Smitten, and a couple of questions

[gareth h]

I did a caterham experience at Heyford on Friday, only 6 laps but loved the back to basics feel, and am considering selling a motorcycle or two and buying a 7, a couple of questions, obviously the brakes aren't servo assisted, but I was surprised by the pressure required to slow the car (my bikes aren't servo'd but can be stood on their nose with 2 finger braking) is this normal and how strong are the brakes?
Secondly am I being optimistic with a 12k budget? What am I realistically likely to get at that sort of money?
Thanks
G

[Grubbster]

Glad you enjoyed it, they are brilliant little toys! It is normal for the brakes to need a lot of pressure, you soon get used to it. £12k should get you into a reasonable K series car, probably ex-Academy which would be a great car to start with and easy to sell on should you want to move on to something a bit higher spec once you've had time to understand all the variants and options that are available.

[mike150]

I never noticed the brakes in mine being weak! Other people that drive it say they are weak. They do need more pressure than a normal boring car but they lock up the very best if you want them too. Mine has the Caterham 4 pots on it. I must have no feeling in my left foot cause I just brake harder until the tyres cry enough.

If you are coming from bikes you will be wanting a fast one and if you have 12k to spend you might be better looking at Westfields. 12k does not buy much Caterham performance but would buy a Duratec Westfield with 170bhp or a good XE engined car with well over 200hp. They are not as nice to drive though..............I've been there.

I need a Levante (600hp) to equal the bhp per ton of my bike................I can't afford a Levante!

Edited by mike150 on Sunday 5th October 15:32

Edited by mike150 on Sunday 5th October 15:34

[gareth h]

What about something like this:
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/c...
In budget, any drawbacks?

[Grubbster]

You are right Mike, the brakes aren't weak they just need more of a shove than people expect. Some of the newer cars with the standard master cylinder suffer with a bit of sponginess (since the change from the Girling cylinder which went out of production - the new one isn't great).

For under £10k that car looks like good value on the face of it, with a bit of budget left to do any odd jobs and put some 13" wheels on it. Clams aren't everyones favourite but that's just down to personal choice, they can be swapped for cycle wings without too much effort I believe.

[coppice]

mike150 said:

I never noticed the brakes in mine being weak! Other people that drive it say they are weak. They do need more pressure than a normal boring car but they lock up the very best if you want them too. Mine has the Caterham 4 pots on it. I must have no feeling in my left foot cause I just brake harder until the tyres cry enough.

If you are coming from bikes you will be wanting a fast one and if you have 12k to spend you might be better looking at Westfields. 12k does not buy much Caterham performance but would buy a Duratec Westfield with 170bhp or a good XE engined car with well over 200hp. They are not as nice to drive though..............I've been there.

I need a Levante (600hp) to equal the bhp per ton of my bike................I can't afford a Levante!

Call me Mr Traditionalist but I find the old fashioned way of braking with my right foot works just fine in my Seven. In road driving you hardly need them as Sevens shed speed so quickly- often a quick lift of the gas slows you down the same as a proper brake in a normal car would.

[Eugene7]

Every 7 is basically different, and there are many different brake configurations, and often different pad materials, etc.

I've had Eugene for nearly 30 years, and never had issues, but do used Mintex pads specifically to improve brake feel.

But, unlike the over aggressive brakes in may more modern cars, the progressive feel of Caterhams when braking is far better.

[gareth h]

Well, deal has been done, I am about to become a Caterham owner, a couple more questions.
The front suspension components and dampers are showing signs of corrosion, I was going to pull them off and get them powder coated, then I saw that there was a wide track kit available, which will save me having to powdercoat (I know man maths!!)does this make a difference to the handling? (my old M3 was improved with spacers on the front which reduced understeer)And do you retain the same front dampers / springs??
Thanks
G

[Grubbster]

Wide track is a nice mod, I found it improved the feel of the car so for the cost it's OK and as you say it saves getting parts powdercoated. It retains the original dampers but adds a 1" spacer to them to make them longer.

[gareth h]

Thanks, I think the cost was about £400 from Demon Tweeks, is that about the going rate?

[Grubbster]

Freestyle went a while back, there was a fire at their premises and I don't think they began trading again after that.

Yup, £400 for 4 wishbones, 2 brake lines and extenders for track rods and dampers. Its a bit fiddly to do but certainly manageable by someone used to working a spanner.