R300, 400 or 500?
Discussion
So having finally cleared out the garage to make space, I am now looking to buy a caterham
Question is which model. I've owned an R400 recently (2004 model) and loved it. Not driven an R300, but have been passenger around brands hatch in my mates old one when he owned it. That car felt like it was left wanting to me in terms of power on the straights. R500 - too much power for what I want?
Not too concerned about the money side of things in that it won't be the deciding factor. I want the best car for what I will use it for, which is; 95% of the time I will be going out for a blast on a Sunday morning on the country roads near me. I will take it to Le Mans next year and I'll probably do 2 or 3 track days a year in it.
So I'd like to know from current and ex R300/400/500 owners, which they think is the best option
Cheers
Question is which model. I've owned an R400 recently (2004 model) and loved it. Not driven an R300, but have been passenger around brands hatch in my mates old one when he owned it. That car felt like it was left wanting to me in terms of power on the straights. R500 - too much power for what I want?
Not too concerned about the money side of things in that it won't be the deciding factor. I want the best car for what I will use it for, which is; 95% of the time I will be going out for a blast on a Sunday morning on the country roads near me. I will take it to Le Mans next year and I'll probably do 2 or 3 track days a year in it.
So I'd like to know from current and ex R300/400/500 owners, which they think is the best option
Cheers
CSR 260 with Tillets and 13" wheels with CR500´s. Lots of luggage space and elbow/shoulder room for touring, and the IRS rear end gets the power down great on bumpy B roads! Pushrod front end is BS in my opinion, but it works and looks O.K. and is easier to clean than dampers and springs.
The 260 is very a tractable motor too
The 260 is very a tractable motor too
R400 I think.
I own a 2001 Superlight upgraded by Caterham to R300K spec, ie 1.8K series on Roller-Barrels and for Sunday early morning blasts it's spot-on perfect. My 165bhp is great on the road as you can use all the power and it's still blisteringly quick. However on the odd track-day I do and when two-up I occasionally feel I would like a little more power. So if you're doing 2-3 track-days a year and loading the car up to go to Le Mans, an R400 would suit more. R500s are great but it's generally accepted it's too much power for the road and can get frustrating as opportunities to use all the power are rare.
I own a 2001 Superlight upgraded by Caterham to R300K spec, ie 1.8K series on Roller-Barrels and for Sunday early morning blasts it's spot-on perfect. My 165bhp is great on the road as you can use all the power and it's still blisteringly quick. However on the odd track-day I do and when two-up I occasionally feel I would like a little more power. So if you're doing 2-3 track-days a year and loading the car up to go to Le Mans, an R400 would suit more. R500s are great but it's generally accepted it's too much power for the road and can get frustrating as opportunities to use all the power are rare.
I have a CSR so I'm probably biased so I agree with the comments above.
If money isn't the deciding factor then why would you get an R300/400 over an R500? You don't have to use all the power all of the time but on track days at least you have the option.
Lots more questions about the spec really, do you want sequential gear change, SV or S3 etc?
If money isn't the deciding factor then why would you get an R300/400 over an R500? You don't have to use all the power all of the time but on track days at least you have the option.
Lots more questions about the spec really, do you want sequential gear change, SV or S3 etc?
jimhcat said:
I have a CSR so I'm probably biased so I agree with the comments above.
If money isn't the deciding factor then why would you get an R300/400 over an R500? You don't have to use all the power all of the time but on track days at least you have the option.
Lots more questions about the spec really, do you want sequential gear change, SV or S3 etc?
Some might argue that it's more fun to be able to get your foot all the way down more often than having to hold back constantly?If money isn't the deciding factor then why would you get an R300/400 over an R500? You don't have to use all the power all of the time but on track days at least you have the option.
Lots more questions about the spec really, do you want sequential gear change, SV or S3 etc?
I always thought the R300 or R400 would have been ideal for fast road use. An R400 (or something of similar power/weight) will be on the cards for me once I feel I'm getting the most out of mine.
R400 Duratec is my tool of choice these days...and I do 3 or 4 track days a year (including Le Mans Bugatti last year) and I drive it everywhere (not trailered).
I've said it before on these forums, the R400 D is perfect for my needs....easy to drive on a Sunday "easy going" cruise ... revs 0 - 3k pussycat, 3-5k angry tabby...5k + scalded tiger. The Duratec at these horses (210) also appears bomb proof and not "highly tuned" so no realy concerns on that front.
On track it's faster than most things (on the twisty tracks anyway)...and to be honest, the car is more capable than me so I have yet to get the "most" out of it....but it's great fun trying :-)
Mind you, if I had the £££ I'd seriously consider the CSR as I hear great things.
