Keeping cool in your Caterham
Discussion
chemistry said:
I know I got a ribbing for that, but I STILL don't see why as an OPTION it wouldn't make sense for Caterham to offer aircon.
Nobody has a problem with a heater in a Caterham, so why is aircon such as crime for anyone who might want it? You can get Elises, Morgans, etc. with aircon, so why not a Caterham? Surely as an OPTION it couldn't hurt sales, and better sales is a good thing.
...or maybe I just need to get my coat...
:-) You can't have aircon in a non-sealed car, its pointless.Nobody has a problem with a heater in a Caterham, so why is aircon such as crime for anyone who might want it? You can get Elises, Morgans, etc. with aircon, so why not a Caterham? Surely as an OPTION it couldn't hurt sales, and better sales is a good thing.
...or maybe I just need to get my coat...
Wear shorts& hat, take water, drive fast, Brooklands/aero helps, did 2hrs today in 30+ No probs.
Chemistry - you won't get a ribbing from me - I think a total loss air con system in a seven would be a good option. I'm in Hong Kong, and it's regularly in the 30s here, a later 'hot' Caterham would be undrivable here in the Summer.
I would seriously consider such a car here if it had some kind of cooling, either some form of air-con or some form of fan system.
The later Sigma and Duratec do seem to run with hotter transmission tunnels as noted by others on this thread.
In Autumn and spring - you would have bigger concerns with the tropical rain downpours here.
I like the idea of disconnecting the heater loop and running the heater unit as a fan, and the idea of a half hood, but no doors.
I would seriously consider such a car here if it had some kind of cooling, either some form of air-con or some form of fan system.
The later Sigma and Duratec do seem to run with hotter transmission tunnels as noted by others on this thread.
In Autumn and spring - you would have bigger concerns with the tropical rain downpours here.
I like the idea of disconnecting the heater loop and running the heater unit as a fan, and the idea of a half hood, but no doors.
Thanks felixgogo!
I don't mind the ribbing and understand that a huge part of a Caterham's appeal is the stripped back, no frills nature of it.
Nonetheless, your comments do echo the sentiments I'd expressed in a (much mocked!) thread in which I said that if Caterham were my business, I'd be minded to offer air conditioning as an option, primarily for customers like you, in hot climates. I realise that this goes against the 'low tech', add lightness ethos, but from a business perspective, my view is that sales are sales and if you sell cars with heaters, why not a/c too if it broadens their appeal amongst a wider international customer base...nobody would be forced to tick the a/c option box after all!
Also, I realise that running a/c in an open top car isn't remotely efficient, but I also know from personal experience that sitting in a convertible in traffic IS a lot nicer if you have the a.c running and cool air blasting at you from the dashboard!
So thanks again for standing up as an example of what I'm taking about! Hopefully Caterham will one day offer a/c as an option and you'll be able to order one
chemistry
I don't mind the ribbing and understand that a huge part of a Caterham's appeal is the stripped back, no frills nature of it.
Nonetheless, your comments do echo the sentiments I'd expressed in a (much mocked!) thread in which I said that if Caterham were my business, I'd be minded to offer air conditioning as an option, primarily for customers like you, in hot climates. I realise that this goes against the 'low tech', add lightness ethos, but from a business perspective, my view is that sales are sales and if you sell cars with heaters, why not a/c too if it broadens their appeal amongst a wider international customer base...nobody would be forced to tick the a/c option box after all!
Also, I realise that running a/c in an open top car isn't remotely efficient, but I also know from personal experience that sitting in a convertible in traffic IS a lot nicer if you have the a.c running and cool air blasting at you from the dashboard!
So thanks again for standing up as an example of what I'm taking about! Hopefully Caterham will one day offer a/c as an option and you'll be able to order one
chemistry
felixgogo said:
I like the idea of disconnecting the heater loop and running the heater unit as a fan, and the idea of a half hood, but no doors.
I've done this on my Crossflow by plumbing in a bypass valve from a TX4 Taxi, about £8 n EBay, coupled with a cable release designed for a Mini to my under dash. (You can skip this if you don't want to bother with a remote operation). I work more on the theory tat it aids cooling by not having two radiators of hot water circulating above my knees, rather than using the fan with no heat.
Seemed to help a bit anyway and not hard or expensive to do.
Rather than cooling the car how about cooling the driver / passenger http://www.ogracing.com/fast-fia-nomex-cool-suit-s...
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