:

59 posts

108 months

Tuesday 19th May 2015
quotequote all
ghibbett said:
My Sigma Superport weighed in at 526.5kg with front screen & doors on, along with 3/4 tank fuel and the HH and tonneau in the boot.
Thats the sorta weight i expect. mine cant weigh much more. once motor has been on rolling road and been weighed with 1/2 fuel ill use that to base my BHP per tonne

Still wonder how the R500k can be quoted at 460KG that alot less than your Sigma, screen doors and HH anrt that heavy

Edited by texr2000 on Tuesday 19th May 10:26

KRL

121 posts

156 months

Tuesday 19th May 2015
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Is the K much lighter than a Sigma. I always thought they were quite similar in weight.

grenpayne

1,975 posts

161 months

Tuesday 19th May 2015
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My K Series R300 spec Superlight was 505kg with a quater tank of fuel in, according to the corner weighting scales that were used when the car was flat-floored. That was with the CC dry sump with Easiclean tank which held around 8 litres of oil. The car was aero'd and didn't have a heater and had carbon wings and nosecone.

mharris

148 posts

161 months

Tuesday 19th May 2015
quotequote all
My Superlight 150 (sigma engine) was weighed at 532kg.

That was with:
All fluids including 1/2 tank of fuel
Half hood
Hood Sticks
Sidescreens
Windscreen
Heater
No washer bottle (removed because it rattled a lot)

I'm surprised at how light it is with all that equipment on board.

GreigM

6,726 posts

248 months

Tuesday 19th May 2015
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texr2000 said:
In a car that has little to it I'm trying to work out where all the weight is that superlights seem to loose.
Is the main difference that the superlight is weighed without the spare tyre + frame, and the "normal" car with? I recall reading that in a history of the seven somewhere.

Angus7

20 posts

167 months

Tuesday 19th May 2015
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and without windscreen and surround and supports, doors, wipers, wiper motor and mechanism, dash switches, heater (and the extra coolant), carpets and mats, spare wheel and carrier, and paint. The original superlight marketing blurb quoted the weight of paint as 2 (or 2.5 - I forget) kg.

All in all quite a lot of weight savings.

e8_pack

1,384 posts

180 months

Saturday 30th May 2015
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bobdylan said:
Mite take mine to the local tip they got a weigh bridge,charge per tone .... Pull in Chuck a can of coke in , pull out and get a reading :-)
Not sure you'll get anything very accurate. Those scales are used to weighing 20 ton trucks, might be plus/minus 50kg.

Be like trying to weigh 50g flour on your bathroom scales.

framerateuk

2,730 posts

183 months

Saturday 30th May 2015
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mharris said:
My Superlight 150 (sigma engine) was weighed at 532kg.

That was with:
All fluids including 1/2 tank of fuel
Half hood
Hood Sticks
Sidescreens
Windscreen
Heater
No washer bottle (removed because it rattled a lot)

I'm surprised at how light it is with all that equipment on board.
Interesting! What seats was that with? Tillets or leather?

mickrick

3,700 posts

172 months

Sunday 31st May 2015
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We weighed a Mates Atom, with our very accurate load cell at work, and it was 660kg! His face fell off biggrin I would take marketing bumph with a pinch of salt.

NuisanceFactor

289 posts

183 months

Sunday 31st May 2015
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mickrick said:
His face fell off biggrin
rofl
What a great phrase

CharlesElliott

1,991 posts

281 months

Sunday 31st May 2015
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My 1.6K series race car (120bhp, no carbon) weighs about 620Kg with 10Kg of fuel, me (85Kg in suit, helmet etc.) and 15Kg of lead. So that's about 520Kg for the car with no fuel.

Eric Mc

121,774 posts

264 months

Monday 1st June 2015
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Crossflow Kid said:
Buy a Crossflow and develop a taste for real ale. Kerb weights become so irrelevant after that.
So very true. My interest in real ales coincided almost exactly with me wanting a Crossflow Caterham.

Marshallman

5 posts

112 months

Monday 1st June 2015
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Really surprised at mine.
2003 SV 1.8 K series VVC-R. just over quarter tank fuel, rear wheel and jack etc in boot. Came in at 523Kg with some VERY expensive car scales.
MikeM

texr2000

Original Poster:

59 posts

108 months

Monday 1st June 2015
quotequote all
523KG for that spec is quite light

SimonRogers

146 posts

157 months

Monday 1st June 2015
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I don't wish to be rude but No Way an SV weighs 523 with spare, jack and fuel!

My Busa on Intercomp scales is 456kg. - SLR cage lightweight wheels and hillclimb slicks, no reverse box and 2 lt fuel.

I have not drilled parts or anything but there is only a partial "car Loom" - there are additional looms for paddle shift though. No rear floor. There is nothing spare in there!

As a K it weighed 512 - 520 kg depending on wheel/tyre combination. That was with paddle shift but also with small Elite sequential.

I have also seen numerous other cars K and sigma which correlate to the same 510 -530 kg area.

My own SV (Sigma) is significantly heavier and it has no spare wheel and jack!