I've said it before on these forums, the R400 D is perfect for my needs....easy to drive on a Sunday "easy going" cruise ... revs 0 - 3k pussycat, 3-5k angry tabby...5k + scalded tiger. The Duratec at these horses (210) also appears bomb proof and not "highly tuned" so no realy concerns on that front.
On track it's faster than most things (on the twisty tracks anyway)...and to be honest, the car is more capable than me so I have yet to get the "most" out of it....but it's great fun trying :-)
Mind you, if I had the £££ I'd seriously consider the CSR as I hear great things.
An R500 isn't too much power for the road. I've had a superlight R and 2 k-series engined R500s, and the R500 is a better road car than a superlight R.
Go for the most power you can afford. You don't have to press the right hand pedal to the floor the whole time.
Personally, I'd buy on condition and would go for a K-series R400 or R500, depending on what comes onto the market. if you can stretch to it, but a Duratec engined R500. I'm not convinced that a CSR is worth the premium, but I've never driven one.
Go for the most power you can afford. You don't have to press the right hand pedal to the floor the whole time.
Personally, I'd buy on condition and would go for a K-series R400 or R500, depending on what comes onto the market. if you can stretch to it, but a Duratec engined R500. I'm not convinced that a CSR is worth the premium, but I've never driven one.
I´ve owned an R300 S3 in the past, and two up you really notice the difference. If you spend any time 2 up, you will soon be wanting more oomph, as well as more space. That´s why I sold the car and bought an SV chassis.
You should try the CSR. That IRS is great on the road! The CSR Tillets are even more comfy that the S3 Tillets, a but more comfy across the back of the shoulders, and I liked the ones in my R300!
You should try the CSR. That IRS is great on the road! The CSR Tillets are even more comfy that the S3 Tillets, a but more comfy across the back of the shoulders, and I liked the ones in my R300!
I dropped you an email with my reply based on owning quite a few 7"s over the last 10 years, but in case you didnt get it..
firstly as above R300 powered duratec with 175bhp for me it was just to slow and with a passenger was bordering on pedestrian more noticeable after 60mph ,my next car was an R400 Duratec 210bhp this was much better and was great on track, a great balance for road/track use but I always felt I wanted something quicker for the road which is where my cars now spend most of the driving time, when I get out in the car I want a buzz of acceleration like I got from riding Sports bikes , I now have the same car but I got a 280 spec duratec built for the car to take it to R500 power but with cams that give it bags of torque and make it really driveable on the road, we use it every week during the summer for drives out , In my opinion it is the best all rounder I have owned I can even sadly manage over 32mpg from it! as said I have dozens of 7"s over the last 10 years including a CSR260 for a 12 month stint which was a very good road car and would hold its own on track but my biggest issue with the CSR and to me was the deciding factor of me parting company with it was I never gelled with its looks from day 1 in particular the proportions of it, from certain angles it reminded me of a previous Robin hood I had owned many years ago
where as an S3 in my opinion just looks right from all angles , we go out 2 up all the time and neither me or Mrs C are what you would call petite and we have no issues, yes its is snug and you need to get in and to belt up at different times past that its great. 
firstly as above R300 powered duratec with 175bhp for me it was just to slow and with a passenger was bordering on pedestrian more noticeable after 60mph ,my next car was an R400 Duratec 210bhp this was much better and was great on track, a great balance for road/track use but I always felt I wanted something quicker for the road which is where my cars now spend most of the driving time, when I get out in the car I want a buzz of acceleration like I got from riding Sports bikes , I now have the same car but I got a 280 spec duratec built for the car to take it to R500 power but with cams that give it bags of torque and make it really driveable on the road, we use it every week during the summer for drives out , In my opinion it is the best all rounder I have owned I can even sadly manage over 32mpg from it! as said I have dozens of 7"s over the last 10 years including a CSR260 for a 12 month stint which was a very good road car and would hold its own on track but my biggest issue with the CSR and to me was the deciding factor of me parting company with it was I never gelled with its looks from day 1 in particular the proportions of it, from certain angles it reminded me of a previous Robin hood I had owned many years ago
where as an S3 in my opinion just looks right from all angles , we go out 2 up all the time and neither me or Mrs C are what you would call petite and we have no issues, yes its is snug and you need to get in and to belt up at different times past that its great. Toaster said:
myths and rumours, 15 years of k series ownership its never missed a beat, having said that i doubt if there has ever been an engine built where there hasn't been some form of issue, they all have +'s and -'s
How can you possibly know, unless you have had the engine rebuilt, that a K has always been warmed up throughout its life before being given the beans? If you check my garage, you will see that I have owned 4 k series engined cars (6 if you include those my partner owned too) . Add to that my involvement in other commercial activities associated with Caterhams means that I have a pretty good idea of the foibles of the K series. And they do have their foibles. So don't dismiss my posting as 'myths and rumours' OK?
Edited by rubystone on Monday 14th October 23:07
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